Chapter Four

It was later in the day, I was stood in the kitchen cooking something for dinner, Justin wanted to help so I told him he could cut the peppers. I've been cooking dinner ever since my mum went missing, my dad for the first maybe seven years was never home, he was out looking for our mum and only came home when he needed to get more evidence, as he called it. Ethan used to take care of most things but I didn't want to feel like I wasn't pulling my weight, so I cooked. I'm still in cook mode even though my dads back, I still like to cook for them and to be honest, I'm really good at it.

The house was quiet, all you could hear was the stove and Justin cutting the peppers, my dad was working and I had no idea where Ethan was. The silence was broken by the sound of my dads voice coming through Justin's walk-in-talkie.

"Pc Richard Parker coming through, something that wasn't addressed at the meeting is that you have a curfew, everyone has to be in their homes by 9pm every night, you must remain in your homes until 7am" he informs everyone which just causes me to sigh, now I know they just want to keep us safe but it's getting beyond a joke.

If the wolves or werewolves, want to attack again us, staying in doors isn't going to stop that. It might actually make it easier as we'll all be like sitting ducks, I'm getting a feeling that my dad is actually enjoying this and likes the sense of control he's getting. But of course, my dad is the lead officer so I can't say anything.

Justin finishes cutting the peppers, where he comes up behind me tipping them into the pot. I send him a smile stirring them in just concentrating on the food, he remained behind me his face near my neck and shoulder. I didn't actually think much of it until I hear someone walking in.

"Why are you standing so close to my sister?" I hear Ethan ask, this makes Justin immediately move where I could finally see Ethan.

"He was just helping me cut the peppers for dinner" I say but Ethan still didn't look too pleased with Justin, he shakes his head while opening the fridge.

"I thought you had to stay with your buddy at all times?" I ask trying to change the subject but also was confused, I know we're dads kids but we still have to follow the rules, it isn't fair if we don't.

"I didn't get one, dad thinks I'm more help if I'm always available to catch those things" he explains pulling out an orange juice drinking it, wait it sounds like he's actually believing the whole werewolf situation.

"Wait you actually believe it?" I ask putting the spoon down, he looks at me saying don't you? "No I don't, I'm just playing along so I don't make dad look bad, the video he showed everyone was fake and he changed the photos, they weren't the same as the ones he showed us last night" I say not actually believing I was having to explain myself to him, he was in the room and saw the original photos before dad got them changed.

Ethan places the orange juice down walking over to me, but in an aggressive sort of manner. I take steps away from him while Justin walks closer to me.

"Haven't you thought that maybe this happening is bringing us closer to finding out what happened to mum?" He asks sounding rather annoyed as he spoke, I stare at him confused but annoyed, he picks up on my expression immediately "you never know, they could have seen mum alone that night and took her" he crossing his arms trying to back up his statement, he is actually serious?!

"Our mum took a trip to the shop and was never seen again, that has nothing to do with fake werewolves, I can't believe you would actually try to say they're connected in some way!" I shout finally losing my temper, Justin places his hand on my shoulder using that to tell me to calm down, but I was beyond angry at this point.

"I'm gonna do my research and prove to you that somehow these werewolves are connected to mum, then you'll see maybe dad isn't so crazy" he shouts before he storms out the kitchen, great job at backing up your argument bro!

I stand there dumbfounded for a second trying to understand what he just said, in his brain he believes that our mother was kidnapped by werewolves. Am I the only sane person around here who doesn't believe they exist?! Just because some loose wolves came and attacked the town, doesn't mean that all the weird things that happened in this town are now connected to werewolves, who don't actually exist!

"Did you just hear what he said?" I ask looking over at Justin, who thankfully turned the stove off before the dinner burnt.

"I don't know what just happened there but you shouldn't get angry about it, maybe that's just Ethan's way of coming to terms with what's happening" he says rubbing my shoulder with his hand, well some people need to rethink their coping mechanisms.

The guys walking through the front door breaks the conversation, Sam and Jacob walk in first followed by Martha and Reece. I tell them dinner will be done in a minute and to wait in the dining room.

Justin tries to talk about the situation more but I stop him, I needed to get this dinner done and put the whole werewolf fantasy to the side. Honestly, what is happening?

Once dinner was over we all went down to the basement, that's where we keep all the gaming stuff and have some cool sofas and rugs. It's basically a place where me and Ethan can have all our things, my dad likes to show how wealthy and modern he is. The house has to look slick and clean, while he allows us to have the basement anyway we want it.

The guys were playing the x-box while us girls sat on the rugs talking, mostly Sam and I as Martha hardly spoke the whole time.

"You know after all this situation is over we need to go on holiday, I need as much distance between this town and me for awhile" Sam says laying back on the fury rug, I couldn't agree more with that statement.

"That's if it ever ends, the werewolves aren't going to give up just like that" Martha mutters from the side, I take a look to Sam who also had a confused face than look over at Martha.

"What do mean Martha, do you know something?" I ask where she immediately looks terrified, does she also believe in this whole werewolf fresco? If so it sounds like she knows something but isn't telling us.

"No" was all she says before her face goes down to look at the floor, okay she might have said no but the way she's reacting is telling a whole different story, her eyes kept darting over to the tiny window which shows the grass outside our house.

"We should leave in about 10 minutes, so we don't go passed curfew" Jacob shouts to Sam cutting our conversation short, Sam nods but something crashing outside makes us all jump.

"What was that?" She asks grabbing my hand shaking, once again you couldn't see hardly anything from that window, you would only see feet if someone was stood directly outside the window.

"Girls, come here" Justin says not looking away from the little window, Sam immediately races up running over to Jacob, while I attempt to walk over to the window but I'm grabbed by Justin and pulled to sit beside him on the sofa.

"It's probably the wind knocking something over right?" Sam asks holding tightly onto Jacob, that's what I was thinking I mean especially, in the winter things fly around everywhere.

"We should just go outside and see what it is" I whisper to Justin, it will calm everyone down if it is only like a trampoline falling over.

Before Justin could answer my question, a huge growl erupts from outside. It was as though the whole ground shook, that was probably my imagination but it sure felt like it did. I immediately bury my face in Justin's chest, I joined everyone else being afraid. Justin's arm goes around me holding me tightly, instantly another bigger growl could be heard from outside, this one sounded close.

I feel Justin move forward a slightly but quickly moves back, I couldn't actually see what was happening as my face was still buried in his chest, I didn't want to see if another one of those wolves would attack us again.

"Hello it's Justin Fitzgerald here, we're at Pc Richards house and outside we just heard a huge growl, please send help" he says which tells me when he leant forward he was grabbing his walkie-talkie, no one replied for a few seconds which at the time felt like hours.

"Stay in the house, we're on the way" my dads voice came through which was like music to my ears, the police were gonna come and sort all this out.

"No, I can't let them hurt Scott" Martha cries before bolting up the stairs of the basement, I shout after her but got no reply.

Without thinking I too get up and bolt up the stairs, this time it was Justin who was calling my name and following me. Once I make it to the house part I see the front door wide open, she went outside?! I run over to the door where it was nearly pitch black, the street lamps being the only source of light.

"Martha!" I shout walking out into the cold night, a shiver immediately makes it's way through my body causing me to hug myself "please Martha, it's not safe!" I shout walking further outside just trying to catch a glimpse of her.

Something moving in one of the bushes makes me jump, I take steps away from the bush the image of that huge wolf filling my brain for as second. But in the opposite direction I spot something else, Martha was running into the woods, it's definitely not safe in there.

"Martha!" I shout starting to run myself over but I'm scooped up in someone's arms, I turn my head to see it was Justin who was holding me back.

"I told you to wait in the house!" I now hear my dads voice shout, I look over where he was getting out his car running over to us, what's with all the running?!

"Martha's ran in the woods" I tell him still trying to get out of Justin's arms, the longer we wait here the more danger she could be in.

My dad immediately sends officers into the wood I saw her run, than he asks us where the growls came from. Once he knew, he sent us back into the house where it would be safe, I didn't want to leave without Martha but I knew I didn't really have a choice. We make our way back down the basement stairs where I'm grabbed, but not by Sam this time.

"What were you thinking Erika?" Reece asks wrapping his arms around me tightly, I was quite shocked he was even like this "you're one person I can't loose, it'll be like loosing a sister and I can't go through that again" he says which I immediately knew why he was acting the way he was, I hold him tightly saying I wouldn't do anything like that again.

"If you're out here come out!" We hear my dads voice shout from outside, I pull away from Reece slightly but we both keep an arm around each other.

The silence that followed was so intense, we had no idea if they had been able to track what that was down. But also Martha was still out there, why would she run into the woods like that? She said she can't let them hurt Scott, that's a name I know from somewhere but can't place it. But also why would they hurt Scott? Unless Scott was a wolf than yeah they might, but I didn't know she was friends with a wolf!

"We've located Martha, we will have her escorted back to her place of residence" Justin's walkie-talkie says, well that's a huge relief!

Reece leaves to stay with Martha which left me hugging Justin, I just needed to hug someone right now. We still had no idea what was out there and if its gonna come back. What if it's the wolf that attacked me and is coming back to finish me off?! Okay calm down Erika, once again it's a wolf not some grudge holding person.

"I hit one sir" we hear another voice coming through Justin's walkie-talkie, wait there's more than one of them?!

I hold so tightly onto Justin's t-shirt that I thought it might rip, luckily it didn't. After a few minutes my dad walks down to the basement, I let go of Justin and walk straight over to my dad for a hug, I'm so glad he's okay.

"It's okay, we're dealing with the problem" he whispers holding me tightly "now we have contained the issue, Martha has been found and is now safe with Reece and you two will be escorted back to your house, just be safe" my dad smiles to Sam and Jacob, they thank him before leaving the basement so it was just my dad, Justin and me.

"Do you think there's gonna be another attack after that?" Justin asks my dad, I hope not I nearly was eaten in the last one.

"We don't know what those things are planning, but the police will deal with them before they reach the town, or try to attack people" my dad says looking down at me, I'm still unsure at how he actually knows about the whole wolf nearly eating me thing.

We talk for a little while longer before we head to bed, but there were many people and wolves still wide awake.