Chapter 1
Laine’s time was almost up. The creature was closing in behind her. Though she ran as fast as she could, she was ultimately no match for whoever— whatever seemed so determined to make her dinner. The crunching of leaves under her heels, the whooshing of the wind blowing her hair around. Her heavy breaths— the thumping of her heart she could practically hear. The distant sounds of the creature behind her grew louder as it advanced.
She approached a fork in the trees, grassy paths going either left or right. Without missing a beat, she ran left, nearly tripping over a cluster of sticks. She wasn’t sure how she was so coordinated and running faster than she ever had before, especially in heels, but she didn’t exactly have the time to question it.
Eventually, as the cramping in her side grew nearly unbearable and she inevitably began to slow down, Laine wondered briefly how it all went so horribly wrong. How she went from taking a brief leave from her father’s suffocating dinner party to running for her life— who knew? She’d always had a bad luck streak. She figured the universe had finally grown tired of her.
The creature had nearly caught up to her by now, and Laine had finally exhausted herself. She found the nearest large tree and ducked behind it. She stood with her back pressed to the rough wood, covering her mouth to muffle her heavy breathing. She felt like she could taste the blood in her lungs on her tongue. The sweat from her brow dripped down her face, a few drops landing on her glossed lips. She heard footsteps stalking towards the tree, slow and steady, along with thick, raspy breaths. The aroma of fresh blood hit her, along with something else… oddly familiar. Laine’s eyes widened, and she faintly felt a tear cascade down onto her cheek. It was right behind her. This was the end. She was dead-
The sound of what could only be a small rock hitting the crumpled leaves around another tree a few feet away from her hiding place startled Laine out of her panic. A snarl behind her indicated that the creature heard it. She looked around for the source of the rock, and nearly gasped out loud when her eyes met those of another person.
A man– hiding behind a tree across from her. She hadn’t seen him before in the dark, but now the gleam from his silver jacket buttons was unmissable under the moon’s light. Laine blinked rapidly as the man stared at her for a few moments, unmoving. She followed his eyes to the source of her terror: her stalker. She hesitated to believe her eyes when she saw what was sniffing around on the ground with its back to her.
It was both a man and a dog— no, a wolf. Half man, half wolf.
She looked back at the man against the tree, who pressed a finger to his lips. She clamped her other hand over her mouth for good measure. Dumbfounded, she watched as the man silently pried one of the buttons off his dark jacket, then threw it over to the wolf-man creature. Laine watched as the creature sniffed at the button, then recoiled rather violently, snarling a little as if it were in pain. As quickly as it had chased her through the forest, it turned and ran away to wherever it had come from. Laine could only stare, horrified, her jaw practically on the floor.
“Little trick I learned. They don’t like silver, those things.” Laine turned at the sound of the man’s voice, just above a whisper. He stepped away from the tree and walked up to Laine, which instinctively made her shrink to the ground. She had no idea what, or who, she could trust in this twisted fairytale forest.
The man, whom she could now see more clearly, stopped in his tracks and held both of his hands up in a pacifying gesture. “Easy now. Just wondering if you’re alright. I saw you running from behind those trees, and well, I couldn’t just let that werewolf eat you, could I?” Laine blinked, not wanting to trust him, but realizing he did save her life. She owed him decency.
“I’m fine. Thank you… sir.” She took in his appearance; judging from his well-fitted clothing, he must have owned an estate near the forest like her father. He looked almost like a ghost, with his pale, completely unblemished skin and short, neatly trimmed silver hair. His eyes were a brownish-green that seemed to glow in the moon’s light. He smiled at her, and Laine had to admit, he had a trustworthy face.
“Jeremy of Wadsworth Manor.” He offered his hand to her, and she reluctantly took it. He pulled her up with a firm grip, but thanks to her stupid heels, she tripped right onto him with a shriek.
“Whoa!” Jeremy of Wadsworth Manor caught her, holding her firmly against his chest. He looked down at her with a small smile, which did nothing to cool the warmth in her cheeks. “Careful. You should rest; that thing put you through hell tonight. Do you reside around here?”
Laine carefully detangled herself from the man, then hugged herself, suddenly cold in her frilly evening dress.
“I… well, my father’s estate is back there,” she pointed south, where the werewolf had chased her from. “I stepped out for fresh air, then strolled into the forest for a while. That’s when I heard that… God, that thing. I ran all the way here.” He nodded, looking apologetic.
“I see. You know, these woods are no place for such a well-dressed girl at this time of night. Dangerous things.”
Laine didn’t quite like the menacing undertone of his words, nor the grim look that fell over his features. But clearly, he was right.
“Had I known, I probably wouldn’t have gone out alone. We moved in not too long ago, so I’m unfamiliar with this area. And the…things that inhabit it. You called that creature a werewolf, no?”
Jeremy of Wadsworth Manor nodded, looking off to the side. “Yes, they’re unfortunately rather common around here. Men that are partially mutated into wolves. But they only come out on full moons. They leave at the first light of dawn, to God knows where, and the cycle repeats. I first encountered one when my brother and I moved here last year. Our manor is just up there, actually.” He pointed north, and when Laine looked past the thick trees, she could vaguely see an estate in the distance. She realized she didn’t have much of a choice but to ask if she could seek shelter with him. Goddamn this forest, goddamn everything.
“Right. Well, um, do you think I might be able to… well, God, it’s embarrassing for me to even ask–”
“You can stop right there. Of course you can stay the night. It’s not safe for you to walk home, not with those damnable werewolves stalking around. Yes, there are several.” Laine visibly shivered at the thought of more of those things lurking around the woods. Just where the hell had her father moved them to? “The estate isn’t far from here. There are plenty of guest bedrooms; it would be no hassle for us at all. But we should get going now, before something else finds us here.”
Laine swallowed and quickly nodded. Jeremy of Wadsworth Manor started walking, and she wasted no time keeping pace with him, hugging herself against the autumn chill. She walked perhaps a bit closer to him than necessary, both due to the cold and her rightful terror. She couldn’t feel any body heat from him, but she chalked that up to him simply being cold as well.
“I’m not sure how I can repay you for this, Sir. Jeremy–”
“Oh, please, just Jeremy, sweetheart. I’m no ‘sir’ just because I own an old house.” He smiled at her, and Laine couldn’t help but smile back, suddenly distracted from the menacing quiet around her. She wasn’t sure how old he was, but he seemed young to own an estate. He was certainly the most gorgeous estate-owner she knew. “And no need to repay me. Anyone would do the same.”
“Hm. Most of the men I know would’ve run the other way, screaming like a little girl.”
Jeremy laughed a little with his mouth closed, then looked at her with an expression she could
detect as playful, even in the dark. “I doubt I’m like most of the men you know.” Laine could feel her cheeks heating once again. He certainly knew all the right things to say.
Laine didn’t say anything else, nor did Jeremy, for the next few minutes until they approached the cobblestoned pathway leading up to his estate. Which was huge, even bigger than her father’s. Not to mention, the pathway was gorgeous under the glow of the moon. There was a huge statue of a Grecian man (thankfully wearing robes) adorned in a leaf crown, holding a harp in one hand and a book in the other.
“Wow,” was all Laine could think to say. Jeremy laughed as they passed the statue.
“Apollo– the God of the arts. I had it sculpted as soon as we moved in. I actually helped make it, with a few other sculptors.” Laine raised an eyebrow, impressed.
“Really? Gosh, it must have taken ages. It’s so intricate.”
“Ages is accurate. But I enjoyed it. I’m very passionate about the arts. Sculpting, painting, song– all of it. Come, you must be freezing.” He quickly ushered her over to the large wooden door and knocked.
After a couple of minutes spent listening to cicadas and crickets chirping, the door creaked partially open, revealing a man. He stood with his arms crossed, looking at Laine a little suspiciously. He looked younger than Jeremy– probably closer to her age– though he was just as pale and gorgeous as his brother. His dark hair was straightened, with his bangs slicked down perfectly against his forehead. And similar to Jeremy’s, his eyes seemed to glow. Laine gave him a smile, which he didn’t return. Instead, he looked over to Jeremy with a frown.
Jeremy motioned for his brother to open the door all the way– which he did silently- now staring at Laine again. By now, she was uncomfortable.
“Micky. This is… sorry, I never got your name?”
“Oh, that’s my fault. Elaine Ford, but everyone calls me Laine.”
“Beautiful name for a beautiful girl. Poetic.” Laine gave him a bashful smile and muttered a “thank you” under her breath, quickly looking away from Jeremy before she burst from embarrassment. His brother, on the other hand, still had a completely disinterested look on his face.
Jeremy looked at Micky for a second, the way Laine’s father looked at her whenever he wanted to silently scold her. Micky didn’t budge.
“You know, you could introduce yourself to our guest. Like a host should. She’s been through a lot tonight– terrorized by one of those werewolves. Be polite.” Micky just blinked at him for a moment before turning to Laine with a sigh.
“I’m Micky. Sorry that happened to you. Can I go back to my room?” Jeremy sighed and waved Micky off, who wasted no time leaving to ascend the winding staircase. Jeremy gave Laine an apologetic smile, placing a cold hand on her shoulder blade.
“Don’t mind him. He’s moody.” He began to direct her down a long hallway, conceivably where the guest room was.
“Oh, it’s quite alright, my little sister is similar. Younger siblings, right?” Jeremy nodded, smiling.
The hallway was dimly lit with few lamps, and the sheer length of it didn’t make Laine feel any less unnerved. How big was this place? “Your estate is beautiful, I must say. Did your parents pass it down to you?”
Jeremy nodded, taking his hand off her shoulder and shoving it into his jacket pocket.
“Something like that. I’m mostly fond of the decorations, since I chose most of them. Are you hungry?” Laine noticed his subtle evading of her question. Maybe it was a touchy subject for him. She shook her head no.
“My father was having a dinner party when I left; I ate plenty. And I certainly don’t have any appetite after… that episode in the woods.” Jeremy nodded, an understanding smile on his face.
“I’ll never forget that first time I encountered one. I’d never seen anything quite like it before— I thought it was just an extremely hairy man at first, hah! Until it bared its teeth. I’m just grateful Micky was there with his silver knife. I make sure not to roam the woods on full moons now. Except for tonight, of course– I foolishly thought it might be safe enough to take a short walk. How wrong I was.”
“Well, I’m certainly glad you did, or else I’d have made a nice midnight snack for that thing.” Both she and Jeremy laughed at that, even though she hadn’t been joking. Eventually, Jeremy stopped at one of the doors at the very end of the hallway.
“Here, you can stay in this guest room.” He opened the door for her, and Laine took in the cozy exterior of the room. A nice-sized bed, a lounging chair, and, thank God, a fireplace. She was still freezing. “I’ll let you rest now. But if you need anything, I’ll probably be awake in my room painting for a while. It’s upstairs, 2nd door on the left.” Laine nodded, smiling.
“Thank you again for this, Jeremy. I wish I could repay you somehow. This is much too kind of you.”
“Nonsense. Guests are always welcome here, especially if they were nearly mauled. Go on, head to sleep.” Jeremy squeezed her shoulder, and she had to fight the urge to shiver. Good God, were his hands always that cold? Regardless, Laine smiled and uttered another “thank you” before walking into the room.
“Have a nice night, Laine.” Jeremy closed the door behind her, the wood creaking loudly. Laine sighed and leaned back against the door. The last 20 minutes had been the most eventful and most frightening in all her 19 years– all because she left her father’s stupid dinner party. God.
With a sigh, she untied and kicked off her shoes, then sat on the bed. The mattress was thankfully cushy, and the sheets were soft silk. Maybe there was hope for her getting an ounce of sleep. She lay back on the bed and closed her eyes for a few seconds, breathing in deeply.
At once, images of the werewolf closing in on her flashed through her mind. The smell of blood and saliva on its breath, just a few feet behind her. Its claws digging into the ground, scattering leaves in its wake. Her quick breaths, curls sticking to her damp face–
“Shit.” Laine sat up in the bed, staring at the blank wall across from her. Okay. So it wouldn’t be that easy. Good thing she was always up for a challenge.
After another 30 minutes of trying in vain to get comfortable and will herself to sleep, Laine had nearly abandoned the idea entirely. Every time she closed her eyes, the memories of those painstaking minutes she spent running for her life made her jolt upwards. Sleep just wasn’t going to happen– not without some kind of herbal tea. Preferably, lavender.
The thought of lavender tea, oddly enough, was how she ended up hiding behind a corner, listening in on a conversation between Jeremy and his brother.
Now, Laine wasn’t usually one for eavesdropping, especially on a very kind man who had been self-effacing enough to allow her in his home for the night. But when she happened to hear the words “girl” and “dungeon” in the same sentence, right as she was about to make her way to the kitchen…
Well, she figured eavesdropping might not be the worst idea in the world.
Pressed against the wall adjacent to where Jeremy and Micky stood, having some kind of argument in hushed voices, Laine was growing more and more disturbed by what little of the conversation she could make out.
“...can’t keep doing this… not fucking right!”
“We don’t have a choice,” Jeremy snapped, his voice a little louder. Now, Laine could fully hear him. She swallowed silently as he continued, “How else do you expect us to stay alive? Forest animals and the occasional rat aren’t enough for us, you should know that by now. We need this.”
Laine’s eyes widened. Stay alive? Rats? What in the name of God…
“No one needs to keep innocent girls locked up!. I know we have to feed, I fucking know it, okay? But this has gotten out of hand. Way out of hand.” Micky’s voice had grown just loud enough for Laine to make out every word. Her heart practically dropped into her stomach.
What the hell? Feed? Innocent girls? Locked up? It couldn’t be… they couldn’t be those undead creatures she read about as a child, the ones that fed off of human blood… could they? No, no, those things didn’t exist. Don’t exist, Laine told herself. They’re just stories…
“I’m doing what I have to do for us. You don’t have to like it, but I’m doing it for us. Go find Finn. Tell him to make room. Now.”
Laine held her breath as a silence fell over the brothers. No. No…
Micky grumbled something, then stomped off, seemingly obeying Jeremy’s orders. Whoever the hell Finn was, Laine didn’t want to find out. She needed to get out of here, fast. Never again would she trust a man walking through the woods at night. In her less scattered mind, it now occurred to her how suspicious it had been for Jeremy to be casually strolling through the forest at night, if he knew how dangerous it was on full moons.
Being undead explained why he and Micky were unnaturally pale. It explained how his hands were permanently cold. It explained why he had dodged talking about himself. It all made perfect sense, goddamn her!
Jeremy’s footsteps creaked against the wood in the opposite direction from her, heading towards the guest bedroom she had been in just 5 minutes ago.
What was he going to do when he realized she wasn’t there?
Laine wasn’t keen on sticking around to find out. She poked her head out behind the wall, waiting to make sure Jeremy had left. When she could see him stop at the door of the guest room and knock, that was her cue to dash out. As she quickly crept away from the wall and down the hallway, she thanked any God out there that she was smart enough to leave those goddamned heels in the room.
She got to the end of the hall and was faced with a choice– go up the stairs, or go left and down another long hallway. Though her gut had been betraying her all night, she trusted it once again and ran up the stairs as silently as she could. Once up, she scanned the dark hallway for anywhere to hide. A few doors here and there, a mantle that didn’t seem big enough for her to duck behind…
Realizing she had little time to consider her options, she crept down the hallway, mindful of those goddamned creaking floorboards. Jeremy had certainly figured out she was gone by now; it wouldn’t take him long to realize she was hiding somewhere in the mansion. She tried the first door on the right and muttered a curse at it being locked. She tried the door right across on the left– locked as well. It didn’t take her long to try every door in the godforsaken hallway and realize they were all locked. Just her luck. As she crept down to the end of the hallway, praying there was a place to hide in the connecting hallway, her blood practically froze over at the sound of someone whistling an oddly familiar tune. What was that melody?
She quickly realized it was the funeral march. He was whistling the funeral march, close enough for her to hear clearly.
Shit.
Laine practically sprinted down the connecting hallway, frantically trying each door. They were all locked.
“Laine? Lainey? You aren’t hiding from me, are you, sweetheart?”
Laine nearly froze at the sound of Jeremy’s eerily calm voice, echoing through the halls, accompanying his creaking steps up the stairs. Shit. Shit.
She had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep from whimpering. What could she do? Every goddamn door was–
Almost faster than she could comprehend, the door Laine stood next to opened, and a hand reached out to grab her arm. She gasped, immediately trying to pry the person’s hand off her arm. Whoever it was had an impressively strong grip, however, and was easily able to pull her into the room. The door shut behind her, and she was now face-to-face with a man, whom she was positive wasn’t undead due to the warmth of his clammy hand. He pressed a finger to his lips, still holding onto her wrist with a near-bruising grip. Laine did keep quiet, but continued to pry his hand off of her.
“I’m trying to help you,” the man mouthed. Despite herself, Laine stopped struggling. What did she really have left to lose at this point?
About the Author
Kene Wachuku is a freshman at Michigan State University, studying Political Science. She's been writing since middle school, and is fascinated by gothic horror, vampires, and other spooky stuff. Can you guess what her favorite month is?
Instagram: @kene.wachuku
Cover design made using Canva design tools.