Outskirts
It was almost time, I could feel my ears sliding towards the top of my head, my nose becoming elongated, and my hands becoming wide and furry. The moon was not out that night so it took several minutes for me to completely change into a werewolf. Had the moon been full I might have been able to change in one or two minutes, but time was not a major concern that night. I proceeded, being as quiet as possible, the only sound that could be heard was the snapping of twigs as my large feet came down upon the floor of the forest. I soon reached the end of the forest and came to the site of my next raid. There was a narrow dirt road, to my right I could see the outskirts of the city from which I had come from, and to my left the road ended at a large building. I smelled the cool night air, it was devoid of any human scent, I walked down the road toward the building. As I got closer my night vision told me that the building was a mess, it was run down and looked as if it might topple at the earliest sign of foul weather, several cars were parked outside that were in various states of disassembly. It had two large garage doors facing the road, one of them had a bright light casting out of its window. I walked up to the door and peered inside, there were three mechanics inside, just as I had planned.

I rolled the door up and strolled inside, two of the mechanics saw me . Like many people I run into they had no idea what to make of me, they (like everyone else by then) had heard of the monster that prowled the city streets at night and killed so many of the cites vagrants. They just stood and looked at me with a "what the hell" look on their oil coated faces. The third mechanic was under a shiny new car (the only thing in the whole place that didn't smell of grease) pounding away on some stubborn car part, he never even heard me come in. I walked over to the new car, it was supported by hydraulic jack. I grabbed the handle of the car jack and gave it a quick twist that released the hydraulic pressure. The car instantly fell, the hammering noise stopped. I pulled the handle out of the hydraulic section of the jack, I raised it above my head like a lumberjack getting ready to split a log. The jack handle was a good weapon, it was three feet long, solid steel, and had a rubber grip on the end which allowed me to grasp with more leverage. I brought the heavy steel rod down on the second mechanic's head, his skull provided little resistance to the handles path of motion. By now the third mechanic had snapped out of his trance and had seen enough to know what my intentions were, he began to run for the back door. I dropped the jack handle and reached into the inner pocket of my leather jacket. I drew out my Colt S.S.A, I mainly used it for self defense (claws and teeth are no match for a machine gun), but today I simply used it to make things easier. I fired one shot, it struck the mechanic in the small of his back. His lifeless body smacked against the door at back of the garage and fell backward to the concrete floor, he was a mere two feet from his only way out. This was a night like any other, however, I soon would wish I had decided to go hunting instead.

Purpose
I was only fourteen years old when my parents told me I was a monster. It was the last thing my dad said to me before he died. To me and everyone else in the little Midwestern town that we lived in at the time, he was a normal man who was in his late 50s who had died of heart frailer, and in his last hours told his son he was a wolf out of insanity. What I later found out through my Mom was that he was indeed a werewolf, he was almost 300 years old and had simply died of old age. I didn't believe her at first, but after I saw her change into werewolf one night, after I saw her hands became furry and clawed in front of my own eyes I needed no further convincing. Later that same night I also began to believe in my own Lycanthropy, I began to feel the wolf inside me, in a few days I also to began to transform when the moon was full, just like my mother. My mother was almost 290 and didn't look any older then a human in their 40s. When a werewolf dies of age it comes swift and quick, they didn't slow down until the day before the end, which usually came around the 300 year mark (that's one of the reasons many believe werewolves are immortal). My mom was not as fortunate as my Dad, she died two days before her 295 birthday.

I could never get used to being a werewolf. We could never settle down anyplace and lead a normal life. We always had to be on the move, people would get suspicious when my parents never aged, or when they would find giant paw prints on their property (we never were able to erase them all). When people did find out about us, it often lead to me being woken up at night in order to run from the police, or worse maniac with a gun. Things got even less tolerable after my parents died. I was nearly 45 years old, but still had the face of a teenager no one wanted to hire me to work. When their were three people working part time jobs we could afford decent accommodations, but when it was just me I soon ended up sleeping in old barns and chicken coops, I hated it. For about a year I drifted around the Midwest, I worked at any place that would hire me. To keep from starving sometimes I turned into a werewolf at night and hunted, rabbits, birds, whatever I could get my paws on (my hunting skills were not yet as sharp as an adult werewolf). However, soon none would let me work for them, I was always tired after hunting all night, and my clothes became tattered and worn after running though the brush for hours on end.

Somehow I ended up in Chicago Illinois, I hadn't ever been in a big city before and decided to try my luck, anything was better than were I was at. I prowled the streets for hours trying to decide what to do or were to go. I soon found myself in the bad part of town (I didn't know it was the bad part of town at the time, but soon would). I heard a scream come from an alleyway. I turned the corner to find a woman being carried away by two thugs in motorcycle leathers. The woman didn't stand a chance, they could rob, rape, or kill her and she could do little more than scream. I became enraged, these were the kind of people that made my life so miserable, the people that turned the police on my family, the people that prevented me from living comfortably, the people that took advantage of the weak. My mind began to run on instinct alone, the bikers turned and saw me. This was the first time (but not the last) that I saw a human stare at me in total fear. I walked to within arms reach of them, and they both fell like corn stalks during summer harvest. The woman was now free, she looked at me, not in fear but in amazement. It was then that I realized what had happened. In a matter of seconds I had turned into a werewolf, killed the bikers, and changed back almost with knowing it. I helped the woman to her feet, she tried to thank me but could not. She began to realize that she had not imagined the tall furry monster that had saved her, the simple words of thanks would not come from her now fear filled lips. She looked at me for awhile and then ran off into the night. I turned my attention to the bikers. I took one of the jackets the bikers wore (the jacket that had escaped my claws). It had an eagle on the back with its talons outstretched and its wings spread across the sleeves, it was a few sizes too large for my human skin but, as a werewolf it fit me perfectly. The other biker had a knife, a large roll of money, and a gun. The gun had "Colt S.S.A" engraved on the barrel, it was a single action revolver ( looked like what a cowboy might carry). I took the knife and shaved the handle down I also removed the removed the trigger guard so that I could fire it with my huge werewolf paws. The trusty weapon would save my life many times when paws and teeth would not suffice.

I finally had a purpose in life. I would prowl the mean streets at night and kill the vagrants that harmed the honest people in the city. It was then that I discovered (and mastered) the advantages of being a werewolf, I was no longer limited by the moon, or even the sun. The moon now only aided in the transformation. When I was a werewolf my senses were many times more powerful than a humans, I could see in the dark, smell a person many yards away, and hear the hammer of a gun click in a crowded night club, I had the strength, agility, and stamina that few humans could match. I also had the ability to heal quickly. As long as I remained a werewolf, knife cuts and bullet scratches that may have killed me as a human healed in a few days.

Most important to me however, I was finally enjoying myself. It was not the killing I enjoyed, but the action, being the last man standing in a bar fight, or being shot at was pure excitement. It sure was better then the drifter life I had lead for many years, were excitement was finding a $20.00 bill on the side of a country road. I never had to worry about money anymore, the vagrants that sold chemicals often had huge amounts of cash on them. I was a hunter, I hunted, I was content. Something as simple as a purpose in life had made all the difference in the world.

I was relaxing in a hotel watching the television one night when the local news came on. The top story was about how a young couple had been killed during a carjacking. I immediately recognized the suspects as three brothers that I had run into a week before, the Marx brothers. They had been running an auto chop shop since I got into town. They stole cars, took them apart and sold the parts to the less than honest auto dealers in the area. Until now they had never hurt anyone so I left them alone, I had larger targets to shoot for (and I never liked cars anyway). The police were looking in all the wrong places, I would not let them get away with killing people for a car. Killing to survive was one thing but killing people to steal a machine was unacceptable. I knew were they were set up, on the outskirts of the city in an old building that used to be a garage. There was a woods there with deer in it, and I often hunted there (my hunting skills improved when my worries were lifted from my back). That night I decided to pay the Marx a visit, I should have stayed in that nice hotel bed, it would be weeks before Id see another soft place to sleep on.

Twisted Metal
I reached into my pockets and pulled out some empty 9mm shell casings that I had picked up at my last hunting trip. I scattered a few of them at the entrance to the garage and left, sooner or later the police would come, and look someone that was totally different then me. I knew the police meant well, but the few run ins I had with them were less then pleasant. Telling the police you were a werewolf was not a good way to explain blood stains on the sidewalk leading to your house. More than one time I had to run from the police in order to escape jail, or a mental institute. Now, the police would look for a man with a muscular physique, a 9mm handgun, and a large dog (I had no shoes on). The police were something to avoid when you did what I did.

I began to leave the garage, I had scarcely walked ten feet from the entrance when I was blinded by the headlights from one of the parked cars. My eyes had adjusted to the dark night, the cars lights did a thorough job of blinding me. In a few seconds the lights wheat out, when I regained my night vision a few moments later, I didn't like what I saw. Seven or eight thugs were circling me, each had a weapon in his hands. I raised my paws above my head and cursed the junk cars (the heavy gas and oil vapors prevented me from detecting the men with my nose), the men slowly came closer and closer to me. I wanted to attack, but eight to one was not a good bet, even for me. Suddenly someone jumped on my back and began to choke me with a baseball bat, I soon had my teeth clamped on the bat, digging them into the wood. I wanted to cut him down like I had done to so many thugs that had the guts to attack me. But I could not, two pairs of hands grabbed my wrists and held them to my back, while a set of arms bound my knees together, someone kicked me in the stomach. I began to struggle wildly, growling and twisting with all my might, I was very strong, but there were too many hands. I looked up just in time to see a mallet come down upon my head, my vision blurred and threaten to give out. My body would no longer listen to my commands and I felt myself being dragged across the dirt parking lot. The many sets of hands let go of me, but I could still feel movement.

Little by little my vision returned as well as my mobility. I realized I was in the back seat of a car, I put my paw to my head (which was just beginning to ache). When I removed it there was a small amount of thick dark red blood on it, my own blood. Their were two men riding in the front seat. Riding with me in the back seat of the car was one of the thugs, armed with a birdgun that had the barrels cut down. He saw that I was moving and promptly aimed the weapon at my head, he said nothing, the two barrels stared at me like the infinity sign. The head wound would be gone the next day, but if that gun spoke, I was dead. I didn't know were I was being taken or why, I just knew that I was on the wrong end of a birdgun and wanted out. My senses were with me again, I began to probe and search the car for a way out, no ideas came to mind. A few moments passed and I noticed another car had pulled behind us and began to pass. I had an idea, as the car pulled up alongside I looked out the window at the driver (an elderly woman). I opened my mouth and let my tough roll out showing all of my pointed teeth, I opened my eyes wide so that they would catch and reflect the light from the cars headlights. My eyes met the woman's, like so many others she froze in terror, the car began to cross into our lane. The autos collided, the old woman spun to the left while the car I rode in spun to the right and off the road. The rear of my car rose as the roadway disappeared from under the front wheels. I dug my claws into the cushioned seats of the car. The nose of the car struck something and the headlights went out, we were riding in total darkness. The car did not yet stop, suddenly the bumpy ride became smooth and quiet, the car was airborne. I can remember thinking "this is really gonna hurt" while the car drifted silently, the thug next to me fired his birdgun, my vision instantly left me and my thoughts soon after.

Red Rain
My hearing came back to me first, their wasn't much to hear ether, just an occasional tap, tap. I had no idea how long I had been their, seconds, hours, days? I wanted to move, to open my eyes, to shout for help, but I could not, just tap, tap ,tap. I began to remember what had happened, the garage, the thugs, and the wild ride in the back seat of a car that ended so abruptly with a gun blast.

My sight came back to me, I was still in the car, lying on the roof. The seatbelt hanging in front of my nose told me that the car had come to a rest upside down. One of the thugs was gone, but the other two were still in the car, they were both in the back seat however, one was slumped over my motionless body.

The feeling slowly ran back into my body, I was free again. I tried to move my left arm, a quick shot of pain told me that something was wrong there and I did not try again. My right arm still worked, I pulled the thug off me, his lifeless body was cold. I sat up in the car, I pulled myself to one of the doors, it (like the rest of the car) was twisted and squashed. The glass had broken out, which was good, one look told me that it was obvious that the door would never open again. As I crawled out of the jagged door the sun shined down on my eyes, it had been quiet a few hours since I had been dragged into that car. The car had launched off the road, and fallen down a steep ravine and struck two small trees, before it came to a rest on its roof, it was now only a heap of twisted metal. The taping noise was fuel leaking onto a rock that was just beneath the rear of the car which now was suspended in the air. The gun shot intended for my head had shattered the rear window of the car and ripped a large hole in one of the trees near the dead car. I then turned my attention to my left arm, a jagged chunk of metal was stuck into my shoulder, I had cuts up and down my body from the broken glass and metal, and my red fur (I'm a red wolf) was splattered with blood, most of which (thankfully) was not my own.

I stood up and slowly pulled the metal out of my shoulder, a soft moan escaped my lips. Sooner or later someone would see the ruined car and come looking, I had to get away and hide until dark, walking around in broad daylight as a werewolf was sheer suicide. A large grassy field lay ahead, off in the distance I could see a small wooded area, a perfect spot to rest during the day. I began to walk toward the woods when I noticed some movement in the grass just behind me. I whirled around, it was the thug that had sat beside me in the car. His clothes were torn and stained with blood, he must have been thrown from the car as it tumbled down the ravine. He slowly began to pick himself up, he had been busted up but somehow managed to stand. He still had his birdgun with him, he raised it up until it pointed right at me, and pulled the trigger. My heart skipped a beat, I had both my ears trained on the weapon, even though it only made a soft click it sounded as loud as a gunshot to me. I still had my gun, unlike his it still had some shots left in it. I pulled it out of my jacket, eased back the hammer and pulled the trigger. The bullet struck the man in the neck, continued on its path and struck the mangled car, which then burst into flames. I cursed my luck and turned to the woods, the fire would draw attention, the last thing I needed.

It seemed to take ages for me to reach the woods. I had only waded into the trees a few yards when I came to a small pond. Without even removing my clothes I wadded into the cool water. The fresh water washed much of the blood from my fur and clothes, it soothed my shoulder and gave me strength. The mud felt good on my paws which had many small cuts from walking through broken glass. I swam to the other end of the pond and relaxed on the narrow beach. I inhaled the cool air that flowed through the forest, I could have stayed at that pond for days. However the cool forest air was soon polluted with an order, the order humans. I only had to inhale twice more to realize that the scent was getting more powerful, closer. I quickly ran behind one of the large trees that surrounded the pond. Two men popped out into my sight, they both had guns. One knelt and examined one of my paw prints in the muddy soil that surrounded the pond. He then waved to the trees, more men began to appear from the green leaves, many more, all with rifles. Fear filled my chest, it choked me like a base ball bat did only a few hours before. I had never been afraid of men before, when I was a drifter I was often filled with desperation but never fear, and now fear was choking me. I was being hunted, it was as if the prey had revolted and now were after the hunter, me. I didn't move so as not to be detected by the hunters who began to circle the pond looking for my exiting tracks. It began to rain, softly and slowly. This was good, it put out the fire I had inadvertently set, and allowed me to escape from my pursuers. I had never liked the rain however, from that day forward I never cursed the rain again.

I knew plenty about tracking animals down, but I had no idea how to escape. The rain was coming down harder, the sandy soil that I ran through was getting soaked and becoming mud, soon my footprints would easy to follow for miles. My ears alerted me to some movement in the trees just up ahead. I hid behind a group of birch trees, one of the hunters came out from behind one of the pine trees that was only 20 feet or so away. He must not have been as experienced as those who were behind me, he didn't see my tracks or feel my presence. He began to walk toward the great birches that hid me, I knew I had to get by him, I knew of only one way. I had to be as quiet as possible, the other hunters had to be right behind me now, any noise would draw them closer to me, and a scream would surely pinpoint my location. I took a deep breath, he was nearly to the tree and hadn't any idea I was there. He had taken only two steps past the tree when I attacked him. My arm still hurt from the car wreck but my feet had claws on them as well, they were just as long as those on my paws. I pivoted on my left foot, kicked my right leg, and slashed him across the throat with my right foot, he made no scream. I continued on, more cautious this time, their were hunters all around, they had surrounded the wooded area in only a few minutes and were working their way toward the center. Soon they would find their dead companion, one look at his throat would tell them how I had managed to slip by. The trees ended abruptly, there was nothing but farm fields for miles. The fields had not yet been planted, their was no place to hide, the desolation was only interrupted by a lone car sitting on a narrow stretch of dirt road. I made my way to the car, the engine was still running but none was inside. As I got closer I saw a lone human out in one of the farm fields (marking his territory), I saw a way out. I slowly and quietly moved to the rear of the car. I jammed my thumb claw into the trunk lock and gave it a good twist. With a small "thunk" the lock broke and the trunk popped open. I crawled inside, (it was a rather large car so the trunk had ample space for my largish body) and closed the trunk lid. Within a few minutes I heard one of the car doors open, and close, the car began to move. I opened the trunk lid just enough to peer out, there was nothing, just endless farm fields that were only interrupted by the occasional house or barn. The wind was now holding the lid shut so I didn't have to hold it down any longer. Their was a blanket in the trunk, I rolled it up, placed it under my head, and soon fell asleep.

Batavia
I was awoke abruptly, the driver had turned on the radio and the trunk of the car was filled with music as well as the passenger area.

It was a slow beat, "I lit the match, I lit the match, I saw another monster turn to ash. I felt the burning lifting from my back. Do you recognize a nervous twitch, that exposes the weaken of your myth? When you turn comes round' and the light goes on, and you feel your distraction again. Then your instinct can't be wrong!" It was a good song, I never was much for music, but this particular song sounded good enough.

I peered out the trunk again, the sun was going down and the landscape was getting dark. This time however, the land had houses stacked one after another, instead of the empty farm fields that I had seen the last time. The car slowed to a stop, both the radio and engine fell silent, I quickly closed the trunk again. I heard the door open, followed by footsteps that slowly became more and more distant. I cracked the trunk open and inhaled deeply. The air was devoid of human scent but their was another smell, a more powerful one, alcohol. I quietly crawled out of the trunk. The car was parked between two other autos in front of a large wooden building. The building was a bar, a small electric sign flickered by the front widow read "The Pub". I worked my way to the side of the bar, making sure none saw me. Their was an old bus permanently parked behind the bar. I opened the rusty door and jumped inside. I stayed inside the bus until the moon came up, and all the houses went dark. I was not back in Chicago as I had hoped. I only walked about a mile before the houses ended and the vacant farm fields began ounce again. Their was a sign at the edge of town that told me the place was called Batavia. Calling it a town was an exaggeration, it was only a few houses, a bar, and a road sign, the kind a place that people even didn't bother to put on the road maps. I had two options, I could make it as far as I could on my paws, or I could wait till mourning and try to hitch a ride with one of the locals, I choose option number two. I was hungry and knew I would not make it far on the sandy dirt roads. I made my way back to the bus. I looked into one of the mirrors that hung off the side of the bus, most of my cuts had healed up. My arm was sore and stiff, but it was usable again. I had healed up quiet a bit, but I still looked like a mess. I began to lick the blood off my arm, if I was going to get any help from these people I had to look as good as I could.

Night passed and the sun came up, I slowly crept back into my human skin. My arm felt sore all over again, the wound was now on a body much smaller then before. My own arms and legs felt foreign to me, I had been a wolf much longer than I ever had before. I walked into the main area of town. People were going about their normal duties, they all stopped to ponder me as I walked by.

"What the HELL happened to you ?" cried out a voice from behind me. It startled me, I was still getting used to my human ears ounce again. A large bodied figure came up to me and looked at me like I was a new type of life-form, he spoke with a thin English accent.

"Its a...long story," was all I managed to say.

"Lets see, no shoes, torn clothes, dirty hair, and a jacket that looks like it should be on someone twice your size," he paused and smiled to himself. "That's a story that I'd like to hear," he looked at me with a set of disarming brown eyes, he looked to be about my age (In human years), he had an portly face with large cheeks and wore a grey hat on his head that had seen better days.

"Look, I'm lookin' for a ride to Chicago, do you know anyone that can help me?"

"No, lookin like you are now you will be lucky if you don't get shot before the end of the day, their is more guns per person in this town than all the big cities combined," he began to walk toward a small house, I followed. He walked up the steps and opened the door, he motioned for me to follow.

"Here, take a bloody bath and put these on," he handed me a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

"They'll still be too big for you but you'll look a little more presentable," he pointed me to a shower that was just inside the little house.

"Uh...thanks, do you always invite total strangers into your house like this?" I didn't know what else to say.

"No, but I am a good judge of people, its a blessing, and I suspect this is the only way I'll get that long story out of you," ounce again his eyes disarmed me, their was something strange about those eyes, they looked sad, even though his face was all smiles. I hopped into the shower, I washed all the blood off my body and I cleaned my jacket as well. I put on the clothes the kind stranger had given me, they were baggy, but they did look a lot better then my previous rags. I came out of the shower, the man was sitting on a rickety old chair in the next room reading a book.

"Thanks again sir..I feel much better," he set his book down on an old night stand (the only other piece a furniture in the whole room).

"Matt," he said.

"Wha....," I began, but was cut off.

"None calls me sir, no reason to," he made his way to a door near the back of the room.

"So are you going to tell me your name or do I get to guess?" I followed him into the other room, it was a small kitchen.

"Rufus, that's my name," it sounded funny to say my own name, I had not used it for an entire year.

"Rufus, eh?," he turned and looked at me. "do you have a last name to go with that?"

"I..ah don't like to use it," his eyes were looking deep and long at me.

"Well then I guess its Matt and Rufus forever," he was still looking at me. No, not looking me starring at me, it was getting downright uncomfortable. It was as if he was looking through me, not at me. This went on for a few more moments, when I could stand it no longer I finally spoke up.

"Is something wrong?" the words rolled out slowly.

"Oh no, not at all just taking your order."

"My order...?"

"Yes, I'm going to make us lunch," he finally turned and began to produce various food dishes and plates from underneath an old counter. "and while I'm doing that your going to tell me about how you came to this little town wearing motorcycle leathers and looking like you just jumped off of a moving truck." I told him my story, I left out a lot of choice parts however (the werewolf and Marx killing parts), I had no idea how this Matt person would react to me telling the whole truth.

"So, let me get this right," he walked to the table I sat behind with two steaming plates. "You have a group of people that are trying to kill you, and you have no idea why they are, who they are, or were they are right now."

"Well..that's basically it," I didn't sound very convincing.

"Hmmm..maybe this will loosen up your mind," he sat a plate in front of me and one for himself on the other side of the table. My plate had a steak on it, it had hardly been cooked at all, blood still dripped off the edges. On his plate sat a large loaf of bread, no butter, no sandwich fixings, just bread. He then set out two glasses of a pinkish liquid, one for each of us. He sat, said a short prayer which had obviously been rehearsed many times, and began to eat. I joined him, it was then that I realized that the steak was not beef, but venison.

"Its good," I said, he didn't look up, and continued to eat. He was right, the meal made me tell him the missing parts of the story, I didn't tell him because I wanted to but because I felt I owed the truth to him at the very least.

"Ah..so that's how my trunk got ruined," he looked at me with a serious face for a moment, and then went to the kitchen to refill his glass which had run empty. "I was up all last night trying to figure out who did that," he took a big gulp of the pink fluid. "Everyone in this town knows I like that car more than I like people." He took another gulp, "And that if anyone were to do anything to that car I would be very displeased." He paused and began to stare out of the kitchen window. "When I saw you today, somehow I just knew that you had the answers," he walked into the front room and began to read his book again. I turned my attention back to my food, I drank from the glass Matt had set out for me. It was bitter, and left my mouth dry. It was wine, I later found out that Matt always drank wine, it ( like his eyes) always left you feeling dry inside.

Change
It was a quiet a while before I finished my food, when I finished I walked into the front room. I had no idea what to say but Matt had plenty to say.

"So what do you plan to do?" Matt said without looking up from his book.

"About Chicago..?" I started.

"No no no, about those people hunting you down." He looked at me finally. "If you keep running they will continue to chase you until.." He put his hands up in the air to accent the sentence. "IF however, you decide to turn and fight back, that would mix things up rather well." I heard a car pull up and stop at the front door. Matt walked up to the window and peered out of the dusty glass. "No friends of mine, they must be after you." I also peered out the window, a large black car with black windows stood only a few feet from Matt's front door. Two men got out of the front doors, they had different (nicer) clothing on, but I instantly recognized them as the two men I had seen in the woods, the hunters. Matt opened the door and walked out to the hunters, I stayed behind. I couldn't hear a thing they were saying, but I soon could tell it was no longer friendly. One of the hunters produced a pistol from his coat, he turned and fired three shots into Matt's car. Matt's eyes grew wide, he jogged over to his car and placed his hands over the holes that the bullets had made in the hood of the auto, his mouth hung open in disbelief. The hunter turned and grinned at the other hunter which also smiled and then nodded to him. The hunter aimed the weapon at Matt's back, Matt just stood with his back to the hunters, eyes closed and head swaying from side to side.

I opened the door, the old hinge made a loud creak. The hunters turned and saw me, already my arms were tearing through Matt's T-shirt as they became strong and furry. The hunters did not freeze in terror like many people did, the one with the pistol began to bring it toward my direction, the other began to reach for his own weapon. But it was too late for them, I was already a werewolf again. I leaped off the stairs, with my right arm outstretched and my claws spread wide like an eagle's talons. I thrust my hand toward the hunters body, with more anger and strength than I ever did before. His body crumbled to the Earth as his head rolled off the back of his shoulders and to the ground. I turned to the other hunter, he was now panicking trying to free his gun from his coat. I jammed my claws into his chest with all my might, his body went stiff. It took just as much force to remove my claws from his body. The hunter fell to the Earth and died, blood began to run out of his wounds.

I turned to Matt, he stood looking at me with a blank look on his face.

"Wow." was all he could say. The back door of the car opened, a tall man stepped out. He was wearing a long black trench coat and dark sunglasses. He took a few steps toward me and spoke.

"So..you DO exist." he showed no emotion in his speech, or in his face. He drew out a pistol. "Get in the car, now." I didn't move, my blood was still pumping, I wanted to kill him, but he was far away and had a gun drawn and ready.

"Don't even think about it." He pointed his gun away from me and at Matt instead. "You may be able to avoid the lead, but I doubt he can." He was right, Matt was an easy target, he was only a few feet from him. The last door on the car opened, a large man popped out. In a flash he pointed a small pistol at me and pulled the trigger. Instead of the loud bang a that I usually associated with guns, the little weapon only made a low wisp. I began to fell lightheaded, my feet and arms went numb. My vision blurred, my body seemed to sink into the Earth as the ground suddenly came up to my eye level. Then everything went dark, my ears were the only thing still working. The speech that I did hear sounded fuzzy and alien, I could not tell by voice who was talking.

"Stuff him into the trunk, and clean this mess up."

"What about the gearhead?"

"Simple," the gun made another wisp.

"Uuuuuh..."

"We have four hours hurry up." My hearing went out, the silence was soon replaced with nothingness.

Eye
Things were strange for quite some time, like before my ears were the first to come back, but the rest of me was not so fortunate. My sight came, then left, my arms became mobile for short periods, and then became limp. This in and out thing continued for a long time (at least it seemed like a long time). Then in one quick flash, the life shot back into my body, it began in my chest and radiated to the rest of my body filling my fingers and toes in seconds. I laid on the floor (which was very hot) for a few minutes. I was quiet content to do nothing at the time, I was still in shock from the sudden burst of energy, whenever I tried to move my body, it merely quivered and refused me. A voice came from above me,

"Just give it time," I recognized it as the last clear voice I had heard. A few more moments passed until I finally was able to get to my feet, my claws made a clicking noise when they hit the hard floor. I was in a large office building, it had a desk at one end and windows at the other.

Two men were behind the desk, one was the tall man with the dark sunglasses (which he still wore). The other I had not seen before, he was a husky built man with a large mustache. It was not his face I was taking much note of however, it was his gun. It was very heavy duty, the barrels were almost two feet long, and aimed right at me. They were placed side by side like a birdgun. However the barrels on this weapon were much larger than those on any gun I had seen before, those long steel tubes looked like they belonged on the top of a tank.

The man with the dark glasses turned to the gunman and nodded. The gunman obediently turned and left the room through the only door in the office, which was behind my enemy. The man with the dark glasses began to speak, his voice was very basic.

"Twenty, you killed twenty of my employees." He took a few short and slow steps toward me. "It doesn't feel so good to be on the other side of the coin does it?" He took off his trench coat and draped it over the desk, he was still proceeding toward me. "I was once on that side of the coin, after I got on the other side I told myself that I would never go back." His voice was now gaining momentum. "I had all the advantages, I just didn't know how to use them at the time." He stopped, he was only a few feet from me, and his voice was still growing. "Once I got to the top of the mountain, I knew that their was only one thing that could knock me down, you." I had no idea what he meant at the time, did he really think that me preying on a few crooks meant I was eventually going to go after larger prey? "Humans are just too easy to kill, even with all of their little toys they're still just another herd animal deep down inside." He removed his glasses, it was then that I noticed that his left eye was not an eye at all, it was merely a glass ball painted to resemble an eye. That knowledge was of no great value to me however, it was his right eye that held my attention. From a distance it looked just like any human eye, if you looked deeper into it however, you soon learned it was anything but human. He changed into a werewolf, he had obviously been doing the trick a lot longer than I had. When I changed into a werewolf it took concentration or emotion, and it took a few minuets to change without the moon helping me. His human features seemed to drift away like dust in the wind, he showed little effort, his eyes never left mine. He towered over me, he stood an entire foot taller at least, and his muscles were much more developed than mine. I was so awed at his sheer mass that I didn't have time to react when he jumped and struck me down, it was with the backside of his paw but it still carried plenty of force. I slide across the slick office floor on my back and slammed into the wall opposite the beast. I quickly recovered and was on my feet again, the huge beast was glaring at me, their was no sign of intelligence in his eye, just fury. He began to walk toward me, growling and spitting all the way. I had instinctively my paws raised in a defensive position, much like a human who is trained in hand to hand fighting does. My claws looked puny and ineffective, it was clear however that he was intent on slicing me to pieces. My mind was now in an instinctive fighting mode, I could not have run if I had wanted to.

Think and Thin
He was only a few feet from me when he lunged, with his claws reaching forward tying to rend my flesh. I was faster however, I got down on all fours and rolled clear of his attack. His claws made a very loud crackling noise when they hit the floor. He turned toward me and took a wide swipe, I was still on all fours and ounce again managed to roll to safety. He had missed me by almost a foot, but the wisp that his claws made as they sliced through the air was enough to drive me away from my attacker. His legs were just as powerful as his arms, he leaped toward me and my safe distance was soon no more. It only took a second, but time seemed to drift slowly. I saw his body floating through the air a few feet above me, his claws were positioned perfectly, his mouth was hanging open reveling two rows of razor sharp teeth. Ounce again however he was too slow. I was still on all four paws, I dug my rear claws into the slick office floor and kicked my legs with all my might. My legs sent me racing forward, I rolled and slid on my shoulder across the slick surface to safety. I quickly whirled around expecting to see the hulk striking again, what I saw instead was much better. He had missed my body but had come down on the desk in the small room with all his energy. Everyone of the claws on his hands were buried in the wood, he was trying to free them, snarling and growling all the way. I saw my chance and was not going to pass it up, I lunged at him and dug my claws into his back between his shoulders. He snarled even louder then before, I pressed my paws downward with all my might. My claws cut deep wounds down the entire length of his back, he made a noise that was half human half werewolf, it was instantly recognizable as a cry of pain. His great back muscles became tense, in one swift motion he wrenched his right paw free (leaving some of his claws still in the wood), and smacked me across the face with the back side of his paw. The blow sent me crashing to the floor, I instinctively got up as fast as I could, but my lack of balance prevented me from doing any more. He turned (dragging the desk with him) and slashed at me with all of his monstrous strength. His remaining claws ripped through the leather of my jacket and tore at the skin on my chest. Ounce again I was sent crashing to the floor, this time I stayed down as the pain filled my entire body, I felt light headed. With his massive feet he struck at the desk, witch shattered and no longer prevented his claws from being used. Soon he was on top of me, somehow I managed to wedge my legs between us, I pressed my feet on his shoulders to keep his jaws off of my face. He snapped his mighty teeth at me and pressed forward, we began to slide across the floor. We crashed into the back wall, right next to the door that led outside. My head slammed into the wall very hard, my body went numb for a time, it was only instinct that kept my arms and feet pushing the monster away. He continued to snap at my throat with his jaws, his strength was much greater then my own, he inched closer and closer with every snap. I could feel his breath on my nose, I had little time left before his jaws would end the battle. It was then that I felt something sticking me in the leg, in all the action I had forgot about my gun, it was now my only hope.

I began to fumble for it, it was hard trying to keep his claws and teeth off me and try to reach the gun at the same time. Soon he had his forepaw on my shoulder, he began to dig his claws into my arm, my blood ran out of the wounds and down the wall to the floor. I had no strength left I had to act NOW. I grasped my jacket with my claws and ripped a gaping hole into the leather. I plunged my right arm inside my hand found the gun, my thumb found the hammer and my finger found the trigger. I pulled the trigger, the bullet ripped through my jacket and through the monster's leg, his fury seemed to lose energy. I kick his large body off me and it flopped over backward to the floor. We both staggered to our feet, I pulled the hammer back, aimed and pulled the trigger again. The bullet stuck him in the stomach and exited out the small of his back, he stumbled back a few steps but didn't fall. I pulled the gun out of my jacket, I aimed and fired again. The bullet struck him in the chest and came out his shoulder, he had to wave his arms to keep his balance. I eased the hammer back and pulled the trigger ounce again, the bullet struck him in the center of his chest, this time it found something solid in his body and did not exit. The impact of the lead sent him flying backwards as if he had just been hit by a car. His body slammed to the ground and remained still.

Two
I stood panting and light headed for a moment, killing one of your own kind feels different then killing another species, even in self preservation. I began to make my way to the door, each step hurt, my muscles ached from giving everything they had for such a long time. I was only a few paces from the door when I heard a noise I did not want to hear. A harsh clicking noise, it came from behind me, at first I told myself it was merely my ears reacting to the gunshots. I turned around, my eyes proved that my ears had indeed heard a clicking noise. The werewolf stood right were he had landed, blood ran thick from the bullet holes in his chest. He let out a low hiss, blood ran out of his mouth staining his teeth black and red. I stood in disbelief for a few moments, I soon snapped out of it though, I aimed my gun squarely at his head, cocked it, and pulled the trigger. Instead of a bullet, all I got was a click, much like that of the werewolf's claws which now began to move the beast toward me. I pulled the trigger again, still only a click, the weapon was out of bullets. The werewolf stuck me with his claws, my body was sent flying toward the door, just before my body got to the door it opened, the gunman entered the room, he had no time to react to the flying mass of fur. My body struck him and he was sandwiched against the me and the wall that was just behind the doorway. It was a good thing he was there, it was his ribs that I felt breaking against the wall, not my own. My vision cleared and I saw the best bearing down on me, red foam was now coming from his mouth, all of his red teeth stared at me. By some freak accident the gunman's gun had ended up just ahead of me on the floor.

I brought myself to my knees and snatched the weapon, I leveled it at the werewolf. He didn't seem to care, he continued toward me, more furious then ever and bleeding badly, I pulled the trigger. The weapon was extremely powerful, it also had vicious recoil, if I been on my feet it surely would have thrown me to the floor. The shaped lead bullet found its target, it tore into him like a knife through butter. The werewolf's eyes grew wide, his chest had a huge hole, it began to spill its contents. He crumbled down, his fur retreated leaving only a dead human body, he would not get up again.

I heard two men running toward me from one of the side halls, they froze in their tracks when they spotted me. I aimed the gun at them and pulled the trigger, the gun's second and last bullet left its barrels. The thugs had enough brains to get the hell out of the way when I aimed the gun at them, they ducked into other doors that lined the long hallway and the large hunk of lead ripped an melon sized hole in the wall were the thugs ounce stood. I hobbled back into the office, I shut the door behind me. I was trapped, I soon heard the thugs shouting to other thugs, soon two voices became many more.

I ran to the window, the building looked out onto another building with only a narrow alleyway between them, there was a garbage truck parked in the alley. I began to walk back toward the other end of the office, the door came flying open, the thugs came pouring in. The window was now my only way out, the room was a few stories up but I had no other choice. I leaped toward the window, the glass shattered and I plunged through with bullets chasing me all the way. I landed in the dumpster the garbage truck had in its clutches. I climbed out of the trash and made my way down the alleyway. I stopped at the end of the alley, a large street lay ahead of me, their was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. I could hear the thugs making their way to the street, my mind was racing as fast as it could, I needed another way out and I had less time then before. The thugs were only a few steps from the alley when my idea finally came. Their was a dirty yellow tarp laying under my feet, I quickly draped around my body and curled up next to one of the garbage bins. One of the thugs turned the corner he saw me and aimed his pistol at me.

"Don't move!!" He took a few steps toward me "Move and I'll blast your head off!!!" I didn't move, I scarcely breathed. When he came to within a few feet of me he spoke again, "Get up." I pulled the tarp off my head, he looked at me, not with fear or anger, but with disgust. He did not see the head of a werewolf like he suspected, only the face of a battered and busied human, the tarp concealed the rest of me. Had he seen the puddle of blood I sat in, or my torn leather jacket he would have figured out what I really was, but he did not. More thugs made their way into the alley.

"You have him?"

"No just a bum, god you smell bad!"

"He smells like a dead animal"

"The cops will be here soon we gotta juke on out." With that they left the alley, ounce they left I changed back into a werewolf. Not a moment to soon ether, I curled up under the tarp. I had lost a lot of blood, and my all strength had been used up. It was then that I knew death was no longer looking over my shoulder, but staring me in the eye, daring me to blink. I fell asleep, it was sleep without dreams, without relaxation. It felt much more like death then like sleep.

Back
When I woke the sun had gone down and the moon had come up. I made my way down the street as well as I could, my whole body ached and my chest was still bleeding. I stumbled and fell to the pavement, this was not working. I lifted myself and stood up against a brick wall, it was the only thing keeping me on my feet. A large truck motored by, it was one of those that had a small house strapped to its back. The truck slowed to a stop in front of one of the many light poles that dotted the street. I hobbled toward the truck, soon I was at the back door of the house. I jammed my claw into the lock and twisted it open, I had just jumped inside when the truck began to move again. I laid on the floor of the house for a time, the truck bounced over the streets and bean to pick up speed. It was then that I realized that the door was flapping in the wind. I picked myself up and limped to the door, just before I closed it a road sign passed by. It was the welcome to Chicago road sign, I stood for awhile and just watched the big green sign disappear into the darkness of night.

"So long Chicago." I shut the door and spent the next few hours sleeping on the floor of the house on wheels.

I has awoke by a large bump in the road, the truck was no longer on one of the main roads, the pavement soon became harsh. The truck began to toss me into the air, (which felt great on my wounds). Just when I decided I could take the abuse no longer the truck stopped, the engine died. I slowly opened the door and peered out into the night. The truck had stopped at a supply store, the driver had gone inside. Off in the distance I could see a large woods, I crept out of the truck and made my way toward it. My legs had regained some strength, I reached the woods in no time. I had only waded into the trees a few moments before I came to a small pond. By now the night had ended and the sun was just beginning to rise. I looked at my refection in the still water. Most of my wounds had healed over, I would live. The huge claws marks on my chest would be completely healed in a few days. The fur that grew out of the great slashes was white, not the rusty red that it had ounce been. I looked up from my refection and into the trees. The woods seemed to go on forever, it was beautiful. It was then that I decided on what to do next.

I drew out my gun, I looked at it for a moment, and threw it into the water. It made a muffled splash before it sunk into water and came to a rest in the mud below. I took off my jacket which was now slashed, torn, and riddled with holes. The ounce proud eagle now looked tired and sick. I hung the leather of the trees that grew in the forest. I then tore off the clothes that Matt had given to me. They too were ripped, torn and full of holes. The T-shirt that was once white was now red with my blood. I dropped the rags underneath the jacket, and then I left. I left the vigilante at that old oak tree, as far as I know its still there, the eagle is now pale from the sun beating down on it for many years.

I ran into the woods, my arms were still stiff, but it was time to hunt. A slow breeze drifted through the trees, it carried the scent of deer with it. It was not long before I had brought down a young doe. I sat under a oak tree with a fresh meal in front of me, and the sun shining down on me. As I looked up into the new day I realized that I had finally found my place. I took another bite of venison, things just seemed so simple when you followed your instincts. I still had many years left in me, I knew fate was not done with me yet. But for now, the simple pleasure of a full stomach and being at the top of the food chain was enough action for me.

Thanks for reading drift, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. This was a new thing for me, a lot of Drift was based on my own experiences, but the ending and beginning came to me in a dream. So I had to write the thing from the outside in, what I want to know is, how did I do??? If you took the time to read drift Id like to get some feedback from you. I don't mind negative comments, just keep them constructive. If the thing made you sick don't just call me names, tell me how I can make it better. Thanks in advance to any and all who respond. Email me at racerkey@aol.com And remember don't sleep DREAM!!