"Found me?" Claude frowned deeper. The floating girl was clad in a long gown and only had white and black as her colors. Her exaggerated, maniacal smile warped her face, and her gaze sent a chill up Claude's spine. It was an awful image that haunted him.
"Claude!" Len yelled into the phone. His voice made Claude flinch, almost dropping the phone in his hand. Perhaps Len's pronounced anger broke Claude's trance.
Claude looked around after catching his phone. The floating girl, who had been closing in, vanished without a trace. He could only look back at the phone, which displayed an ongoing call with Len. Claude would laugh and lie, but the spike of fear brought by Len's angry voice stung Claude's fingers. He wetted his lips and put the phone against his ear again.
He almost whispered, "Yeah? Sorry… I got distracted."
"I felt it… vaguely. You worry me." Len's voice reverted to his normal warm and caring tone. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. You could have gotten in trouble."
"How can you tell? Are you watching me from somewhere I should know about?" Claude gazed up at the waxing moon in the sky. Its soft light felt comforting to Claude. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, I saw something out here. It will sound like I'm hallucinating, but I just saw a lady flying toward me. She looks like a witch… with all that black…"
"A witch? Did she say anything to you?"
"Yeah. She said, I finally found you." Claude leaned on his arm on the roof. "It's so weird. This town never had stories about flying women…"
Len grew quiet for a moment before asking. "Claude, where are you? If a fight breaks out, will someone else around get hurt?"
Claude frowned at his folded knees. "I guess… I'm on Eugene's roof. I was supposed to spend the night in my grandpa's house, but he angered me. Right now, I'm spending the night at Eugene's house. It's two blocks away. Should I… head back inside?"
"Find a place where you can wolf out. I'll meet you there."
The sound of disconnection followed. Claude brought the phone back to his face. He could only stare at the Call Ended screen for a second before it turned into his wallpaper. It was a photo of him with his mom and grandpa, posing for his middle school graduation day. He looked a lot like a shy child, very different from the young man he had become.
Claude tapped on it to leave a message for Eugene. He stood on the roof and looked for a wide space without immediate residences. His eyes caught sight of the faraway playground.
"I'll call Len when I get there." He jumped off the roof, landing on his feet and with bent knees. In a heartbeat, he burst into a sprint.
It was midnight. The streets leading to the park were empty, especially in a small town. Claude jumped the railing and gradually slowed to a stop when he got into the park. He jogged toward the cozy dome[1] and hid inside, waiting for Len to come. His phone showed up in his hand, and its backlight shone on Claude's face. He was about to call Len when he noticed something in the corner of his eye.
Claude turned beside him, only to see the witch balling next to him. Her unusually big mouth tore into another smile. She giggled. "You think someone can save you now? I will wreck your stomach open and retrieve every piece you swallowed."
"What the hell…?" Claude almost crawled out of the cozy dome. However, the entrance was suddenly blocked by a transparent film. He pushed against it with his elbow, glancing at the witch unfurling before him. "Who are you? What do you want from me?"
"You really think I can't hunt you down? Claude Lavallee, you only left the dorm. The wolf spirits have yet to claim you." The witch laughed as she got on all fours. "I can still kill you."
She crawled slowly, soon getting on Claude, who couldn't escape the cozy dome. She loomed her face before Claude, enjoying the terror in his eyes. Her black sclerae ate up the whole space, and her black lips stretched to show off her crooked teeth. The witch then slowly gripped Claude's chin, fingers pushing in his cheeks. "You shouldn't have hurt one of my friends."
Claude's eyes kept quivering until she said her last piece. They widened in realization, only to narrow. He called out the witch's name. "What is this… Reina Rogers? What are you doing to me?"
Reina, in her wraith form, smiled. "I am cursing you to die, little thing. Just because you have claws doesn't mean you get to kill Gracie. Just because you have a mouth doesn't mean you get to beg Len. What can he do, right? He's too far from you. Even if you call him now…"
"…you're right. Len won't be here to save me." Claude gripped his phone tightly. "But didn't it occur to you that he left me clues?"
"Clues?"
Claude's eyes gleamed red as he suddenly wolfed out then and there. The moonlight cast on him through the holes, granting him enough power. His painful transformation came in an instant, Claude ripping through his clothes and pushing against the cozy dome. His clawed arms struck upward, pushing the dome off him. Even the witch's barrier broke in one strike.
The witch gasped at the power Claude displayed. She quickly retreated to escape, but the huge werewolf lunged at her. He caught her shoulders with both hands. The claws pierce Reina's shoulders, making her scream. She used her hands to harm the werewolf, but Claude threw her to the ground.
Cracking noises followed. Reina didn't know why the werewolf's touch had so much sting against her. She looked back, desperately evading the werewolf attacking her.
"Claude Lavallee! Curse you and your—!" Reina wanted to flee, but Claude kept lunging at her. His big claw swatted her down without difficulty. The witch cried, feeling intense pain.
"I don't appreciate getting threatened." Claude pressed Reina against the ground and loomed his face on top of her. His wolf breath smelled like blood and ruthlessness. However, Reina could only focus on the glinting red eyes Claude had. The werewolf snapped. "Go back home. Leave me alone."
Reina's hands gripped in anger. She then arched her head as if summoning something from her throat. In the next seconds, Reina vomited a black liquid at Claude's face.
Claude quickly jumped back to evade the black goo. He growled after Reina vanished. The werewolf kept spinning as if catching the most minute trace of the witch, who had come for him.
Thud! A loud sound came from steps away. Claude caught the noise and watched a big, black wolf saunter into his view. That very wolf looked so familiar, yet Claude couldn't place the encounter anywhere. All he knew was that he had seen those brightly lit red eyes under the moonlight.
[1] A playground equipment that is shaped like a dome with a lot of holes to poke your body out of it. Think of the usual hiding place in a playground.