The Wolves of Cain

Anger Issues and a Single Discovery

Date: 2-16-17

Chapter 10: Anger Issues and a Single Discovery

Lucas stands frozen, alone in the woods for a full minute. He's shocked out of his frozen state when the wind brushes past.

As he runs in the direction he hopes is his house, his eyes stop burning and his fingers stop hurting. "So it was the girl making me feel weird." Lucas muses to himself.

When he finally arrives home, after quite a few wrong turns, he sees Lena exiting his house. Lucas didn't come out of the woods at the point where he ended.

Lena sees Lucas and gives him a startled look. "Lena! Weren't you supposed to be home already?" Lucas questions her to try to avoid why he's outside. He still doesn't know the answer to that.

"I talked with Jerica for a while longer. I'll make it home before 1:30 a.m." Lena reassures him. "I thought you were inside sleeping."

"I just went out for a bit." He answers, avoiding the question.

Lena looks at Lucas disbelievingly. "Are you okay? Is that blood on your hands?"

He shoves his hands in his pockets and deflects the question quickly. "Nope. Just mud. You should get home, it's getting late."

"Okay, see you later I guess." Lena sounds confused as she walks away. It makes him wonder if she's scared of him or scared for him.

"Stay safe! Be careful!" Lucas calls after her, probably freaking her out more.

He wonders about the probability that it was all a dream. It could've been just a nightmare. But when he takes his hands out of his pockets, there's blood on his fingers.

~*~

The next morning Lucas doesn't get out of bed until after noon. He goes down to the kitchen in search of something to eat. But instead of food, he finds Jerica waiting for him.

"Why were you in the woods last night?" She demands to know as soon as he walks in.

"What?" Lucas rubs at his eyes to try and wake himself up a little more.

"You know what I'm talking about!" Jerica shouts at Lucas. "Lena told me this morning!"

He runs a hand through his sleep-rumpled hair. "If you already know, why are you asking me?"

"Lena said she saw you coming home but she doesn't know why you were outside. She was worried." Jerica rolls her eyes at this like it's unreasonable.

"And I'd like to know, since it was a full moon. For all I know, you turned into a werewolf out there!" Lucas feels his jaw drop in shock at the accusation. He quickly pulls himself together.

He was so surprised because that's what popped up online when he checked yesterday.

"I didn't turn into a werewolf." Lucas decides he needs to tell Jerica about what happened last night, because it's always better to have a second opinion. Especially when Lucas thinks he may be going crazy.

"But I may have seen something not normal and followed it." Lucas admits.

"Really? Tell me everything!" She demands, excitement filling her voice.

So Lucas tells everything about the vine girl, leaving out the parts about him. He tells Jerica that the girl, who he now thinks of as vine girl, said he was a monster. But Lucas didn't tell her the reason. He wants to know what's going on with him before he tells anyone.