Breaking to Pieces

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Today seemed unusually cold; the late November wind that blew the leaves around was anything but expected. Since this was California you would expect sunshine but anything can happen in this bipolar weather. I sat on my canopy window, staring outside. It was a late Sunday evening; Sophie was downstairs watching re-runs of Vampire Diaries, while I was in my bedroom on my laptop.

Ever since my conversation with Ryder, I was intrigued and wanted to know more about the murders. Everything about it seemed mysterious. My eyes scanned pages of information until I came across something. It was an article written by a Dr Richard Hoffman from a university in California. What caught my attention about this particular article was that it was called "Mysteries of the wolf".

The article included facts about the murders, but that's not what I was searching for. I was searching for something strange, questionable, abnormal. I don't even know why I was so bothered about this. This isn't any of my business and the whole thing about the wolf may not even be true, but I have a feeling deep within me that something is not right.

My vision zeroed in on a certain part of the article, a part I was hoping to find. As I read on I found out that the information in this article had more information and was more detailed than the newspaper. Two days after the body was discovered the police found paw prints near the crime scene, wolf prints. These wolf prints however, were nearly twice the size of the average wolf. It was this snippet of information my mind seemed to be confused on. I know not all wolves are the same and size can vary, but a wolf's paw to be that big, it seemed unrealistic.

I read on further, a desperate feeling of needing to know thawing my insides. The next piece of news came as a bit more of a shock to me. The writer of this article, Dr Richard Hoffman is a specialist in Ethology so he understands the behaviour of animals. It says that wolves don't attack humans unless necessary and that none of the victims were reported going into the woods, so if they didn't go in the woods and meant no harm why would the wolves attack?

I shut my laptop, too overwhelmed by what I just read. Tired and exhausted I lay down on my bed, my head hitting the soft pillow. I closed my eye lids sighing in contempt, hoping a good night's sleep will help me clear my head. I accepted the dark bliss that took over me.

I ran even though I was exhausted I ran. The woods blurred past me as I sprinted away from it. It growled behind; sending waves of fear down my spine. My lungs burned from exhaustion, but that didn't stop me. I don't know why I was running, or what from. My legs ached, my arms throbbed, but I still ran. I felt petrified as the sounds of growls came from behind me. The pounding of feet made my heart accelerate. Sharp teeth pierced into my leg, making me scream with anguish. My body crashed into the ground, making a few bones crack. Pain radiated throughout me. Growls grew louder and it was at this time I got a good look at my killer. It was him! It was the wolf that attacked me, only he wasn't dead. I huddled into foetal position, wishing the pain would go away. The wolf smirked in a menacing way and prowled over towards me. It was mocking me. A sob broke out of my throat which brought the wolf out of its calm state and back into its ruthless one. It charged towards me, jaws wide open. I was in hysterics, waiting for my death. It came closer and snapped its jaws around my neck.

I gasped as I woke up, my alarm clock ringing. Beads of sweat dripped down my forehead, my clothes clung to me. The nightmare seemed so real, it was a scarier and more barbarous version of the attack that occurred in the woods. My heart still pumped with fear, I could hear it go thump! I ran my hands down my face, any evidence of sleep being wiped away. I couldn't go to sleep since it was time for school, and even if I could, I don't think I would be able to, not without seeing the image of the wolf.