2 The Monster Under the Spotlight

They had made their way back into town, and they departed from each other. With bids of saftey and there Jeremy walked between the two motor bikes and came around to a neighbor home with a metal gate. He set up the kick stand with his ride and then ran Grey's through the front gate and to the porch before running back to his own and shutting the gate. He then kicked the stand and thought for a moment to start his bike. But he glanced and thought about waking everyone up in the neighborhood. It was a quiet night, between the edge of the foresty parts of town and the beginning of neighborhoods.

Jeremy thought better of revving up his engine, his house only another block away, and he could even see the road sign EangleWood that his home sat right at the end of, from where he stood. He decided he'd start walking it and got it rolled up onto the sidewalk and he started his stroll.

Jeremy was in his head now. No other sounds, no other cars nor people. Most would call it a peaceful night, but it felt like the walking dead. Jeremy was a bottle full to the brim with worry and stress. Scenarios going around in circles, his thoughts like trains clashing into one another.

His world outside his mind felt like a flash light. He would walk across a patch of darkness, until the next street lamp, another stretch of black, and then a moment of light. At least they were planted every ten feet all the way to his house.

There was a snap and the sound of something pounding the pavemeent fast behind him and Jeremy spun around. He was another few feet away from another spot of light, and he tried to see anything in the darkness. But he felt the pit of his stomach open and ever hair on his body stick up like a scared feline. He swallowed thickly, and when he heard another rustle of something across the street, he quickly scooted up under the halo of the street lamp. He gazed at the lamp across the road, empty, and the large coniferous trees gently dancing in the breeze.

Jeremy felt compelled to stare at it, that area. And he did, first only a minute, then two, three. And that's when he heard what sounded like a snarl from somewhere not too far away, the same direction and it made him jump and he toppled over his bike.

"Shit!", he moved to stand it back up, and he turned back around, to be shot with a bullet of still.

Something dark was visibly between the trees, just barely noticeable by the light. 

Jeremy stood there. Still under the light of the streetlamp. His eyes shot to the clouded sky, and the moon really was closer to earth that night. Great, and full, and red and big. Right in his face.

There was another rustle, twigs breaking in the treeline just across the street, and then gravel skidding across the pavement. Jeremy felt paralyzed with fear, dread for what he knew, stalked him from those shadows. There he noticed, as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, a large, black blob of something shrouded under the tree limbs. Jeremy's breath hitched, as eyes of gold opened up, as illuminated a wolfish face, and then, it suddenly grew from a short black mass, to a tall and lengthy black mass, and from there. It took an elongated step towards the street lamp on it's side of the road. A tight skinned paw with curve, yellow stained claws, was first disclosed by the beam of light, and as it bent forward, half a wolf's ragged head, protruded, the fur in matted clumps across it's ghoulish, long and boney body. Then it stepped, almost purposefully into the light completely. It's whole body moving, expanding and deflating with every labored breath, and warm dry frost blew clouds out of  wet nostrils and a gnarly fanged mouth. Its neck and down the length of it's beastly spine was heavily maned, but arms and chest and legs were naked with grey skin, veiney and painfully muscular, ribs protruding sickly. Like a large, mangy wolf that could stand on two legs, stared back at Jeremy. Seemingly calm, and deranged.

Jeremy wanted to cry, run away, but he was captivated by it's stare. It didn't care that Jeremy could see it now. That's all it ever wanted. That's when the beast howled a grueling, raspy howl, that started out high and loud before it reduced to a ground shaking bellow, and that's when it lunged at Jeremy.

Jeremy was frozen as he shrieked, before something kicked his mind into gear. The slobbery, snarling monster swung a unnaturally long arm and claws caught Jeremy's leather jacket and tore it through like it was paper mache. Jeremy fell back into his bike and then rolled backwards into the grass on the other side. Screaming and scurrying to his feet, Jeremt made a break for it. But made the fatal mistake of glancing behind him, and he halted when his bike was absent of a giant, werewolf looking creature atop of it.

"Wha? What the fuck, is happening?", Jeremy rasped, before he turned to ask help of the house, but in front of him was that very, muscular and fowl smelling, dog faced creature. Staring him down, and Jeremy pissed himself.

He was still, and it seemed the wolf was just as. Jeremy felt like this was the end. And it one final attempt at anything, he slowly, ever carefully shifted his leg, and scooted his foot rp the side. The beast didnt seem to notice, and then. Jeremy lifted his foot, and the beast attack. It was all a blur of darkness for Jeremy until pain swelled as jaws clenched down through thick leather and basic street clothes, into his 16 year old flesh. So soft, mushy, easy to pierce and tear. This thing felt like it was going to RIP Jeremy's shoulder out and he couldnt even make room to scream. But he was abruptly dropped to the ground, and he could see his own blood drip down the teeth and muzzle of this wolven humanoid, and it licked it's long, bloody lips before it leapt over Jeremy, and disappeared into the woods, and the night.

Jeremy couldnt even comprehend what happened. His night went from one accident to another. Some, dog, no. Some, wolf-man, something attack. Jeremy felt like his arm, to his shoulder was on fire, but he could move. But not after another minute of staring up at that bloody moon. Until it was once again blanketed by the clouds. The only other form of illumination until the porch light from a motor home turned on and an older Dad looking man came out and found Jeremy slowly getting to his feet. Swaying and gripping painfully tight at his gushing shoulder. He took his hand off his wounds for one moment to take a scan at the mess, and his hand was covered in his crimson blood.

"F-f-fuck. Man", he said wheezy. Until the Dad man called out to him,

"Hey kid! Are you alright?". Having noticed how he walked, and his abandoned vehicle.

"I.. I was attack by.. Is-this big ass dog!", Jeremy hissed, practically dragging his legs over to the man's porch, and he nodded, taking out his phone.

"Want me to call an ambulance?".

Jeremy was about to nod, but he thought about how many cops and ambulances he had to deal with that night, and realised. He really just wanted to get home.

Jeremy shook his head, luckily his helmet was never ripped off during the attack, and he used it to conceal himself as he said.

"I could use a rag, and some alcohol, and then I'll be one my way. I live right over there at the end of Eanglewood. In that cul-da-sac", he winced, as the man looked at him suspiciously. But he agreed to get Jeremy a rag, drenched in rubbing alcohol and he took it and they bid him a safe ride home and watched out for anything as Jeremy set himself up to leave. His arm was aching, but he could still feel it, move it.

"Are you sure you can drive like that?".

Jeremy nodded and called back to the man,

"Yeah! I'll be fine, thank you!... If I do end up on the news though, make sure that wild dog gets shot! "

The man laughed, "what name should I look for?".

"Jeremy!", he grunted and then took another breath, "Lupin!"