Lycan (Monsterverse)

1. Mia

ONE

MIA

I dug my fingers into the soil, seeking out the roots. Potatoes didn’t need too much to grow. They were tough little ones. I yanked one up by the stem, dusted off the excess dirt, and tossed it into the woven basket sitting to my left. It thudded on top of the pile.

The sun hung low in the sky, the dark reds and purples signaling the coming darkness. I’d have to return to the house soon or end up spending another night in my shack, just as I’d been taught—just as I’d learned. Under no circumstances were we allowed to be out when it was fully dark out. Even though I’d never seen monsters out here, mountain lions sometimes prowled, and I’d have a significantly lower chance of surviving an attack from them without being able to see. I couldn’t be too careful. Plus, Jason was extremely protective of me. If he knew I wasn’t following the rules and roaming around after dark, I’d never be allowed to leave the house again.

I climbed to my feet with a grunt, stretching my arms up to get the kinks out, then crouched to hug the basket to my chest. I started down the dirt path of the clearing, passing the lines of vegetables and fruits I’d nursed to life.

This patch of the clearing had been the perfect place to relocate my garden to a couple of years ago. On my way out of the green maze, I snagged a cucumber from its stem and popped it into my basket.

Patches of grass littered the walkway I’d burned into the ground. Its clear indentation wove into the break of the forest line. Trees blocked out the rest of the low hanging sun, casting me within the shadows of the pine trees stretching into the sky.

Pam and Jason were likely settling in for the night. I’d left dinner on the stove for them, knowing I’d be heading out until sundown. There was no way they’d be waiting for me, so I took my time, enjoying the cool air fluttering the loose strands of hair around my face.

I tipped my head back, breathing in the fresh air. Something was off . . . The forest was quiet today. Usually around this time of day, the chirps, caws, and flutters of wings filled the woods. I didn’t like the extent of the silence, it was odd enough for it to catch my attention. I quickened my pace.

A gust of strong wind loosened more hair from my ponytail until it tickled my jaw and set off the wind chimes hanging from my shack. The glittering pieces hanging on the awning swung side to side with the flurry of wind. The door rocked back and forth. I slowed along the path, frowning. I’d closed it earlier.

Setting my basket down, I hurried up the slight hill, leaves crunching under my leather-bound shoes and thighs burning at the burst of exertion. I climbed up the two wooden steps leading across the five feet of porch to my shack threshold. I caught the door before it thumped against the frame again. Wood chips lay scattered at my feet from the broken knob.

I stepped inside the shadowed room, already sweeping my gaze over the wood table bolted into the wall, looking for the rope I used to secure the door. The small window above the worktable allowed me enough light to see it at the end of the long surface. I beelined toward it, but my toe smashed into something, and I fell to the side and onto my hip. Next to a massive, furry mound.

A scream lodged inside my throat. The mass moved in a rhythmic up and down motion, like it was breathing. I scrambled back so fast, my foot slid across the floor and smacked into it. A pain-filled groan exploded through the room. But the mass didn’t lunge at me. I shakily got to my feet and scrambled to grab the matchbox to light my candles, keeping an eye on the thing in case it moved. The flame burst to life and cast a glow over my shack. I grabbed the walking stick leaning to the left of the door and held it in front of me.

It was obviously a large animal . . . I squinted. My hands trembled as I lifted the stick and poked it, but there was no reaction from it. I inched near, leaning closer, the smell of pine emanated off the fur. The animal smelled of woods and fresh air. Was it dead? I used the stick to poke it again. Antlers scraped across the ground. I flinched at the sound. Was it an injured buck seeking shelter?

A low unusual glow flared to life throughout the creature’s fur—illuminating it. Ears. . . My legs gave out. A large canine maw. This was not a buck or a wolf, this was much, much larger. And scarier.

Ice traveled through my veins, and I couldn’t move. My heart pounded so hard that the quick thumps drowned out my breathing. I’d never seen a monster. I struggled to swallow or move.

It was splayed out in a way a wolf could not lay. Its torso stretched out flat, with a wide fur covered chest raising up and down. Barreled arms with joints at the wrist that bent in an inhuman way. The hands were not paw-like, they stretched with four long flanges, thick and long, with deadly-looking claws curving out from the nail bed. A long canine muzzle stretched outward, but it was much larger than a normal wolf’s.

Stories about monsters were all I knew about them. Jason and Pam told me how blessed we were to live far from the Rift. How we were lucky to never have encountered them.

My fingertips touched a pool of liquid. I brought them up high to see it. An onyx, almost inky, moisture coated my fingers, the scent smelling heavily of copper. Blood? I trailed my attention over the monster. Upon closer inspection, I noted the fur was matted and damp at the wrists, ankles and neck, the cuts so deep I could see flesh and even bone. I swallowed back a gag.

It was hurt. Was it a male? Bucks had antlers, but there were other species that were both male and female that had antlers.

I’d never seen a monster before, so I was at a complete loss. No, this was an ‘it’—a creature I needed to get rid of. My stomach lurched.

As I regained a bit of control, labored breathing reached my ears. I struggled with death. I hated hurting anything living, which was why Jason had to go hunting without me. As much as they’d tried to get me to kill animals, I just couldn’t. But would it come after all of us if I did nothing? I struggled to swallow. It would kill us all with a single swipe of its claws. We’d be no match for it.

I stumbled to the side table and plucked the shovel off the counter. Returning to the animal, I dropped on my knees next to it and poised the tip of the shovel over its throat while keeping my eyes averted. For them, I had to do it. For them. I shoved down and the shovel met resistance against its fur. My stomach lurched again and vomit crawled up my throat. I tried again and—It. Would. Not. Go. Through. Just as I’d feared.

Not that I could stomach taking its head off.

The monster grumbled. I stiffened and squeezed my eyes tightly shut. One second passed, then two. Nothing happened. It didn’t attack. I peeked at the still body and breathed a sigh of relief. The glow from the interwoven strands in the fur extinguished. If I went to get Jason from the house, he would do the same thing I just tried, but I doubted he could do much against a monster. Before age had caught up to him, I would have had no doubt he’d be able to hold his own, even against this massive beast, but now? No, I wouldn’t tell him. Bringing him would just put him in harm’s way if the creature woke up.

I licked my lips, and the shovel thumped on the floor. I could appeal to it in a different way. After all, one thing Pam always said was that monsters were intelligent.

I chewed on my lower lip and gave in to helping it. Taking hold of its arm, I struggled to lift it to get a better look at its wounds in the candlelight. Blood dripped down my hands and I immediately set it back on the floor. Upon it thumping hard, the slight glow flared and just as quickly tamped down again.

I leaned over its throat. The fleshy pink meat of the ruptured flesh made it difficult to swallow. Even with the neck already cut open, I’d been unable to wedge the tip of the shovel deeper. This damage had been done by something much more powerful than me.

What if it was out there still? My muscles seized.

It would have found the beast and finished it off, right? Or perhaps, this one had killed the other . . .

That was what I would have to go with, I had to deal with the one at my feet.

The rhythm of its breathing changed. And was that a growl? My eyes snapped up to glowing orange eyes so bright it made my eyes water looking up at them.

I gasped and it was the trigger to send it lunging at me. I jerked back in time to avoid the monster biting off my nose.

Using my palms, I dragged myself backwards, but the monster moved faster than I could see. Claws raked across my thigh, opening up a nasty gash through my jeans. I cried out and suddenly the large clawed hand grasped onto my shoulder, forcing me down so I was flat.

Streaks of orange strands were painted within its dark fur, illuminated with a soft glow. The beast blinked blazing orange eyes, the glow growing as it huffed out breaths. A snarl left its muzzle letting me see flashes of its sharp, pointy fangs. I put my hands on its chest like I could restrain it from dipping and sliding them into my throat. It snarled again and flashed a full set of teeth. I squeezed my eyes shut. This was the end.

But no agonizing bite came. Suddenly, weight fell on top of me, exploding the breath from my lungs. I grunted under the suffocating weight. Fur pressed against my skin, oddly silky and warm against me.

It’d passed out.

A wolf-monster had passed out on top of me in the process of killing me.