Beneath The Full Moon {TMT #1}

Chapter 7

Without thinking twice, I grabbed Maddison's arm and snatched her away from the wolf's jaws, clutching her to my side as the wolf made a growling disapproval noise and advanced towards us.

Naturally, I backed up towards the group who had already started to retreat into the bushes on the other side. A strong sense of déjà vu wafted through me and I couldn't for the life of me stop my heart from pounding frantically.

The wolf, as if wanting to play for a while, came out of the shadows and circled our little group slowly, like it was assessing its meal. I could literally feel Maddison's body quivering behind and I tried to calm her down by smoothing my thumb across her skin, but that didn't seem to work.

And besides, she wasn't the only one whose body I could feel shaking close to mine. Since we were squashed in the middle of the small clearing with the huge wolf circling us, it was obvious that I would notice and feel the people's fear, and vice versa.

I tilted my head to the side and followed the wolf's hide when it just walked by to go around us for the second time. Still very slowly, growling and snapping its jaws each time someone moved. 

What the hell was it doing? Was it playing with us?

With my head to the side, I saw the people standing on my left side to be the man and his wife who had approached me earlier and who I had assumed to have lost their child or children in that bus. The wife was clinging to her husband and trembling terribly whilst the husband looked as if he wanted to bolt right into the bushes any second from now.

"Honey, it's okay. We'll be okay," the husband reassured his wife when he believed the wolf to be out of earshot, though I was sure he too was battling his fear within just like the rest of us were trying to.

"We should never have come here in the first place," the wife struggled to let out between sobs. "This is all your fault, George. I told you we should've stayed home! Because of you, we've lost our...our son and now...now we'll lose our lives!" She whispered harshly, misery and contempt dripping from her unforgiving tone.

The husband didn't say anything immediately but waited two seconds more before replying, "I'm so sorry, honey. It won't happen again."

"You'd better hope it doesn't if we even get out of this alive!" The tears and sobs miraculously evaded her as malice took over. "I hate you."

I chose that moment to interrupt with a whisper, "Please, not here. Right now we have to figure out how we're going to-"

"Shh!" I snapped my mouth shut when the wolf suddenly stopped in front of me with its blazing red eyes searing into my own. My heart skipped a beat the moment it took a step closer to me and let out a deep rumbling sound.

"Don't break eye contact," John, who was standing on my opposite side, whispered in my right ear.

Why? I direly wanted to ask, but chose to instead swallow down the inquiry and do as he said, though while wondering how on earth that would make any difference. However, strangely it did.

The wolf didn't retreat its gaze but instead kept them glued on mine as it took another step closer. My breath hitched. The black beast's nostrils flared and its eyes brightened as it advanced closer than before. My heart almost jumped out of my chest due to the intense fright clouding my nerves.

What the hell is happening?!

"It's getting closer, George!" George's wife whispered aloud in fear. "We should move or it'll be too late."

"No, don't." I heard John say in a low voice but loud enough for the woman to hear. "If you move out of our huddle now it'll kill you. Just wait, and when I bid you run, you run."

"But there's another cave that we can hide in right there. The smaller one we saw when we were coming here. It won't be able to get us once we're inside," she persisted.

"Nancy-"

"Don't you dare tell me otherwise, George!"

"I said no. We can't risk it." The finality in John's tone brooked no more arguments.

But it seemed as if Nancy didn't catch that silent command. "You know what? I don't remember I nor anyone else voting you leader. So I can do whatever I want to keep myself alive."

"I'm your tour guide, so that makes me responsible for you."

"You stopped being responsible the minute that bus broke down. You don't have a clue how to keep any of us alive here."

"And you think what you're planning to do will keep you alive?" John asked, baffled.

"I do."

I heard John let out a growl of impatience before I cut in carefully, my eyes still focused on the wolf who proceeded to take deliberate steps towards us. And us, naturally, responded by instinctively taking steps backwards. "He's just trying to help you. Listen to him, you're being irrational."

"Suit yourself then." She said then to her husband, "Come on, George. Let's go."

The husband didn't respond.

"George!"

"If we move it might attack us."

"Are you blind? Can't you see that it has stopped moving around us and is now watching her? She's the one it wants apparently not us. Are you with me or not?"

That demand staged as an inquiry was followed by a flash of movement and a loud thudding sound.

People screamed at the sudden act while I stood in surprise when John suddenly landed a hard blow to the wolf's nose, catching the creature unaware. Not three seconds after, the creature recovered and pounced on John, who then hastily grabbed two sticks from the ground and sank them in each of the beast's eyes.

Maddison screamed and pressed against my back when the beast almost ripped John's head off as it howled in pain.

"Let's go!"

Miguel appeared out of the blue in front of me and grabbed my arm, yelling, "Come on, Phoebe!"

I snapped out my daze. "Wait. John!"

"I'm okay!" John assured from where he was lying on the ground and gasping for breath. The wolf was still howling in agony from its loss. "Let's go before it calls part of its pack here."

"Come on!" I helped him stand to his feet.

We turned around to see that some of the tourists had run away while a few others stood still in shock, watching us approach them. George was part of the latter group, but Nancy, the former.

Not bothering to ponder on that for long, I focused rather on getting out of there before the wolf's back up call killed us all.

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