When Night Falls

Chapter 3: A Familar Face

   Tonight my dream is different. First the usual stuff happens, but instead of waking up it continues. The intense moonlight shines down on us. I can make out a few faces now. Looking around those beside me I see large wolf like creatures poised to attack. It feels like I know them.

  To my right is an enormous lion barring its fangs. In front of me is a group similar to mine. In the very front I see a monstrous, milky brown wolf. He snaps his large muscular jaws and throws his head back in a bone chilling howl.

  When I finally wake up tears are building in my eyes. I couldn't get my heart beat under control and continued to gasp for breath. For the rest of the night I tossed and turned and didn't get much sleep. My mind raced with thoughts from the realistic nightmare, the nightmare that haunts me in my sleep.

  I was so tired that I woke up thirty minutes late the next morning. Panicking, I jumped up and frantically started to prepare for school. Half an hour later I was running out the door. Bruiser and Marley barked loudly as they watched me leave. I waved at them and continued to speed walk down the road.

  I had no choice but to take the old route since it was shorter. I hadn't seen Bridgett at the end of her road. Of course she was long gone and off to school. I was frustrated that it was taking so long to get there. It was cold and foggy this morning so I could barely see a thing. I had left my jacket at home in a rush.

  I soon came upon the beautiful thicket of woods. Already leaves were beginning to change color. I stopped and turned, hearing something close by. My face drained of color when I saw what had caused the noise.

  Burning yellow eyes glared at me from the dense, mountainous trees. I froze as a hazy figure emerged from the dark and misty forest. I was terrified and unable to move. Running would only make things worse anyway. There was nothing near me I could use as a weapon.

  When the beast was completely visible I nearly choked on my sudden intake of breath. I recognized this wolf. It was the same ghastly, milk chocolate colored creature I had seen in my dream last night. Fear and sorrow washed over me. My only thought was that this savage beast was going to kill me without thinking twice about it. There's so much I'll never get to experience. There were too many things I needed to say, to tell the people I cared about...

  It snarled and began to advance towards me. Why had this random forest creature picked me as its prey? Is this really just a regular wolf looking for food? He was far larger than normal wolves, but perhaps there's been a change in the food web. Whatever the case was it doesn't matter now.

  The beast lunged at me with acute precision and jaw dropping, horrifying grace. Just as he clashed with me I wedged my purse between his snapping jaws. Rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth lay at bay only inches from my throat. This didn't delay him for long. The ferocious monster ripped the purse off me and tossed it aside.

  Deep tooth and claw marks were engraved to my flesh where stray teeth and lethal claws had ripped at my arms and chest. I cried out in pain from the searing tears in my skin. The murderous wolf clamped its iron jaws onto my calf. I screamed in pain. I could feel my muscle tissue being shred and the bones of my lower leg cracking under the massive pressure.

  My body is beginning to grow numb from the tortuous wounds. It dragged me further and further into the woods. My hair snatched on fallen tree limbs as I was raked over the rough terrain. Everything was so dark and foggy that I couldn't make anything visible. Finally we came to a halt. I knew there was no more delaying my untimely fate. Closing my eyes, I gave a few words in prayer.

I braced myself as the milky brown wolf launched itself at me. The impact never came. Instead a second, gigantic, tan brown wolf smashed into the blood thirsty beast. Suddenly there were several different colored, monster sized wolves amongs me.