We arrived in the skeletal embrace of the woods, moving deeper toward the place where the boy's life had been snuffed out. We crept with agonizing slowness, our heartbeats loud in the oppressive quiet. Every rustle of a leaf sounded like a footstep; every shadow looked like a killer, a wolf, or a sentinel of the law. We moved like thieves, desperate not to draw a single gaze toward our intrusion.
When we finally reached the site, the forest offered no easy answers. The body had already been hauled away, leaving the path looking deceptively normal, save for the dark, hungry stains of blood etched into the soil. As we stood there, the heavy air finally broke, and a cold, relentless rain began to fall.
"Great," I hissed, the dampness already seeping into my skin. "We saw nothing, and now a rain pour is about to befall us. Just great, Claudia."
"But I never asked you to follow me," she snapped back, her eyes never leaving the ground. "You came of your own will." I gritted my teeth; she hadn't forced me, but the lure of the mystery had been a tether I couldn't break.
Claudia dropped to her knees, heedless of the mud ruining her fine clothes. She was hunting for prints, her fingers dancing over the earth, desperate to find a track before the rain washed the truth away. "Harriet, join me. Stop standing there."
"Yeah, join you in this rain," I replied, my voice dripping with sarcasm as I tried to find a meager sanctuary under the boughs of a nearby tree. "And start looking for what does not exist."
"Suit yourself," she muttered. She continued her futile search, her form becoming a blurred shadow in the downpour. Then, a sharp gasp cut through the sound of the rain. She squealed with a sudden, misplaced delight. "Harriet, come see! I finally found a print. Hurry up!"
I dragged my feet through the mire and knelt beside her, the water streaming down my face. "Where is it?"
"Look. See." She pointed. There, embossed in the darkening mud, was a heavy, predatory mark. It was an animal print—the unmistakable, jagged silhouette of a wolf.
"It's a wolf print," she whispered, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and triumph. "Your guess is right. Wow. Finally." She reached into her pocket and produced a small glass vial, carefully scraping the tainted soil into it.
"Seriously, what is that for?" I asked, watching the dirt swirl in the glass.
"Oh, this? I'm going to give this to a dog to sniff," she explained, her eyes wide. "That way, we can catch the scent. We can figure out who owns these prints."
"This is obviously the print of an animal," I countered. "Who else could it be?"
"Whatever. Let's go. We've got what we came for."
She stood up, but as we prepared to retreat, the intensity of the storm surged. The rain became a wall of ice. I cussed under my breath, feeling the weight of my soaked garments. Then, the air shifted. A heavy, predatory presence draped itself over the clearing. "Claudia, wait. Something is watching us."
"What do you mean 'something'?" she sighed. "You are now being paranoid."
"Be quiet," I commanded. We stood frozen, listening to the heartbeat of the forest. Everything was unnaturally still. Then, from the void of the trees, a figure erupted.
He jumped at us with terrifying speed, slamming into Claudia and sending her flying before pinning me to the sodden earth. I thrashed, desperate to break his hold, but his strength was iron. His eyes glowed a visceral, predatory red, and his canines were elongated, dripping with a foul drool that fell onto my face.
"Get off me!" I screamed. It was useless. He leaned down and sank those jagged fangs deep into the side of my neck. I shrieked, the world turning into a haze of pain and cold rain. I thought this was the end—that some freak had finally found me. +1
Then, the creature screamed. It was a sound of pure agony. His mouth was filled with my blood, but instead of feeding, he began to groan in pain. I watched in horror as he started to burn from the inside out.
I didn't wait to see the end. I scrambled over to Claudia, who lay motionless in the mud. I tapped her face frantically. "Claudia! Claudia!! Claudia!!!" There was no response.
The growling began then. More of them emerged from the darkness—figures with those same glowing red eyes and protruding fangs. They began to circle us like sharks. "Stay back!" I shouted, waving a fallen stick, but they didn't seem to understand English. They only understood hunger.
I stood guard over Claudia, my heart hammering. When they finally sprang, they moved so fast they were nothing but blurs. I closed my eyes, waiting for the impact.
But the strike never came. Instead, a loud whoosh echoed through the trees. I opened my eyes to find us encased in a shimmering, transparent blue field. It was a barrier of pure light, shielding us from the creatures and even the rain. The red-eyed things hissed, unable to cross the threshold.
Claudia began to stir. "Are you okay?" I asked.
"Yeah... what happened? I went blank all of a sudden."
"This happened," I said, gesturing to the glowing dome and the monsters snarling just inches away.
"Who the fuck are they?" she breathed.
"I have no idea. I thought you were the expert."
"Judging from the fangs and the eyes... I bet they are vampires," she whispered. "Newborns."
"What... vampires?" I felt a hysterical laugh bubble up. "They look like they have fucking rabies. Well, at this point, I'd believe anything."
"What's with this blue thing over us?"
"I don't know. It just appeared out of nowhere."
A massive howl tore through the air. Two gargantuan white wolves, larger than any animal should be, exploded from the woods. They were a whirlwind of fur and teeth, clearing half the vampires in a single breath. The others tried to flee, but they were hunted down with clinical precision.
These weren't normal wolves. As the slaughter ended, the two beasts turned their gazes toward us. We shivered, pressed against each other.
"Do you think whatever this thing is will protect us?" Claudia asked.
"I don't know."
The wolves approached the barrier. They stopped, staring at us with an intelligence that was haunting. Then, they turned to go.
"Yes, go!" Claudia suddenly shouted, her bravado returning. "You can't do anything to us! We are protected!"
"Sshhh, Claudia, be quiet!"
But the wolves understood. They stopped and turned back. They walked right through the blue field as if it didn't exist. One of them leaned in and let out a bone-shaking growl.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to say that! I'm sorry!" Claudia wailed. I joined her, pleading with the beasts. For a moment, death hung in the air, but then they simply turned and padded back into the shadows of the trees.
As soon as the forest was empty, I reached out and dragged Claudia by the ear. "Stupid! You almost got us killed!"
"Ouch! It hurts! I'm sorry, okay?"
By the time we managed to sneak back to the dorms, I was a ghost of myself—speechless and shivering. Claudia, however, was beaming. She was already hunched over her notebook, scribbling furiously about the night's horrors.
I went to the window, letting the cool breeze hit my face. My mind was a storm. Vampires were real. Werewolves were real. If that was true, what did that make Lex and his gang? What did that make the Disciplinary Committee?
"Harriet," Claudia called out, looking up from her notes. "I've been meaning to ask... how were you able to sense them? I didn't see anything until they attacked, but you detected them beforehand."
"Are you interrogating me now?"
"No, I'm curious. And I'm sorry. I know my recklessness almost got us killed. I won't involve you again."
"It's okay," I said, turning from the window. "I went of my own free will. As for sensing them... ever since I was little, I've been able to predict when something bad is coming. I don't know how it happens, but I sense the danger before it strikes."
"Wait a minute," Claudia's eyes filled with amazement. "You mean you have foresight? That's so cool!"
"It's nothing special," I said. "And by the way... whenever you're doing any more of your crazy investigations... I need you to carry me along. We need to find out about Lex and his gang. And I'll introduce you to them soon."
"So you're finally in?"
"Yeah," I whispered. "After tonight, I honestly need to be careful.