Full Moon (18 page)

“Can I come in?” he asked, a strange
question that made me wonder if he’d hit his head a little too
hard.

“Yes,” I said. “Come in!”

He hobbled in, bleeding profusely. Droplets
of blood stained the hard wood floor.

Jesse stood in the doorway, glaring at his
attacker, who was seeing red and blind with rage. When Jonathon’s
sinister gaze swept over me, my heart began to thunder in my test.
I didn’t understand why he was just standing there like that, not
trying to attack or push his way in, and there was a moment of
silence as Julie and I looked at each other in complete shock.

“Let’s go!” I screamed, pulling his arm.

“We’re safe now,” Jesse said.

“Maybe but for how long?” Julie retorted.
She motioned us over, and we worked together to scoot a heavy china
cabinet in front of the door. “You hit him, and he’s disoriented,
but as soon as he gets his head back in the game, he’ll come in.
All he has to do is take one step through the open doorway.”

I snapped the shades shut on all the windows
so crazy Jonathon couldn’t see us.

“Trust me, he won’t burst through our
barricade,” Jesse said calmly.

“You’re kidding, right?” Julie asked,
breathing heavily in quick, shallow heaves. “If we could move that
cabinet, he most certainly can. We need to find a landline and call
911.”

I gazed around for a phone but didn’t see
one. “While he’s dazed and out of it, let’s grab his gun,” I
suggested.

Jesse grabbed my hand. “No, don’t. You step
out that door, and you’re dead.”

Pushing the drapes aside, I glanced out the
window.

The guy held up a lighter. “Don’t think I
can’t burn you out!” he shouted.

I sucked in a deep breath. Please don’t let
him do that, I thought.

Then, he suddenly screamed as two of the
snarling wolves bit into his flesh. He flailed with all his might,
but the wolves just dug in harder.

“A madman is after us, and we’re surrounded
by hungry wild animals waiting to tear us to shreds. Can this night
get any worse?” Julie said, then ran a hand through her wild blonde
hair. “We have to leave. We can’t just stay in here and wait for
those things to make Kibbles and Bits outta us.”

“I know,” I said.

She looked out through the curtains. “He’s
gone!”

“Did they drag him off?” I asked.

“I don’t know, but wolves are still
circling,” Julie said. “I don’t think that he’s our problem
anymore.”

“One down, one to go,” I said. “Now all we
have to do is get past the pack. If we do, we’re home free.”

A long, plaintive wail echoed through the
air, followed by a chorus of defiant howls.

I looked at Jesse, who was bleeding
profusely. “Let’s get you to the bathroom and look for medical
supplies.”

He leaned against the wall for support and
gasped. “I’ll be fine. We have more important things to worry
about.”

“Fine my butt. You need a doctor,” I said,
my voice wavering.

He winced in pain, and his blue eyes
watered. “I promise I’ll see one in the morning.”

Julie looked at him and shook her head.
“You mean
if
you live that
long. You’re sweating like a thief in church,” she said, feeling
his forehead. “Oh my gosh! You’re burning up.” She gripped my arm.
“He has a fever of 110. We can’t stay here. If we do, the news will
be reporting a homicide tonight, one hot young guy with a bullet
wound to the chest.”

I felt Jesse’s head and realized she was
absolutely right. He was on fire. “It’s not safe in here. That man
could easily push through our makeshift barrier. We need to get
outta here and lose him in the forest, and then we need to take
Jesse to the ER.”

“That’s exactly what he wants,” Jesse said.
“Our best bet is to stay here until first light.”

Julie peeked out the window. “The place is
swarming with wolves. Maybe he’s right. Let’s stay here a few hours
and see if the pack leaves.”

I helped Jesse to the recliner.

He glanced up at me and could tell I was
concerned. “It’s our best bet. The wolves will move on soon.”

Then a thought occurred to me:
We need to secure
the upstairs and make sure no one is in the house.
We could leave nothing to
chance. “Hello?” I called up the stairs.

The stairs creaked as I walked up them. My
nerves were on edge as we headed down the lonely hallway amidst the
shadows that danced on the wall.

Julie pointed to the first bedroom. Holding
my butcher knife, I flicked on the switch but didn’t see anyone,
much to my delight. As I continued to move carefully through the
bedroom, I suddenly saw a figure. I freaked out and jumped,
startled for a split second, until I realized it was my own
reflection in the dresser mirror. My nerves were so on edge that
every little thing was beyond frightening.

The room was pretty typical, with a bed,
dresser, and other furnishings. We searched for weapons but
couldn’t find any. We checked the next two bedrooms, and they were
also clear.

My labored breathing eased, though my lungs
still burned and my head was pounding like a chorus line of
stiletto-wearing hippos dancing on it.

Julie motioned me in the master bedroom.
“Blue Eyes can rest in there,” she said.

“Jesse, you should lie down,” I said when we
walked back downstairs to get him. “There’s a nice bedroom upstairs
so you can rest.”

“I’m fine.”

“No,” Julie ordered, “you’re not. You’re
gonna go up there and get in bed, and then we’ll barricade the door
and stay in there till morning.”

His wound started to bleed again, and I
gulped hard. I couldn’t help but notice how pale and weak he
looked. Jesse needed medical help, and I couldn’t get it for him
quick enough.

“You’re bleeding,” I said, wondering if he
would live to see sunlight again.

Chapter 7

I didn’t know what to do. Jesse was dying
right before my eyes. I knew we needed to get help, but I didn’t
know how to get past the snarling wolves. No one could hear us now
because our cell phones had no signal out in the middle of nowhere,
and there was no landline in the cabin. I touched Jesse’s arm.
“Please lie down.”

“No. I have to keep you safe.”

“You aren’t going to be able to do that if
you die on us,” I said. “You just need a little rest.”

When he didn’t move, Julie chimed in, “She’s
right, Jesse. We need you to protect us, so how about you lie down
for an hour or two and then you’ll be more up to protecting us
better. In the meantime, we promise not to get ourselves killed by
rabid dogs or gun-wielding strangers. Deal?”

He smiled and nodded. “Can’t argue with
that,” he said.

I smiled appreciatively at Julie and her
ability to manipulate even the most strong-willed of people.

Jesse grunted as I helped him into bed and
covered him with a blanket.

Julie found some towels in the bathroom and
applied pressure to his wound. “Never in my wildest dreams did I
think I’d be taking care of a gunshot victim,” she said.

His eyes fluttered shut, and I gasped. “He
passed out,” I said. “We can’t just sit here and do nothing, no
matter what he said,” I said. “He’s really sick and fading fast. If
we’re going to save him, we’ve gotta take a chance. You stay here.
I’m gonna get us help.”

“How are you going to get past the
wolves?”

“I don’t know, but I can’t just stand here
and let him die.”

She took a deep breath. “I know.”

I felt his forehead and was glad that his
skin was cool and not as sweaty; the fever had subsided. “He feels
better,” I said.

“He’s breathing better too,” Julie added.
“Maybe we should wait a little longer.”

I nodded and peeked out the bedroom window,
only to shudder when I saw the wolves still prowling around. “It’s
not like we have much choice.” Feeling defeated, I sat down on the
vinyl chair and propped my feet on the stool. I watched vigilantly
out the window, waiting for the scraggly dogs to leave.

* * *

A couple of hazy, sleepy, silent hours
later, when the first rays of light shone on my face, I looked out
the window again. “Julie, they’re gone!” I said.

“I’ll go look out the front,” she said.

I rushed over to Jesse. “Let me have a look
at your wound,” I said.

He pushed me away. “I said I’m fine. We
don’t have time to waste. Let’s go.”

“Are you sure you feel all right? Can you
walk?”

“Yeah, I’ll live to tell the tale,” he
said.

I looked at him doubtfully, then helped him
up so we could make our way down the stairs.

“It’s all clear,” Julie happily reported,
opening the blockade.

Outside, I stared skeptically at the
deceivingly calm forest around us. As if mocking our trepidation,
the sun was shining brightly, and the birds were chirping happily.
When I looked down, though, I saw pawprints everywhere. It was
still hard to fathom that we’d been shot at, chased, and
practically held prisoner in the cabin by a bunch of wolves.

Pushing some vegetation aside, I stepped
into the woods. “C’mon, guys!”

As we hiked through the woods, continuously
trying our cell phones, Jesse actually got a signal for about two
minutes and managed to get in touch with one of his buddies, who
offered to pick us up. Just as we reached the road, a blue car
stopped and Jesse introduced us to his friend, Billy.

“We’ve gotta get Jesse to the hospital,” I
said. “He’s been shot.”

“What!? They’re joking, right?” Billy said
to Jesse.

“No. He really was shot,” Julie said.

“Oh,” Billy said.

I looked at him as if he was one Prozac away
from a straightjacket. “Uh…that’s the best place for gunshot
victims,” I said. “Now please just drive us there.”

Jesse shot Billy a strange look, and he
nodded. “Okay,” he said, “but I’m dropping you two off first.”

“Fine. Then take us to the police station,”
I said.

Julie grabbed my arm. “Are you crazy? I
don’t wanna get involved with the police. We’re alive and
breathing, so why bother?”

“If that guy is out there and survived the
wolf attack, he needs to be stopped.”

Billy arched an eyebrow at me as if I was
the crazy one. “He’s dangerous and probably whacked outta his mind
on drugs and still armed. I wouldn’t suggest you ratting him out.
They’ll let him go with a slap on the wrist, and then he’ll come
after you with a vengeance.”

“I don’t want to involve the police,” Julie
stated again, more sternly this time.

“And neither do I,” Jesse intervened. “I
gotta be honest with you, Taylor. Billy’s not takin’ me to the
hospital.”

“But you’ve been shot, and—”

“No need for hospitals. My mom is a
doctor.”

“But—” Julie tried to argue.

“It’s just a flesh wound,” Jesse said. “I’ll
be fine.”

“Jesse,” I said, “please don’t risk your
life like this, especially not just to be a tough guy and show
off.”

“I’m not showing off. My mom won’t let
anything happen to me. I just need you to do me a big favor.”

“I know, I know. Leave the police out of
it,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“It’s the best thing, Taylor,” Jesse
said.

“I’m great at keeping secrets,” Julie said.
“If my mom finds out I sneaked out of the house to go to a college
party and almost got myself killed, she’ll freak, and I’ll be the
one needing a doctor—especially if the police are involved.”

“I won’t say anything either,” I said
reluctantly.

Jesse’s friend pulled into Julie’s driveway
at eight a.m., and we knew Julie’s mom would be coming home any
minute.

“Don’t worry about your truck,” Jesse said.
“One of my friends is a mechanic. He can have it fixed in
hours.”

“My mom will ask about it,” Julie said. “Do
you promise I’ll get it back today?”

“I promise.”

“Okay, Jesse. I’ll trust you on that, but if
you don’t get it back before my mom wakes up, I’ll be grounded for
the rest of the summer or, worse, she’ll sequester my truck keys
indefinitely.”

“I got this,” he said.

“Jesse,” I said, “I really need to know that
you’re okay. I won’t stop worrying until I know your mom has given
you the all-clear.”

“Gimme your number,” he said. “I’ll call you
with the official report.”

We exchanged numbers, putting them in each
other’s phones. As I gazed into his eyes, just about to say
something, his friend cut in.

“No time for mushy goodbyes,” Billy said. “I
gotta get Jesse home. He’s got an appointment with Dr. Mom.”

Before I could say another word or wave
goodbye, the blue car backed up and sped down the street.

As we walked in, I flung my shoes off. My
hands were shaky from my ordeal, and nausea flooded my stomach.

When I sat down at the kitchen table, Julie
handed me a glass of water. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah. Just a little freaked.”

“Better freaked than dead,” she said. “My
head is pounding, but I think we learned a valuable lesson
here.”

“Oh?”

“No more parties with crazy, unstoppable
party animals—or wild, furry animals either.”

“Yeah. Tell me about it. And we might want
to avoid Barney-colored drinks and Long Island iced teas too,” I
said, looking at her.

She ran a hand through her blonde hair. “Do
you really think they’ll get my truck back in time?”

“Jesse promised he would, and up to now,
he’s been a man of his word.”

“Maybe, but we don’t’ even really know
him.”

“He said his friend’s a mechanic. I’m sure
it will be fine.”

“I hope so. If not, I’m dead meat.”

“Why was that guy chasing us anyway?” I
asked. “What did you say to him?”

She sipped her water. “Nothing out of the
ordinary…and he seemed nice at the party. He just went all psycho.
Maybe Jesse’s right. Maybe he was high.”