Chapter 5 Beware Of The Full Moon

I pulled out my gun and pointed it at her head, she instinctively raised her hands. "Please don't hurt me," she cried.

"We won't hurt you," Matt assured the girl, and she automatically lightened up. He even held my arm, forcing me to put the gun down. "Who are you?"

She took a while before answering, thinking deeply about what she should say. "I have no idea."

Just then, the two women gained back their consciousness, both looking bewildered. "Maybe we should take them home. It's not safe for them to be here," Damien said, and the others agreed with him. "Asteria, you decide."

"Me? Why is it up to me?"

"Well, we are all staying at your house. It should be your decision to make," he answered.

I looked at the women, all three of them looked afraid and lost, like they wouldn't know what to do if we won't take them in, then I looked at my friends who all looked very eager to have them with us. "I don't think I have much of a choice, so, fine. Just do whatever you guys want."

-

Every week, we always hold parties. It's the perfect opportunity for us to bond more and have fun despite all the mess. All thirteen of us, including the newest additions to the group: Serena, Avrey, and Hailey.

Once we finished setting up, we decided it's time to make snacks.

Some of the boys went to get liquor from the store as they claim that a party is not complete without alcoholic drinks, meanwhile, me, Serena, Hailey, and Avrey are in the kitchen preparing snacks.

We're just chatting and laughing while cooking, until I decided this boxed mac and cheese won't be enough.

"We should come up with more snacks." I suggested while draining the water from the macaroni. "I'm gonna go ask them to get chips from the grocery store. You girls wait for me, okay?"

It has been a month since we found the three of them in the forest. I didn't like having them around at first because I wasn't comfortable hanging around new people after finding out I was being stalked. I realized quickly that I judged them early, though.

In the past month, we all still practice fighting, and I can say that we've gotten better at it. However, we stopped practicing just a week ago, since there's been no sign of danger.

"Hey, can you guys go to the store and get some chips?" I shouted when I saw Matt in the distance.

He ignored me, though I am quite sure that he heard me. I walked closer to him to see what got his full attention.

"Matt," calling his name was all I could do when I realized that he was holding my camera, the one I used as a diary.

"You planned on killing yourself," he suddenly said, making me surprised. Out of all my videos, he watched that one.

I sat beside him and stared at my face through the camera's screen. I looked back at him only to see him staring straight at me. "It wasn't easy being alone for two months. I didn't have anyone, I didn't have any feelings at all because I don't know anyone, my memories were wiped. I was confused and I felt like I didn't know myself."

I was looking back on how things were for me during my first two months here when I suddenly felt Matt wiping my cheek with the back of his palm. Crap. I guess I was crying and I didn't even noticed.

He then snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him. "You're not alone now. I'll never leave you."

Matt and I have definitely gotten closer both as friends, and maybe something more than that. I'm sure I feel something for him, I'm just not sure if he feels the same since we never talk about feelings.

8 PM finally came and we all brought out the snacks and drinks to the backyard.

Wilhelmina took out a large speaker and blasted music. We started by drinking alcohol and playing mini games as we all groove along to the music. After that, we decided it was time to chill and watch a horror movie. Of course we didn't drink too much so it won't be a crazy night.

We were supposed to sleep after the movie but we all agreed that we're not tired yet so we tried to figure out more fun things to do.

"Let's play hide and seek," Damien suddenly spoke, earning various reactions from us. Some intrigued, some bored.

"Hide and seek? What are we, ten?" I joked.

"Oh come on, don't be a killjoy! It'll be fun!" I'm not surprised that Ryle defended him; he and Damien are like partners in crime.

"We'll play in the forest! Scary, right?" Damien tried to make it more interesting, but no one responded. "It'll be fine! Playing it in the forest adds the spice we needed."

"Okay. I'm in. I'm feeling bored anyways so this should be fun." I was surprised when Axel agreed to play.

"Let's do it in groups! Since there's thirteen of us, seven will be the seekers and six will hide." Michelle suggested.

We grouped ourselves and I was among the seekers. We first counted up to 30 to give them more time to hide.

"Ready or not, here we come!" Hailey yelled out loud. "We should split up, cover more ground."

I was walking alone, the full moon being my only source of light. I sighed and decided to turn back and go home to get a flashlight, but I realized that I had gone deep inside the forest and it would take me a while to walk back to the house.

"Hailey?" I decided to call her so I can have someone I can walk with.

I was startled when I suddenly heard the ruffling of leaves, along with the sound of footsteps approaching me. I saw a figure walking towards me. I stood there frozen, shaking out of fear. The moonlight then hit the person's face, revealing his identity.

"Don't do that again!" I screamed at Rafael when I found out it was only him.

"Don't do what, save your ass?" He said and turned on his flashlight. He started walking away so I quickly followed him, lowkey grateful that I am now with someone with a flashlight, even if it's Rafael.

"Save me from what? I'm not in trouble," I replied with my head held high.

"Have you seen yourself? You were shaking out of fear, you coward." I punched him lightly on his arm and he just chuckled, enjoying this.

Just then, leaves and branches from trees swayed as someone walked past them. "Hey, look there," I pointed over behind a huge tree when I saw a figure behind it. I couldn't see very clearly, but I'm sure someone's hiding there!

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" I called in a playful tone as Rafael and I made our way over, but he quickly shushed me, making me roll my eyes.

I peeked over the tree to see who it was, but I saw something I wasn't expecting. "Rafael..." I tried to call him with my shaky voice.

In front of me was a huge wolf tearing Josette's body apart. I was surprised to see that she was still conscious, but obviously too weak that she couldn't even speak, let alone scream.

I knew I had to help her but I didn't know how, so I picked up a rock and threw it in the opposite direction, hoping it would lure the wolf away. Instead of saving Jo, I just put myself in danger.

The wolf suddenly turned to face me, and before I could run away, it jumped at me! I tried my best to not get bitten, but I got scratched on my leg.

Just when I was about to accept my fate, I heard gunshots after gunshots, then the wolf fell on top of me. I quickly stood up and pushed it away.

Rafael helped me stand up and keep my balance by supporting me. "T-Thank you," I said, stuttering, horrified by what just happened.

"Thank me when we're safe. Let's go, there could be more of them."

Rafael ended up giving me a piggyback ride because I was just slowing us down.

"Thank goodness you guys are safe!" Hailey worriedly said as they all ran towards us when we got back home.

Matt guided me to get off of Rafael's back.

"Have you guys seen Jo? She's the only one who's not here yet," Axel asked us.

"She was attacked by a wolf. It looked bad, she won't make it." Rafael answered, catching his breath out of tiredness.

"Hold on, you're saying you guys left her!?" Hayden suddenly raised his voice, which shook me a little.

"Easy tough guy, we almost died, we didn't have a choice!" I yelled back. "Aren't you supposed to be hiding together? You know it's dangerous in the woods, you didn't think to hide in pairs at least?"

"We did go in pairs," Serena broke the silence. "Josette went with Wil," she said and pointed at Wilhelmina, who then bursted out of tears.

"I'm sorry," that was all she could say as she struggled speaking due to her sobs. "The wolf appeared out of nowhere. It caught up to her. She told me to just leave her so that's what I did." Wilhelmina was still crying, guilty that she left her friend to die.

"Did you even try to help her first before running away like a coward?" I asked her with a strong voice.

"It's not the time for accusations, Asteria!" I was shocked when Matt shouted at me. "We are all guilty here, so please just stop accusing." Why is he always acting like a peacemaker? It can get annoying sometimes.

"We only left her because the wolf was literally tearing her body apart! She's good as dead," I started getting emotional as I spoke, remembering what Jo looked like when we found her. "Wil was there when she wasn't in a critical condition yet. And the wolf caught up to me too, but Rafael didn't leave me, so I'm still breathing!"

"I'm sorry," he suddenly apologized and held me, about to take me inside but I pushed his hands away, disappointed.

Ryle and Axel held me instead, guiding me so I could get inside the house. I thanked them both and just asked them to leave so I can rest.

I thought that I could be alone now, but the door opened, revealing Matt with his first aid kit. "Your wound needs to be treated or it could get worse," he said when he noticed I wasn't pleased with his presence.

"I didn't know you still care," I said sarcastically. He didn't answer, he just sat down and did what he came here to do.

"Look, Asteria, I am sorry for everything I said earlier. I wasn't thinking clearly," he apologized in the middle of healing me.

I didn't say anything. I focused on what he was doing to my wound. I felt his warm hands on my leg as he treated me, sending chills all over my body.

"Thanks, doc," I joked when he patted my leg, signaling that he's finished.

He was about to stand up, but he quickly sat back down and looked at me. "I was really worried about you when we all returned and you weren't there," he scratched the back of his head as he spoke, feeling shy.

"Then why didn't you come after me?" He went blank for a few seconds when I asked, but I quickly realized I'm being ridiculous when he looked guilty. "It's fine. I can't expect you to put your life in danger for me. It'd be selfish of me to expect something like that from you. Please don't be too hard on yourself."

I hugged him, and I immediately felt his arms wrap around me too. I can feel his hot breath on my neck and all I know is that I wanted this moment to last forever.

Matt was the first one to let go of the hug and just when I thought that he would now leave, he surprised me by cupping my face. Then, his lips crashed on mine.

It was just a peck. It was soft and quick and nothing intense happened because we both quickly pulled away, afraid of what might happen if we were to continue.

"Sleep tight, Asteria."

How can I possibly sleep soundly when my heart is beating like crazy.

-

The next day, we decided to look for Josette's remains. We split into a group of three, so there's a total of four groups looking for her body. I am stuck with Damien and Matt.

We decided to leave the forest when an hour went by and we didn't find her body - or even body parts. We went to the park where we decided to bury her. We were the first to get there so we waited for a while for their arrival.

The rest of the group arrived, with Axel carrying Jo's body in a bag. He claimed she was unrecognizable, covered with wounds, scratches, and dried blood. He also said her stomach was ripped open, and that was enough for me to quit persuading him to let me see.

I couldn't help but cry as I dwelled on the past, thinking about the first time I met Josette, and how great of a friend she was. I started shivering when I felt the cold air pierce my skin. I tried to hold my sobs, but I failed.

I felt someone sit beside me, then a jacket was draped over my shoulders. I held on to it, wrapping it around myself tighter and relished on the warmth and comfort it gave me, as my lungs were filled with the scent of men's perfume.

I looked over to see Matt, staring at me. He allowed me to rest my head on his shoulder, placing a light kiss on my forehead.

We were then distracted when Michelle came running to us. "It was the full moon!" She shouted, panting. "I was in the bookstore earlier and I found this book," she reached in her backpack to take out a thick book with a wolf on its cover. "This may sound crazy but I think werewolves are the ones attacking us."

"Werewolves? As in humans that can shapeshift into wolves? Yeah, I'm not sure about that, Michelle." Serena expressed her doubt on her idea.

"No, think about it. Yesterday, there was a full moon. Asteria said she was also attacked by a wolf on her first day here. I asked her the date, it's also a full moon," she paused for a while before speaking again, "Werewolves are known to be cursed. Every full moon, they turn into wolves. Notice how they only appear monthly, that's because the full moon only happens once a month."

And there it hit us. Everything Michelle said made perfect sense. There's a possibility that werewolves aren't just mythical creatures, they could also exist in real life.

--

"Hey, everyone," I began talking when I finished setting up my camera in front of me. "It's been a while since I last did this. It's been two months since Jo died and we're all doing amazing now. We're actually about to leave to visit her grave."

"We've been very careful of the werewolves since then. Two full moons have passed and we made sure to stay at home to avoid accidents. Knowing that they are humans when it's not the full moon gives me the creeps. It means that they must've been living somewhere around here. We should really be careful and not trust people easily, if ever we meet new people."

I was interrupted when I saw Matt standing in front of my door. "Hey, come here," I patted the space beside me, inviting him to sit down.

"Why? What are we doing?" He asked and gave me a kiss on my cheek.

I turned to face my camera again, "I don't believe I have introduced him to you guys. This is my Matt. We've been dating for a couple of months now."

"To you guys?" He repeated what I said. "Who are you talking to?" He laughed.

"My imaginary friends behind the camera. Be nice to them, they kept me sane for two months when I was all alone in this world." I said as I clinged my arms around his.

"Hey, lovebirds! It's time to leave," Axel suddenly called us.

I turned off my camera, then we made our way out. I jokingly rolled my eyes as I walked past Axel for ruining our sweet moment, and he just laughed at my reaction.

-

We planned on having lunch in the park, like a picnic. We wanted to make Josette feel like she still belongs with us.

We laid two picnic blankets on the ground, connecting them to each other to form one huge blanket.

After setting up, we started eating. We were all very starving because we skipped breakfast and only had coffee. Laughters filled the whole park while we're all chit chatting during lunch.

Once we were finished, we made sure to leave flowers by Josette's grave before going back home to take a short rest.

"Hey, Rafael already started the van, let's hit the road," we all went out of our own rooms when Hayden called from the living room.

This world is too big to be left unexplored, not to mention its impeccable beauty since there's not much humans around to destroy it.

"So where are we going today?" Avrey asked Rafael, he's our driver.

"Rockville City."

We were all quiet the entire ride, some were even taking naps. I, on the other hand, never sleeps on roadtrips. When we arrived at our destination, I stretched my arms as I hopped out and felt the beam of sunlight combined with the fresh air hit my face. As we walked around, the long grass tickled my legs and I regretted wearing shorts today.

I looked over to see Axel with a gun in his hand, carefully sliding it on the holster attached to the waistband of his pants, then covering it with his shirt and oversized jacket.

I walked towards him, and he immediately pretended like nothing happened when he noticed me.

"I saw that, you know."

"Yes, and there's no need to share that information to anyone," he wasn't surprised at all to know that I saw the gun.

"I thought we're over this. Is something wrong?" I asked, concerned. I haven't seen anyone use weapons in months. We assumed that as long as we stay inside the house during the full moon, we're safe.

"Rafael asked me to bring it, okay?" he whispered, making sure no one's listening.

"Yeah, but why?"

"Just to be prepared. We've been doing this for a long time." That caught my attention. "Rafael, Hayden, and I still do training and we also bring weapons on all our road trips. This world is dangerous, Asteria, we never know what could be waiting for us in the places we visit."

"You don't need to explain. I'm on your side," I assured him but I was surprised when I saw he looked like he wasn't expecting that from me. "Did you think I'm opposing you?"

"It was your boyfriend's idea for us to stop training. He said that we should live without violence, ignoring the fact that we were literally attacked by soldiers who wanted to kill us. They attacked for a reason, they have a mission and they failed, so chances are they'll return. I'm glad you approve of this, Asteria. Maybe you can talk some sense to Matt."

He walked past me looking annoyed. I can tell that he doesn't like Matt very much, but he's right. It's dangerous.

We set up a camp on top of a hill when the sun starts to set, so we'll be ready for when it gets dark.

Me and the rest of the girls pitched the tents while the boys went fishing so we could have something to eat later.

After a while, I heard the rustling of leaves, which I took as a sign that they finally returned.

I excitedly zipped open the tent and went out, "Finally, what took you so long, we-" I stopped myself from talking when I realized there was no one there. I felt myself getting goosebumps and shivering, despite not feeling cold at all.

I don't think I've been this nervous in my life. Everything Axel and I talked about earlier rushed back into my head. We are not safe.

--