4.
Kevin watched as the construction workers went into the tunnel, one after the other. It was like a chain structure. He got lost in it, but he was really thinking.
The full moon would happen that night. Another night of unspeakable torture as man made his transition into wolf; a werewolf. He loathed it, just like the rest of the werewolves, but they were trapped on the cycle. One day every month, when the moon had reached a summit, the transformation would begin. Every bone in their body would break itself and be reformed in the body of a wild beast. They would roam the wild for the night and woe betide anyone in their path. They would rip them apart from the inside out. They were savages, only to return to human form when the full moon left. Then they would feel remorse for the actions they could not control.
He had the same feeling every time he thought about it. He felt trapped. He felt as if he had no true control over himself. The full moon controlled him. That was all he felt. Every werewolf wanted to be free of the curse.
However, it was their life. They had started building the tunnel a week ago and it would be ready by night, just when they needed it. It was for the wolves who had triggered their curse, who had to be kept in chains and steel. The others didn't turn. They stayed home, hoping for the lives of their loved ones. Kevin, Naylor, Robin and Claire had all triggered the curse. They had to be bound up as well. Kevin and some other wolves waited for Naylor as he gathered all that they would need for their transformation; ropes, expandable clothing, wolfsbane...
The tunnel was at the darkest part of the woods where no one would ever find it. It was wet and bleak, but it was safe for them. They wanted to keep their supernatural existence in the town a secret. But that was of no interest to Claire.
She was headed to the bar to drown her sorrows in terrible alcohol. It was her recourse whenever she wanted to erase all thoughts of her family from her mind. She didn't care what she did in the process, as long as no one knew that she was hurting. She parked her red Jaguar in the car park of her new favorite bar in town; The Renegade.
She switched off the ignition and applied the finishing touches of her makeup onto her face, while admiring herself in her rearview mirror. She smiled and popped her cherry red lips, that highlighted her very dark eye makeup. She was ready to have fun. She stepped out of the car, her black heels made steady contact with the ground. She smoothed out her little black dress. It had thin straps and a v-neck, while revealing the whole of her back. The dress stopped a few inches below her bum. She was very satisfied with herself. She picked her clutch and slammed the car door shut. She strode confidently to the front door and once it opened, she could feel hungry eyes ogling her. She flipped her hair, which she had curled, and made her way to the bar. She slapped her purse on the counter and took a seat on a vacant stool.
The bartender turned to her and grinned cheekily. "Hey, sexy. What'll it be?", he asked with full-on flirtation.
She was immediately irritated by his cliché remark and his stupid smirk. She put on a very fake grin, ready to pounce. She slowly and seductive placed her hand on his, while keeping her smile. She could feel the excitement in his veins. Then she brusquely dropped it on him, "I'd like a different bartender who isn't childish and self-absorbed so I can spend my night in peace, free from perverted idiots who don't realise that my eyes are up here".
His eyes widened, full of shock. He gulped and retracted his hand from her. She tried to keep herself from bursting into laughter. She felt a bit sadistic, but it didn't bother her. She was sadistic.
A female bartender who had been watching the entire charade came in to rescue him from further embarrassment.
"Sorry about Finn. He can be a bit forward at times. Would you like me to be your bartender?", she asked. Her voice had a little croak, like it was dead from forced yelling. Claire gave her a sly smile.
"Yes please", she retorted.
They both glanced at Finn who awkwardly stepped away.
"You were a bit tough on him, which is a bit surprising. Girls hardly turn him down", she informed her.
"Well... ", Claire voiced as she spun a coaster around on the counter. "I'm not just any girl". She grinned viciously as she said this. The brunette bartender smiled.
"I'm glad to hear it. I'm Ebony", she said. "I know, my parents must have been dumbasses to name me after my skin colour".
Claire chuckled, "It's definitely better than 'Claire'. It's like they expected me to be some sort of princess". They both giggled and then Claire slammed her fist on the counter.
"Enough chitchat, bitch. I came here to get drunk!", Claire screamed. Ebony giggled as she fetched a large bottle of Bourbon from the bar. She poured some of it into two shot glasses and gave one to Claire. They raised their shot glasses joyfully.
"To Claire!", she declared. "For being such a goddarn beauty and a sharp-tongued bitch".
"To Claire", the population of bartenders echoed Ebony's toast. Claire giggled before downing the content of her shot glass. She coughed a little from both laughing and the burning sensation in her throat.
"You all seem to be having such a jovial time over here", came a gruff voice from beside Claire. She looked up to be met by the sexiest, most handsome man she had ever seen in her life. She immediately turned back to her shot glass. She mentally slapped herself for even looking at him for over two seconds.
"We were", Ebony commented as she poured Claire some more liquor. Her expression had changed from one of happiness to pure disdain. It was clear that this foxy god had crossed her before. He smirked at her.
"Don't tell me you're still mad about that little squabble at Joseph's", he said. His voice felt like sugar in Claire's ears. She licked her lips while hiding her face with her hair. She was so ashamed of herself for losing her cool. She had not anticipated this at all.
Ebony grunted and dropped the bottle on the counter. "Sebastian, this is Claire. Claire, this is Sebastian, the town asshole", Ebony voiced as she walked away. Claire giggled at Ebony, "You are definitely my new bestie".
Ebony flashed her another hearty smile and disappeared into the backroom. Once they were alone, Sebastian turned his body fully towards her.
"I knew you were new here. There's no way I would have missed this package for so many years", he said, while eyeing her up and down. She squeezed away the redness that was overtaking her face. For the first time in her life, words had completely escaped her. She wanted to just knee him in the guts and run away where no one would ever find her.
"Why exactly are you here alone?", he asked. She finally thought of a few words. She looked at him again, feigning disgust.
"Have you ever heard of personal space?", she asked him.
He smirked at her, unwilling to back down. "Forgive me. I'm always magnetically drawn to the feisty ones". His crystal blue eyes glimmered in the dimness of the bar. That was the last straw for her. She could feel her heart burning with passion and need. She actually smiled at him.
"Feisty, I am", she replied him. She had promised herself she wouldn't jump into anything she couldn't get out of, but yet she had no control with him.
"Would you like to dance?", he asked her. His British accent had looped her into his spell. She poured herself a third drink and gulped it all down. She pulled out a hundred dollar bill from her purse and pasted it on the counter before she stood up and smirked seductively at him. He felt very satisfied by her. He placed his fingers between hers, igniting a fire that made her lick her lips again. She grasped his hand tightly as he led her to the dance floor.
They were dancing for hours, repeatedly grinding against each other and she couldn't get enough. Everything he did made him that more attractive to her. She enjoyed every minute of it and she wasn't even drunk. She traced her fingers down his sturdy torso, feeling his muscles with every move. He smiled at her, then buried his head in the crook of her neck.
"You look sexy as hell in this dress", he whispered seductively. She puckered her lips.
"I know".
She moaned as his lips brushed against her neck. She pulled away slightly and giggled as she turned her back to him. His eyes grew wide with lust. He placed his hands on her hips. She danced her life away with her hands in the air and his body pressed up against her backside.
Suddenly, her tooth cracked inside her gum. She groaned as she fell to the ground in pain. He crouched down beside her, seized with worry, "What's wrong?".
She whimpered in pain, feeling confused and anxious. "M-my tooth-". She suddenly stopped as all the memories from that morning came back to her. Naylor heading out to the store, Kevin heading out to the tunnel site and both of them reminding her to be at the tunnel before the full moon.
"What time is it?!", she growled at him. He looked at his watch, completely confused.
"It's eight forty", he replied her. She gasped. She was so captivated by fear that she didn't care about anything else. All she knew was that she had to get out of the bar and she didn't care how. She swiped her bag off the counter as another tooth cracked, and she stumbled out crying for help. She ran to her car. She pulled out her phone from her purse and saw that she had twelve missed calls from Naylor. She quickly called him . She locked herself in the car and began to back out of the car park, and unto the road with full speed.
Naylor picked up on the final ring, "Claire, where the hell are you? I've been searching everywhere!", boomed his stern and angry voice. Claire wailed and swerved the car as yet another tooth cracked.
"Claire?"
"Naylor, I'm on the road. I was at the bar and lost track of time!", she cried.
Naylor was trailing through the woods. He had been searching for her all night. His transformation hadn't yet begun, but it would soon. He didn't care what happened to him. He just knew that he had to get Claire and make sure she was safe. It was his apparent instinct, to protect his own. He had been so worried that he left the tunnel to go find her, despite warnings from the others. He was an inkling away from frustration and a billion miles past fear.
"What road?", Naylor asked.
Claire looked up at the stop light, struggling to read the letters on the street sign. "I think it's St. Jose street", she voiced as she battled with immense pain.
Naylor racked his brain for a solution to the impending catastrophe that would befall them. He was too far to get to her in time. If she completed her transition inside the car, no one would be safe. She would kill everyone on that street and more until the full moon was gone. The blood would be on her hands, they would have to leave town and the world would be aware of the existence of werewolves.
"Claire, get out of that car now!", Naylor ordered. "Get into the woods and as far way from human life as possible".
Claire parked her car by the side of the road and climbed out of the driver's seat. She tore off her heels, threw them in the car and slammed the door. She placed her hands on the car to support her body, while taking deep breaths, in and out. She could feel them, strong and sharp, forcing their way out of her gums. Her fangs became prominent and ready to devour.
"Claire? Are you still there?", Naylor asked.
"Mm-hmm", she mumbled as she took staggering steps into the woods. She practically crawled between the trees and she kept running. She stopped when she heard sounds from a nearby shrub. She crawled behind a tree. She was getting closer and closer to wolf form. Everything was changing and she couldn't bear the pain. She bawled furiously as every bone in her body fought for freedom.
"Yeah, I'm still searching", came a female voice from behind her. She was extremely frightened. She tried her best to be quiet as her insides struggled to break free.
Searching for what?
The same voice made a chuckling sound as she walked towards Claire's bush. "I know, I know. I'll be back soon. I just need to find a bathroom", she said. Her voice was cheery and full of life. Claire knew the time was coming. She screamed as the final change occurred.
"Who's there?!"
Claire rolled about on the ground, trying to suppress the pain. She shouted to the girl,
"Run!"
~~~~~
Author's Note.
How did you like this chapter. Please serve your input on a plate of judgement in my Comments. Tell me what you think of the story so far. I would really appreciate some votes as well so SHOOT!!!!
Mo.