By the Pale Moonlight (Book One of the Moonlight Series) (32 page)

Busy nursing her very pregnant sister at the
hospital, my mom only checked in on me once around dinner time. I
pretended I was asleep, and listened as she quietly closed the door
again. When lights started blinking out for the night, I cracked
the bedroom window and slipped into the backyard.

It was cold enough for me to see my breath. I
quickly jogged a couple of blocks out to one of the busier
intersections. Once there, I hopped in place, trying to keep warm.
By time I heard the rattle of an automobile winding its way down
the street, my teeth were chattering. It pulled up alongside me
with just the barest of squeaks. I hopped in and thrust my hands
into the hot air rushing out of the heating vents.

Caleb, arms draped over the steering wheel,
watched as I tried to coax life back into my fingers. "Princess,
this better be good."

o0o

Caleb had a remarkable way of not asking
uncomfortable questions. In fact, he hardly spoke a word to me on
our drive back to Eddington. Every now and then I would glance at
him, his face lit with the soft green light coming from the dash,
but not once did he turn to look at me nor, despite his greeting,
ask why it was I had asked him to drive ninety minutes out of his
way to come get me.

"Thank you," I said, finally breaking the
silence between us.

At that, he simply nodded, eyes straight
ahead on the road.

I watched the trees lining the highway flash
by us in a blur. It was full dark now, and a ball of anxiety
settled between my shoulders. Caleb was already exceeding the speed
limit, and there was simply nothing I could do to get us there any
faster. Not that knowing this made the wait any easier. By time I
saw my street come into view, I was literally squirming in my seat.
I barely waited for him to pull to a stop before I was unbuckling
my seatbelt and swinging my door open so I could hop out.

"Not going to tell me, are you?" Caleb's deep
voice stopped me midway through the door. I hesitated there, so
eager to get to Ty that I could barely form coherent thoughts. But
I had asked Caleb for his help and he deserved more than my
backside retreating into my house as answer.

I slid back inside and turned to him, not
really knowing what to say or how to explain in such a way that
wouldn't make him ask even more questions.

He studied me briefly in the dome light, his
dark eyes taking in every detail. I thought for sure he must be
able to see my heart pounding to get out of my chest.

"No," I said. "I guess not."

He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel,
and at last nodded, shifting the truck into gear. I waited,
expecting him to say something, but after a few long beats, I
realized he wasn't going to speak. I slid back out and slammed the
door closed. He took off without so much as a goodbye, his
taillights disappearing into the night.

I turned and ran.

o0o

My house was quiet when I entered. Quiet
enough for me to hear a low-pitched beeping sound coming from my
room. I knew what it was, but I still dug the small pager out of my
side drawer to see for myself. The little red light on its side
flashed intermittently, confirming the worst had happened. The door
to the shed had been opened. By who or what, I didn't know.

I retrieved the capture gun from under my
bed. Armed with it, I hurried downstairs and through the woods to
the shed. My heart trip hammered when I indeed found the outside
door wide open, a gaping mouth that threatened to swallow me
whole.

I knew without looking that Ty would be
gone.

The shackles were empty, open and ineffectual
against the creature Ty had become. I inspected one of them in the
weak beam of my flashlight. It was unscathed and whole, as were the
others. Not Ty, then. Carrie.

I took deep breaths and tried to calm myself,
afraid if I didn't center my thoughts I would trip over the line
into hysteria.

I thrashed my way back to my house and
snatched the phone off the wall in the kitchen. Melanie's voice
mail picked up. "Melanie. It's happened. Call me as soon as you—" I
slammed the phone down, feeling like an idiot. She was out of
town.

A sob bubbled up as I tore my room apart
trying to gather everything I would need. I had no idea where to
begin, but I had to do something.

I froze when I came back downstairs to find
the back door open. I knew without a doubt I had thrown the
deadbolt when I returned inside.

My hands trembled as I hurried to close it,
and I jumped back when I saw words etched into its wooden surface.
With a quick jerk, I pulled the gun from my waistband and whipped
it around the room. The tip of it shook with the small tremors
surging through my arms. All was quiet, though, the deadly visitor
long gone.

Her message was clear. In jagged script, the
makeshift note read "Clock Tower."

The taunting words were something I couldn't
ignore. If I chose to stay, to disregard the challenge, I had no
doubt she would come to me. With this understanding came a sobering
peace. At least I knew what awaited me at the school. To stay would
leave me exposed.

Ty's face swam before my eyes and I knew I
needed to fight for him—needed to survive for his sake. I wouldn't
go out quietly.

With an almost unnatural equanimity, I
prepared for battle.

I parked Ty's car in the school parking lot
and stared at the looming building. The clock tower, which once
beckoned me home, stood sentry like a vindictive God. It reached
inside me and scrutinized my every weakness, judging me and
declaring I could not win.

My cell phone lit the interior of the car
with an eerie blue glow as I made my final peace, leaving messages
for my parents and then Ty. I choked on my tears, my emotions
wrapped around the soft words I spoke to him.

Finished, I exited the car.

My footsteps echoed across the asphalt. It
was quiet, the air cool and still. Even the moon seemed to be
hiding. Thick clouds hovered, purple in the night sky.

As I drew close to the building, the door to
the entrance suddenly flew open, slamming against the exterior
wall. Inside the darkness of the school, a shadow moved across the
doorway.

The hunt had begun.

Each door leading up to the turret was wide
open, as if Carrie feared I might turn back if met with the
slightest resistance. When I reached the stairs, my light barely
cut its way through the darkness. I took a deep breath before
starting my ascent. I wasn't concerned with her sneaking up behind
me. No—her game would be played out above.

I stood on the threshold of the turret room
and said a quick prayer. Then, with the capture gun clenched in my
hand, I stepped inside.

Every muscle in my body stood at rigid
attention. I swept the small room, convinced each shadow would be
the one that would suddenly spring out to attack me. I didn't know
how to feel when I realized it was empty. Both relieved and
troubled by this unexpected turn of events, I turned toward the
last flight of steps.

She stood in the center of the roof, less
than ten feet from the open doorway. My breath left me in a sharp
exhalation.

"It can't be," I whispered.

Carrie's lips trembled as the werewolf slowly
circled around her, a deep growl caught in its throat. Her eyes
followed it, red-rimmed and frightened.

Oh God.

The poor girl was a mess, her dark hair in
disarray and her clothing torn. She wore a thin nightgown and her
feet were bare. No matter what I thought of her, I couldn't help
the rush of compassion I felt for her. For both of us.

My enemy now had a different face—one I
didn't recognize.

"Help me, Mac. Please."

At Carrie's voice, the werewolf's lips peeled
back, its feral teeth exposed. It slowly paced in front of me,
effectively throwing down the gauntlet. In the dim light, I studied
its dark eyes, seeking a level of familiarity in their depths. All
I saw was anger and hatred.

"I don't know who you are," I said. "But
things don't have to end badly here. I can help you."

I had no way of knowing whether the creature
understood me, but I sensed it did and that it didn't care. When it
took another step in my direction, its deep growl grew in
intensity. I instinctively shrank back.

"You don't want to do this."

Then I remembered the tranquilizer gun in my
hand. My finger inched onto the trigger, pulling back on it
slightly as I raised it to shoulder level.

"Stop, or I'll shoot."

The creature reared back on its hind legs,
letting loose a guttural expulsion of sound.

In a flurry of shadow, it was suddenly behind
Carrie, its massive claws gripping her neck.

Carrie stared at me with frightened eyes.
Then she was screaming as it slowly lifted her from the ground, her
legs dangling limp as a rag dolls.

I knew what was happening, but seemed
incapable of stopping it.

Suddenly, she sprang away from the creature.
For a brief moment, I believed she had managed to free herself. She
was moving too fast, though. And instead of her bare feet touching
the ground, they seemed to be rising higher in the air. I closed my
eyes, powerless to prevent what was already set in motion.

Her screams chased her all the way down to
the pavement below.

In the silence that followed, I aimed and
fired.

The low pop from the gun barely sounded
before a terrible weight crashed into my chest and sent me
stumbling into the wall behind me. My head slammed into the brick
with a sickening thud and dark spots danced across my vision. I
missed, I realized distantly as I struggled to remain
conscious.

The dark shadow of the wolf moved away
quickly. I searched for it in the dim light cast by the bare bulb
above the door. It was toying with me, its low growls first here,
then there as it moved faster than my eyes could follow. With a
groan, I pushed myself up and pressed my fingers to the back of my
head. They came back bloodied. I blinked rapidly, trying to steady
the wavering images before me.

My bag lay on the ground beside me, its
contents spilled across the pebbled surface. I groped blindly until
I laid hold of the revolver. Tucking the tranquilizer gun in my
waistband, I stood and inched away from the wall. This wasn't a
game, and it was about time I started playing for keeps. This
creature deserved to die.

It continued to lurk in the darkness. I swept
the gun toward every little noise. It felt like my blurry eyes were
playing tricks on me, and I quickly tired of the cat and mouse
game.

"Come out and face me."

Everything went completely still. The flags
above the tower, rippling in the wind just a moment before, went
slack. I tensed, prepared, listening for any noise. Nothing
happened, and I forced a laugh. "What? Don't tell me you're
scared."

In a flash of movement, I was laid out on my
back again. My gun hand felt broken, and I struggled to catch my
breath as a searing pain spread through my lungs. Stunned, I
couldn't move for several minutes. Only then could I tentatively
wiggle my fingers. They throbbed with pain, but thankfully weren't
broken. My weapon lay several feet away, knocked loose with the
hard blow the wolf had delivered. I slowly sat up. It was nowhere
in sight, and the tendrils of fear, or perhaps madness, wrapped
themselves around my racing heart.

A hysterical laugh bubbled out of me. What
was the point of it all? It had me. I couldn't match its strength
and surely it was aware of this.

"Get it over with. End it," I whispered.

The night went still again. Had it gone? I
lunged at the gun.

Then it was in front of me, its movements so
quick it literally seemed to materialize out of the shadows.
Melanie had been right. The creature's fur was black as night and
it most definitely knew how to play with its prey.

There was nowhere to run on the small roof of
the clock tower. The wolf blocked the door and the only other means
of escape was a one way ticket to the ground below. Not ready to
succumb to the same fate as Carrie, I pressed my back to the squat
wall that served as a guard rail. I chanced a peek over the edge,
for a moment contemplating whether it would be easier to jump. My
body shook as I stared down into the black abyss of death. No way.
I'd rather take my chances with the wolf.

As if sensing my thoughts, the wolf reared
back on its hind legs and slowly ran its sharp claws along the low
wall. It inched closer to where I stood frozen, horrified by the
grating sound and the image it created in my mind. I pushed off the
ground and darted toward the open door. It cut me off, its teeth
barred and dripping spittle. It seemed to be laughing at me, its
mouth pulled back in a macabre smile.

"Do it then," I said. "Kill me already. What
are you waiting for?"

It growled deep in its throat and started
toward me, large paws crunching and scraping against the pebbled
roof. Its sleek muscled body radiated with strength waiting to be
unleashed. My death would not come quickly, though. Of that I had
no doubt.

I lunged to the left, but it blocked me. Next
I went to the right, only to be met by its hulking body as it
pressed closer. Out of breath and options, I slowly withdrew to the
wall again. I didn't have far to go, and soon I butted against it.
Trapped. The stench of my own perspiration stung my senses.

Something heavy moved against my bare stomach
then. The tranquilizer gun. I'd forgotten about it.

There was also the small ash baton I'd tucked
into my sock earlier. Looking at the monstrosity before me, both
weapons seemed like ineffectual toys—incapable of doing harm to the
thing. But then, I had to try. My money was on the baton.