Chapter 4 Into The Woods

Karen's Pov

I pushed the door open and walked in slowly, my feet brushed against the grass-like rug that covered the entire ground of the little hallway. I walked further looking around for anyone, but the place was deserted.

I walked past an archway pillars and turned to a door, I lifted up my hands to knock when I felt the presence of something looming from behind me. Arms stretched to grab my hair, breath caressing my skin.

All the blood in my body ran to my head and I slowly turned in horror at what was stand behind me, my eyes widened as I was staring at a creature that I'm sure humanly possible wasn't in existence.

I yelped holding onto to the pen on my hands as I moved away from the door, slowly targeting the region in the creature body. I was aiming at the neck, when all of a sudden the creature reach up to his neck and pull the mask his head off. Displaying a handsome face of a guy who was laughing at me hysterically, he turned behind him and the rest started to walk out of their hiding spot.

"I scared you, didn't I?" The guy said and stretched his hand which had the hideous costume covering it forward.

I Shrugged with a smile. "Let's just say I wasn't fast to kill you." I took his hand firmly.

The rest of the students gathered around me, exchange handshakes and smiling at me like I was a celebrity. "You're welcome to the track team."

"What's your name, sweetie?" The guy with the costume asked his hand still holding onto the costume head.

"Karen Norway," I said and he smiled nodding slightly.

"Nice to meet you, Karen," he said and walked away. I turned to face the door I knocked earlier, I was shocked to see a woman standing there with her arms crossed. That means she must heard me when I knocked the first time and didn't respond, until she was sure the weirdie hiding to scare me were done.

"Come in, Karen," she said and walked away into the office.

I followed her. The office had the same board as the one I saw Mila and June staring at, not long ago. The only difference was that this one has a more descriptive information, like where they were killed, the autopsy and the likely animal that would've done that.

Everywhere in the office were covered with investigation equipment, discoveries, pictures of the actually event. Location and time.

"I heard you joined my team, Karen. I like it," Mrs Howard said as she picked up so files from her desk and handed it over to me. "You're brave, I like it. You're going to work for me hence forth."

I collected the file and spared a glance at the image on the paper, but was shocked as I stared at the picture of my house and the next neighborhood houses. My was the major in the picture, a cold chill ran down my spine as I looked up to Mrs Howard.

"This house right here, the one at the first. Why is it circle with a red pen?" I asked.

"It was around that neighborhood that Rain Jete was murdered last night. We're suspecting that the attacker resides in that building," she said, without looking my way.

I blinked confused at her statement. "But that's where I resides, that's my house. I didn't know why my house is the first to suspect when there are lot to suspect."

Mrs Howard stared at me for a while. "Do you stay in that house, alone?"

I nodded slightly. "Of course."

"Okay, but you should be at alert every night, and if you noticed anything strange not hesitate to share it with me and I think the creature also resides close by," She said and gathered a few papers from the table. "Take this to the rest, the new location we'll be investigating starts tomorrow. So brave ahead.

I collected the papers from her and made my way to the door. I was lost in thoughts, as I recollected to the words that Mrs Howard said earlier to me. And she looked like she meant it when she told be to be at alert every night.

*****

I lay on my bed thinking about all sort of things, after what Mrs Howard told me. Sleep seemed to be the last thing on my mind, I was scared. If the creature resides close to my house. Then I'm not save, my life is in danger. Just breath, I mean. No one knows if it's a creature or some mask wearing freak in hunger for young blood, I told myself.

I turned off the light and close my eyes to sleep when my ears started to pick signals, more of a rustling. Like an animal was running down the woods in a fast pace, I stood up from my bed. And rubbed my hand against my forehead as I try to recollect if it was a dream.

I made my way to the kitchen to pour myself a glass of water before going back to bed. The next I heard was a howled, it was loud and clear. It was like something was being attacked and needed my presence to be saved.

I dropped the glass of water and walked to toward the door slowly, hesitating before grabbing the knob. I twisted it slowly and opened the door, the neighborhood was silent and dark with only front door lights illuminating few areas of the surrounding.

The howling continue and I found myself walking into the woods with a touch pointing forward, I look around in search for the howling animal. But I couldn't see anything or anyone close by, I turned to leave asking myself while I walked into the woods in the middle of the night and what kind of animal was howling.

I heard a loud howling which rung through my ears and my body started to pull toward the direction. I stood transfixed as I couldn't believe what I was staring at–a werewolf.