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Chapter 2
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2024-10-29 19:42:56My parents growl in response. “Shift,” my dad demands. The lead wolf shakes its head and steps forward again. My dad steps forward in response, shielding my mom and I. My mom turns to me and bends down to eye level.
“Sweetheart, your father and I need you to run home. Don’t worry about us. We will return once we take care of these wolves, but we need you to stay safe,” she explains. “Can you do that for Mommy?” I nod. “Good. Now go ahead and run to the woods over there,” she instructed, pointing in the opposite direction of the wolves approaching us. “Your father and I love you very much. Please stay safe.” She kisses my cheek before standing up and turning to face the oncoming wolves once more. “I love you, too,” I tell both of them before running away as my mom instructed. My feet pound against the ground and my legs burn, but I don’t stop until I reach the tree line. I know that my mom told me to go home, but I didn’t want to leave them. Making a decision, I hide in the forest. I peek around a tree to see what is happening, just in time to see both of my parents shift into their wolves. My mom’s wolf is dark gray while my dad’s wolf is black. I know that they both have amber colored eyes even though I can’t see them. I proudly observe that my parents’ wolves are twice the size of the attackers. During my escape, the wolves had grown closer and are now only a couple of yards away from my parents. The two sides pause in a standoff, glaring at each other. Suddenly, the lead wolf rushes forward to attack. Dad steps forward and bats the wolf aside. It flies through the air and lands in the lake with a loud splash. The four remaining wolves rush forward together. They surround my parents and begin to taunt them. One will step in and Mom will swipe at it, only to miss as it steps back. Then another will step forward before stepping back to avoid Dad’s swipe. My parents’ wolves grow more frustrated each time until my dad impulsively lunges forward and tears his claws through the throat of the wolf in front of him. The body of the dead wolf drops to the ground with a dull thud and blood pools out around it. Blood drips from his claws as he turns to face the wolf approaching him. My mom is facing off against the remaining two wolves. One lunges towards her and she swipes along its face, tearing off chunks of flesh. I watch in horror as the other wolf circles around behind my mom. I stand there, unable to warn her for fear of catching the wolves’ attention and being attacked myself. The wolf pounces on Mom’s back and digs its claws into her sides. She shrieks in pain as she bucks upward, shaking the wolf off. She turns around growling murderously before pouncing on it and tearing out its neck. Blood spills from the deep scratches on her sides, soaking her dark gray fur. Seeing movement from the corner of my eye, I glance towards the lake to see the lead wolf stalking out of the water. My parents haven’t noticed it yet. Mom rushes towards the second wolf attacking her and rakes her claws down its side. Her own sides rise and fall rapidly in pants. My dad has been fighting with another wolf, who seems to be much better than its partners. Both have sustained minor injuries, but the fighting seems to have ended in a stalemate at the moment. The two stare each other down, looking for an opportunity to strike. Mom rushes in from the side, as she grabs the neck of the wolf that was attacking her. As I watch, the lead wolf sneaks up behind my mom. Just as Mom snaps the neck of the wolf she is holding, the lead wolf pounces on her. It grasps her throat in its jaws and bites down. Hard. The resulting crack echos as my mom’s limp body falls to the ground. The blood seeps from her wounds as she lays on the ground, her head turned to an awkward angle. I stand behind the tree, frozen. Mom is dead. She’s gone. I faintly hear my father roar in anger. Numbly, I watch as he pounces on the wolf in front of him and snaps its neck before turning around to face the lead wolf. Dad rushes into an attack, but the other wolf was expecting this. It steps out of the way and digs its claws into Dad’s side. Blood wells up and pours down Dad’s side. The wolf attempts to grab onto Dad by using its other paw, but Dad shakes it off. They turn to face each other once more. This time, the other wolf attacks. Dad steps to the side and swipes it with his claws. The wolf stumbles before regaining its footing. Dad’s fur is now matted with blood and turning an ugly reddish brown. As the two wolves exchange blows once more, I notice blood is slowly dripping from my dad. Drip. Drip. Drip. Due to my close observation, I notice my dad stumble before the other wolf. If Dad falls, he will be killed by the wolf. I need to help him, but how? I am ten. I don’t have the strength nor knowledge to fight a full grown wolf. Dad sways slightly and the wolf notices. It advances on him, so I move. I don’t know what I will do, but a distraction might help. “Daddy!!” I scream as I run towards him. The other wolf turns to look at me. My dad takes advantage of its inattention and pounces on it. He lands on its back and crushes it beneath his paws. I hear the crunching of bones as I get closer. “Daddy!” I yell again. He finally turns towards me. Dad stumbles forward a few steps before he falls to the ground, shifting back to his human form. Blood soaks into my shoes and squelches in my socks as I run over to him. The bodies lie around us in bloody, broken mounds. “My Princess,” Dad sighs, his words slurring, as I slip his head into my lap. “I love you. Your mom loves you. I’m sorry. I’m… so… sorry.” I stare at his face and watch as the light fades from his eyes. His weight falls limply into my lap as I let out scream, tears pouring down my face.Related chapters
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My nightmare repeats itself over and over again and each time I am younger than before. My helplessness is driving me crazy as I am forced to watch my parents die, unable to help. I wake up for the seventh time and my room is different from how I remember it. The walls are painted purple, but I only remember them being light green. My bed is also smaller. It suits my small, five year old body better than my normal twin size bed. I decide to lie in bed and think about my options. I have tried practically all of them without success. During the third round, I pretended to be sick the whole day, forcing my parents to stay home with me in hopes of avoiding the wolves. This ultimately failed when the rogue wolves broke into our house and killed them. Then I tried going into the city, going to another country, and even visiting the top floor of a skyscraper. Nothing worked. Each time the wolves came without fail. “Good morning, Sleepyhead,” a voice says. I roll my head to t
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My eyes open slowly, and I realize that I had fallen asleep on the couch. I sit up, ready to clean up my dishes from dinner, but freeze when I see the room around me. It is smaller than the bedroom in my house, but just as familiar. "Arielle, it's time for breakfast!" voice calls up the stairs to me. "Oh, no. Not this," I whisper as I slowly slide out of bed. The hardwood floor is cold against my feet as I plod down the hallway and into the bathroom. My head barely reaches halfway up the mirror, and my hunch is confirmed. I am the same height as when I was twelve, and I bet today is also my birthday. "Arielle!" The feminine voice calls again. "I'm getting done!" I yell out the open bathroom door. Clanging noises echo upstairs from the kitchen as I shut the door. I get done quickly and rush downstairs. It is hard to believe my eyes when I enter the kitchen. My mom stands in front of the stove, stirring something in a pan while my dad sits at the table reading t
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Beep. Beep. Beep. A loud noise awakens me, but disappears as soon as I open my eyes. My vision remains blurry and I swear that I can see a lab room with doctors bustling about surrounding me. My limbs feel heavy and weak. Then I blink and am back in the same bed I woke up in yesterday. I sit up, rubbing my eyes. Nothing has changed when I open them again. I am still sitting in bed covered by my navy blue comforter. My desk stands opposite my bed in the right corner of the room. Both my closet door and bathroom door hang open the way that I usually leave them. I slide off my bed and wait until my feet are buried in the soft, plush carpet before standing up. Then I spot it. My keys are on my desk along with my wallet. I know for sure that I left them hanging up in the hallway as I always do before going to bed yesterday. Perhaps, the day is repeating itself the same as yesterday. If that is true, then I may be in a nightmare. Upon realizing this, my mood immediately improves.
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I open my eyes, slowly becoming conscious. The soft fabric surrounding me and lack of pain have me confused. Where am I? Wasn’t I trapped in the lab? How did I get here? Looking around, the room seems familiar. I sit up on the bed and it dawns on me. I’m back home. Not the packhouse, but my old home. Why am I here though? I moved into the packhouse a while ago. I need to go talk to Tyler. He should know. I launch myself out of bed and get dressed as fast as possible. Grabbing my wallet and keys from where they lay on my desk, I practically sprint to my car. I definitely break several driving laws on my way to the packhouse. At one point, I took a turn so hard I nearly flipped my car. My tires squeal as I skid to a stop in front of the large mansion. I don’t even take the time to shut my car door before running into the building and up the stairs to Tyler’s office. The door flies open as I enter the room, accidentally using too much force. A loud gasp echoes in my ears a
