The first hunt.
862 Words
The full moon had risen.
Priya looked at it through her windows,her hands trembling.
Something was wrong.
Her skin was burning. Her heartbeat was fast and everything single sound seemed amplified. The refrigerator humming,a car passing outside, and even the silent ticking of the clock. she could hear it all.
She pressed her hand against her chest.
"Calm down."
Her voice sounded unfamiliar.
A sudden,sharp pain tore through her stomach.
Priya doubled over.
"Ah!"
She stumbled away from the window and grabbed the edge of her desk.
The pain suddenly disappeared,as quickly as it had come. She stood there breathing heavily.
"What the hell?"
After a few seconds, another wave of unbearable pain hit.
This time, it was much worse.
Her back arched violently.
A loud scream escaped her lips.
She collapsed to the floor.
Her bones felt like they were being crushed violently.
"No..."
Her fingers dug into the carpet.
Her nails stretched into claws.
She stared at them in complete horror.
"No,no,no!"
Her arms changed. Then her legs.
Every part of her body changed.
She managed to crawl towards the mirror, desperate to know what was going on.
She didn't recognize the creature who was staring back at her.
Her face contorted in agony.
Then her eyes began to glow.
Gold.
Pure, unnatural gold.
Then suddenly,her jaw snapped forward.
Her screams turned into howls.
The howls shook the windows.
She fell on the floor again,her entire body convulsing.
Then everything went black...
When Priya opened her eyes,she was in the middle of the forest.
She couldn't remember leaving her house.
She didn't remember running.
She didn't remember turning into... this.
She looked down at her arm and dark fur covered them.
No, not arms.
Legs.
Paws.
She stumbled backward.
A strange sound left her throat.
It was a growl.
She froze.
She heard a heartbeat.
She turned.
Nothing.
Another heartbeat.
Closer.
She could smell everything...
Wet soil,trees and leaves.
And blood.
Her stomach turned twisted.
She felt something.
Hunger.
A hunger so intense that it drowned every other thought.
She ran.
She didn't know where she was running to. All she knew was that she had to chase that scent.
Something moved between the trees.
It was deer.
Her body reacted fast...faster than her mind could.
She lunged.
The forest exploded into motion. The branches scratched her fur as she chased after it.
The deer ran for it's life.
Priya was faster. She caught it.
The sound of the deer's heartbeat ceased.
For one brief moment,she stood over it. Then the hunger returned.
Priya was no longer running from the forest,she was hunting through it like a beast.
She reached the outskirts of the city.
The security guard making his final rounds never saw her coming.
Neither did the couple walking home.
Neither did the pregnant lady.
By morning,three people were dead and Priya remembered none of it.
The city was buzzing with rumors.
A bear.
A serial killer.
A wolf.
Nobody could tell.
Some people could actually.
In the forest, a group of hunters gathered round to share their findings on this case.
The oldest among them sighed and folded his arms.
"Three victims."
The woman besides him looked at him.
"Same wounds?"
"Exactly."
The older man frowned.
"We're not dealing with a human."
A younger man leaning against a tree,hands in pockets.
"Another werewolf?"
The older man nodded.
"Fresh bite marks,no control, multiple people dead in one night."
He pointed at the map that was taped to one of their trailers.
"The creature moved from the forest into the city."
The younger man picked up one of the pictures they had taken at the murder scenes.
"Do you think it's newly turned?"
"Most likely. But I don't think it knows what it is yet."
"Can you track it down?"
The older hunter smiled grimly.
"We already are."
Several hours later,Priya woke up in the forest. She was naked,covered in dirt and lying by a pool of blood.
She stared at her hands.
Human.
She stared to breathe heavily. She didn't remember anything.
Trees surrounded her.
She was naked and covered in blood.
She wiped at it frantically.
"Whose blood is this?"
A strange taste lingered in her mouth. She stumbled on her feet. Immediately she stood upright,she stared to hear voices. They were not far away.
"Spread out."
Her heart slammed against her ribs. She covered her mouth.
"Come out, we're not gonna hurt you."
She almost believed that voice. She almost took a step forward to reveal herself. That was until she saw a silver blade hanging from one of the hunter's belt.
She didn't know they were hunters. She was just terrified of what a man with a blade might do to her.
The hunters weren't looking for Priya or any other human.
They were after a monster and they were determined to get it.
Priya started to slowly back away. A branch snapped under her foot.
"There." A hunter yelled.
She ran.
They followed.
For the first time since she woke up,she understood the terrifying truth.
Something had happened to her the previous night.
Something evil.
Something she couldn't remember.
But whatever it was,they knew...
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