Wolf Bite

Chapter 7

Everyone in the store looks at me like I'm crazy as I duck behind the counter. Before the cashier can ask what the hell I'm doing, I shush him pull my legs close to my body, trying to hide as best as I can.

My ankle throbs, but I need to ignore the pain for now. I start texting Taylor before smelling the man's scent get close to me. I send the text and hide my phone, wondering where the hell the other guy is. Did he lose that fight?

I don't get to think very deeply about it before the cashier is grabbed by his neck. He gags before getting thrown into the wall on the other side of the store. The man looks over the counter and right down at me. Everyone in the store runs out as the man reaches down and grabs my arm.

He lifts me up by it, making it ache. "O-Ow!! S-Stop, that hurts!" I shout. He's pulling on my arm, and it feels like he's slowly pulling it out of its socket. Tears return to my eyes as the pain spreads. There's nothing I can do. "WHAT DO YOU WANT!?" I scream, scared. He swings me by my arm into a wall, and I hear and feel a pop from it.

"I want you dead." He says, walking towards me. I lay on the ground, awaiting the next extreme feeling of pain. I squeeze my eyes closed, but nothing happens. Instead, I hear another growl. I look up and see the boy kneeing the man in his stomach.

His face looks totally clean and unscathed, and his clothes are shredded, but there's no cuts to be seen.

"DANI!!" I hear Taylor yell. She runs over and looks at me. "Get up! We need to go!" She says. She pulls me to my feet and leads me out of the store. "The police are on their way, but we can't stay here! No way!" She says. We exit through the upper level, even though Taylor's car is on the bottom. She finds a bench for us to sit and places me down.

"Are you okay?? How bad are you hurt? What's wrong with your arm??" She asks.

"I-I think he pulled my arm out its socket.." I say. "Uugh. My back hurts, too. The guy swung me into a wall." I tell her.

"Do you even know who that man is!?" She asks. I shake my head.

"I don't know why he's after me. Agh, my ankle still hurts, too." I say. There's a loud crash in the direction we came from. We look over, seeing the younger guy tumbling into the road. He lays still, not getting up. The man emerges from the mall exit and his head snaps towards us. He starts walking in our direction, and Taylor and I spring up.

We run into the mall again and find an elevator, ducking inside. We catch our breaths as the elevator descends. When the door opens, the man is on the other side. He jumps at us, pinning me by my neck to the back of the elevator. "HEY!! LET HER GO, YOU FUCKIN' CREEP!!!" Taylor yells, pounding on his back. All she manages to do is piss the guy off and he glares at her.

He grabs her and pushes her into the other wall. His eyes turn back to me, and the bloodlust is clearly there. "I'm killing you this time. You're not getting away." He says. He starts pushing his hand against my neck, slowly crushing it. I look over at Taylor, who's trying to gather her bearings. There's still a way for me to escape!

I turn back to him and spit in his eyes as hard as I can. "AAAGH!!" He exclaims, letting me go and wiping at his face. I cough and gag, but quickly jump into action. I grab Taylor's wrist and yank her to the exit of the elevator. Once we're out, I push the 'Close Door' button, putting some kind of a barrier between us and him.

We run towards the exit, nearly tripping or running into people on the way. We make it out of the mall and to her car, and she quickly unlocks it. As I climb in, someone grabs the back of my jacket collar and throws me back. I land hard on the parking lot pavement, my head hitting the road. "Dani!!" Taylor shouts.

The boy from before comes back AGAIN, kneeing the man in the face like before. "RUN!!!" His deep voice orders. Taylor grabs my arm and directs me to the backseat of her car, pushing me in. She climbs in the front and buckles her seatbelt, prompting me to do the same. She turns on the ignition and SLAMS her foot down on the gas pedal.

We zoom out of the parking lot and drive as fast as we can without breaking the speed limit. At a red light, Taylor turns back to me and asks "Are you still okay? Do I need to take you to the hospital???"

My ankle and the back of my head throbs. My arm still hurts, and I'm sure that it's out if its socket. My back hurts too. "I-I think you should." I say. She puts the hospital into her GPS, and we start on our way there.

On the drive, I start drifting to sleep. As I do, I think about everything that just happened.

The random attack.

The stinky stalker who was, like, protecting me? He seemed to know what was going on.

Everything Taylor and I just went through.

And again, the weird stalker kid. Why didn't he ever have any scratches or cuts or anything? How were those guys moving so fast? Why was that man so strong?

And why were they growling?

I try, but fail, to put it all together. The sleep starts really getting to me, but I realize something as it does.

I don't think we brought our Forever 21 clothes with us!! Agh, dammit!

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We pull into Taylor's driveway. I climb out the car, careful not to hit my sling, and she opens the door. We go inside and up to her room after taking off our shoes. Sitting on her bed, she says "Its a good thing your head isn't too damaged. But a dislocated shoulder and a sprained ankle? Jeez. This isn't your day, huh?"

"Guess not." I say. "I wish we hadn't left those clothes at the mall. I really liked that hoodie."

"I'll order it online for you." She says. We lay back, not exchanging any words. After a few minutes of laying, I decide I want to return home.

"Alright, come on." She says. We get up and put our shoes back on. We climb into the car and she drives to my house. "Please be safe, Dani. If anything happens or you need any help, feel free to call me." Taylor says.

"I promise I'll call you tonight before I sleep. You stay safe, too." I tell her, and we hug. I exit the car and open my door, waving to Taylor before I go in. I lock the door and go up to my room. I change out of my clothes into something more comfy and lay on my bed. I try to take a nap, but the doorbell rings before I can drift off.

I groan and get up, putting my slippers on. I go downstairs and ask who it is. I don't get an answer, so I look through the peephole.

On the other side of the door, I see the boy from the mall. He keeps looking around, like he's keeping an eye out for something... maybe someone. He's anxious, I can tell. I would just leave him be, but he was helping me get away at the mall.

I want answers.

I open the door, but before I can bombard him with questions, he shoves me into the house and slams the door behind him, locking everything.

"Hey! What the hell is your pro--" I don't finish my sentence before the boy turns to me. His icy blue eyes pierce me, making me freeze. He approaches me, and his large stature towers over my own. "H-Hey, uuh... " I start.

"Shush." He says. "I know you have questions, but before you ask anything, let me tell you this now."

"W-Wha-"

"I am a werewolf."