"Check this out, guys! This tree has claw marks. I'm thinking... maybe a bear?" Alisha brought her camera closer to the massive tree, zooming in on the deep, jagged grooves that marred its surface. "Isn't it fascinating?" She smiled nervously, then turned the camera back to her face, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"Today, I'm taking you through the West Town woods," she continued, stepping further into the dense trees, her voice steady but the air around her already thick with unease. "It's rumored to be 'supernatural,' but, you know me, I don't buy into that stuff. Let's head deeper.
Her boots crunched softly on the forest floor as she moved confidently, glancing over her shoulder occasionally. "We just moved here last month, and everyone's been warning me about these woods. They say it's run by creatures of the night, whatever that means." She laughed lightly, but her voice faltered. "But hey, I wanna see these 'creatures of the night' for myself..."
Suddenly, a sharp, swift sound cut through the air behind her. Alisha froze, her heart stuttering. She turned, eyes scanning the trees, but nothing, just the wind brushing through the leaves.
"What was that?" she muttered, her breath coming quicker now. Her senses were on high alert.
Another rush of air, faster, closer. Her skin prickled as dread crawled up her spine. She spun around again, heart hammering in her chest. The woods had never felt so hostile. The confident stride she had moments ago dissolved into brisk, panicked steps. Something, no, someone was behind her.
Her pace quickened, feet stumbling over the uneven ground. The once serene forest now felt like it was closing in on her. Then, the growls began. Low, guttural, and unmistakably close. Her stomach dropped as terror sank its claws into her. She broke into a run, her breath ragged, camera bouncing wildly against her chest.
The growls grew louder, more menacing, the shadows around her twisting as if alive. She didn't dare look back; she couldn't. The air seemed heavier, something was wrong.
Suddenly, she tripped, her body crashing down a slope. The world spun as she tumbled, pain searing through her legs and arms as she hit rocks and roots. She finally came to a stop against a large tree with a sickening thud.
Dazed, she blinked through the pain, her head pounding, her vision blurred. She could taste blood on her lips. But then, through the fog in her mind, she saw it.
Standing under the full moonlight, emerging from the shadows, was a creature straight out of her worst nightmare. A towering figure, easily ten feet tall, wolf in man form, or man in wolf form, its muscular body rippling under its thick fur. Drool dripped from its jaws, which were filled with sharp, gleaming fangs. Its glowing golden eyes locked onto her, unblinking, predatory.
She felt a scream building in her chest, her whole body trembling in shock. This isn't real... this can't be real, her mind raced. But the ground beneath her was cold, the pain in her limbs sharp and real. And this creature... it was moving toward her. She let out a loud, ear piercing scream that echoed through the trees. Birds erupted from their branches, startled into the sky. Every creature in the forest stirred. And then, as if the scream had shattered the very balance of the world, the entire town in the distance lost power. Lights blinked out. Everything went dark.
Alisha's scream faltered, her breath gone, and before she could make sense of what was happening, the edges of her vision faded. The last thing she saw before everything went black was the beast, still approaching, unstoppable. She passed out, unaware of what fate awaited her next.
*********
A week later.
Alisha woke up on a bed, her eyes trying to adjust to the lights. Was she dead? She could still remember the last thing she saw, almost like it was still standing in front of her. The wolf-like man, or the man-like wolf, whatever it was.
Her heart pounded against her chest, each breath coming faster than the last. Her eyes were wide open as if she were looking at something, and she was. She was looking at a 10-foot creature coming toward her. As the creature came closer, she couldn't tell if it was her mind playing tricks, but it quickly started fading, and the form of a nurse began to materialize. The wolf-like creature faded from her vision.
"It's just me; there's nothing to be scared of." The nurse moved and stood beside her, quickly placing her hands on Alisha's head.
"You're safe now, my child," she said as Alisha started to calm down slowly.
"Who are you? Where am I? Where is my mom?" Alisha started throwing questions, curious and anxious, as the last thing she remembered was passing out in the woods.
"Your mother is on her way, okay? I just need you to rest now," the lady said, trying her best to calm Alisha down. "That's it, deep breaths, slow and steady, that's it," she encouraged, and slowly, Alisha fell asleep again.
Alisha awoke again a few hours later, but this time there was no blurry vision of a creature. Everything was clear, and that was when she realized where she was: a hospital, with her mother sitting beside her, her head on the bed.
"Mom?" Alisha said.
Her mother woke quickly, as if waiting for her to call her name. "Alisha, my daughter," she said, hugging Alisha tightly. "Thank God, I almost thought I lost you. Thank God you're okay."
"I'm sorry I went into the woods alone. I wanted to film a documentary. I... I didn't know what I was getting myself into..."
"Shhh, don't explain yourself. What's important is that you're alive. Every other thing is nonsense," her mother said.
*****
A few days later.
Alisha was finally discharged and taken home; however, she never told her mother about the exact thing she saw. A wolf-like man. She twisted the story, saying it was a bear and that she passed out from fear.
But it raised more questions, even for her. Why didn't that creature do... whatever it is they do to her? The only marks she had on her body were the cuts and bruises from her fall, with no damage that mirrored an "animal attack." Was she lucky? Or was something else at play here?
Ever since she came home, she's been afraid to spend even a second alone. She was always watching her back, always hallucinating, thinking the creature was behind her. Its face was what she saw in the morning when she opened her eyes and at night when she closed them. It was full-blown PTSD, and she didn't know if she'd ever escape it.
She should have just stayed and listened to the people who warned her about those woods. But she was a daring, hot-headed girl who liked to do as she pleased, and now look where that got her.
After three weeks in therapy, she was finally cleared to return to school and live her normal life. But could she? Who would, after witnessing what she had witnessed? She could still see it. It flashed in her mind from time to time, reminding her that it was still out there. Something like it... does exist, and there's more to this world than she knows.
*****
The sound of the school bell snapped Alisha from her reverie. She grabbed her books and slammed her locker, hard. She then started walking faster, avoiding people's gazes as she made her way to class. The looks of "I told you so" were written all over their faces.
The teacher was already in the classroom as the students entered, including Alisha. He quickly stopped her after noticing her.
He inquired about her well-being and asked if she still needed more time to heal, but she responded, saying she was well now.
"Alright, go take your seat," he said.
She then went and sat down.
The teacher proceeded with his lesson. Throughout the class, Alisha was absent-minded, her mind always returning to that scene, the creature's form still lingering in her memory. Even during lunch, as she sat with her food, she wasn't fully present, occasionally stabbing her food with a fork and staring blankly into space. It scared her friends, Diana and Jake, who had been her only friends since she came to this town.
"You're scaring us, Alisha; you've been like this all through lunch," Jake said.
"Yeah, Alisha, what did you see?" Diana questioned.
"I just can't explain it, guys. It's complicated; you wouldn't believe me," Alisha responded.
"Wouldn't believe you? Girl, I'm down for anything. I've heard stories about those woods; they say it's overrun by werewolves..." Jake started to explain, but Diana cut him off. "Let me stop you there; there's no such thing as werewolves. It's just a story they tell kids so they avoid going there," Diana said.
"Then explain how multiple people have been found dead, completely mauled and all during full moons," Jake argued. "You know, sometimes I wonder how I became friends with you because you think like a 12-year-old. How could you possibly believe there's such a thing as a werewolf..." In the midst of their arguments, they didn't notice Alisha had zoned out again. It was now a natural occurrence for her.
"Earth to Alisha," a boy said, standing in front of the trio, flashing a perfect smile. His charm would have worked on Alisha a few weeks ago, but now, she just didn't care about anything. She only wanted these visions to stop.
"Hi, Danny," she said, looking up at him.
"Hi, Danny," Diana said, flashing her own smile, giving off a bit of a weird vibe.
"Alisha, sorry I didn't come to check up on you during your..." He hesitated, searching for the right word, but Alisha understood.
"It's fine, Danny. I'm fine; nothing happened," Alisha said.
"Great! I was just wondering if you'd be my date to Natasha's party tonight?" he asked, politely.
Alisha took a moment, thinking over the situation. Why did the worst time of her life have to be when the cutest guy she'd ever met asked her out? This could've been a wonderful experience under different circumstances.
"Alisha?" Danny called, noticing she seemed lost in thought again.
"Yeah... totally, I'll go with you," she replied.
"Cool," Danny said, grabbing an apple from Jake's tray. Jake tried to grab it back, but Danny made a playful motion like he was about to hit him, causing Jake to back down and just watch him walk away.
"Jerk," Jake muttered.
"Hey, I don't think it's a good idea to go to Natasha's party with her ex," Diana said.
"Since when do we start caring about what Natasha thinks?" Alisha shot back.
"Good point," Jake agreed.
The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch break, and everyone went to their various classes.