January Rain

I walked slowly through the streets, thinking about my anything but calm discussion with Logan Striker, my now officially ex-boyfriend. I still had the bitter taste in my mouth from that fight. I had been holding back tears since I left his apartment, but I had promised myself that I wouldn't shed a tear for him again, especially when the reason for the breakup wasn't really clear. All he said was that we couldn't be together, along with some incoherent talk about it being because of his damned blood! Whatever that meant?

We had been dating for years, and Logan had never acted like a jerk before, but in the past few months, he had changed? Especially after we had made so many plans together. But I knew the blame was more on me than on him. I had deluded myself. We had been keeping our relationship hidden for months. It was as if I were some sort of mistress?

I took a deep breath of the cold January air. I was determined to forget Logan, but I knew it was easier said than done, especially when he was the one who used to warm me during the nights. He had not only marked my body but also my mind and soul.

— Liv!

I heard my nickname being called, but I was really trying to avoid everyone at the moment, feeling like I was about to break down. I just wanted to cry and suffer in peace, preferably at my place, under the blanket, listening to some sad music or the silence I usually found there.

But before I could cross the street, I felt a sudden approach. I looked to the side and saw the guy smiling broadly. He was one of the last people I wanted to meet, Carter, a mutual acquaintance of mine and Logan's, but I couldn't say we were friends. He had never hidden his interest in me, although he seemed to be interested in half the girls in town. His desire for me was special because of his rivalry with Logan, something I usually ignored, especially when he tried to flirt with me. But at this moment, I had no patience for it.

— Hi, Carter.

I greeted him, trying to be polite. Honestly, I didn't want to have to greet anyone at this moment, but my mother raised me well, and ignoring him would only make him chatter even more behind me. Carter stopped by my side, the traffic light turned green, and I started walking along the crosswalk, noticing him following me.

— Can I walk with you? Are you on your way to meet Logan, or have you already seen him?

My eyes shifted slightly to him as I pondered a bit. I couldn't figure out why he was asking about Logan. To avoid a headache, I shrugged; besides, I could just dismiss him, but what difference would it make? At least I'd have company until I got home.

— You can walk with me.

— You seem a little sad.

He asked, while I just remained silent. It was true that I was sad, but I was never the type to talk about my problems with others; I was reserved about that, especially when it came to Logan. But why did the words seem to want to spill out of my mouth now? Was it because I was obviously upset?

— Logan and I, things are very stressful, I mean, now there's no more stress; this time, I think there's no going back.

I confessed, even though I had been saying that we were still fine, the truth would spread sooner or later, and pretending would only make me look like a liar. I saw his light-colored eyes analyzing me; he sighed audibly, almost as if he felt sorry for me. I looked at him again, Carter was the kind of guy any girl would have both pleasure and displeasure in meeting. He was handsome and intelligent, but also a womanizer. That was one of the reasons why Logan never liked seeing him near me, but when you have a Logan in your life, nobody can compare to him, because he was the man who made your panties wet just by looking.

— Why?

I looked to one side and then the other to cross the street, even though it wasn't necessary; it was a cold and rainy day, and few people risked walking on the wet streets at night, especially in a new neighborhood like that.

— I think he's hiding something from me. I must not be good enough for him to trust.

I heard him suddenly laugh, and I raised an eyebrow. I didn't care if he laughed at me; that had more to do with why he was laughing. But the man beside me seemed to misunderstand, seeing his laughter die down, and a forced cough took over his mouth.

— You don't believe that, do you? He must be crazy. You are more than enough for any man.

— I guess not for him.

I said disheartened. It might be dramatic for him, but sometimes it seemed like Logan didn't trust me enough, always hiding and avoiding me. Even sex had become scarce; he didn't want to touch me or even kiss me. Suddenly, a strange feeling came over me, as if every step I took was being watched. A chill ran down my spine, making me nervous, but I had that feeling almost all the time, so I knew it was just in my head.

I looked at Carter, who was saying something I didn't hear, as I was occupied with my own paranoia. Everything got worse when the movement on the street disappeared, the movement of cars that no longer existed anyway. I always walked down that street; there was a small forest at the end of it, which I usually used as a shortcut.

— Olivia.

Carter stopped, calling me with uncertainty in his voice. I didn't take long to turn to him, admiring him in silence. His face marked by strong features, his messy brown hair tied in a hasty ponytail, he was handsome, but Logan, God, was on a whole different level.

— Since you and Logan are no more, how about we go out to have some fun?

I wished I could be the kind of person who falls into the arms of the first person who comes along, especially when they are so handsome, but I couldn't be sadder; Logan had always been my passion, the man I had loved since childhood, and at some point, he had loved me back, but it was not the same anymore. Somehow, his feelings for me seemed to have died.

All I knew was that somehow Logan's father was involved in this; well, I couldn't call him a father, anyway. Something had happened involving his family, something that made him distant and changed toward me. He had been avoiding me for a long time, disappearing, and now he just kicked me to the curb.

And what could I do? I had never been the type to hurt someone's feelings out of spite, even though I knew how much Logan and Carter hated each other, I couldn't put Carter in a difficult situation, especially knowing how Striker dealt with anger. Besides, there was that little issue; would Logan even care?

— I'm not in the mood to go out, but you could walk with me to my apartment.

I smiled, trying not to sound arrogant or rude. I liked Carter, but only as a good friend, nothing more, and it would never be more than that. I saw him return the smile in silence; I knew that for a man like him, it was a huge

blow to his ego, but at least he seemed to accept it quickly.

— I'm not a fan of rain.

Carter commented. I could feel the water droplets falling on my coat, but I couldn't say the same; I loved the rain and the cold, always had, my favorite nights were always the rainy ones.

— I like it. I find it more pleasant than the sun scorching my skin.

When we entered the small forest, the streetlights no longer reached the trees, and the path became dark. But the moonlight still illuminated some of the trail ahead; it was a perfect setting for a horror story. Sometimes, I still questioned why I walked through there at night, but if I took the street, I'd have to walk more than a kilometer, so the shortcut wasn't that bad.

We walked calmly along the trail, while I noticed that something there didn't seem normal. It was incredibly silent, which was not usual due to the sounds of animals that were always present. I loved to admire it, I was used to that place, everything about it pleased me, but today, there was something strange, something scary.

And I wasn't the only one who noticed; Carter seemed suspicious since we entered there, his steps seemed to quicken, and he held my arm with some force as he pulled me.

— Do you hear that, Olivia?

He asked, suddenly stopping. His eyes evaluated everything around us, and I tried to listen to anything suspicious, but I couldn't hear anything different, except for my own breathing.

— What was that, Carter?

I observed a dark spot in the corner, a red glow coming from the midst of the bushes. The black figure jumped over me, and I could only watch as it landed on the ground and headed toward Carter. A scream caught in my throat; I didn't know what that was.

— Run, Olivia.

Carter shouted, being dragged by whatever it was. He disappeared with the creature, and I couldn't hear a scream or anything else, just the heavy jaws hitting each other with force. But suddenly, the silence returned. This time, I would be the prey, with that thought, I ran as fast as I could, trying to get home, but it wasn't enough. When I realized, it was in front of me, its red eyes hypnotizing, its teeth shining with fluorescent saliva mixed with blood, blood that I feared might be my friend's.

I stopped, feeling my lungs begging for air; the truth was I wasn't a big fan of sports, I was a natural couch potato, so I couldn't calm my heart when I stopped and my breathing seemed to want to leave me.

I had always been the type to believe in what science shows, I had never believed in fairy tales, for me, things without logical explanations weren't plausible. However, that thing couldn't be found among the usual animal sensations; it seemed like something out of a children's story, a werewolf.

It seemed calm, just staring at me while I tried to figure out a way to escape. My heart was pounding in my chest even harder when it took a step forward, which clearly frightened me since I fell backward for no reason, landing on my butt on the wet and uncomfortable grass.

It seemed to understand that as an escape, as it was standing on its two hind legs before jumping forward, running on all fours, it pounced on me, making me lie down on the damp and uncomfortable grass. Its red eyes analyzed me again, and I was sure I would have a heart attack; I could feel my heartbeats even in my own fingers. I closed my eyes, waiting for its teeth to tear me apart.

But I felt only its snout wandering over my body, starting to sniff my legs, sucking in air as if it were necessary for its life. I could only feel a strange sensation taking over my body, fear and confusion mixed together, but something got even stranger when it slid its snout further into my skirt; the absurd warmth it had made my body heat up. I must be crazy; how could I feel excitement in a moment like that?

I felt its snout slide along my thigh slowly, making my skin tingle, and then it slid further into my skirt, sucking in air as if it were enjoying it.

Then it backed away; its red eyes seemed even wilder, and I felt a sense of familiarity with the being in front of me. I could see it standing up; its body was huge, covered in the thickest black fur darker than the night itself. Its size diminished, taking on a more human shape, but it still remained wild. I couldn't see its face or body very well; it was dark, and only the moonlight illuminated the place.