The Moon Room, Chapter 1

A ray of sunlight peered in through the tiny barred window and shone through my eyelids. I winced as I drifted awake, the cold air chilling my bare skin. I yawned and sat up on the torn mattress, reaching for the cubby in the cement wall where I stored my clothes. I stood and pulled on my bra and underwear, then my jeans and t-shirt. My cell phone was still in the pocket of my jeans, so I pulled it out and called Adam.1

“Morning, Becky,” he answered groggily.2

“I’m up,” I said, slipping my feet into my socks and shoes.3

“Be right down,” he mumbled. 4

I finger-combed my hair, listening to his footsteps upstairs. Scowling at the mangled mattress, I wondered if I should bring a couple blankets down or if I would only shred them too. I had gashed up the walls and floor enough, not to mention the one piece of furniture in the room. 5

The basement stairs creaked, and soon I heard the key in the lock. The steel door swung open, and Adam stood there in his green plaid pajama pants, his shaggy blond hair sticking out in every direction. He yawned, scratching the stubble on his chin.6

“Thanks,” I said, giving him a little hug as I left the moon room. He swung the door closed and hung the key back on the hook above the white painted circle on the door.7

“Everything ok?” he mumbled.8

“Yup. No harm done,” I said. “You going back to bed?”9

“Nah,” he said, “I have some work to do at the park today.”10

“If you hang around for a bit, I’ll make you breakfast,” I offered.11

He grinned, heading up the basement stairs. “Well, you don’t have to ask me twice.”12

I made omelets and bacon strips while he showered, then popped a few slices of bread in the toaster oven while he dressed. He emerged from the guest room looking like a respectable person a few minutes later, clean-shaven, combed, and wearing his park ranger uniform. 13

I poured us some orange juice and joined him at the table. “Thanks for doing this again,” I said.14

“No problem,” he said, meticulously cutting the omelet into bite-size pieces. “I really don’t mind. Plus, I hardly get to see you the rest of the month. And,” he grinned, holding up a forkful of egg and melted cheese, “I get free food.”15

Adam had been locking me in the basement every full moon for the past three years. He didn’t have to, but he was always willing to do whatever it took to keep me safe. He was the only person who knew my secret. 16

I stared at his hands as we ate, watching the way his fingers curved around his fork and gently pinched the bacon strips at the sides to avoid getting too much grease on his fingers. He had such big, warm, beautiful hands. I glanced at my own hands, cold and scarred, with a few new scratches marring the pale, dry skin. They used to be smooth and pretty before the accident.17

I had stopped by Adam’s ranger station one night to pick him up after his shift. His girlfriend had driven his car into a pole the previous week, and it was still being repaired. I got out of my car and knocked on the door of the station. After a few moments, Adam emerged and greeted me. It was a nice summer night, so we decided to take a short walk in the woods before I dropped him off at his apartment. 18

The full moon glowed overhead, and crickets serenaded all around us. We walked along the trail, chatting about somethingorother. I was probably complaining about how boring my job was, sitting at a desk filing lightbulb orders all day. We didn’t notice when the crickets ceased their chirping and the forest fell silent except for a distant rustling in the bushes.19

A branch snapped behind me, and I spun just in time to see a dark, furry thing lunge at me. I yelped and fell back, screaming for Adam. I tried to fight the creature off, but it sunk its teeth into my arm, clawing at me. 20

A gunshot echoed through the woods, and the creature collapsed on top of me. A warm, sticky liquid pooled on my chest. I couldn’t tell if it was the creature’s blood or mine. Adam pushed the body off of me and shot it again to make sure it was dead. He knelt by my side, inspecting my wounds. The bite on my arm was the most serious, and I had a few relatively shallow gashes on my shoulders and chest. 21

Adam helped me to my feet, and I stared down at the dead beast that had attacked me. It looked like a wolf, only with thick, dark brown fur and longer limbs. But as I looked at it, the shape changed. It slowly shrank, the fur, claws, and snout receding into the body. Adam pointed his gun at it, but it didn’t rise. I gasped and clutched Adam’s other arm as the fur disappeared and we stared down at a naked man, bloody gunshot wounds in his head and chest. 22

“A werewolf,” Adam whispered. “I thought they were just a legend.” He bit his lip and looked at me. “Come on,” he said, “I’ll drive you to the hospital. I’ll come back and take care of the body later. I hope he didn’t have rabies or…” His face froze, and he looked down at the wound on my arm.23

“Oh no,” I said, “Oh no, NO! Not me! What the fuck am I supposed to do now?”24

“You’ll probably be ok, Becky,” said Adam, lifting me off my feet and walking quickly to my car. “I don’t think the wounds are serious.”25

“Adam,” I said, my heart racing, “A fucking werewolf just bit me! Do you know what this means?”26

“It’s… it’s probably just a myth. I mean, don’t they have to sign a pact with the Devil or something, or put on a wolf skin?”27

“So what am I supposed to do, run around murdering people every month? If anyone finds out, they’ll lock me up or kill me or run crazy experiments or something!”28

“We’ll find a way,” said Adam, setting me down and unlocking the car door. “This was all my fault, so I have to protect you. I’ll do whatever it takes.”29

He had kept his word. Adam was reliable like that, always willing to take care of others, even if it inconvenienced him. I loved that about him. Even before the accident, he had always been there when I needed him. When my car broke down at 3 am, he showed up with coffee and waited for the tow truck with me. When my 19-year-old cat crawled under the porch to die, he squeezed himself under there, among the dirt and cobwebs, to pull her body out, then helped me bury her in the backyard. He had even stayed after to calm me down and make me grilled cheese with tomato soup.30

As he sat across the table from me now, finishing the last swig of orange juice, I couldn’t help but wish he could stay longer. He had been one of my best friends since junior high, yet these days I rarely saw him except the nights he stayed over to lock me in the basement. 31

He stood, gathering the dirty dishes from the table, and walked into the kitchen to put them in the sink. 32

“If you want to come over next Saturday, I’m making beef stew,” I said. 33

“Sounds good,” he nodded. “I’ll have to check with Melissa first, though,” he said.34

I ground my teeth a little but forced a smile. His stupid girlfriend kept tabs on him like he was a toddler. She had one of her own, so I didn’t see why she had to treat Adam that way. A 27-year-old man shouldn’t need his girlfriend’s approval to see his friends or go out by himself. The bitch wasn’t right for him at all, but I kept my mouth shut for his sake. I didn’t want him to think I was jealous.35

“Well, time to head to the station,” he said, heading to the hall closet to grab his coat. “Thanks for the bed’n’breakfast.”36

“No problem. Thanks for looking after me,” I said. He hugged me, we said our goodbyes, and he left. I loaded the dishwasher alone, wishing it was next month already. 37