Beneath The Moonlight

Aria The air is thick with the scent of smoke and fear. I press my small hands over Ethan’s mouth, my heart pounding in my chest. We’re crammed into the dusty closet under the stairs, our knees pulled to our chests, breaths shallow and quick. For a moment, I press my hands over my ears, eyes shut tightly, willing this nightmare away. But the scent of death itself only seems to grow stronger. The sounds still seep through—shattering glass, splintering wood, and guttural growls that send shivers down my spine. My heart pounds so hard I can feel it in my throat. Ethan whimpers beside me, his small body trembling against mine. “Shh, Ethan, be quiet,” I whisper, my voice trembling. My younger brother nods, his wide, terrified eyes reflecting the dim light filtering through the cracks in the closet door. For a moment, an unsettling silence hovers in the air, goosebumps spreading out across my skin. Then, the chaos begins again. It’s as if the world outside has turned into a nightmare. Just a moment ago, mom was making dinner, and I was helping set the table. Then, dad came barreling through the door with an urgency that I couldn’t understand. Mom took one look at him, and I could see the panic fill her eyes. All of a sudden, their movements were frantic and shaky. Mom tried to smile at me as she hastily tucked Ethan and I in the back of the closet, but the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Stay here, Aria. No matter what you hear,you don’t come out. You keep your brother safe, okay?” Dad had whispered, his face paler than I’d ever seen it. “No matter what you hear,” He muttered, leaning down to plant a kiss on my forehead. His touch lingered for a heartbeat too long, almost as if he was trying to memorize me. Mom had hugged Ethan tightly, her tears soaking into his hair. I didn’t understand what was happening and I wanted to ask questions, but there was an urgency to their motions that left no room for it. Now, the sounds of struggle and pain are unbearable. I can hear Dad’s grunts, Mom’s screams, and the unmistakable snarls of the creatures that have descended upon our town. The werewolves. I’d heard the stories, the warnings whispered in hushed tones by the adults, but I’d never believed they were real—until now. A loud crash echoes through the house, and I flinch, my grip on Ethan’s arm tightening. The closet door rattles as something heavy slams against it. I bite my lip to stifle a whimper, my mind racing with fear. What’s happening? Are Mom and Dad okay? Should I – Then, a scream—Mom’s scream—pierces the air. My stomach twists. Ethan’s hand grips mine so tightly it hurts. I squeeze my eyes shut, but tears leak through anyway, hot and relentless. The growls grow louder, closer, as if the creatures are right on the other side of the door. I can hear Dad’s voice, strained and desperate, pleas falling from his lips. Then all of a sudden, silence. Spine chilling silence. I peep through the crack in the closet door, desperate to see what’s happening, and I do see. I watch in horror as something in the likeness of a man, yet somehow more animal than anything else plunges a dagger right through dad’s heart, burying it to the hilt in his chest. A blood curdling scream tears from mom, my own lips completely frozen. This can’t be real. It can’t be real. It can’t be real, I sing to myself in my head over and over again, yet right in front of my very eyes, I watch the light drain out of my father’s eyes. In an instant, the man who loomed over him is gone, and in his stead is a huge black wolf. It’s black fur shines even in the darkness, red eyes glowing with a hunger that has the blood freezing in my veins. He stalks my mother now, circling her slowly. “No…” I whisper weakly, clutching Ethan’s hand tightly in mine. The red eyed wolf steps back from mom, his fangs retreating. A shaky breath of relief slips past my dry lips, but it’s short lived, because that’s when I see it. The second wolf, lurking behind the first. My breath hitches in my throat at the sight of it. Snow White fur covers his entire body, icy blue eyes glowing in the darkness. It’s smaller than the first wolf, its steps slower… almost reluctant. The black wolf snarls at it, shoving it in mom’s direction. The white wolf stalks her slowly, just like the other one had done, and in an instance, leaps in the air, pouncing on her. I shut my eyes tightly, turning my face away as mom’s screams pierce through the air. The sound of bone snapping and limbs ripping sends a sickening hollowness to the pit of my stomach, but all I can do is clasp a hand around my mouth, and the other around Ethan’s. There is a sickening thud, and then silence. I’m frozen. My breath comes out in shallow gasps, my body trembling uncontrollably. The closet door rattles as something heavy slams against it. The smell hits me first—musky, wild, and sharp. Blood. My stomach churns. “Please,” I whisper, even though I don’t know who I’m begging. The moon? The monsters outside? God? But the growls grow louder, closer. The door splinters, and red eyes glow in the darkness. My scream lodges in my throat as the creature lunges. The closet door creaks open, and a pair of glowing red eyes stares back at us. I can’t move. The werewolf looms in the doorway, its massive form blocking the light. It lets out a low, menacing growl, gaze locked on us. My mind screams at me to run, to hide, but my legs feel like lead. I can’t move. Just then, another growl echoes through the house. The red-eyed wolf turns its head, its ears twitching. The white wolf stalks forward, placing itself between us and the black wolf. It’s almost as if it’s protecting us. The two creatures lunge at each other, their snarls and growls echoing through the house. I catch a glimpse of claws and glinting teeth, then the entire house seems to tremble with the force of their tumble to the ground. They lay a few feet away from the closet, teeth and claws scraping at one another. Dad’s final words to me echo in my mind. ‘You keep your brother safe’. I slowly push open the closet door, my hands trembling. I step out, my legs almost giving out underneath me. The house is in shambles, furniture overturned, and broken glass scattered everywhere. My eyes fall on Mom and Dad’s bodies– or whatever’s left of them– motionless on the floor. Tears stream down my face as I run to them. I kneel beside them, my hands trembing violently as I touch their cold skin. “Ethan,” I whisper, my voice cracking. “Ethan, we have to go.” My little brother stumbles out of the closet, his face streaked with tears. I take his hand, my eyes darting to the two beasts still clawing at each other in the corner. Without waiting a second longer, I clutch my brother’s hand tightly, racing out of the house.