Blood Moon (8 page)

The more I looked at this animal, though,
the more I realized it
was
indeed a wolf. However, this
wasn’t like any other wolf I’d ever seen, either, looking to be
about twice the size, which frightened me a little. Gray wolves
didn’t grow this big, that much I knew. There wasn’t a doubt in my
mind that it had to weigh well over one hundred eighty pounds,
which meant it would most likely be able to take me down with
ease.

Its long, sharp canines glistened before it
brought its eyes back to me, its lips curled back into a snarl, and
it took another stalking step toward me. It was obvious that this
animal wasn’t going to back down, and I didn’t relish killing it,
but it was becoming obvious that I wouldn’t have much choice. My
life was at stake now, not to mention that I couldn’t let a wild
animal remain out here in a public park. While my instincts told me
it was unlikely, this could be what killed that woman.

I raised the gun again, steadying my arms,
and took aim. “I don’t want to do this,” I told it, my voice
trembling, and just as I was about to pull the trigger, it sprang
forward. Almost two hundred pounds of solid muscle and bone tackled
me to the ground, forcing all of the air from my lungs. My gun went
flying when my back slammed into the ground, and my head throbbed
from the impact. As I struggled to free myself, the hot, somewhat
putrid breath of the wolf nearly suffocated me when it leaned in
with a warning growl. Its huge paws were on my chest, holding me
down and robbing me of the ability to breathe. It continued to
growl and snarl, its eyes scanning the darkness—probably for anyone
who might try to help me. Before it could bite me, I brought my
hands up and grabbed hold of the looser skin around the animal’s
neck, pulling upward in an effort to hold its face far from
mine.

The wolf was ridiculously strong, and I
started to think I wouldn’t win as the muscles in my arms trembled
with fatigue. It barked again, just as my left arm gave out, and
its teeth sank deep into my shoulder, tearing right through my
leather jacket and shirt. Teeth scraped bone, and I screamed in
pain when a burning sensation shot through my arm. The adrenaline
that coursed through my body gave me a sudden burst of strength,
allowing me to bring my right leg up between us until my foot was
pressed against the animal’s chest, and I heaved it off of me.

The wolf yelped as it hit the ground several
feet away from me, his eyes wide and panicked, and then several
shots were fired to my right. I heard another yelp from the wolf,
and a spray of red misted the air above its right flank.

This didn’t slow it down, however, so David
fired another shot, but missed when it darted quickly back into the
cover of trees, howling.

“Brooke!” David cried, tearing up the grass
as he fells to his knees next to me. “Jesus, Brooke. Are you all
right?”

“Damn it.” I inhaled sharply through my
teeth, almost hissing, and pushed myself up with my good arm,
trying to keep my left shoulder from jostling too much. “Yeah. I
think so.”

Without warning, David pulled me into his
arms and held me, disregarding my injured shoulder in lieu of his
relief that I was okay. I hissed painfully, and he released me
before helping me to my feet and peeling the shredded jacket from
my shoulder once I was steady. “I-it bit me,” I told him while he
ripped the collar and sleeve of my shirt open so he could get a
better view of my bloodied shoulder. “God, that thing was
strong.”

“Sweetheart, this doesn’t look good.” I
craned my neck to look at my shoulder as David pulled out his
flashlight and inspected the damage. It looked horrible: the skin
broken and torn where the wolf’s teeth sank in, and blood flowing
from several deep and jagged lacerations. “Maybe we should go to
the emergency room,” he suggested, looking at me worriedly and
cradling my face. “It looks like you’ll probably need stitches…and
a rabies shot might not be a bad idea while we’re there.”

Going to the doctor was the last thing on my
mind, knowing that we had a homicide to investigate, and the only
reason I followed David back to the car was because I knew I
wouldn’t be any good to anyone if an infection set in or I started
foaming at the mouth.

On our way, some of our coworkers asked what
happened, and David quickly filled them in before telling O’Malley
to call Animal Control to have the park combed thoroughly for the
wolf that bit me.

“What the hell happened back there?” David
asked as we pulled out onto a main street. “Did you see
anyone?”

I shook my head and looked down at my
shredded shoulder again, wincing when the car flew over a pothole
and my arm bumped the seat roughly. “Nope. Just that damn wolf.”
Lifting my head, I caught David’s concerned gaze. “H-how about you?
Anything?”

He shook his head, frustrated. “Nothing.”
There was a brief pause as David changed lanes and turned right.
“Did you get a good look at the body?” he asked, changing the
subject. It was pretty obvious that he was trying to keep my mind
on something besides my injury.

“Can’t say that I did.” I thought back to
the few minutes I had with the victim before I went off and got
attacked by a wild animal, suddenly remembering something. “There
was a mark on her neck and shoulder—trauma of some sort—but I got
distracted before I could really look at it.”

“I’m sure the coroner will record it, and we
can look over the report tomorrow morning.”

By the time we pulled up to the emergency
room doors of Osborn Medical Centre, the pain had gone from a dull
throb to feeling like a hot poker was being dragged down each and
every tear slowly. Flames shot through my veins like lava, and it
took everything in me to not give in to the pain and pass out.

After throwing the car into park, David
rushed around, opened my door, and helped me out of my seat,
wrapping a protective arm around my waist to guide me through the
entrance.

The waiting room was full, which wasn’t
surprising, nor was it a good sign that I’d be fortunate enough to
be seen right away. We walked toward the admissions desk, and David
filled the woman in on why we were there. She gave us some
paperwork to fill out and asked us to have a seat in the waiting
room—as if that was going to somehow make me more comfortable as
the flames of hell lapped at my shoulder and traveled down my arm.
After easing me into a seat, David sat next to me and offered to
fill everything out.

Once my information had been documented,
David took it back to the front and rejoined me, taking my hand in
his and lacing our fingers before raising them to kiss my knuckles
softly. “How are you doing?”

“It feels like my shoulder is on fire,” I
whispered honestly. “It’s not constant, though, so I guess that has
to count for something.”

“We’ll be in soon,” he tried to assure
me.

As the minutes ticked by, I watched as
several of the other people were called in. We’d been waiting just
under an hour before my name was called, and David insisted on
coming with me. I didn’t try to dispute it, because the truth of
the matter was that the idea of getting stitches made me more than
a little nauseous.

Once inside the bright, sterile room, David
and the nurse helped me out of my jacket, and I fought back several
curse words when the nurse took to peeling the fabric of my ruined
shirt from my skin. The doctor joined us a few minutes later and
inspected the area thoroughly.

Dr. Calvin was an older gentleman with
graying hair and kind brown eyes hidden behind stylish glasses.
Upon first impressions, he seemed like someone I could feel at ease
with. “So what happened here?” he asked, touching my shoulder
gently.

“I was attacked by a wolf in Chaparral
Park,” I replied through clenched teeth as he cleaned the area with
antiseptic. It stung like a bitch, but I knew it had to be done, so
all I could do was squeeze the ever-living hell out of David’s poor
hand until it was over.

The doctor worked quickly, and before I knew
it, I was being released with a shot of morphine, twenty-three
stitches, a rabies shot, and a prescription for both an antibiotic
and a mild painkiller. After thanking the doctor, David and I
headed over to the pharmacy to fill my prescriptions. Even though
my mind was still pretty foggy from the morphine, I wanted to stay
ahead of the pain, so I opened the painkillers the minute we were
in the car and took one.

By the time we reached my house, the pill
had kicked in. I had always had a pretty low tolerance for drugs
and alcohol, so it wasn’t surprising when everything started to
feel a little hazy, and David had to help me up the front steps and
down the hall to my room. Always wanting to take care of me, he
settled me onto the bed before heading for my dresser, and I
groggily watched him go through my drawers for a fresh shirt to
sleep in. When he found a tank top and some flannel shorts, he
helped me into them and kissed my forehead softly.

“Can I get you anything?” he asked quietly.
“Are you hungry?”

“Mmm mmm,” I hummed, shaking my head. “I’m a
li’l sleepy.”

Chuckling, David pulled the comforter back
and ushered me beneath it. “Okay, you lie back, and I’ll go grab
you a glass of water in case you get thirsty.”

I wasn’t sure if it was because of the
attack, or because my state of mind had been altered from the
painkillers, but a sense of panic rose from my belly and clenched
in my chest. I didn’t know what brought it on; all I knew was that
I didn’t want to be alone. Before he could leave the room, I
reached out and snatched him by the wrist. “Wait.” He turned
around, his eyes moving from mine to my bandaged shoulder. “You’ll
stay with me, right?”

Smiling, David cradled my jaw in his free
hand. “Sweetheart, I’m not going anywhere. I’m just going to the
kitchen, and then I’m going to phone your parents to let them know
you’re okay.” He paused to press his lips to mine lightly. “I’ll be
right back. I swear.”

I nodded slowly and lowered myself into bed,
pulling the warm comforter up beneath my chin. Closing my eyes, I
allowed the fog in my head to take over until I found myself on the
precipice of sleep, and the last thing I remembered was the bed
dipping behind me and David pulling me into his warm embrace.

H
er cold, dead eyes
stared up at me, pleading with me to help her as I circled her body
slowly, looking down on her broken form with intrigue. The pallor
of her skin was whiter than white, and her long brown hair moved in
the gentle breeze, small wisps flowing across her face and
neck…

Her neck
.

Something in the back of my mind flickered,
but before it had a chance to ignite, the crisp wind picked up,
bringing with it the refreshing scent of a rare rainstorm on the
horizon, and I inhaled deeply.

Along with the elemental smells of water and
earth, I picked up something entirely different… something not
unlike that of death and decay. I tried to tell myself that it was
just the body, but that didn’t seem plausible since I could tell
from just looking at her that she was nowhere near the decomp
phase. The smell intensified even as the rain began to fall, and
every hair on my body prickled, my instincts telling me to run.
Without questioning the urge, my feet moved until I was running for
cover in the woods.

The dirt was cold and wet against the pads
of my feet, and I could smell the leaves on the trees and the
cactus blooms as I darted past, around, and under. Faster and
faster, my legs moved, propelling me deeper and deeper into the
forest. Trees whipped by at an alarming rate as I raced along the
rugged path left by hikers and animals, and the wind blew through
my hair.

Everything seemed a little sharper to look
at, and I could hear absolutely everything around me—the birds in
the trees, the worms in the earth—but it was the low growl ahead of
me that forced me to stop in my tracks. The deep, rumbling sound
grew louder until everything else cancelled out entirely, and a
pair of glowing yellow eyes appeared in the shadow of the brush
before me.

The urge to run disappeared as the brown
wolf stalked toward me and the lingering smell of death dissipated.
Uncertain, I remained in place and assessed the situation. I didn’t
feel
threatened by the animal, but I was definitely
intrigued by it, looking over his thick coat as it gleamed in the
moonlight and admiring the grace in his gait. He was beautiful, and
I felt a kindred connection between the two of us that I couldn’t
quite explain.

Smiling, I held out a hand and crouched down
to the wolf’s level, my instincts telling me that I wasn’t in any
danger. The animal stopped walking, eyeing my hand curiously, but
when his beautiful yellow eyes locked on mine and narrowed, his
ears flattening against his head, I inhaled sharply, realizing my
error.

And then it leapt for me, its jaws open
wide, and its long, sharp teeth gleaming in the moonlight.