Howls in the Night {Chapter One The Night When Everything Goes to Hell}

Howls in the Night {Chapter Five Hidden Truth)

I dash into the house and rush to the living room coat closet. I open it to see Simon curled up on the floor crying. He looks up at me and hugs me tightly. I hug him back, trying my best not to cry in front of him. He needs someone strong. He cries on my shoulder, causing my shirt to soak in his tears. I don't mind, I'm just happy that he is okay.

"I-I thought t-the w-wolf got you!" Simon sobs.

"Ssshhh" I say to him calmly. "There is no way that things would ever get me. I promise I will never leave you. Ever."

"Amber?"

I look up to see Grandma and Grandpa in the doorway. They both look shocked and confused. I don't blame them. I'm not exactly sure how to tell them what happened. I'm not even sure what happened here. Especially what happened in the woods. The thought of Blake comes into my mind.

"Amber, what happened here?" Grandma asks in a concerned voice.

I get up and face my grandparents. What do I say? Do I say the truth? The part about what happened in the woods will just make them think I'm crazy. And maybe I am. I look down at Simon, whose blue eyes are still filled with tears. I sigh as I make my decision.

"The wolf that killed Mom and Dad came." I explain to them. "I made Simon hide in the closet as I led the thing away from the house. I lost it in the woods. I don't know where it went."

"Oh my goodness!" Grandma says in shock.

"Why didn't you grab a gun?!" Grandpa yells at me as he walks over to Simon and hugs him.

"I don't know where the guns are." I tell him. "All that came to mind was to get the beast away from Simon."

"Amber, you could have been killed!" Grandma shouts as she hugs me tightly.

I hug her back, feeling the emotion of relief consume my body. Yeah, I could have been killed if it wasn't for that silver wolf. Okay, just to let everyone know, lying is a very bad thing! But I couldn't tell my grandparents and Simon the whole truth without them thinking I was crazy! My little brother needs me, and I'm not going to risk losing him.

"Now the beast knows where you are." Grandpa says as he walks over to the kitchen.

All of us follow him and take a seat at the kitchen table. Grandpa is pacing back and forth shaking the back of his head. He is confused. Obviously, sorry I like to state the obvious. He sighs and looks at Simon and me. I have a feeling that what he is going to say isn't going to be good.

"Amber, you and Simon will have to leave." He finally says to us.

I stare at him in astonishment. My jaw literally dropped! I look at Simon. He is about to cry again. I look at Grandma. She is staring at Grandpa in disbelief. She stands up and slams her hands on the table causing me and Simon to jump in startlement.

"What do you mean they have to leave, Paul?!" Grandma yells at him. "They're just kids! They don't have anywhere to go!"

"Anny they just can't stay here!" Grandpa yells back at her. "What if that wolf comes back?! It knows where we live! That thing could kill you like it killed our son!"

"These are his children!" Grandma screams. "We can't just abandon them!"

"These kids are nothing but trouble!" Grandpa shouts as he points his fingers at us. "They have been trouble ever since they were born! You remember what our son said about them!"

"What did Dad say about us?!" I snap at him.

I didn't even realize where that came from. But something inside of me wanted answers. Grandpa looks at me, as if he doesn't want to answer me. He looks down, knowing that he might as well tell me the answer.

"Ever since you were born, Amber, strange things have been happening." Grandpa explains to me. "Right when you were born, there was a pack of wolves waiting outside the hospital as if waiting to see you."

I keep looking at him. I want to know everything. Grandpa decides to sit down at the kitchen table. Grandma sits down as well and hugs Simon close to her.

"That wasn't the first insidence with wolves. Whenever you went to play outside you would be shrieking in happiness about something. When your parents went to check what was going on, there would be a wolf sniffing you and nudging you with it's nose." Grandpa continues his story. "Everywhere you were there would be a wolf somewhere lurking about. As if they were watching you. It was freaky and unnatural. But your parents insisted that everything was fine. That there was no reason to worry. But got God's sake there were wolves!!! Fucking wolves!!!"

"Paul!" Grandma snaps at him. "Language in front of the little one!"

She is meaning my little brother. Though I don't think he cares at this point at what a curse word is or what it means. Simon seems more interested in the story.

"Right, anyways, the older you got the more the wolves came around. It got to the point where your father wanted to move. But your mother wasn't worried at all. She said that it wasn't a big deal and that he shouldn't worry about it. Your mother was such a fool. Though, things started to calm down once Simon was born. There were a lot less wolves. And you, Amber, were always helping your little brother. So, your father thought everything would be normal." Grandpa says to us. "Then, the night when that wolf attacked...and it coming back now....it just proves that we can't keep you here."

I look down at the table, trying to hide my tears. All my life, wolves have found me. I don't know why, but they are always there. A single tear falls to the table. I look up at my grandparents, knowing what I have to do. I kneel down to Simon's level and take a deep breath.

"Simon, I'm going to have to go." I tell him.

"NO!" Simon shouts. "You can't go!"

"Listen to me, Simon. If you are around me, the more of a chance that you might get hurt by a wolf. I can't let that happen." I explain to him. I look up at my grandma. "Will you at least keep him? He hasn't been the problem."

Grandman nods and tries to pull Simon to her. He fights her and jumps on me into a hug.

"You can't leave!" Simon yells at me. "You promised!!! You promised me!"

"I know Simon." I tell him calmly. "I know, but I can't afford to lose you too."

"You won't lose me!" Simon sobs. "You protect me! You always protect me!"

His sobs start to bring tears to my eyes. I hug him tightly, not wanting to let go. But I know in my heart that I can't keep protecting him forever. I look at my grandma and nod my head to let her know to take him. Simon struggles in her grip, trying to get away from her.

"No! Amber!" Simon yells. "Don't leave me! You promised you wouldn't leave me!"

The tears are flowing down my face. I don't want to leave him. I truly don't. But if what Grandpa said is right, then it is just a matter of time before the wolf attacks again and hurts Simon. I can't let him get hurt. I'm doing this to protect him. I have to go. I walk to my room and grab some cloths and my school books. As I walk out of the door I look back at my family. Simon is staring at me with eyes full of tears. How I hate to see his eyes like that...

"Amber...Please." Simon pleads with me. "Don't leave me."

I turn away from his gaze. Tears keep flowing down my face.

"I'm sorry." I mutter and walk out the door and step into the darkness of the night.