31 Days of Halloween

Day Ten: My Best Friend

She swiftly ran through the night, her boots clicking on rocks and skirts flying behind her. She regretted wearing her petticoat underneath, but it was too late now, she just had to deal with it. She came to a halt at an intersection, one path leading to the Dower Woods and the other leading ten miles to the next town. She wasn't sure if she could run another ten miles, so she turned for the woods, hoping for a hiding place.

She stopped before the swath of overgrown trees, trying to figure out if this was truly worth it. Maybe it was the impending doom feeling she got from staring at an unfamiliar patch of trees. Maybe it was the fact that it was the night before Halloween and happened to be a full moon. Either way, she knew she didn't want to step foot into the woods.

A howl split the still night, wracking her with chills. The answering call drove her spirit back into her body and she took off into the trees, hopping ungracefully over tree trunks. She gave a yelp of anger and in one swift yank, tore the bottom of her skirts. And then she groaned; this dress was an expensive rental. Ian would be paying her back, she would make sure of it.

She tore through the undergrowth, hissing as ever branch and twig made a new hairline scratch into her skin. But she couldn't stop yet, there was still nowhere to hide. She pushed aside a thick outcropping of branches and stopped, awe making her jaw drop.

In front of her was a wide expanse of meadow, a little brook babbling away down the middle. Moonlight shone down in a shimmering cascade over the water, giving the grass and surrounding area a haunting glow. Just over the brook is a jutting rock, a deep hollow cut into the bottom of it. A fox hole, she thought, maybe just big enough to hide in.

She broke into a sprint for the rock, leaping over the brook as another howl broke out into the night, much closer than the last. She wriggled into the hole, cursing when she only fit up to her knees before the tunnel made a sharp turn. She didn't have any luck kicking it, so she got out and grabbed a handful of ferns from the bushes beside her. She pressed her back against the rock and peered through the fronds, her chest aching from her heart beating so fast.

Into the clearing came a big gray wolf, colossal in size. She didn't think she'd ever seen a wolf that big before, on television or in conservation parks. It thrust its long snout into the air, its nostrils opening wide as it sniffed around for her. Its paw slipped into the brook but if the water was cold, it showed no hesitation. It waded into the dark water and padded to the other side, shaking the droplets from its belly. If she weren't in danger right now, she would be in awe over the magnificent creature.

She worked at a local bar and, being almost Halloween, the bar owners decided it would be fun for bartenders and waiters and the like to dress up. She wasn't going to, she didn't like Halloween all that much, but her friend Ian made her. He said he was dressing up in old timey clothes and wanted her to be a spinster woman, decked out in long layered skirts and a puffy white top. She thought it was ridiculous and yet, here she was. But before she even got to the bar to start her shift, this monstrous thing began to chase her from the shadows of the building.

And now she's quite literally trapped between a rock and a hard place. Her body began to tremble, gently shaking the fronds she was holding as her only means of hiding. The wolf's head swiveled to her spot, ears perked. If this thing came near her, she knew for sure she would pee her pants right then and there. It would know she was there for sure then.

She tried hard to still the shaking but as it came closer, the fear built more and more. And then she was staring into a familiar face. Sure, it was a wolf, but the face was almost human. Bright green eyes with flecks of gold stared right at her face, a human sense of awareness greeting her. Ian had eyes exactly like that, serene and wise like an old man. She always joked about his eyes, a million times over.

The wolf's ears slid back over it's skull, its lips curling into a slobbery smile. Its wet nose pushed against the fronds, exposing her to the world. She began to sob, harsh gasping sounds that only ignited the wolf. It growled deep and low in its throat, that same wet nose engulfing her vision. Its fangs sank into the top of her dress, just barely missing her flesh, and dragged her out of her cubby hole. She screamed, thrashing in the wolf's jaws but unable to tear herself from its grasp.

It tossed her like a ragdoll, rolling until her left boot plopped into the brook. She felt dizzy and her bladder let go just as she predicted. The wolf pounced onto her spine, shoving her face into the dirt and muffling her scream. Jaws clamped onto her shoulder, pain exploding up into her neck. Hot blood seeped down her arm and into the ground and dripping into the water. It jerked upward, ripping a chunk free. She screamed until her throat was hoarse but still, she heard the thick, wet sounds of the wolf chewing her up.

The sun then began rising, warm rays warming her skin. The weight lifted from her back and she heard the wolf racing away, its nails leaving another gaping rip in her skin. She wanted to roll over, breathe fresh air instead of musty worms, but she couldn't find the strength. She became aware of the fact that deep down inside, she knew Ian had been that wolf. Had been the one to tear her open and leave her to die. She laughed weakly from the stupidity of it all but it still didn't change the fact that she was going to die out here.

She was going to die because of heronly friend. She closed her eyes, and gave herself over to the dark.