Bark (The Werewolf Journal's Book 1) (2 page)

“You don’t look fine to me,” a familiar voice said teasingly.  It was Arnie’s friend,

Danny.  Sarah smiled at him in greeting.  Just as she did, Arnie’s friend, Jay, walked in

behind Danny.

“How you doing, Arnie?” Jay asked.

“I’m all right,” replied Arnie.

“That’s good.  We thought we lost you last night.  I’ve never seen so much blood,”

Danny said.  “Just what the hell attacked you last night?”

“I don’t know . . . it was dark, hard to see.  It might have been a bear,” mumbled

Arnie.

“What the hell would a bear be doing out there?” Danny asked.

“I don’t know, but it was big, and it stood on two feet.”

“It was a full moon last night. Maybe it was a werewolf,” Jay said, joking.

“Leave him alone,” Arnie’s mom said, walking in. “How you doing, son?”

“I’m good and, man, am I hungry!” Arnie said.

“I’ll get somebody to bring you something,” Danny announced, walking out the door. “The doctor said you should be out by this afternoon. They’re going to give you some shots, just in case.”

“Where’s Dad, Mom?” asked Arnie.

“He had to go to work; he was here all morning. He really didn’t want to go, but you know how they are at the office with your father.  I called him to tell him you were all right though.”

“Thanks.” Arnie sighed.

“It will be a while until you’re released from here, so just relax,” Arnie’s mom said with a smile.  Arnie was breathing uneasily.  He stared at the TV playing an old John Wayne movie.  He threw a pillow over his head as if the pillow could take away everything that had happened.

CHAPTER 3

The thing that had attacked Arnie the night before kept flashing in his mind.  He couldn’t help but think about how close he was to death and how terrified he was.  He could still feel its breath on his body as it looked at him with those murderous eyes.  Arnie still couldn’t understand why the monster spared him.  For whatever reason it did, he’s thankful, he thought while adjusting his tie.  He was never big on church, but Sarah and his mom made him go.

Arnie sat next to Sarah, listening to the priest as his mom pinched him, her own quiet way of making Arnie pay attention.  Church had always bored him.  He always believed that if you knew there was a God, that’s good enough.  Sarah looked over at Arnie and smiled.  Arnie smiled back.

“So you’re going right?” Sarah whispered softly.

“Yeah, I’m going, but for now I think we better be quiet or a lot of people around here are going to get a bit upset.” Arnie breathed back with a smirk, then flinching as his mom elbowed him in the ribs once again, motioning sternly toward the priest for Arnie and Sarah to pay attention.

After Mass the young couple walked heading for Sarah’s friend, Elena’s house.  Sarah loved to go because her friend was a card reader, and she loved hearing about her future even though Arnie consistently told her how it was all just a bunch of bull.

“What are you going to do after high school?” Sarah questioned.

“What do you mean by that?” Arnie asked.

“Well, do you plan to go to college or maybe even one of those technical schools?”

“I really don’t know, Sarah.”

“Well, you’d better start thinking about what you want to do, or else before you know it, your senior year will be here.  And if you hadn’t made up your mind by then, you’ll be washing dishes for a while, boy.  For me, I’m going to be a lawyer.”

“Great, Sarah, so whenever I get arrested you can be my lawyer.”

“Yeah, right, Arnie.”

“You mean you wouldn’t be my lawyer?”

“Did I say that, Arnie?”

“No.”

“All right then,” Sarah said, laughing.

After a while of joking and laughing, the couple finally arrived at Elena’s house.  The two teens waited patiently until a woman who was dressed like she was still in the seventies answered the door. 

“Why, hi, Sarah!” Elena said playfully.  “Oh, and hi, Arnie. What brings you two lovebirds over here?” 

“I’m here for my weekly reading, and Arnie’s going to get his hands read this

time,” Sarah said.

“Is that so?  I’m sure we can find something interesting about you,” Elena replied,

inviting her friends in.

“Yeah, right,” Arnie mumbled.

Sarah bumped him with her arm, urging him to be nice.  Elena led them through her house, through doors of beads to her living room, which was filled with incense.  Elena told Sarah and Arnie to have a seat.  She sat down in front of them, lighting the small candles on her table.

“Now, who wants to go first?” Elena asked.

“I will,” Arnie replied, giving Elena his hand.

“Alright then, Arnie, give me your right palm.”  Elena ran her fingers through his hand for several seconds and then smiled.  “I see two people getting married a couple of years older than y’all.”

“Do you know who these people are?” Sarah asked.

“No, I can’t tell,” Elena replied.

“What else do you see?” Arnie asked.

“Strange, I can’t seem to get anything more than that.  Usually I get a lot more than that. Let me see your left hand, Arnie.”  Elena ran her fingers through Arnie’s palm, and as she did, her eyes widened, causing her to shove Arnie’s hand away.

“What is it, Elena?” Sarah asked.

“It’s nothing.  I’m not feeling too well.  I’m sorry I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m going to have to ask y’all to leave.  I hope y’all don’t mind?”

“No, not at all, just as long as I don’t have to pay you,” Arnie told Elena.

“No, it’s okay.  It’s on the house.  Now, please let me show y’all out,” Elena said, closing the door and whispering, “may God help you, Arnie.”

CHAPTER 4

“Why do you think Elena looked so shaken up, Arnie?”

“C’mon, Sarah, you didn’t believe that little stunt she pulled, did you?”

“I don’t know, Arnie.  It looked like she saw a ghost or something.”

“So what if she did?  Maybe it was somebody that was murdered and has come back for revenge, and it wanted to contact Elena through me,” Arnie said jokingly.

“Arnie, I’m serious.”

“I’m serious too, and you know I think it’s a bunch of bullshit.”

“Yeah, I know, but . . .”

“No buts, Sarah, all that hocus-pocus baloney doesn’t faze me.  Maybe spook me a little, but that’s it.”

“I’m sorry, Arnie.  I shouldn’t have brought you here in the first place.  I mean after all that has happened.”

“C’mon, Sarah, you don’t have to be sorry.  I didn’t have to come if I didn’t want to.  It’s not like you forced me or anything.  Now give me a kiss before I turn into a blood-crazed monster,” Arnie said playfully.

“Oh, Arnie, I love you,” Sarah said, kissing him.

“I love you too, Sarah. I hope we’ll always be together.”

“Who knows, Arnie, just maybe our wish will come true.”

Arnie and Sarah kissed once more and started walking toward Sarah’s house; as they walked neither of them said anything.  All the words for the day had ended.  When they arrived at Sarah’s house, Arnie walked her to the door and gave her one last kiss and headed home.  Arnie had played as cool as he could act around Sarah and Elena – acting as though Elena’s behavior didn’t faze him; when in truth, Elena had scared the shit out of him.  He didn’t understand what was happening to him.  When he woke up in the morning to clean his wounds, they were gone as if nothing had happened, and now the way Elena reacted when she read his palm.  She was terrified, and Arnie could see it. She saw something she didn’t want to tell him, and he knew it.  It’s just all too strange.  Maybe I’m just going crazy.  If I’m not, I’m too scared to even think or try to know why all this shit is happening. For now I just hope this is all just one bad dream, Arnie thought to himself as he headed home.

It was 6 o’clock when Arnie got home, and just as usual, his parents weren’t there.  Arnie never liked staying home alone.  There was nothing to do, and ever since his dad disconnected the cable, it was even more frustrating being in that boring old house, not to mention that his parents almost never had any food in the fridge.  Arnie felt so restless.  He couldn’t keep still.  Maybe Danny and Jay are doing something, Arnie thought.  Arnie called Jay but he wasn’t home.  Danny was home, and he always jumped at the chance at getting out of the house, especially when his parents were arguing.  Arnie quickly got some sweats on, an old shirt, and rushed out of the house and ran over to the basketball court.  Danny was shooting a basket when he noticed Arnie.

“What took you so long?” Danny asked smiling.  It was easy for him to say when he only lived two houses down.

“I kind of got mugged by a gang of pretty girls,” Arnie said while playing.

“Yeah, right.  Sarah wouldn’t like that.  You ready to face me?” Danny asked competitively.

“So what will it be, Danny boy, 21 tip in?” Arnie challenged him.

“But, of course. Nobody’s the master at this court on 21 like me.”

“We’ll see about that, Danny.”

“I break ice, of course.”

“C’mon, Danny, you always break ice.”

“That’s because I never lose.  Great night, don’t you think, Arnie?” Danny said, yelling as he stepped up to the basket. “Full moon, nice and cool, and the smell of horniness in the air!”

“Just shut up and shoot the damn basket,” Arnie said, annoyed with Danny’s

boasting.

“What’s the matter, Arnie, scared I might beat you?”

“No, I’m just afraid I might be dead by the time you shoot.”

“Okay, okay,” Danny said, firing the ball toward the rim.

The shot wasn’t a very good one for it bounced right off the rim. Arnie jumped

for the ball, grabbed it, and dribbled away from where Danny was defending.

“So how’s everything at home?” Arnie asked dribbling the ball, shooting it

in the hoop.

“Same as always, parents always fighting.” Danny replied, handing Arnie the ball.

“That’s two for me and zero for you, Danny.”

“The game’s just beginning. Don’t get cocky.”

“I guess the real question is, how are you doing?” Danny asked as Arnie shot the ball, missing the rim.

“I’m fine, but been having these weird nightmares.”

Danny took the ball, dribbling off, shooting it in the rim. “What about?” Danny

asked.

“I’m running through the woods naked and, well . . . forget it,” Arnie said, changing

the subject.

“The only dreams I have of being naked are the ones with Gwen Stefani,” Danny replied with a laugh.

Arnie then drove in, jumping in the air, shooting the ball in the hoop.  He came down, ramming his knee into the pole that held the basketball court.

“Are you all right?” Danny asked with concern.

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Well, can you move your leg?”

“Yeah, but I think I bruised it.

Danny grabbed Arnie’s hands, trying to lift him up. Arnie suddenly shouted angrily, “No! Put me down! Put me the fuck down now!”

“What’s wrong, Arnie?”

“It burns! It hurts, it feels like I’m on fire.”

“What burns, Arnie?”

“Help me, Danny!”

“How?”

“Please, Danny!” Arnie screamed.

Danny ran over to his bags, opening one of them, and got a quencher and rushed it over to Arnie.  “Here, drink some of this,” Danny said, giving the quencher to Arnie.  Arnie sipped some water, but all the water seemed to do was intensify the pain that seemed to invoke his whole body. 

Danny couldn’t believe what his eyes were witnessing.  Streams of hair began to grow from Arnie’s soft, tanned skin.  His ears stretched two times their normal size.  Danny wanted to scream, but all that came out when he opened his mouth was air.  Arnie’s bones began to twist and crack as they reset themselves inside Arnie’s changing body.  His face began to pulsate swelling until, finally, all signs of Danny’s friend disappeared.  Once the horrific change was over, all that remained was a snarling bloodthirsty creature hungry for meat.  Tears of dread ran down Danny’s face.  All that Danny could do was cry as he tried to run, but he couldn’t as his body was petrified with fear.  The beast attacked Danny, sending its teeth digging deep into his flesh.  It began to devour Danny, ripping the meat from his body.  Blood squirted on to the monster’s face, intensifying its disgusting hunger. Danny cried in horror as the beast ate him alive.  The monster howled in satisfaction until Danny finally died.  The beast then disappeared into the night, leaving the remains of its victim for the flies, which would surely in no time feast and mate upon Danny’s slaughtered body.