Beast Pack

Chapter 1

I leaned forward in my seat, eager to hear the story. I had heard it so many times before, but I always anticipated listening to it. My grandfather, who was a fantastic storyteller, winked at me. The fire snapped, reflecting in his dark eyes. He was handsome for his age—he looked a lot like John Mahoney.

“Some of you have heard this story before,” he said, his gravelly voice creating the atmosphere instantly. The other campers, a few kids from my school, stopped talking and listened to him. “I will tell it again, since the others have yet to experience the terror.”

I rolled my eyes. Nothing like a great horror intro. He always started the story the same way. I tugged my blanket a bit tighter around me and popped a marshmallow in my mouth.

My grandfather began. “Years ago, when my great grandfather was a young boy, there existed a pack of monsters in these very woods. These monsters were unlike anyone has ever seen—if you live after seeing them. These were ferocious, beautiful creatures that hunted in the forest. My great-grandfather Eli called them the beast pack because no one knew if they were men or animals. When they could be seen, it was only from a distance. They are said to look like very handsome, strong men clothed in black. If a person gets closer—which I highly advise against—he or she will be able to see their eyes. Their eyes are supposedly bright red or yellow, very much like wolves.”

“Werewolves?” A teenage girl gasped, captivated by the very idea.

“Something like that,” my grandfather said. “Some people who have hiked on this mountain at night have said to even see unnaturally large wolves running around on the night of the new moon.” His eyes met mine briefly. “Let me tell you a story about Jacob Whitaker, my great-great uncle.”

Now it gets good, I thought, smiling.

“Almost three hundred years ago, my great-great uncle Jacob Whitaker had heard stories about the…wildlife…in these mountain woods,” my grandfather intoned. “He brought four people with him on a camping trip; his three best friends, and his girlfriend Amber. Together, the five camped in this very spot.”

“Whoa…” another girl said in disbelief.

A boy snorted. “There’s no way this is true. There’s no such things as werewolves. And why would anyone want to come up here three hundred years ago? It was probably just as boring then as it is now.”

“Show some respect!” Another teen snapped. “Three hundred years ago, this place was all woods and rocks. Now we’ve turned it into a camping ground with indoor plumbing and vending machines…”

The boy snorted. “Treehugger.”

“As the night progressed,” my father interrupted loudly, giving the girls and boys a brief glare, “Jacob and the other three boys began to drink. Amber, who despised alcohol, just tried her best to fall asleep. When the boys discovered that they needed to relieve themselves, they didn’t tell Amber where they were going…and walked into the forest.”

“Dun-dun-DUNN!” A boy laughed ominously.

My grandfather raised an eyebrow but continued, “When they least expected it, the four boys spotted the beast pack running towards them. In their drunk minds, they tried to guess why twelve men would be running around in the forest.

“The beast pack was led by an alpha, the strongest and fastest of the pack. The alpha was the first to catch the scent of the four boys. It was the alpha in the lead, with his red eyes glowing and his teeth flashing white.”

“Why wouldn’t they run?” A girl whispered, already terrified by the idea of the beast pack.

A boy, the same one from before, laughed harshly. “Yeah, right. You try thinking clearly when you’re stoned.”