The Bite
Full moons don’t happen very often on Halloween. The coincidence of one on the famous holiday only occurs every 15-20 years or so, but I still hoped for one every year. I wasn’t exactly sure why - I guess I just thought it fit the atmosphere and mood. Tonight, I couldn’t even see the moon. It was hidden by a giant clump of thick clouds, so the stars stood out more as I arrived at my friend’s Halloween party. It was a costume party, of course, and I had gone all out with my costume. I was a classic zombie - pale, dirty, bloodstained skin and ripped clothes. I rang the doorbell and the hostess of the party who also happened to be my best girl friend, opened the door.
“Hey!” Molly greeted me. She was dressed as Minnie Mouse, and her boyfriend Wade soon joined her at the door, dressed as Mickey.
“I love your costumes! You guys are adorable!” I gushed. I totally shipped them. I honestly was just waiting for them to get married and have kids - everyone knew it was going to happen someday.
“Aw shucks, thanks,” Wade answered, batting his eyelashes to be funny.
“Come on in, zombie! Please don’t turn any of us, though,” Molly warned. I entered their home, which I had been to many times before, and she shut the door behind me. The party was already really full, and I could see almost every costume imaginable, from sexy, to scary, to cute, to downright gory. I scanned the crowd until I found another zombie and I started walking toward him. The zombie was my other best friend - my male best friend. He had dark hair, brown eyes, and tonight, he lacked his usual glasses. His costume looked a bit like mine - dirty skin with gashes and blood on it, darkness around the eyes, and tattered clothes.
“Hey Mark,” I smiled.
“Oh, hey. You look…dead,” he chuckled.
“I could say the same thing about you.” Despite our matching costumes, we weren’t a couple. We were just close friends. I wouldn’t mind if we became something more, but that was another story for another day.
Mark and I made our way into the kitchen to grab some punch and a few snacks, all of which were kind of gross looking, yet completely delicious. I had to hand it to Molly and Wade - they did a great job with the food and the decorations. Their house really didn’t feel like their house at all. It felt more like a dungeon, but it was awesome. I absolutely loved Halloween, and I expected nothing less from them for the party.
Throughout the night we all danced, played games, and snacked, of course. I mainly stayed by Mark’s side, but I noticed that his behavior was changing as time passed. He started acting anxious and restless, nervous, even. That wasn’t him at all. Finally, he excused himself, and I knew I had to follow him. Something was definitely going on.
He made his way into the bathroom, but left the door open. He went for the sink and splashed some water on his face.
“Hey, are you alright?” I asked him, really puzzled. He jumped a little.
“Holy shit! This is like jumpscare friends all over again…” he reacted, drying his face with a towel and exiting the bathroom.
“Sorry. It’s just that you’ve been acting kind of strange. I’m worried about you.”
“Don’t be. I’m fine,” he told me, but it was a lie.
“You’re really pale. Are you sure you’re fine?”
“I’m supposed to be a zombie, of course I’m pale,” he retorted.
“Okay, smartass, you know what I mean. Something’s wrong. Please just tell me what it is! I only want to help. We’ve been best friends for a while now; you should know that I’ll do anything I can to help you.”
“I know. I’m sorry but…oh crap.” Mark’s eyes drifted to the window and panic overcame him. “I’ve gotta go,” he muttered, scrambling for the door. I glanced at the window, not noticing anything weird. Even so, I couldn’t just let Mark run off like that. I quickly made my way to the door and headed outside. I made my way into the backyard and found Mark running into the woods. What the hell…? He had to be completely insane to just run into the woods on Halloween night like that. I sprinted after him, the flashlight on my phone guiding me.
“Mark! What the hell is going on?!” I shouted once I spotted him. His back was to me, but he slowly turned to face me. He was visibly shaking.
“I didn’t exactly want to break it to you this way, but I don’t really have much of a choice. I’m not human. Not fully.” Not fully human? What?!
“What do you mean, you’re not fully human? What exactly are you?” I inquired.
“I’m…I’m a werewolf,” he stammered. Suddenly he arched his back and screamed in pain. I expected him to transform right then and there, but he didn’t. I could see the blood pulsing through his veins, though, which stood out in 3D on his arms.
“And tonight’s a full moon…” everything quickly connected in my brain. “How long have you been this way?” I asked, the curiosity getting the best of me.
“Only a couple months, and I haven’t exactly mastered it yet. I don’t have much control after I transform. You need to leave,” he told me, his breathing heavy and his body heaving.
“But-“ I tried to talk to him, but it was too late. He screeched in pain as his nails grew into claws and extra hair grew on his arms and face. His already ripped clothes tore more, unable to contain the muscles that were expanding for his half-wolf body. He opened his mouth and sharp fangs grew in, and he threw his head back to let out a loud growl, his arms spread wide. Then he hunched over and breathed loudly, as if to catch his breath after such a strenuous transformation. All was quiet apart from his steady respiration for a moment, until I finally decided to speak.
“Mark?” I should have run. I should have escaped as fast as I could, but some small part of me believed that Mark was still in there somewhere, and that he wouldn’t hurt me. For a moment, I thought that theory was correct. He slowly looked up at me, his eyes staring into mine. And then, just like that, he lunged at me and tackled me to the ground.
“Hey! Stop it! Mark, it’s ME! I’m your best friend, remember? Just calm down!” He held me down and clawed at me at first, but then realization hit him, and something in his eyes shifted. He let go and I got up, brushing the extra dirt off of myself.
“Why the hell didn’t you run? I could have killed you,” he scolded me, leaning back against a tree and slumping down to the ground. It seemed to take a lot of energy and concentration for him to calm himself down.
“I thought that maybe if I just talked to you, you’d recognize me, and I was right. I can take care of myself, Mark. We’re both okay, and that’s what matters.”
“You won’t be okay for long. I have your scent. I could track you down and kill you at the next full moon,” he explained.
“You won’t,” I replied, sitting down next to him.
“Don’t be so sure,” he said. “Unless…”
“Unless what?”
“Unless I bite you.” Unless he bites me?
“Mark, I don’t think-“
“It’s the safest option. If I bite you, you’ll become a part of my pack. Wolves are loyal to their pack. I wouldn’t hurt you, then,” he clarified.
“I’m not worried about you hurting me. You’re not going to, whether I’m a part of your pack or not.”
“Are you really sure about that? I just attacked you a few minutes ago. It took a lot for me to recognize you and convince myself not to rip you to shreds. That could have easily gone a lot worse.” Okay, maybe he had a point. But I wasn’t exactly prepared to become a werewolf.
“You have a point, Mark, but I really don’t know about this,” I admitted. He grabbed my arm, his claws digging into it, causing me to jump a little.
“If you don’t let me bite you, you’re pretty much killing yourself.” He let me sit and think for a little bit. I didn’t want this, but maybe I couldn’t save myself again. Mark was my best friend, and he almost always knew what was best for me. I knew I should listen to him, but I was so afraid.
“So, what’s it gonna be?” he wondered, after I had pondered the idea.
“I…I don’t know, Mark.” He grabbed the collar of my shirt, pulled me up to my feet, and slammed me against the tree.
“Decide. Yes or no?” he growled, baring his teeth at me. He might have been able to hold a conversation, but he definitely wasn’t completely himself. I gulped, closed my eyes, and gave him my answer.
“Do it.”
I let out a cry of pain as he sank his teeth into my neck, the only part of my body that wasn’t covered. I was one of his kind, now. I was a werewolf.
Happy Halloween, everyone! I thought I'd write a monster themed one shot for you guys before the holiday was over! As always, let me know what you think, and vote if you approve :) Also, I have a romantic, *cough* slightly sexy one shot written, but I'll only post it if you want it. So please leave me some comments, letting me know if you want it or not, as well :) Thanks for reading!