I awoke screaming, fear and panic stuck in my chest like ice. I looked around, heart racing, only to find myself in my room. The silence was deafening.
What the hell is going on?! Was that a dream?!
My hands were freezing. I looked down—I had pissed myself. But I was in my pajamas.
A moment later, Mom and Dad burst into my room. Mom was holding a wrench, and Dad had his fists clenched, ready to throw down.
"Issac, what's wrong?! We heard you scream!"
"It seemed like a dream," I muttered. "I thought I had died… It felt so real. I don't even remember coming home."
The only thing I could remember was… that laugh. It sent a fresh shiver down my spine.
"I... uhh… sorry, Mom. Dad. J-Just a nightmare."
They both sighed in relief. Mom sat beside me on the bed.
"Son, it's been years since you've had a nightmare."
Maybe it was just a night terror. That would make sense. But no matter what I told myself to stay calm… it felt real. Unnaturally real.
I sighed. "t..thanks, guys I should get ready for school."
The entire morning, as I got dressed, brushed my hair, ate breakfast, my mind kept replaying the nightmare on an endless loop. I could still feel her grip around my neck. Her cackling echoed in my ears.
Then, as I was brushing my teeth, I saw it.
Scratches. On my neck.
Barely visible, but there. Definitely there.
"Mom? Mom?" I called out, heading downstairs.
She was trying to feed Unis some oatmeal. There were bits of it smeared across her face.
"Mom, do you see these marks on my neck?"
She looked up, squinting. "Oh yeah, I do. What did you do last night?"
Dad, scrolling through his phone on the couch, glanced up and smirked. "Hmm. Late night with Flynn, son?"
I blushed, rolling my eyes. "What?! No! Jeez, Dad!"
Mom chimed in, "Sweetie, if you are intimate with Flynn—"
"Mom, no. Please."
"It's important to understand the importance of protection."
"Oh God!" I groaned, covering my ears. "LALALALA! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"
Unis burst out laughing and did her best to mimic me. "BLALALALABAL!"
I groaned again. How did it come to this?
"Mom, I promise, Flynn and I are not intimate. We've only been dating for a week. All we've done is cuddle. We haven't even kissed yet!"
Dad's face twisted in confusion. "Shouldn't cuddling come after kissing?"
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "The point is, you don't have to worry about grandkids."
I looked away and muttered under my breath, "At least not right now…"
I cleared my throat. Mom sighed.
"I trust you," she said. "I'd like to think your father and I raised you right."
I checked my phone—crap, I was running late.
"I gotta go. Jack's supposed to be picking us up in his dad's car."
I kissed Mom and Unis on the forehead and gave Dad a quick hug before stepping outside.
I scrolled through my phone to distract myself, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't forget that dream… or whatever the hell it was. That feeling of dread clung to me like static in my chest.
Her yellow eyes.
They filled me with a fear so deep it felt like she was pouring death straight into my soul.
Her cackle still echoed in my ears.
Worst of all… her voice.
"Daydreaming about me, handsome?"
That voice. That voice made my body tremble. My eyes welled with tears.
I turned around. Slowly. So slowly.
And there she was.
The beast.
With her wicked smile.
She was no longer hairy and beastlike… but I could tell—she wasn't human.
"Now, why are you so scared?" she asked sweetly. "I only came to tell you good morning. You passed out on me last night, so I had to take you home myself. I have to say, I'm flattered."
She leaned in closer. Every movement she made felt like a predator getting ready to pounce.
"Out of all the men who've seen my true form," she said with a smirk, "you're the first—and only one—to piss himself."
She laughed.
That cackle.
That evil, bone-deep cackle scraped against my skull like nails on glass, trying to pry its way into my brain.
"W-What do you want from me?! MOM! DA—"
Inhumanly fast, she pressed a finger to my lips.
"Shhh... I only want to test your worth."
Her voice was calm now. Cold. Controlled.
"I admit, last night got a bit out of hand. But now that my head's clear, I'll do what I need to."
She smiled wider. "Now be a good boy—and go to school."
Then she shoved me backward.
I hit the gravel hard. My head slammed against it, and pain bloomed behind my eyes. My heart thundered in my chest. My brain swam with panic.
When I looked up—she was gone.
Gone again.
I staggered to my feet, eyes darting around the empty street.
Where did she go?!
HONK! HONK!
A deafening blast behind me made me jump and scream.
A black and red Dodge Charger screeched to a stop, its chrome rims glinting in the morning light, windows tinted to pitch.
The driver's side window rolled down.
It was Jack.
He grinned like an idiot. "Get in, bitch—we're going shopping!"
I looked around again, breath shallow.
Where did she go?
WHERE DID SHE GO?!
Daniel rolled down the window and stuck his head out. "Dude, get in—we're gonna be late!"
My legs were shaky, just like they'd been the night before. I didn't even notice when my body moved on its own, opening the back door and slipping inside.
"Check it out, man!" Jack grinned, gesturing proudly at the car's interior. "My dad finally caved! You're looking at my new ride! He got tired of me complaining about the bus."
He laughed. "And I don't even take the bus!"
Daniel reached for the radio, but Jack smacked his hand away.
"Touch my radio, and I will karate CHOP THE SHIT out of you."
Daniel slowly pulled his hand back in exaggerated defeat as we drove off.
I sat in a daze, barely hearing their banter. My thoughts spun.
Who was that girl? What's happening to me? I Tried to keep my feelings and thoughts grounded. taking in the small details around me. The hum of the engine. the smell of the leather seats, The sun shinning into the car. the pop song playing on the radio or the awful jokes Daniel's saying. But it wasn't working. Not one bit and I didn't even Notice when the car stopped to a halt.
"Issac?" Jack's voice broke through, concerned. He glanced at me in the rearview mirror. "You okay?"
Daniel turned around. "He looks pale."
He reached out and poked my forehead, snapping me out of the trance.
I blinked. "H...huh?"
They both stared at me, concern etched into their faces.
"Dude, you've been distant all morning," Jack said.
Daniel nodded. "You didn't even laugh at any of my jokes—funny or otherwise."
I cleared my throat, suddenly aware of how dry my mouth was. "Guys, I... I think—"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A loud pounding on the car window made my heart lurch into my throat.
"AHH! SHE'S HERE! DRIVE AWAY—DRIVE AWAY!!" I shrieked.
They stared at me in confusion as the door swung open.
Flynn stood there, one eyebrow raised.
"What the hell happened to you?"
My heart was pounding, trying to burst through my ribs.
"Flynn... I... I—"
I stepped out of the car, body trembling, still raw from everything that had happened.
Flynn's expression softened. She reached out, placing her hands gently on my shoulders.
"Hey, hey... are you okay?"
I couldn't even speak. Her touch grounded me just a little.
She glanced at Jack and narrowed her eyes. "Was Jack's driving that bad?"
She flashed him an angry glare.
Jack quickly raised his hands. "No! He was like that when we picked him up! I swear!"
Flynn turned back to me, her expression softening into one of deep concern. "Hey, baby? Babe, look at me."
She gently tilted my chin up. "Are you okay? What happened?"
I stared into her eyes, still shaken. "I... I was attacked."
Her expression immediately turned cold. "By who?"
"I don't know," I muttered. "But I think... I think she attacked me last night too. I don't really remember everything."
Jack and Daniel leaned in closer, tension rising.
"I... I think she was a werewolf. I saw her change, I swear I did."
Flynn closed her eyes and sighed. "Issac..."
"No, I saw her! She attacked me and pinned me down. She choked me! Look—you can still see the marks on my neck!"
I turned to show them the faint red scratches along my skin. Jack and Daniel exchanged a nervous glance.
Jack cleared his throat. "Hey... Flynn, how about taking him to the nurse's office? We need to, uh... do something."
Flynn nodded. "Come on."
She took my hand and led me through the buzzing hallways. Her fingers interlaced with mine, a comforting warmth amid the noise in my head.
"Werewolves, huh?" she muttered. "You've got a freaky imagination, Issac."
"I'm not lying," I said, my voice more desperate now. "She was a girl—and then she got angry when I rejected her and transformed."
That's when I saw it—Flynn's eyes flicked toward me, quick and sharp, before she looked away again and guided me up the stairs.
At the nurse's office, Flynn knocked once, then walked in. "Hey, nurse? My, uh... my boyfriend's having a panic attack." I rolled my eyes at her exageration
The nurse, a woman in her thirties with kind eyes and a bun of tightly coiled hair, looked up from her paperwork. Her name tag read: Amanda Applebottom.
She approached and began inspecting me. "Dilated pupils... shaky hands..." She frowned and leaned in. "Let me see—"
CLICK.
The intercom crackled to life. "Ms. Applebottom, please report to the front office. Ms. Applebottom, please report to the front office."
With a tired sigh, she turned back to us. "Please take a seat. I'll be back in a moment."
Before I could say anything, she slipped out the door.
Leaving me and Flynn alone, In a Dead silence.
I was worried. On edge. But at the same time... curious.
It was a strange comfort, really—there was this lingering question that had been nagging at me ever since we started dating. Maybe now was the time to ask it, to distract myself from everything else.
"You know," I began, breaking the silence, "we've only been dating for, like, a week now."
Flynn looked at me, tilting her head. "Yeah?"
I hesitated. "Why do you want to date me? I mean... I'm grateful you like me back, really. But why? We barely even talked before—"
"No," she cut in sharply.
She looked at me with a strange intensity.
"We... knew each other once," she said. "We were friends. At one point, you were the dominant one. Dragging me around. Sticking up for me."
She sat down beside me, her eyes fixed on the floor. Her voice was hollow, yet filled with a heavy kind of nostalgia. A longing.
I blinked, confused. "A... Are you sure? I think I would've remembered us hanging out."
She sighed and leaned back in her chair, now staring up at the ceiling. "But you don't. You forgot."
RING! RING! RING!
The tardy bell blared through the room. Flynn groaned. "Crap, I'm gonna be late."
She leaned in and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you later."
And with that, she rushed out, leaving me alone.
We hung out before? When? How?
And why don't I remember?
If she remembers so much, why don't I?
I groaned and rubbed my forehead. So much had happened this morning... way too much.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
A soft, repetitive tapping pulls me back from my spiraling thoughts.
I glance around. Nothing.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
It's coming from the window.
But... we're on the second floor.
My pulse quickens. A cold sweat breaks across my back.
"No," I whisper. "Stop being paranoid. There's no way she could be up here."
Still, I move—slow, hesitant steps toward the window. Each tap grows louder.
TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP.
Just as I reach the glass, the tapping stops.
Silence.
No birds. No hallway chatter. Just the high-pitched ringing in my ears.
Then—
"Peekaboo!"
Her head snaps up from below the window frame.
It's her.
She grins at me with sharp teeth and sharper eyes. "I told you, handsome. I'm here to test your worth." She blows a kiss, winks. "Mind the glass."
Before I can react, her fist smashes through the window. Glass rains down like glittering knives. I stumble back and hit the floor hard.
I brace for the worst—for her to leap through and finish what she started.
But… nothing.
When I look again, she's gone.
Gone, just like before.
I lie there, heart thundering, eyes wet, trembling like a leaf in a storm.
Why is she doing this?! What does she want from me?!
The door slams open. A teacher from the room next door stares in horror.
"What the hell did you do!?" he barks. "Get your ass to the office!"
"No—wait—I didn't—"
His face darkens, turning red. "TO THE OFFICE!"
My legs shake as I stand. Blood dots my arms. I walk out, barely holding it together.
The hallway is already buzzing. Heads peek from classrooms.
Megan, from the debate team, points. "Look, he pissed himself!"
Laughter erupts. Hooting. Phones click and flash. Some film, others jeer.
But I don't care.
Because I know I didn't break that window.
And now I know for sure:
I'm being stalked by a monster.