Only A Memory (Part 1)

Chapter 10: Coyote Shy

Lying there, I stared at my ceiling tracing shapes with my eyes and thinking about her. It was the only thing that could calm me enough to fall asleep. Slowly my heartbeat began to slow. It was nice and quiet. The only sounds came from the passing of cars and the crickets leaping from leaf to leaf, a cool breeze broke through the cracked window, but another noise had joined them. A creaking. In an instant, my window slid open and a foot popped through. The figure slid into my room very sneakily for if I wasn't awake I probably wouldn't have noticed. Dressed in all black, a hoodie kept its face in the shadows discrediting their identity.

I got up and my heart had gone from steady to wild. "Hey you! I -I have a bat, and I'm not afraid to use I-" Before I could finish my threat a hand covers my mouth. I grabbed the hand pulling it away," Let go of me!" The figure stepped into the moonlight, and the familiar face showed. It was her, Lydia.

"Lydia wha- What the hell are you doing!"

"Shh." She placed her finger on her lips and looked at the door scared someone might hear, "I need to show you something."

"For the love of god Lydia, it's 2 in the morning! Can't this wait!"

"If it did, did you really think I would sneak out of my house, climb 10 feet onto your roof, and into your room!" She said annoyed.

I shrugged my shoulders, "Uh, I don't know."

I squinted my eyes knowing it was a dumb answer.

"Just come on!" She waved me on and slid back out the window.

I sighed, "Okay, okay, lemme grab my sweatshirt."

I reached the window and Lydia was just getting to the bottom finishing with a flip sticking the perfect 360 landing. I stared in awe as this girl could do anything, it amazed me at just how many talents she had.

"We have to hurry, come on it's for our photography project, it's gonna be great!"

It was then I noticed the camera dangling from her neck. I hurried down and she took my hand quickening her pace. She took me to a large field of grass with a perimeter of trees, in the corner sat an old playground. It was the town's largest park.

"The park? Why?" I exclaimed confused.

She shut me up with a, " Sh." She pointed.

Following her direction, guiding in and out of the trees an animal on all fours looked back at us almost fixated as much as we were. She stepped in front of me kneeling, her camera hanging off of her neck.

I stared unsure of what it could be, "What is it? A dog?"

She answered quickly still kneeling, "No I'm pretty sure it's a coyote!"

I questioned her answer, "I don't think so that looks too big."

" What else could it be?" She answered.

In that very moment a glow in the form of two eyes, sparked a yellow with a golden tint color.

"Lydia... are you thinking what I'm thinking."

She muttered under her breath, " A wolf."

The wind picked up and my words were barely even heard, "A wolf! Lydia, if that's a wolf we shouldn't be staring we should be running."

She managed to hear my words and backed up next to me. "It's okay I've been coming here every night at 2 for the past week and it hasn't done anything."

"Wait, wait, wait, Lydia.. there are no wolves in California."

"Well...what the hell is that then!"

"Lydia, whatever it is seems to be getting closer..."
The creature started to creep closer and closer, crouching ...

I held Lydias shoulder, "Lydia we have to go, Run!"

I pulled her but she stayed, she snapped a quick photo, the flash illuminating the park. That wasn't a good idea. We both sprinted as fast as we could both hearing the claws scraping the concrete with every leap and the growls nearing. It was hard to see with it being that the only light we had was given from the orb of the night, irradiating off an eerie glow. With the help of an old street light that desperately needed a replacement. The "thing" caught up and leapt taking down Lydia.

I screamed, "Lydia!" A shatter was heard and glass bounced from the broken camera that had escaped Lydia's neck. She was dragged by the ankles and the tearing of her nails on the streets concrete scratched an unforgettable sound.

She screamed in terror, "Stiles! Stiles! Please!"

I run to her and on the ground is a baseball bat sized branch. Picking it up with two hands I striked its cranium leaving it sprawled onto the ground, but not dead.

I picked her up, "Are you okay?!"

She pushed her hair back, "Yeah, yeah I'm fine."

I looked into her eyes and they rolled back. She fainted falling to the ground and I caught her.

"Lydia, Lydia, wake up, wake up. Come on Lydia wake up!"

I intertwined my fingers with hers, locking them in a tight hold as the warmth of her hands started to drop.

I heard growling from behind, "That thing looks like it's waking up, we have to go now!" I held her in my arms and I started to run. I ran to my house, and the creature seemed to be gone. I carefully laid her down in the grass as she fluttered her eyelids open.

I gulped, "Oh thank god, Lydia are you okay?"

She sat up slowly, my hand on her back, "Depends, did I get the picture?"

I smiled, "I hate to break it to you but, that camera is just bits of glass now, sorry Lydia."

She got up on her knees and looked at me, " You saved me, you saved my life."

She got closer and hugged me almost taking me down, I hugged her back and it was the best feeling in the world, even if we had almost just become dinner.

She pulled back and looked at the sky, "The sun it's rising, I have get back home before school starts, I'll see you there."

She got up and started to walk away. I looked down and I'm covered in blood, my hands dripping. I looked at Lydia and on the back her legs there were deep engraved marks tracked into her skin. Claw marks.

"Lydia! Your legs-"

As I spoke the marks slowly fainted, instantly healing.

She looked back at her now clear legs, "What?"

I blinked thinking it was my imagination. "Uh nothing I thought I saw something."

But there was blood stained on my hands and shirt, I walked back inside scrubbing my hands clean, throwing away my overly stained shirt, but never will I be able to scrub off this nightmare. "Scouuhh." I gasp for air, I'm leaned over sitting in bed.