Red Moon Rising (21 page)

I
t hits me hard, all at once. The pain, the shakes, the fear. I'm in the front seat, next to Jess, and she's doing her best to drive home fast without freaking out.

Every joint feels like it's exploding. My shoes are getting tight.

My throat feels like it's closing up.

And that killer headache is back.

“What should I do for you?” she asks.

My body starts shaking, like with chills, only much stronger. “Just get me home.”

“I'm trying.”

“I know.” The shaking gets worse.

“Why is this happening?”

“I don't know. I can't talk right now. Just go.”

It's killing me. I can't take this.

Then we stop.

“What's going on? Why are you stopping?” I can't even see straight.

“I don't know. I see flashing lights ahead. It looks like an accident.”

I stomp on the floor. I want to pull my hair out.

“What do I do?” she shrieks. She's losing it, too.

“Get us out of here!”

“I can't. There are cars behind us now. We're boxed in.”

It feels like the whole car is closing in, crushing me. All I can do is groan.

Jess is crying.

It's dark out now.

“Are those flashing lights from police cars or tow trucks?” I ask.

Jess leans her head out the window to look up ahead. “Cops, it looks like. They're all over the place.”

I try to breathe. “Jess, if I don't get into the chamber really, really soon, we're going to have a big problem.”

I try to swallow. Can't. “Call Mom.” My throat is filled with iron filings and slivers of glass.

“What?”

“On your cell. Call Mom. Tell her to be ready.”

“For what?”

“For me. I'm going home.”

And I'm out of the car.

T
hrough the woods. I'm trying to beat the moonrise.

I can barely stay on my feet—it feels like they're being stretched, pulled apart.

I fall and yank off my sneakers, then pull off the gloves, hood, and goggles, too. The zipper on the running jacket is snagged so I tear the jacket open and throw it aside. Just the running pants and T-shirt now. Much better.

Now I can run.

Man, I can run
so
fast.

The woods are glowing orange, which means I'm in trouble; the sun is almost down.

My T-shirt catches on a branch. I can't unhook it. I tear it off and keep running.

A darting rabbit catches my eye. And a raccoon staring at me.

Whoa!

I dive to the right and barely miss a tree, but fall and hit the ground hard. Need to keep my eyes to the front. Don't look at the animals. Just ignore those tiny heartbeats.

My hands make cracking sounds. They're lengthening.

There's fur growing on my forearms. I touch my face. Different, but I can't tell how. And my hair is longer.

I need to get up and
run
.

The woods are dark, but I can see okay.

I'm getting close to home. There's a faster way, but I can't remember it.

Don't think. Just go.
run run air in lungs good. run just run.

What the hell was
that
? Now I'm hearing voices in my head?

The bones in my face hurt.

There's a tall chain-link fence ahead. No problem: I can climb that in a second.

I jump high and catch on with my fingers, then go stiff.

I hit the dirt—hard. I'm on my back, body buzzing, totally rigid.

That fence is electrified. I think I'm paralyzed.

I'm Changing. And now, not even one mile from home, I can't move at all.

I
'm lying next to the fence, shaking like crazy. All my muscles contract, then all at once, they loosen. Now I can move again.

Stand up and shake it out.

The fence is very high. At least twenty feet.

Damn. This is the fence that runs the perimeter of the nature preserve. It has an electric current running through it. Not lethal, but enough to wake you up. Craig Lewczyk and I used to see
Lewczyk wounded wulf weak broken
who could touch it the longest. The record was maybe two seconds. I'll have to run around
fence metal pain no climb stuck trapped danger
What
is
this? Why are my thoughts…stuttering? Is that some part of the Change? Is that how I'll think when I'm a werewulf?

Ah! Stabs in my vertebrae. I drop to my knees. There are tiny cracking sounds from my ankles, which burn.

I'm not going to make it all the way around the fence, but if I could cut through the preserve, I could
run hunt small prey all around no big animal no human to hunt

Uh. Happened again. Where was I? Oh, yeah—I could get to our house in a couple of minutes. If I can still talk—or yell—they'll hear me, maybe short out the fence or cut a
deer's throat pulsing feed blood hot human blood better find human tear stomach get inner

Yah! Okay, so touching the fence and getting shocked breaks off the werewulf thinking. That's good to know.

If I can get to that long branch on that tree, I'll climb out and drop down on the other side of the fence. Can I climb all the way up? Twenty feet?

I look at the black claws on my hands and feet. They give me the grip I need, and with my extra strength, I'm up the tree in seconds. I crawl out onto the branch…and…drop.

Pain shoots from my feet to my hips on impact. Ignore it, there's no time to waste.
Get up

just run.

run run.

eyes better wide view smell skunk muskrat too small need big prey big deer run fast need big slow human

That light, through the trees. It's far, but I can see it. That light is from our house. I have to get there before I can't think clearly anymore.
move to light human prey at house

I have to outrun the Change.
Faster.

run strong legs strong heart

Let me keep my mind clear, just long enough to get

to get

to get

to kill

W
alnuts cracking. That's what it sounds like
strong pain
And it's my face. My cheeks are breaking
shake run fall leaves sticks rocks look up round red glow calls me

moon my moon full

That's it. The moon is actually red. It's a bloodred moon and it's rising
love me moon red moon

more pain blood from nose

Wait.
teeth long now fur warm muscles hot strong fast sharp ears long
I understand what's happening s
trong heart power strong wulf
It's clear…
this is

This is the Change
my Change.

Get up and run home.
Now
run faster jump run light there

Light from my house
go to it metal strings fence fence

I have two sets of thoughts
a wall of metal fence
like two radios playing different stations at once
go over grab metal pain pain jangle buzz pain

Of course that hurts; it's an electric fence, genius
touch again

No,
don't
touch it again! back away
no fence get to house human prey in house

If there's some way to get to the house Kevin will be
fence in way
able to get me inside
no can dig under fence
the chamber
find fence end find end go around
the end is all the way on the other side, too far
find end
you can't find the end, that's what I'm saying
run

A car door slams
machine near house
That's a blue Porsche
male white hair walk to house
Is that—it is. That's Gunther
hit door knock knock
What's he doing, coming to my house?
knock knock squeak female voice

“Yes?” That's Mom talking. “Can I help you?”

“I'm here to see Danny.”

“He's not home right now.”

“Really.”
hostile male voice hostile
What does Gunther want? “And where, exactly, might he be?”

“He's out.”
Female voice fear try dominance but fear

“Just ‘out' somewhere.”

“Who are you?”

“Let's just say I'm a concerned friend.”

“You're Sabina Hoering's son. Gunther. You made that prank call to the LPCB.”

“We both know it was no prank.”

“Do you know where he is?”
fear big fear
she must think he found me after I ran out of Jessica's car, that he's holding me prisoner or something.

“Do
I
know where he is? I thought
you
did. He's
your
son. Poor kid must be lost. I sure hope he's okay. Maybe the LCPB would be able to help find him. Or, if you
do
know where he is, you could just tell me the truth.”
male aggressive
You scumbag. If I could get to you right now
whitehair male threat threat to make adult female submit

“You do whatever you want. This conversation is over.”

Loud noise
She's slammed the door in his face. Nice!

whitehair enemy kill kill now kill

PAIN

fence in way male looks up here

I must have made noise when I ran into the fence. Can't do that. Wait. He's walking across our side lawn.
Grrrrr
don't growl. He's looking at me, standing
challenge
a few yards from the fence, keeping his distance. Maybe he doesn't know if I can tear through the fence to get him.
Grrrr
Don't make noise. Stop it.
Male whitehair heart beats faster

“Well, look at that. I'd recognize those green-and-blue running pants anywhere. Moonrunner.”

GRRRRRRR
Stop. Back up away from the fence, or you'll charge it and get shocked again.

“It makes sense that your family would set you up in the woods, practically right in the backyard.”

Standing tall dominant smile white teeth

kill kill kill

SHOCK metal shock. Howl. Howl.

whitehair jump back away smiles close again

“Whoops. Careful of that fence, pal.”

whitehair enemy must die
What does he want?
tear out teeth rip off jaw

“Well, I have a really cool present for you. You'll love it. Stay right there.”

whitehair pulse in throat runs back over grass to car
What's he doing?
want throat tear him crunch bones hot blood
Now he's opening the trunk and taking something out of a long leather case
tear head slash throat
He's walking back this way
long metal stick
What's he carrying?
come to fence kill you
The red moonlight glints off the long thing in his hand
closer come here
He's smiling
hear heart pound

That thing he has, that's a rifle!
Run!
run into woods
Get better cover
quiet run in shadow

This is far enough, stop here
crouch

“Aw. You ran away. I guess you're kind of stuck all alone in there. Maybe you need some company. Hey! Let's play a game. I've got more toys in my car. You just stay where you are and I'll find you.”

go low ground
He shoves the rifle in the backseat, gets in the car, and starts the engine
follow watch low quiet
He drives down the street, then stops well out of view of my house. He's out
goes to back end of car
He's opening the trunk again
steel string hangs from metal smile
That's not a steel string, that's a chain
puts metal smile down on street
clang clang
takes metal stick
I can't tell what those metal things are. He's crossing into the woods and coming closer
wait wait for him then kill
He's crouching down on the other side of the fence. And he's got a wire cutter or something.

“A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go…”

kill him kill him now
No, don't kill him, just get away.
away run run muscles hot run for moon then come back and kill

run run heart fast hard good for hunting

red light up stop look

red moon high

look look look
No, don't stop here to stare at the

moon red moon red moon love red moon