Random of Random

Run From the Riding Hoods {Excerpt}

Symmery

A group of werewolf hunters, who have taken the old Red Riding Hood story and twisted it around, have made their temporary home in a small town - that is full of wolves.

GO

“Another series of deaths strikes the North West as a pair of hikers found four dead bodies this morning. Three of the four have been identified as Amber Lossy age 14, Dustin Johnson age 17, and Bridget Shell age 16. The fourth body has yet to be identified. It is suggested that the four victims were killed at the scene. Little evidence was left by the culprit aside from the red fabric placed in the mouths of the victims, which leads detectives and police to believe that these deaths are among many scattered over the world known as the Riding Hoods.”

A shiver ran down Kayla’s spine as she sat frozen on the couch, watching the horrific news. Debra Parker continued to speak of the deaths believed to be part of an organized group of murderers. Kayla listened in fear, because there was on commonality in all the victims of the Riding Hoods. Every single victim was a werewolf. 

“Kayla! Are you ready to go?” Mavrik asked as he entered the living room to find his sister frozen and stripped of color as she stared at the screen of the TV. Mavrik noticed the program being played by the news and he quickly made the screen go blank. “Come on, Kay. We have to go to school. Forget about the stupid TV.”

Kayla met her brother’s cerulean eyes, the same eyes embedded in her own skull, and stared at him as if she had just seen her own death. In her mind, she had. 

She could imagine having been there with them, the dead teens, before they had died. She could imagine that they had gathered four days ago at the full moon to go for a run; she had done so herself with Mavrik and her friend Penny. She could imagine they way they felt high with their inner wolves clawing at the surface, almost in control; all it took was the transformation from human to wolf for the canine to run rampant. She imagined the riding hood mercenary-or mercenaries, because there could have been more than one-hiding in the trees or in the bushes with god knows what weapons.

In Kayla’s mind she was standing with the four victims, kids from the next town over, and they were relaxing their minds and bodies as they allowed their wolves take over. It wasn’t a quick process like they make it seem in books and movies. It was slow and the werewolf in question was specifically vulnerable. She imagined that was when the killer attacked. The news didn’t tell what the murderer used to kill the four, but in the pack meetings recently where a curfew was put into place, they were told that the oil in wolfsbane was coated over a blade that was slid over wrists and the throat. The werewolf would bleed out as their body felt on fire with the wolfsbane. 

Mavrik, who had always been very in tune with his twin sister (not unusual for wolf twins), felt his sister’s fear and panic like a subtle throbbing in his head similar to the start of a headache. “Hey,” Mavrik said with authority, “Stop it. Kayla forget the freaking TV. Get up, we have to go to school.”

Kayla did as she was told, she rose and walked quietly to the door to grab her bag and shoes. Color slowly made its was back to her face as she and her twin jumped into the waiting car belonging to a friend of Mavrik’s. The boys in the car talked about sports and girls while Kayla tried to swallow the panic in her body. 

It was felt like a long ride for Kayla as they picked up one other boy and then pulled into the school parking lot. The twins went their separate ways after Mavrik gave his sister a fleeting worry filled look. She walked through the halls and though of anything not relating to death. Homework that needed to be done or that was already finished, sports events that she could go to with Penny, movies that were coming out, anything.

She barely registered her friend’s sudden appearance by her side as she went straight to her first class. There were fifteen minutes before the bell rang to signal the start of the class, but she didn’t care. She wanted to be away from the rush of traffic and the overload of emotions swarming in from her other pack members of which there were plenty.

She was lost in her own mind until the class had started and she realized two new students standing at the front of the class room with the teacher. They struck fear into her for one reason-they were all wearing red.