Surprise

Chapter 2: Runaway baby - Edited

I ran just then.  I ran out of the house as soon as we got the news.  I ran down the street.  I ran past cars and stoplights.  I ran into the small park a few blocks away from my old house.  I left Aunt Linda to be dealt with by the cops, and I ran.  I shifted there in that deserted park, at midnight, and I kept running.

It’s funny, being in wolf form.  Your instincts change a little bit.  You focus less on complex emotions such as grief and sorrow, and it becomes as simple as being sad, or mad.  You don’t get consumed in fear, but rather your instincts take over and help you to feel safe.

I hadn’t shifted back to human form for days.  I didn’t want to face the world yet.  I didn’t stop running, either.  The only reason I ever shifted back was because my lack of sleep caught up to me.  Whenever I did shift back, I cursed myself for being so impulsive.  I was in the middle of nowhere, headed to nowhere in particular, without any money or clothes or… well, anything.

I stayed in the woods, trying not to be out of a forest for long.  I liked being cloaked and hidden by the trees.  Every time I reached the end of the woods, I’d hurry to find another.  I had no idea where I was, or where I was running, but wherever I was, there were plenty of trees.

I didn’t know how far I’d gone since I left, but it felt far.  Maybe a few states.  I didn’t know if I was going north or south, or east or west.

It was a strangely amazing feeling to be so uncertain.  It was exhilarating to not know where I was going, because wherever I was, no one expected anything of me.  I reveled in the fact that I didn’t have to face anyone as the daughter of the couple who got murdered on her seventeenth birthday.

It was a while since I'd left.  I’m not sure how long (It’s hard to keep track of time in such circumstances) but I’d guess around six days or a week. 

I faintly thought a moment about what I would do during one of those moments I was back in human form, freed of the freedom of the simplicity of my wolf’s thoughts.  What I would do when this was over.  When I accepted the fact that I couldn’t keep going.  That there was no where left to run.  I couldn’t do this for the rest of my life.  One day, I knew I’d have to face the fact that my mom and dad were gone.

And then there’s the fact that whoever killed them must have known about us.  What we are, I mean.  The cops had said my parents were bleeding from the chest area.  Among the only, and the easiest ways to kill us is to rip out our hearts.  That is, of course, if you are able to.  Not normal humans, but vampires or other werewolves could do it.

The thought of a vampire killing my parents crept into my haunted mind, making me shiver.

Would I ever go back to Aunt Linda?  I thought of what she must be going through, losing her brother and sister-in-law, and then her niece, all in a few hours.  She can take care of herself, I told myself.  I knew she could.  She was strong, and not just physically.

But what about Hannah?  She was the one person I would have trusted with my life.  I couldn't even say that about Linda.  I used to be that close with my parents, but now that they’re gone, I don’t know what to do.

I was lying on the cold hard ground, the only light coming from the moon.  I was freezing, naked, and hungry.  I’d eaten a squirrel or two since I’d left, but not much more.  I missed my mom’s home-cooking and Aunt Linda’s weekly chocolate desert.  I missed chocolate already.

A cold wind blew, and I shivered.  Unable to stand the cold much longer, I shifted back to my fur-coated wolf form to sleep.  I must have been up in a northern state somewhere, because it was much too could for a late springtime in the south.

I rolled over onto my belly and wished myself goodnight.  There was no one to wish me goodnight anymore.  I was all alone now.

I woke up that morning to the sound of a grumbling stomach.  I tiredly and weakly got up and went hunting for something to eat.

I quickly spotted a rabbit and was overcome with joy.  They may be cute, and while in human form I wouldn’t even dream of killing one, but they taste better than squirrels, and ten times better than dirt, which is what I’d be eating if I hadn’t seen this.  I quickly tackled it and snapped its neck before it could escape.

The bloody raw meat was oddly appetizing, and I knew it was because of my extreme hunger.  One day, I’d look back and regret tearing up this rabbit.  But today, I’d enjoy having food while I could.

What if I die out here in the wilderness?  Yeah right!  I won’t die!  I’m a werewolf!  We are hunters by nature!

I laughed at my own stupidity and lack of self-confidence.  I finished the bunny and then left the hair and other remains and went off to start my day of running.

One day, I’ll want to stop running, I reminded myself.  By this time, it wasn’t something I thought about.  It was just something I did without thinking.  A manual function now.  It was as if I was programmed this way; eat, sleep, run, and do it all again every day.

If I didn’t shut out so many thoughts, I’d probably feel sorry for myself.

I ran and ran.  Hours of running and running.

However, the strangest thing happened at mid-day.

I suddenly lost all of my energy and collapsed.

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