The Monster Hero

Chapter 13 - Out of the Woods

When Red had pressed play, the world had melted away. Michael Jackson was singing, just for me. But when the song ended, I had to come back to reality.

"Well?" Red asks.

"THAT. WAS. AMAZING!" I yell.

Red's dad bursts into the room and says, "Pack any essentials! There is a massive army of Wolfums coming this way! They've been setting traps and catching people all day! Hurry! I'll be in yard when you're ready!"

Red's eyes grow as big as dinner plates.

"So much for a late night snack," I say sarcastically.

She leaps up and grabs her backpack. She tosses me a backpack, also. She throws in her headphones, her phone, a sketch pad and notebook, some pencils, her kindle, some batteries and random gear, an extra pair of clothes, some barrettes, a picture of her, Blue, her mom and dad, a flashlight, and some other things.

She zips up her backpack and follows me to the kitchen, where I pack some food, two water bottles filled with water, a flashlight, and some other things.

Red grabs her dad's wallet on the way out. We rush out the door. I start to follow Red over to where her dad is, but then I stop.

I hear Red's dad talking to some other men about what they will do when they catch some Wolfums, including me. I run to Red and start dragging her toward the woods. She tells me to let go of her, but I keep dragging her toward the woods.

When we reach the woods, I pull her into a group of ferns. I tell her to be quiet, and she listens. She may be quiet, but her eyes are telling me she is going to yell at me the first chance she gets.

As we hide in the ferns, an army of Wolfums march past. They are heading towards the village. Leading the army is Slash. I growl softly. Red looks at me and then at Slash, trying to piece it all together. We back up farther. The army passes. We can breathe again.

"What are those Wolfums doing here?! Why did you drag me into these ferns?! And who was that?" Red yells in my ear.

I knew she was going to yell. I didn't tell her that, though, because I knew she would yell even more.

"First, I have no idea why they are here. Second, please don't yell any more. Third, you're here because of your dad. And fourth, that was Slash," I say calmly, while looking around to see if anyone else heard Red.

Red looks at me shocked.

She says, "What do mean 'Because of my dad'?"

I sigh.

"He was going to try and catch me, along with other Wolfums. He's going to do something with them. I had to save you."

Red says, "Save me from what? My dad?"

"Actually, yes," I say, "A man like that can't be trusted. Especially, with the safety of his daughter."

Red stares at me, opened mouthed. She closes her mouth and stares straight ahead.

"Aieee!"

We hear sounds coming from the village.

"We better go farther away from the village. The farther away, the better," I say.

I stand up and brush the dirt off my shorts. I offer my hand to Red. She takes it and stands up. She brushes the dirt off of her shorts and looks at me with a weak smile. She looks back one more time. She nods at me, and we're off. Never to look back again.