How Not To Be A Werewolf (Editing)

A Really Bad Dream

The atrium of the Hub was massive. Even though it was underground it felt airy and open.

There were high ceilings that disappeared into a layer of fluffy white clouds. They floated above my head, while the floors were polished slabs of white marble. If I had died and ended up here, I would be pretty sure it was heaven.

All around me were people, I use the term loosely here, rushing around and then disappearing into huge masses of blue energy that seemed to just appear in front of them.

One hooded figure who smelled like rotten eggs appeared right in front of me in a blast of blue energy, almost giving me a heart attack while running me down.

"Sorry!" The figure said in a high pitched squeak of a voice before it then rushed off and disappeared into yet another portal.

The Council Guard was waiting for me as promised by another portal, the blood red and black armour with a huge sword strapped to it's back. This portal was bigger than any of the others I had seen so far. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

The one thing that unnerved me more than the sword, or the fact that the Guard didn't speak a word the whole walk home, was that as soon as we stepped outside of the secret portal, the Guard turned himself completely invisible. It was fucking creepy to be able to hear the Guards footsteps behind me, and feel his eyes burning into my back as I walked.

I could feel his presence, even when he was just silently walking beside me. This was one time that I wished I didn't have heightened senses.

As I tried to make conversation with my silent but deadly companion we walked past a group of kids who were hanging out by the Promises Bridge.

"Lovely day," I pointed out, getting no reply from the Guard, but earning disgusted looks from the kids who I then smiled widely at.

"Bloody nonce!" a short blonde boy shouted from the group as I passed them.

"Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" I called out, laughing as I carried on walking, the jeers and shouts from the kids flying away in the breeze.

"Keep your mouth shut," the Guard warned as we headed further into the village, "One more word and I'll cut your tongue out myself."

Ah, what a jerk...

I was glad when I was able to finally get indoors, shut the front door behind me, and head up to my room. Luckily nobody else was home yet so I was able to lay down in peace. I really wasn't in the mood to deal with anything else today.

I laid for a moment on my bed staring as the sunlight lit up specks of dust that were swirling around in the air above me. I didn't remember when I fell asleep, but at some point, I just slipped seamlessly into a dream.

The dream seemed almost like something I had lived through before. I couldn't think why, but I was sure it was more than just a normal dream. The whole thing felt so real. There was a house. A house I didn't recognise, and yet it still felt somewhat familiar.

I was standing alone in a large hallway that, at first glance, seemed to lead to a dead end. Everything in the hallway was empty and dusty from years of abandonment and neglect. Cobwebs hung from unused light fittings and the carpet was so threadbare that the floorboards were starting to show through the gaps.

This was no happy family home...

Looking down at the end of the hallway, there was heavy oak door that I was pretty sure hadn't been there before. For some reason, I couldn't seem to tear my eyes away from it. I was just standing there waiting for something to happen when there was a knock.

Staying as still as I could, I tensed up, hoping I had imagined it. I couldn't say why, but I just knew the knock was bad. Whatever was waiting on the other side of the door was evil, and there was no way I was going to let it come into the house.

Then it knocked again.

Shit.

"Who's out there?" I called steeling my nerves as I walked towards the door. As I got closer, the knocking seemed to get louder and more intense, almost like a heartbeat responding to my presence.

As I reached the door and put a hand out to take a firm grip of the handle, I saw it shaking with pure force as whatever was on the other side tried its best to get through. I took a deep breath and finally gave in, grabbing the handle.

Then I woke, laying on my back, covered in a thin layer of sweat. There were a persistent shaking and banging that seemed to be coming from somewhere inside my room. As I sat up, I saw Kian clinging onto the outside of my window.

What the fuck was he doing?

He looked scared, whiter in the face than I'd seen him so far. He gestured, wanting me to let him come inside. I could hardly leave him out there clinging to the side of the house... the neighbours would notice him.

How the heck would I explain that?

I jumped up and ran over to the window, opening it to let Kian hop neatly inside.

"Alec." He said sounding even more concerned than he looked, his blood red eyes locking with mine, "About bloody time! You weren't answering your phone, where the hell have you been?"

Nowhere. I had been asleep.

"After I left the Hub I was dropped off here. I've been asleep ever since," I told him while pulling out my phone. I was surprised to see that there were twelve missed calls from an unknown number. Kian, I guessed. Suddenly I was curious as to how he got my number. I was pretty damn sure that I hadn't given it to him, "How exactly did you get my number?"

"That's not important." Kian said brushing off my question, "Can anybody else confirm you were here?" he asked, "Was any of your family home when you got in?"

"No." I replied, a feeling of dread heading down to my stomach, "Nobody else was home. I was alone when I came in. The Guard brought me home, dropped me off, and I've been up here ever since. I told you before, I fell asleep. You're the one who woke me up by banging on my window like a lunatic."

"Shit! I was really hoping you wouldn't say that."

"What's happened?" I asked, watching Kian as he began to pace up and down, "Because you're starting to wear a hole in my carpet, and I really can't afford to replace it."

Whatever Kian was holding back had to be bad. I could feel the tension coming off him as he stopped and looked at me, his expression unreadable.

"There's been an attack." He replied gravely, "A werewolf kill."