The snap of a nearby branch startled Cadee awake. Disoriented, she blinked at her surroundings, confused. This wasn’t her room, and this wasn’t her bed. Before she could panic, a soft snore brought her attention to a lump of blankets lying next to her. A tuff of light hair sticking out of the blankets reminded her sleep addled brain where she was. Cadee’s family had received a new pop-up trailer for Christmas, and were now breaking it in with a winter camping trip. Her little brother, Ryan, was snuggled up next to her with his face buried in his covers. Cadee pulled the blankets from Ryan's face to make sure he could breathe, before settling back down in her sleeping bag. Something soft and lumpy dug into her back, making Cadee groan in annoyance. Pulling Ryan’s teddy out from under her, she tucked it into Ryan's arms before laying down once again.
There was an uncomfortable feeling in her bladder, but not waiting to venture into the winter night, Cadee tried to ignore it. After a few minutes of tossing and turning Cadee realized she wouldn’t be able to fall back to sleep until she had taken care of business. Letting out a disgruntled sigh Cadee wriggled out of her sleeping bag and stumbled her way off the bed. She put on her coat, slipped on her boots, then grabbed the flashlight. Bracing, herself for the cold she stepped out of the heated trailer, and into the frigid night air.
Going to the outhouse required a small hike through the trees, that surrounded the clearing Cadee’s family was camping in. She sighed, her breath visible in the bitter night air. The walk was going to be miserable in the cold, but Cadee was unwilling to pee behind a tree. The frosty ground crunched under her shoes as Cadee began the hike to the outhouse. “I can’t believe I agreed to go camping in January,” She mumbled to herself as a cold breeze sent shivers down her spine. The trees hid the full moon that was shining in the sky, leaving Cadee to be completely reliant on her flashlight to see the path ahead of her.
The trailer was well out of site by the time Cadee made it to the outhouse. She tucked the flashlight under her chin as she used the facilities, thankful there was no one else there to see her stumble around awkwardly in the dark. When she was done, Cadee left the outhouse shivering in the cold. “Never going camping in winter again.” She declared to herself, pulling her coat tighter.
As she prepared to head back to camp, a gunshot echo through the night, making Cadee’s blood freeze, alarm filling her body. The sound of her mothers bloodcurdling scream reached her ears and Cadee forgot how to breathe. Two more shots rang out, then the air was filled with a stifling silence. Running back to camp as fast as she could, Cadee burst through the trees in a panic, almost tripping on a twisted piece of metal. Studying the metal, Cadee gasp in horror, it was the bottom half of the trailer door, deformed, with large claw marks marring the white paint. In the clearing, a sleeping bag had been ripped open, its pieces scattered through the weeds. Cadee couldn’t tell if it was hers or Ryan’s.
With a hand over her mouth Cadee cautiously entered the clearing. Tears sprang to her eyes when she saw the destroyed trailer. The top half of the pop-up had been torn to shreds, the ragged material flapped in the wind, hanging onto its frame by a thread. The overhead light flickered, and Cadee could hear the heater buzzing as it struggled to keep up with the winter air pouring in.
Afraid to see what was inside, Cadee slowly climbed into the ruined trailer. She dropped to her knees in horror when she saw the carnage inside. Both her parents lay face down on the floor, a red puddle of blood pooling around them. With shaking hands, Cadee checked their bodies for a pulse, but neither one of them were breathing.
With tears streaming down her cheeks, Cadee curled up on the floor letting her grief consume her. As she pulled her knees into her chest, her hand brushed up against something soft. It was Ryan’s teddy bear. Grabbing the bear, Cadee held it close to her chest as she frantically looked around the trailer for any sign of her brother. The bed he had been sleeping on was empty, so she began searching through the trailer cupboards. Cadee searched in every nook and cranny she could think of, doing her best to avoid looking at her unmoving parents, but Ryan was not there. Kneeling next to the cupboard she had been searching in, Cadee allowed herself another moment to breakdown, her anguished cries the only sound in the otherwise silent camper. After a few desperate breaths, Cadee force her heartache to the back of her mind, there was no time to grieve, she had a brother to find.
As she stood up, her foot hit something hard, sending it skidding across the floor. Looking down, she realized she had just kicked her Dad’s handgun. Cadee picked up the weapon checking the cylinder, to see how many bullets were left, before tucking it into her coat pocket. Opening a drawer, she pulled out a hunting knife, shoving it into her boot. After a short debate with herself she decided to bring the teddy bear as well, Ryan would need the comfort of his soft toy.
Feeling as ready as she could be, Cadee exited the trailer filled with determination. Her determination quickly turned to fear when her feet touched the ground. Standing in the middle of the clearing, was a large, canine creature. The creature was standing up on two legs, sniffing the air with its large black nose. It almost looked like a wolf, but it was too big, it balanced to well on two legs, and its clawed hands were too human like. Cadee’s mind went blank as it tried to process the impossible explanation to the monster in front of her, a werewolf. Her family was being hunted by a werewolf.
Cadee was frozen in place, unable to make herself move as the werewolf noticed her. They locked eyes, and the wolf lowered itself down on all fours, his gaze never leaving Cadee’s. The werewolf cocked its head to the side, studying Cadee curiously, before showing her his teeth in a terrifying, unnatural smile.
Without warning, the werewolf lunged at her, letting out a deep snarl as it moved. Cadee didn’t have enough time to scream as she dove out of the way, dropping the bear on the ground. She scrambled to her feet pulling the gun out of her pocket. The wolf was right in front of her. With no time to properly aim, Cadee fired two shot in the general direction of the werewolf. He avoided the bullets easily, with extraordinary speed. Hoping to get some space between herself and the wolf, Cadee ran toward the car that was parked nearby. She didn’t make it.
Cadee slammed into the ground as her feet were swept out from under her. The gun went flying out of her hand, disappearing into the weeds. Claws dug painfully into her leg as she was yanked backwards. Cadee rolled onto her back looking up at the werewolf’s glowing amber eyes, as it towered over her. The wolf grinned down at her, the human expression looking unnatural on his canine face. He snapped his teeth at her, his jaws closing around her arm, as Cadee threw it up to defend her neck. She screamed in agony, as pain erupted through her arm.
Cadee was raised in an outdoorsy family. Their many adventures often ended with injury, so she was no stranger to pain, but she had never felt anything quite like the werewolf bite. The pain burned through her arm, causing her to black out. When she came to moments later, she was still laying on the ground, though the torn sleeping bag had been dragged over top of her.
A snuffling noise made her notice the wolf, who was sniffing around the edge of the clearing by the treeline. Ignoring the throbbing pain her arm, Cadee sat up slowly, searching for the dropped gun. Seeing a glint of metal reflecting in the moonlight, she carefully scooted over to it, hoping the wolf wouldn’t notice moving. She made it to the gun without rousing the wolf’s awareness, but her moment of victory was ruined when she picked it up. The barrel was twisted oddly, as if someone had crushed it with hands that were too strong to be natural. The gun was useless.
A startled yelp escaped her when something was dropped onto her lap, it was Ryan’s teddy bear. Looking up with fear in her eyes, Cadee, once again, met the gaze of the werewolf. His face had changed, looking slightly more human-like around the lips. Cadee had only a moment to note the change before he began to speak. “You stay here.” His voice was rough and grating on her ears, the words coming out broken, as if it was painful to talk. “Need to find the little one.” The wolf shook his head with a huff. “Lost scent. Smart little pup.” He grumbled, almost fondly. Cadee pushed herself back against the car as the wolf loomed over her threateningly. “Stay.” He growled, before bounding over to the trees to continue his search.
Cadee closed her eyes, letting her head fall back against the car. She had to get away from the wolf, and find Ryan before he did, but she had no idea how she was going to do so. Cadee took a deep breath through her nose, trying to fend off the rising panic attack, but paused when she caught the scent of bleach. Her nose scrunched up in confusion. Why was she smelling bleach?
A small hand touched her back softly, bringing a small relieved smile to her face. She quickly let the smile fall as the wolf turned back to her. He stared at her with narrowed eyes, for what felt like an eternity, before letting out a huff and turning back to the trees. The wolf crouched low sniffing at the ground, before finally disappearing from view.
Cadee forced herself to count to fifty, making sure the wolf was well out of sight before dropping to the ground to look under the car. Ryan was there, curled up on the ground, shivering in nothing but his pajamas. Beside him was a bottle an open bottle of Clorox that had been tipped over on its side, spilling the cleaner across the dirt. Recalling a debate with her Dad the week before about the best way to hide your scent from dogs, Cadee smiled proudly at her brother. She hadn’t realized he had been listening to that playful conversation, but he had, and he had remembered it.
Getting an idea, she passed Ryan the teddy bear, making a stay there motioned with her hands. “I’ll be right back.” She mouthed to him, before quickly climbing to her feet. With deliberate steps, she walked to the opposite side of the clearing. There was a road there, and running next to the road, was a stream. Cadee walked to the stream, then walked backwards, carefully taking the same path back to the car. Rolling under the car, she joined Ryan in his hiding place. Ryan huddled against her, his little body shaking as his fingers gripped her coat.
It didn’t take long for the wolf to return. He growled menacingly when he entered the clearing, finding it empty. Cadee put her hand over Ryan's mouth, pulling him closer as the wolf prowled closer to the car. She bit her lip, and buried her face in her brothers hair, trying to muffle the sounds of her breathing. The wolf came so close, Cadee could have reached out to touch him. His feet were inches from her face, and for a terrifying moment, she thought her would be able to follow the sound of her thumping heart, but he turned away with an angry growl, following the scent trail she had left for him. She could tell when he reached the stream by the sound of his angry howl.
Cadee waited for the sound of something large crashing through the undergrowth to faded away, before quickly climbing out from under the car, pulling Ryan with her. “Are you hurt?” She whispered, cupping his face with her hands. With chattering teeth, Ryan looked at his leg with tear-filled eyes. A flash of a deep burning hate overcame Cadee when she saw the bite mark on her little brother’s calf. Hate was a foreign emotion for Cadee, but in less than an hour the werewolf had taken almost everything from her. He had killed her parent, hurt her brother and wanted to take him away for who knows what reason. Cadee Hated to wolf, and there was no way she was going to let him take anything else.
Closing her eyes, Cadee leaned her forehead against her brother’s. “I’ve got you.” She murmured. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Okay?” Ryan nodded shakily, letting out a small sob. Cadee took one look at his bare feet before scooping him up, her injured arm throbbing at the strain, but there was no time to search for his shoes. “Let’s go.” Heading for the stream, she stopped briefly to pick up a blanket that had been lying in the weeds, wrapping it around Ryan tightly. When they reached the stream, Cadee stepped into the frigid water. The stream was their best shot at escape, but It was dangerous to get wet in the cold weather. Her waterproof boots would keep most of the moisture out, but they wouldn’t hold back the torrent of water forever. Their escape was on a time limit, and the clock had started.
Heaving her brother further up in her arms Cadee began slogging through the water, going the opposite direction of the wolf. Knowing that once they left the water their scent would once again be trackable, Cadee hoped to get the attention of a passing car. Getting back to civilization would be their best chance at survival.
As she continued to walk, she began to lose hope. They had not passed any other campers, and there had been no passing headlights. Her arms ached from carrying Ryan, and the water had begun to make its way through cracks in her shoes. It was getting harder, and harder to keep her feet moving. An angry howl filled the night making Ryan flinch. Cadee hugged him close, their deception had been discovered “Times up.” She murmured to herself.
Grunting with the effort, Cadee shifted his weight to one arm, reaching down to pull the knife out of her boot, leaving the sheath tucked inside her footwear. If they couldn’t run, she would fight.
“Cadee.” Ryan whispered, tugging on her coat. “Look.” Relief flooded Cadee as her eyes followed Ryan's pointing finger. There was a black car parked on the side of the road, almost invisible against the dark landscape. Returning the knife to its place in her boot, Cadee quickly hauled Ryan out of the stream and to the car.
Looking through the window, Cadee found the car empty. Frantically, she looked over the connecting campsite, but it was empty as well. They had found a car, but there was no one around to drive it. “Cadee.” Ryan mewled, burying his face in her neck.
“It’s okay.” Cadee tried to reassure him. Another howl rang out, closer this time, confirming the wolf was on their trail. Closing her eyes, and praying for a miracle, Cadee tugged on the door handle. The door opened, miraculously the car was unlocked. Cadee quickly placed Ryan in the car, putting him on the floor, between the seats. “Stay here.” She instructed, as she tucked the blanket around him. “Keep your head down, and don’t come out no matter what you hear. Understand.” Ryan shook his head, a tear slipping from his eye.
“Please don’t leave me.” He whimpered, grabbing Cadee’s arm. She removed his hand, leaning down to place a kiss on his forehead.
“I wouldn’t if there was another choice.” She said. “But I need you to stay here, so when the people who own the car come back, you can tell them what happened, and they can get help.” Cadee cupped his cheek with her hand, wiping away a stray tear with her thumb. “Can you do that for me?” Ryan nodded reluctantly, hugging his bear close to his chest. “I’ll see you soon.” She promised, before gently pushing him down, and pulling the blanket over his head.
Guilt overtook her as she closed the door. Cadee knew she was most likely going to break that promise, but Ryan’s best chance was to stay hidden in the car, while Cadee led the wolf away. Either someone would return to the car and take Ryan to the rangers station, or the rangers would find the empty car in the morning with Ryan inside.
Quickly sliding down the ditch she landed back into the water with a splash. She ran through the stream, going against her every instinct by running toward the wolf. Once the car was out of sight she climbed out of the stream, racing toward the trees. She raced across the forest floor, crushing bushes, and breaking branches. Her goal was no longer to hide, but to get as much space as she could between herself, and her brother before the wolf caught up.
It wasn’t long before she heard something large crashing through the trees behind her. Veering left Cadee darted through the small spaces between the trees, hoping her smaller size would help her stay ahead of the larger wolf. She didn’t dare turn around, but she could hear his hot, heavy breathing behind her.
Cadee was exhausted, her arm hurt, and she was sore all over. She wasn’t going to be able to keep running for long. When she spotted a low-hanging branch she made a split-second decision to grab it. Pulling herself up into the tree, she prayed the wolf wouldn’t be able to follow. Climbing as high as she dared, she didn’t stop until she was much too high for the monstrous wolf to reach her.
An angry growl had Cadee squeezing her eyes shut, as she held tight to the trunk of the tree. The wolf had found her, and he was not happy. “You will come down now.” He barked. He sounded so animal-like, his words were barely recognizable as English. Opening her eyes, Cadee looked down at the wolf. He was circling the tree, broadcasting his frustration as he prowled around beneath her.
When she made no move to climb down, the wolf let out a frustrated snort, rearing up on two legs as he reached for her with a clawed hand. Cadee held back a frightened whimper as he snarled, his teeth much to close for comfort.
The wolf reared back, slamming its body into the trunk of the tree, making the whole thing shake, and nearly knocking Cadee down. Her fingers dug into the bark, as the wolf slammed itself into the tree again. This time an ominous cracking sound traveled through the wood, filling Cadee with dread. He slammed into the tree a third time, and the tree gave way. Cadee screamed as the tree fell, taking her with it.
The tree hit an outcropping of rocks sticking out of the forest floor, sending Cadee flying to the ground. With no time to take stock of any injuries, Cadee frantically searched for a hiding place. Finding a small gap in the rocks, she scrambled inside.
The rocks wouldn’t protect her for long, the gap was so small she couldn’t even turn around. It wouldn’t take much effort for the wolf to reach her. The sound of heavy breathing reached her ears as the wolf approached her shelter. Stifling sobs, Cadee wriggled around until she could reach her boot, and pull out the hunting knife. The wolf was big and powerful, this would be like going after a grizzly with a single knife. Cadee was going to have to take the wolf completely by surprise if she was going to survive this encounter. Realizing she would only have one chance, Cadee took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart, then she waited.
The wolf slowly stalked closer, knowing that Cadee had no way to escape. “No more running” The wolf growled menacingly. “We are going now.” Time seemed to slow down as he reached into the rocks, grabbing Cadee by leg. Keeping the knife hidden under her stomach, she didn’t fight as he dragged her out of the rocks. She waited until she could feel his breath on the back of her neck, before twisting her body, driving the knife into his neck.
The wolf howled in pain, the sound morphing into a wet, pain-filled, gurgle. He staggered away, raking his claws across Cadee’s stomach, making her cry out in pain. The wolf stumbled away, before, finally, collapsing to the ground. With a hand on her stomach, Cadee held her breath, staring at the fallen wolf. When he didn’t move again, she let out a sob of relief, stumbling to her feet. In a daze she began to walk back to the road to reunite with her brother. As she stepped over a log, all the nights events came crashing down on her at once, sending her to her knees with a pain-filled scream. Curling up in a ball, Cadee let the tears she had been holding back fall.
Cadee didn’t know how long she laid on the ground, but she soon became aware of a voice calling her name. The voice wasn’t one she recognized, and she pushed herself up on her arms, blinking blearily in the direction of the sound. A person appeared out of the trees, running in her direction. He was an older teenager, maybe seventeen or eighteen, with a light jacket that couldn’t have been warm enough for the weather. He knelt in front of her, shouting to someone she couldn’t see. “Dad! I found her!” Cadee’s brain felt like it was trying to reboot as she stared at this stranger in front of her. “Your Cadee right?” He asked her softly. Cadee nodded nervously. “We found your brother.” The teenager told her, as a man that must have been his dad came into view. “We’re going to get you out of here.” When his words registered, a sense of relief washed over her, draining away the rest of her energy. Cadee collapsed back to the ground, vaguely aware of a pair of arms picking her up. She was so tired she didn’t notice the teenagers glowing amber eyes.
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