A Howling in the Hills (Prev. Adjusting) (BoyxBoy)

Chapter 2 - Awake

On the side is Alex.

The pack house was completely empty. With such a large pack, this was an anomaly. There was always at least one person inside. The emptiness scared me. I was used to constantly being around others. Not having someone there to tease me, or take care of me, or even just to ignore my randomness was scary. Especially to a seven-year-old.

I padded down the desolate hallway on bare feet, the hardwood floors sending a chill through me. With all the lights off, the passage was bleak and dark, hiding monsters that my young brain conjured up from fairy-tales and nightmares. I stopped at one of the windows to my left for a moment, looking up and out at the night sky. The stars were easy to see since the large house was placed far away from human civilization. However, the open windows did nothing to light the house inside since it was a new moon, the stars all alone in the sky. Just like I was in my childhood home.

I continued walking down the hall, scared and looking for my parents. They should be home. They should be here. Where were they?

"Mommy?" I called out. "Daddy?"

No response.

Suddenly, I heard a loud cry from the last door on the right. My heart stuttered for a moment before I ran as fast as my legs could carry me down that hall. "Mommy!" I yelled out, fearing the worst.

I reached the door and paused, listening to what was happening inside. I heard constant whimpers and whines, scaring me even more. "Mommy?"

I slowly reached out and grabbed the doorknob with a trembling hand. "Daddy?"

Turning the knob, I faced what would soon become the nightmares that would plague me in the years to come.

I shot up in bed, shaking, trembling, and sweating. I was gasping for breath, and my hand quickly found my chest, grasping at my heart. Finally, after several deep breaths, I was calm and fell back onto the bed. My head was resting on an incredibly soft pillow, and warm blankets were lying on my legs. Feeling a cold shiver shoot through me, I grabbed the edge of the blankets and pulled them up to my neck. I then turned onto my side and snuggled down into the comfortable bed, closing my eyes and letting out a sigh of relaxation. A couple of moments passed before my eyes shot wide open again as I came to realize something.

I live in the woods. I haven't been in a house in ten years. I don't own a bed.

I shot up in the bed again as panic rocketed through my system. I turned my body so my feet were hanging off the right edge of the bed and ripped the blankets off as I did so. The bed was incredibly tall, so my feet just barely touched the floor when I was sitting on the edge of it. Then again, it could've had something to do with my vertical disability, as I was relatively certain that a person of normal height would've been able to easily relax their feet on the floor. At 5' 5", it was ridiculous how small I was, especially for a twenty year old. But I digress.

I dropped to the floor and quickly stood up to take in my surroundings. I was in what I assumed was a cookie cutter bedroom. The queen-size bed I had been lying in was up to my waist, with a dark wood as the frame and headboard and black sheets. It was pushed up against a wall and centered in the medium sized room. The comforter and regular pillows were dark, navy blue. There were black throw pillows on the ground, which I assumed I had thrown off the bed in my sleep. On either side of the bed was a window with thick, navy blue curtains that were open, letting in the sunlight. Outside was nothing recognizable; all I could see were trees all around. Looking around the room some more, I saw a dresser to the left, nightstands on either side of the bed, and a bookshelf to the right that all were made out of the same wood as the headboard and bed frame. None had any personal items like photos and figures, only regular things like movies, books, and CDs that didn't give much away as to the room owner's personality. None of the items that were there even looked used: there was a fine layer of dust on all of the surfaces. The walls were a sky blue with black framework, and the floor was pure white carpeting.