Hair, Greg - Werewolf 01 by Werewolf (v5.0) Read Free Book Online

leg, resulting in a deep moan from the object of its curiosity.
    In the distance, sirens wailed, coming fast. The beast stood and, giving one last glance at the woman, turned, moving with incredible speed into the park, darting over the open areas until it disappeared in a thick gathering of trees.
    Landon did his best to remain out of sight, ducking in and out of the shadows, moving quickly enough behind passing cars that the drivers convinced themselves that what they saw in the rearview mirror was their imagination. There wasn’t a bear on the loose, though that’s what their minds saw. It never occurred to any of them that it was actually a werewolf.
    As the night wore on, he wondered if he was doomed to remain in his present form for the rest of his life. He didn’t know how, or even if, he could change back. He wondered why he was like this in the first place. Was he being punished? Was it karma for a misdeed in a past life? Suddenly he realized that he was actually thinking . He was thinking as Landon, and he was self-aware. Then his thoughts turned to something else—hunger. The feeling in his stomach was mild at first, but grew more painful with each passing minute. Oh, God , he thought. What do I eat like this? Do I eat people? Can I keep from eating someone? Am I a cannibal now? The questions ceased as the pain became too unbearable. Nature took over.
    In the distance, just beyond the present tree line, a young couple jogged on the road. He picked up on their scent and moved in for a closer look. The scent of their breath, their perspiration, and the sound of their rapidly beating hearts—he picked up all of it. Their bodies glowed in the night. He didn’t want to attack innocent people, but he also knew that he was running out of time, and had to eat. Soon.
    Then luck stepped in. Moving quickly through the brush behind him was an animal. He wasn’t sure what kind yet, but he could smell that it wasn’t human. He kept his body still and turned his head slowly, following the sound of trampled leaves. A deer. He’d never before seen a deer in Cherokee Park, but there was one here now. Suddenly, the deer stopped, having caught the scent of the beast. Landon didn’t hesitate. The young joggers stopped for a moment when they heard what sounded like large trees limbs falling to the ground. Then they sprinted off when a low growl hit their ears.
    Deer had never tasted so good. Actually, Landon had never tasted venison before that night, and having cleaned most of the carcass, he moved deeper into the woods and crouched down, tired. He thought about his mother and what she would think of him if she could see the monster he became. He thought about what he looked like when he was human—his red hair and pale skin. About what he sounded like when he talked, how he walked on human legs, how he ate with human hands.
    Then it happened—again. The pain came immediately. The shifting and shrinking of bones and flesh followed. It felt like an enormous pressure pushing down on his body. He had difficulty breathing and felt like he was sinking. His lungs had the sensation of taking on water. The closest description he had to describe the transformation back to human form was drowning.
    Within a couple of minutes, it was over, and he lay there in the woods, naked, breathing like he couldn’t get an adequate supply of air quickly enough. He vomited as his human body reeled from its sudden transformation and rejected what Landon had consumed that night. He was exhausted, but knew he couldn’t stay there. The dawn was beginning to emerge, and he was able to find his way back to the clearing where he first changed. His clothes, or what was left of them, were scattered over the area. He knew his apartment was nearby and managed to make it home without being seen. The morning news told of the attack on the red-haired girl in the park, but made no mention of her rescuer.
    “You can choose to do what you want with what you’ve