The Hunter: The Path of the Moonlight

by DJ Scratch21x

Chapter 3 Realization

"Forgive me for what I'm about to do."

Those words. Those god damn words. Those are the words that are going to haunt me, I just know it. I'm dead. Just by hearing those words, I know I'm going to perish. I should've seen this coming, and I could've done something about it, but I didn't. I told my parents again, and again, but they disregard it as some foolish dream. Do they even listen?! Do they hear a single word that has came spilling out of my mouth?! No! It's like they treat it like it's a scrape on a knee! A harmless injury! A common cold!

No matter how many times I told them, they seem like they forget immediately after! I'm officially losing my sanity! For the past hour and a half, my eyes have been darting from window, to window, to window as I sat in the back seat of the truck. Never have I been so terrified. So paranoid in the sixteen years I have been alive on this earth!

"Nononononon...It's fine. It will all be fine." I thought to myself. "It's ok. It's ok. "It's o-"

"Trevor?"

I jumped in surprise as I felt someone grab my arm! I flicked the hand away, and pressed my back up against the window of the truck door, getting as far away as I could from my attacker! I stared wide eyed at my sister...my sister...right, my sister. I relaxed a bit. Still keeping my guard up on all of the windows, shifting my gaze from her, to a window, and back again. In the quick glances I took, I could see the concern on her face. She slowly retracted her arm, looking at me like I just yelled at her.

"Trevor? Are you sure you're alright? You sure don't seem to be." My sister, Zoey asked.

"Oh yeah." I said in sarcasm. "I'm fine! A voice in my head that has been plaguing my mind for months now, and you guys don't give two craps about it! I'm just fine!"

"Let's not talk about this now, please?" Dad huffed. "Let's just get home, and then you'll tell us why you've been acting so strange. The REAL reason."

"But I have been!" I interjected. "I'm telling the truth! I've-"

Pooomf!

'No! Come on! No!"

A loud popping sound with the hissing of air made us all jump. Joel, who was resting on my lap, suddenly sat up with a start, and pressed in paws deep into my crotch. I yelped in pain, as I heaved Joel's paws off of me. Taking deep breath, as curled into a ball, wheezing in a higher pitched voice.

"Ah no! Come on, really?" I heard my Dad say, hitting the steering wheel.

I looked up to see white smoke erupting from the hood of the truck, completely masking the windshield of the road. Dad cursed like a sailor as he pulled over to a side of the road. Mother looked at the four of us. She was about to say something, until her eyes rested on me. She raised an eyebrow as she saw me curled into fetal position.

"Trevor?" Mom asked. "Sweetie, are you alright?"

"Fine." I squeaked. "Just...just dandy."

Dad opened his door, and hopped out. We all got out of the truck, and into the night. Dad made a beeline to the hood, and threw the hood up. He dropped a nuclear F-bomb as he inspected what the damages were. He was yelling at the fact that the truck overheated, even if he swore that it wasn't even close to overheating. We all just stood around the front of the truck, like we were at a funeral, looking at the many gizmos that made the truck operate. Sure enough, smoke was still fuming from the inside.

"H-how?" My Dad stuttered. "How can you overheat now?! You weren't even close to that point!"

Silence followed. An erie breeze fell down onto the forest around us. Everything was so still...so calm...too calm. I looked around. It was dark. So dark. Too dark. A realization hit me.

"No...nonononono. This is bad this is so bad! We are out in the open! We are out in the open! This is bad. So so bad!" I screamed in my head.

Dad sighed. "Welp...this thing ain't gonna be moving anytime soon. Looks like we'll have to see if Uncle Darren can pick us up." He said as he pulled out his phone. "We'll just have to wait in the truck." He said as he dialed our Uncle's number.

"Oh god." I thought.

"What if he isn't able?" Mom asked. "What, are we just gonna stay in the truck for the night!?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Shit."

We all hopped back into the truck. We shut, and locked the doors. It was gonna be some time until we knew how this was going to turn out, so we just waited by sitting there on our phones. I pressed my head against the door, and leaned in on the ice cold window. Keeping my eyes wide open, I franticly looked around for any sign of incoming danger. I didn't say anything to the others about my troubles. I didn't bother. They wouldn't even listen anyway.

"Yeah...it's me." Dad said, and silence followed for a few seconds. "Well apparently, the truck overheated. It-...no, the meter wasn't even close to overheating mark! I-...no...NO...look Darren, are you able to pick us up? The truck isn't going to able to roll for a while." Dad asked.

He was silent. I looked over at Dad in the drivers seat. His expression read of doubt, as if he was expecting him to say no. It was suddenly replaced with a wide grin.

"Ah thank God! Yes, thank you so much! Yes yes, again thanks a ton! I owe you one." Dad said smiling, and he hung up.

Judging from the relief in his voice, we are able to get a ride. I was in relief to. We might actually make it out of here! I put in the earphone, and closed my eyes again, smiling in relief.

"It's fine. Thank God, it's alll gonna be fine. Within two hours, we will be in Uncle Darren's fancy car on a ride home. Fantastic. Suck it voice in my head, you can't do shiet! Wait, no! Can't let my guard down." I thought sitting up anxiously, and with tension rising in my chest.

"Not even for a second! We might be close to the end, but we are still in this forest. Who knows what is stalking us in the darkness of the trees! I'm not letting my guard down until we are outta here!"

I stuck to that oath for the longest time. How long, I can't remember. All I know is that for every second that passed, I felt like that might be the second where it all goes to hell. Time dragged by. Minuets felt like hours. I spent every moment sleeping with one eye open. all the while, I interacted with the rest of the family as they talked, and exchanged stories.

Mom took out the remaining eight chocolate bars that were spared of our making of s'mores, and some bottled water to help wash it down. I calmly took a bar, and began to open it. I developed a pattern. I would take a nibble of chocolate, then I would take a look outside, and then I'll finally talk to the others around me briefly; only to repeat the pattern. Nibble...look...talk. Nibble...look...talk, and I would take a swig of water every now and then.

Chad and Zoey were talking about how school was coming along. Grades, social life, sports. You know, the normal subjects to talk about when it came to school. When it came to my turn, I just said that my grades were good. They actually were good. Only A's and B's. I did have an F in Chemistry before, but I pulled it up luckily so I wouldn't have to mention it.

As time passed on, it hit the mark where my family grew bored and tired. I Spy wasn't doing them much good, considering that it was dark as he'll outside. So, they either went to sleep, or stayed up and played on their phones; or something of that nature. I grew tired myself, and I yawned. Checking the time, I noticed that it has almost been an hour and a half since Dad made the phone call to Uncle Darren. I took a bigger bite of my now second chocolate bar as I slid my phone back into my pocket. Good, he should be here within the hour. That's great. No, that's fantastic! We are going to be safe. I actually thought that things would be fine!

It seemed fine at the time. Now, Zoey and Joel were out cold. Zoey had her head rested on the cold window on her side. Her face was kind of pressed against it in a way so her mouth was open, and the side of her face was smushed up against the glass. It was rather amusing to look at. I even chuckled quietly. Joel on the other hand, was in a more comfortable position. Joel was laying on both Chad and I. His head was rested on my chest while the rest of him was on Chad's lap. I did my best to not wake him up, as I lied there. Every now and again, he would yip softly, and kick his legs out abruptly. He tends to do that often, and it is fun to watch every time. A little cute even.

Dad, Mom, Chad, and I were the remaining four still awake. The three of them were on their electronics. Dad and Mom were watching a movie together, while Chad was playing some shooter game with zombies. I shoved the rest of the chocolate bar into my mouth, and finished my water. The water filled up my mouth completely, giving me a fish face, and I swallowed it all in one gulp. I looked out the window yet again, and I thought to myself.

"Alright alright. Uncle Darren will be here in roughly a half an hour. I've been looking out these windows for the past hour and a half, only to have nothing happen to us. Man, am I tired! I'm sure nothing will happen if I get a little shuteye for a little bit, right? Yeah, why not? I'll take a little power snooze."

I slipped on my ear phones, and put my phone on shuffle. Lying back, I yawned, and shut my eyes. Already, I could feel the soothing touch of sleep swallowing me. My eyelids grew heavier and heavier. I was ready to sleep. I needed this. In my final seconds of consciousness, thoughts of the dream that I had prier flooded into my mind. The thought of having one of those alone, was bringing me back to consciousness. My eyes opened with a dreading feeling of regret. I cursed to myself, and slowly sat up without waking up Joel. I turned my phone off, and slid it into my pocket.

"Stupid brain." I said quietly. As I did, my eyes fell upon on a light in the trees.

There appeared to be a mysterious blue light gleaming from the forest, behind the trees.

My eyes widened in alarm, and I instantly sat up. I leaned over Chad to get a better look at it. Yes, there was a puzzling navy blue light glowing through the trees! It produced silhouette of the trees that decorated the road. It was that bright, and it appeared to be getting brighter! There was a wide open spot further down the road, which was completely showered in a blue glow. The perfect place to see what it was. I was curious, but at the same time, nervous. Just as I was about to say something, Zoey seemed to have awakened, and did the asking for me.

"Hey...what's that? That light, over there?" She asked pointing.

Dad and Mom looked at her, then at the light. Chad had his earphones on loud enough to the point he was not able to hear us. He was to focused on his game of shooting zombies.

We were all silent.

"The hell?" My Dad said confused.

Chad noticed us all looking in the same direction, and looked at what we were looking at.

"Woah." Chad said in awe as he took off his earphones. "What...is that!?"

Joel's ears perked up as he raised his head. He looked at the light, and barked; making us all jump. An uneasy feeling in my gut made itself present. This wasn't right. Something was obviously off about this. We all stared at the light in confusion and in interest. For a brief second, the light flashed brightly, before receding to it's normal blue hue. We all gasped in surprise. I could see the corners of Chad's mouth rise as he formed an excited smile.

"Ah cool!" He exclaimed.

Chad crawled over Zoey, and practically fell out of the truck while Zoey snapped at him from below.

"Chad, No!" Dad snapped.

"Oy! Chad!" I snapped in attempt to warn him.

Dad got out of the truck, followed by Mom getting out of her side of the truck.

"Guys, wait!" I exclaimed worriedly. "Don't go!"

I looked at them go after Chad, then I looked at Zoey; who wore a look of confusion on her face. She looked at me, shrugged, and got out of the truck after the others!

"Zoey, N-!"

She slammed the door shut while I was in mid sentence, and I watched her walk away after the others. Paranoia was kicking in, and my breathing became rapid.

"No! God dammit!" I cursed to myself.

I jumped out of the tuck, letting Joel out before I slammed the door shut and I instantly began to run after them in a hurry, not wanting to be alone in the dark. Up ahead, I could see them all standing together in the spot of shimmering blue light, looking at the direction of the light with awe stricken faces. I grew more anxious.

"Oy!" I shouted.

I skidded to a stop right beside them.

"Don't leave me like that!" I snapped.

They didn't reply. They just stared at the light in silence. "What are you guys look-...ing..at." I stopped.

My jaw nearly fell to the road below. My legs grew weak and unsteady. I couldn't tell if I loved it, or I was completely terrified of it!

The moon. The moon was blue! It was so big, and so...BLUE! It was bright enough to beam through the trees, where I thought it looked like a spotlight, or some kind of road sign! A flare even! But that's not the case! It was so large, as if someone was hanging a golf ball in front of my face! It hovered just above the top of a large butte with a flat top in the distance. The light revealed everything that I could see in the field. The field was probably the most beautiful thing I could've seen in my life!

I recognized the land mark after a couple seconds. It was a field, which was a sort of stopping point that people visited quiet frequently. Fishing, hiking the butte, getting together with friends. Hell, even some people camped there sometimes, but I don't think that it is legal, and all around smart. Dangerous animals live up here in Colorado. Thankfully, they mainly stay up in the mountains. Still, it's illegal.

Anyway this field was filled with dark green grass, and small pools were scattered throughout the land that deer and other wildlife drank from constantly. The field stretched long and wide, and a small butte roughly three hundred feet tall with a flat top stood in the center of it all. I didn't think much of it when I saw it when we drove by. I thought it was only a meeting place for hippies and obnoxious tourists. However tonight....my opinions changed in a snap. The moonlight in the perfect position, in which it shined across the whole field, showering the whole field in a fluorescent blue light. The light reflected off of every single pool in the field, creating blotches of pure blue light that were scattered everywhere.

We didn't say anything. We only stared in admiration. We didn't want to ruin the silence. The peaceful silence. I didn't want to ruin it, but i had to.

"How does this even happen?!" I whispered. "I never learned about anything like this in school!"

"A blue moon I'll be dammed." My Dad said in fascination. "There is a thing called that, but that's only an extra full moon in a month! This is literally a BLUE MOON. An actual blue moon!"

Chad pulled out his phone, and snapped a picture of the gigantic moon. We all then started taking photos of the scenery before us. At the same time, calls were pouring in from all of our phone. A chorus of ringtones were going off, except for mine. Dad answered a call from Uncle Darren. He answered it, and he instantly shot his head away from the phone, as an excited static yelling could be heard from the phone. I chuckled. It reminded me of something that a cartoon would do.

"Yes! I know! Isn't it cool?" Dad said, mainly to calm Darren down.

Of all people I knew, Uncle Darren would be the most excited of them all. Uncle Darren has an obsession with space, and celestial thingy ma-jigers. He wanted to work for NASA as a kid. He even wanted to be an astronaut as one point, saying his childhood dream was to walk on Mars to see if there were aliens on the surface. Yeah, he had dreams. Far fetched yes, but he wasn't one to accept defeat easily. He is one stubborn man.

"Get down here pronto! So we can all see it together!" Dad finished.

Dad hung up, mainly to avoid hearing any of his rambling. He slid the phone into his pocket, and sighed. Chad got off a conversation with our cousins down in New Orleans. Apparently, they could see it down there as well! Not as big, but they asked for pictures.

"Ah man", Chad said, "I gotta get a better shot of this! Dad, can we go out there? This will look SO good on my profile!"

"Ehhh...I don't know about that. Isn't this good enough?"

Chad gave him his puppy eyes. Zoey joined in, even giving a fat lip.

Dad shrugged and nodded. "Ok fine, I'll tell Darren to meet us on the butte. Come on, let's get back to the truck. Grab what you need, and we'll just walk to the very top of the butte! It isn't far from here. But hey, BE CAREFUL." He said sternly. "Don't wander off on your own, the three of you." He said, pointing to the three of us.

I cringed at his words. They began to hurry of to the truck without saying a word, while I on the other hand, stood there motionless. Eyes wide, and my palms were sweaty.

"We're gonna what?!" I exclaimed in fear. "Hey, I don't think this is a very good idea, guys!"

"Come on, hon." Mom called back. "We're not leaving you behind."

"You guys don't understand! Something is wrong here!"

I chased after them back to the truck. They were already picking out their things from the truck. Don't they see how wrong this is!? A blue literal moon for the first time in recorded history and the first thing they want to do is go to it!? I can't do this! I can't let them go out there.

"Dad!" I snapped.

Dad stopped, and slowly turned to me. He had a look of annoyance on his face.

"What." He hissed.

Dad was holding something in his arms. I hesitated on my words, as I was caught off guard. The thing in his arms, it threw me off completely. In his hands was his favorite firearm. A hunting rifle. Beautiful one too. How many bucks he claimed with that gun, I don't know. All I know is that he's a good shot with that thing. He took it, and wrapped the strap around his shoulder like a backpack.

"Uh Dad, I really don't think this is a good idea. This is a blue moon literally! Plus, what if there are wolves or something out there!" I said, thinking of possible usable excuses.

"Yeah, exactly. What do you think this is for?" He asked, raising his rifle slightly.

"You're seriously gonna risk our lives for a few pictures? What if some hitchhiker or bum comes along, and decides to steal something from the truck?"

"Ok, one, mot predators hunt in the mountains, so the possibility of coming across danger is small. Two, I have the keys, so no one ain't stealing nothing. And three, I don't think anybody will be wandering the road while, not to mention while a blue moon is out! You really think a person's first thoughts is, to steal a car when THAT is out?" He said, extending a hand to the moon.

I saw no way out of this without starting any more drama. Their excitement had no match for my warnings. Plus, face it, if I wasn't jumpy like this, I would've wanted to go to. I had no choice but to drink the Kool-aid, but first, I had to grab somethings. I noticed that Dad wasn't taking something with him, and it gave me an idea. It was stupid. Very stupid. Maybe even psychotic, but I had to, just in case....just to be safe.

"Wait." I said. "Can I get my flannel shirt out of the back real quick? It's getting pretty chilly out here."

Dad sighed. "Alright son, but don't take long." Dad said as he and the others began to walk back to the trees.

I hurried over to the back, and lifted the top of the truck up so nobody could see what I was doing. I went into my bag, and pulled out my red flannel shirt, and put it on, but that's obviously not why I was doing this. No. I came for something serious. Subtly checked to see if any of them were looking at me. I saw that it was okay, and opened a small black case with a handle on top. I opened it, and pulled out what was inside.

A 357. Magnum Revolver.

It was big and shiny. Dangerous and lethal. I held it in my two hands, questioning the kinds of wrongs I was doing at that moment. This is crazy! Am I taking this too far? What if this was a coincidence? No, not likely. A blue frigging moon in the sky, while a voice in my head has been telling me to "Follow the Moonlight's path?" In which I have been doing? No, there is something much more to this, and I don't like it one bit.

I also searched around my backpack to remove a large hunting knife that my dad gave to me when I was fourteen. A blade as big as my hand, and as sharp as a razor? How could I not take it?

I had to hurry, couldn't take much more time. I made sure the revolver was empty, before placing it in my front pocket. I grabbed a random number of rounds, before stuffing those into my other pocket. I checked to see if my flannel shirt covered any signs of there being a gun in my possession. Luckily, it did. I pulled the top down, and started to walk after the others, until something bumped into me at the shins. I looked down to see that it was Joel, sitting, and looking up at me. His ear were flattened against his skull, as if he was frightened. He whined nervously, cocking his head slightly to the left.

I knelt down and rubbed his head, and his ears lifted as i comforted him. I gave him a hug, and continued to rub his head.

"Just to be safe." I said quietly, mainly to myself.

The two of us hurried over to the others. We got off the road, and began to walk through the trees, pushing branches out of our way, and stepping over large bushes. We found the others on the other side. They were taking pictures, and mostly waiting for the two of us.

"Just taking some pictures as we walk, just in case if it goes away before we get there." Mom explained.

"Ah." I said. "I see."

"Alright everybody, let's get moving." Dad said. "Let's not dilly dally, ok?"

We began to walk the long stretch of grass to the butte. The foot of the butte was roughly a fifteen minuet walk from where we began. If we hurried, we would've made it in ten. It is not much of a challenging climb to the top. It was a little steep, but it was nothing we couldn't handle. Sure we would be out of breath by the time we get to the top, but it's good for your cardio.

Just like before, we just walked, and enjoyed the view we had of the moon. It was still big, bright, and blue as ever; and it just hung there in the quiet night sky.

I enjoyed it to the best of my abilities without showing any signs of fear. I clutched the magnum tightly. It was the best comfort I had at the moment. When squeezing a solid handle, it was like breathing into a worn out paper bag with holes in it, or squeezing one of those rubber things where its eyes pop out, and it makes a squeaking sound. Every sound in the silence made me question if I actually heard it, or did I imagine it; and if I should pull my gun out.

"Trevor." I heard Chad say.

I didn't look at him. I only glared ahead down the dirt road. "I'm Fine...just fine." I looked at him, and gave a weak thumbs up.

"You sure don't look fine. You know, we don't have to if you don't want t-."

Suddenly, a bright flash of light came out of nowhere from up ahead! The ground shook like we were right in the middle of an earthquake! I lost my footing, and fell to my knees! A loud hissing drowned the silence. The hissing grew louder and louder until stopped as quickly as it started. The brightness died down, allowing us to slowly lower our hands from our faces. I rose form the ground, with hand in front of my face to block the light.

Up ahead, it was a giant light on the ground! I couldn't tell what it was, or how big it was. The light was so blinding, I couldn't see anything up ahead!

"What in the world!?" Dad exclaimed, squinting. "What the hell!"

"What just happened?!" Chad cried. "What is that!?"

We stood there staring at it like it was something from another world. It flashed brightly like how we saw it through the trees before. Mom jumped, and Zoey gulped. We were silent until Dad spoke.

"Stay here. I'll check this out." He said as he took a step forward.

"Wait!" I whispered loudly, as if it could hear me. "Have you lost your sanity?! We should haul back to the truck! We don't know what that thing is, nor do we know where it came from!"

He stopped, and looked at the light in the ground before he looked at me. He nodded. "You're right. It was stupid enough that the thought even crossed my mind."

He began to walk the way back to the truck.

"Come on." He said. "Let's just stay away from that thi-."

Suddenly, Joel began to bark and snarl viciously behind us. We all jumped at his sudden outburst. He continued to bark at the tree line on on the edge of the field, right where the truck was parked. He was low, and in a position is which he was ready to pounce. His ears were flattened, and his tail was tucked in between his legs. his jowls were lifted to reveal his sharp teeth. Joel continued to bark at something we couldn't see hiding in the darkness.

Something was here.

I clutched my magnum, looking out into the distance in fear. Dad grew anxious, and rose his rifle up to his shoulder. He had us all get behind him, as he knelt down to Joel, and tried to calm him down.

"What is it, boy?" He asked. "What do you see?"

On perfect timing, a long and erie howl that echoed throughout the field answered his question. The howl that I thought I would never hear out here. The howl that I wished I never heard. Out they came, one by one. Wolf by wolf, they lumbered out of the darkness, all with jet black fur, and each of them staring at us with a craving for a meat that only humans would satisfy. Without hesitation, I yanked the gun from my pocket, loaded six rounds into the cylinder, before flicking it shut, and pulling the hammer back! Nobody seemed to notice. If they did, I wouldn't expect them to turn their attention away from the malicious meat eaters!

"Everybody? Let's move...NOW." Dad whispered. We didn't argue with him.

We began to slowly shuffle back in the other direction. My hands trembled as I gripped the magnum tightly with my two hands.

"Move back slowly. Do NOT make eye contact. They'll only see that as a challenge. Just follow my lead...and we'll be fine."

They all howled at the same time, and they began to dart for us!

"MOVE!" Dad shouted. "To the butte! Move NOW!"

Mom snatched up Zoey without hesitation as we began to run for the gigantic hill!

"Come on, Joel!" I shouted. Joel turned his attention away from the wolves, and began to run with us!

Without a word, we ran faster and harder than any of us have ever done in our lives! The distance from where we were to the top seemed like miles, and they would catch us long before we got to the top! A sound that sounded like a fire cracker went off right inside my head came from behind me! I jumped in surprise as I looked back to see Dad cocking his rifle, only to start running with us again! I looked at him for a split second to see a look of fear, and confusion plastered on his face, as if something happened that wasn't supposed to! I didn't care. All I cared about was getting out of there!

Already my lungs were starting to burn and it hasn't even been three minuets! I could hear their barking drawing closer and closer! Closer to death. I looked back, only to see that they were there close behind us! They weren't running as fast as before. They slowed down a bit, but they were keeping pace with us as if....they were leading us somewhere.

I regretted looking back. Their eyes were glowing the dark blue just like the moon and just as bright! But...one of their heads. One of their heads was blown to bits! It was gone, as loose pieces of flesh danced in the air as it ran! It was still running! Its head was gone, blown apart, and it was still coming after us! The one that Dad shot wasn't dead!

"Faster!" I cried. "GO! GO! GOOO!"

We began to climb the butte once we got to the foot of it. I pointed the magnum at the closet wolf, that was a few meters from where I was standing! I watched the wolf pounce for me, right before I jerked the trigger! My screams were drowned out by the maddening loud gunshot, and my hand was catapulted back as the recoil shot up my arm!

KPOW!

Its chest exploded into bits of meat and blue liquid as it was pushed back by the force midair, before falling to the ground, and began to roll back down the hill! The wolf tumbled down the butte to the very bottom, where it slammed the ground on its side, and went still. Did I kill it? Is it dead? Please tell me I killed it!

"Trevor! How the hell do you-...never mind! Just get to the top! Go!" Dad shouted.

The climb was getting steeper with each step! My lungs burned like they were overflowing with acid! My heart was racing to the point where I thought I was going to pass out, and die. We were so close to the top. Yet, so far! I Looked down the butte. The wolves have slowed down, and the wolves that Dad and I shot were right beside them! Their wounds were nearly gone! They grew back the skin, the bone, the tissue, everything! They were regenerating!

It was then at that moment, I realized that the wolves and the moon were connected. The way their eyes glowed, the moon's abnormal color. They were connected! What if...what if they were after me!? Look at the facts! My mind has been cursed by the voice for months. These wolves came out of nowhere, with glowing blue eyes, and they have the ability to regenerate tissue at a rapid rate? What other evidence do I need here!!?

"Forgive me for what I'm about to do."

Then there are those words. The words that I knew foretold my possible fate! Those GOD. DAMN. WORDS!

"Oh you can't be serious! This can't be!" I shouted in my mind. "How is this even possible!?"

"Almost there!" Dad shouted. "Go! Go!"

Another shot rang out, followed by the tumbling of a body as a wolf rolled down the butte. I shook away the thoughts, and focused all of my strength, and speed to getting to the top of the butte! We were so close! Just a couple meters and we'll make it to the top! So close! So close! Just a few more feet...and we are so screwed! We reached the top, and we couldn't believe our luck! When we finally reached the top, there were more of them! More wolves! They were waiting for us at the top of the butte! Waiting for ME!

"Shit!" Dad shouted.

He and I gave off a shot at the same time. My ears rang, as two wolves exploded in blue blood! They fell to the dirt ground, one with a hole in its side, another in the neck! The others took no time. They pounced at us! A wolf got zoey and Mom, who were in front of me! They both went down with a terrified screams, as they were knocked back, knocking me to the ground with them! Joel jumped for the wolf, and knocked it off of them! They tumbled to the ground together, with Joel's teeth clamped down into the wolf's throat!

"Joel!" I shouted.

"Trevor!"

I heard Zoey's shrill cries of terror as she was dragged away from Mom by two wolves by the collar of her shirt! Mom began to dash for her, but she was tackled to the ground by three wolves! I looked at the others, only to see them being pinned down! They all fought, kicked, and screamed for help! Dad used his rifle to hold back two larger wolves that weren't even snapping at him! They were just holding them down! They all were! What was their purpose for this!? Why were those beasts doing this? They have no intention to eat! Why!?

I watched in shock! My body turned to jelly, as I began to panic!

"No!" I shouted. "Get off them! Get off them NOW!"

I raised my gun, only to feel one slam onto me from behind, and trying to pin me to the ground! I went down with a terrified yelp! My face collided with the ground, as I could feel my forehead grind against the dirt, and forming several cuts and scrapes! It pressed my head into the ground. It was strong. Too strong! It held me down as something wet and slimy landed on the nape of my neck! I disregarded it as saliva, and I kept struggling. That was until it started to move quickly down my neck! My hopes died, as I could feel it slide down against my cheek, and up to my face!

I screamed and struggled to get up as it made its way up along the side of my nose! I could see it as it was now centimeters from my eyes! It wasn't saliva! It was glowing the same dark color as the moon! It flashed brightly, blinding me, and before I knew it, there were two blobs, as it separated itself! I struggled to close my eyes, but this stuff held my eyes open! They were actually preventing me from blinking! They both stretched themselves out, and pressed against my eyelids, as they turned from navy blue, to a light grey in a matter of seconds!

I couldn't stop it! I couldn't do anything! All I could do was scream as they pressed themselves onto my eyes! My vision grew fuzzy and blue! My eyes burned like fire as they both began to slide along my eyes, and into my sockets! The pricking feeling filled my eyes, and traveled along the nerves and into my brain!

"GAHHH! GET IT OFF ME! GET IT OFF! GET IT! GET IT!"

The wolf continued to bark above me! It just pinned me down, but it didn't choose to kill me! It just held me down, and allowed me to hear my family's terrified cries! Hearing the fear in their voices. It made me angry. No....it made me FURIOUS! furious that they were doing this! Furious that the voice was doing this! Putting me in agony! My eyes felt as if ants were crawling all over the inside of my eye sockets, my family was in need of my aid, and I couldn't stand by and let it happen! With a roaring cry, I grabbed the wolf's legs that were wrapped around my neck, and propelled myself off the ground! The wolf was clinging to my back like a horse jockey! I jutted an elbow into its side, and it loosened its grip! I reached back, grabbed it by the neck with both hands, and with a shriek, I threw it forward! The wolf soared through the air until it struck the ground face first with a dull thud.

With blurry vision, I stomped over to fallen wolf, still screaming, gripped by fear! Raising my foot, I screamed as I stomped on its head again, and again, and again, and again until it wouldn't move anymore! I raised my foot from its caved in face, and began to press my hands hard against my eyes. I rubbed them franticly, whimpering in utter fear! I could feel them squirming around inside! No matter how much I clawed at my eyes, it did me no good! I was certain that I would go blind! My vision was heavily blurred after all! But that was the least of my worries. My family needed me!

I could hear their frantic cries, and Joel still wrestling with a wolf. I had to help them! Though I was blind, I had to fight! With what I could see, I picked up my hunting knife, and gripped it tight. Tight enough to the point it hurt. Raising it above my head, I let out a battle cry as I charged! That was before the nerves in my eyes felt like they've been ripped apart by a rusty pair of scissors. The knife fell to the ground, with the blade just inches from my right foot as I dropped it and clamped down onto my eyes, screaming in agony!

My eyes felt like they have burst as an explosion went off inside my head, and I spread out across the ground. My body curled into a ball, as I whimpered, praying that the pain would go away. It was unbearable! The feeling of my eyes like they were being ripped out from their sockets. The most painful experience of my life! The blurriness began to fade into the darkness that was surrounding me. I sunk deeper and deeper down into nothingness. The sounds of the wolves, and my family's cries faded to what sounded like they were miles away. The pain in my head was suppressing as I drifted out of reality. Deeper I went, until I couldn't feel anything anymore.

"You are the master of your fate." The voice called out to me.

Darkness....darkness was all that I could see. Nobody was around me. Nothing was around me.

You...are the captain of your soul."

Everywhere I looked, I saw the darkness. I couldn't tell if I was moving, or even alive at this point. I felt nothing. I saw nothing. I was nothing.

After an eternity of drifting through a barren wasteland, I realized that I could see a faded red. The redness was dark, surrounded in grey in a wave like formation. The grey in the distance was slowly moving upwards. I could tell that I was lying down, and the grey formations were clouds. But...why was the sky red?

I was probably still on the butte. It was quiet. Extremely quiet. But in an instant, the rest of my senses came back to me all at once.

Smoke and burning meat filed my nostrils, and nearly caused me to choke and cough in disgust. A metallic taste lingered on my tongue, and I felt a line of poorly done stitches running along the inside of my cheek. I realized in a second that I was tasting blood. Blood that trickled down my tongue, and into my throat. I reached up a weak hand, and softly ran my fingers along a gash in my left cheek in disbelief. It was open on both ends, and it stung like crazy whenever I touched it.

I snapped my hand away from it, and my arms flopped to the ground weakly. The bone dry dirt below caught me off guard. No grass. Just dry dirt.

I slowly rose up from the ground, rubbing my throbbing eyes. The blurriness was gone, but the pain was still present in a throbbing manner. I lowered my hands to my sides, and continued to blink until I could see clearly. It was dark. I could see, but it was dark. Perhaps my eyes are still adjusting? I heard a breeze roll by, as the grass swayed in the tainted air. It got me worried. If I could hear the breeze....then why can't I hear any wolves, or my family?

A lump grew in my throat, as I uttered out a raspy, "Hello?"

Silence....no reply.

By now, my eyes adjusted to the darkness. I slowly rose to my feet, with my eyes still in pain.

I groaned when I was on my feet, rubbing my temples with my eyes closed as I did. When I opened them...my jaw dropped, and my eyes widened in fear. My legs began to tremble and quake. My fists were balled so tight that it hurt. Speechless, I fell to my knees, and began to whimper quietly.

I was certain that I was in hell.

I saw the forest....completely engulfed in red flames.

All around me, I was surrounded in a burning forest! A forest completely swallowed in fire! I began to panic! I cried out the names of my family, looking around franticly as I did! I called for Mom, Dad, Joel, Chad, and Zoey's names, only to have no response each time!

"No no no no no!" I said again and again. "No no no-!"

Something rose in front of me from below. I screamed as I fell to the ground and I scurried away terrified! I couldn't see what it was! It was tall, thin, and dark. I didn't get a chance to move, because I could see it open its mouth to reveal razor sharp fangs, stained with the blood of an animal, a person? I don't know!

I couldn't move! I was so fear stricken that my body refused to move! All I could do, was watch it roar manically, and I watched it lunge at me to claim its next victim's life.

Comments

[DJ Scratch21x]

5321269 Lol!