Hitchiking

"I'd like you to tell me what happened," the doctor said. The somewhat short, brown-haired man sat in the chair next to the bed. His voice was kind and reassuring.1

The adolescent that lay in the hospital bed just looked at the man from the corners of his eyes. He was too sore to actually turn his head. Bandages were wrapped around most of his body, under his gown and blankets. Long, black hair fell like a curtain over the gauze wrapped around his forehead. His lips were parted slightly, but he did not speak.2

"Matthew," the doctor said, "I need to know what happened."3

"You'll just think I'm crazy," Matt protested, voice dry and cracking.4

"No I won't," the man insisted. "Just tell me."5

Matt remained silent. He didn't want to tell the doctor what had happened, the night he'd runaway. There was no way that he would believe him. It would only be writen off as insanity and he'd be shipped away to some nuthouse.6

"Please," the doctor pleaded. "I need to know."7

"Fine," Matt said, giving in. He was too tired to argue long. The injuries that had been inflicted upon him made it difficult to do anything for long. 8

Reluctantly, he delved into what had happened, silently praying that the doctor would through some miracle blieve him. 9

*********10

Two days previous Matt was in his messy bedroom, packing things into a suitcase. He picked various things off the floor and tossed them into the bag. Beatles CDs, tie-dye T-shirts, worn out pants, everything that his russet hands touched went into the suitcase. Lastly, he dropped a small plastic bag of drugs on top of the pile and closed the case.11

Picking it up, he stood. Quickly, the tall, thin boy walked to the window and opened it. First, he tossed the suitcase outside, a small thud when it landed on the dirt. Second, he slid out of it, after his belongings. Grabbing the suitcase off the ground, he walked away from the small house, without bothering to shut the window or even looking back. 12

It was a relief to be away from his house. His parents had been nothing but arguementitive. They yelled at each other, causing him to turn to drugs, and they yelled at him because of his habits. It was a great feeling to be away from the negetivity of it all.13

The Indian boy walked along the side of the road, the tall trees of the forest to his right. All he had to do was get to Coeur d'Alene. He had friends there that would help him. And then he'd be in the clear. Happy and free away from his stifling family. But that was still hours away, and he was already beginning to tire.14

The more he walked, the more exhausted he felt. And with that exhaustion came the feeling of doubt that he'd actually be able to make it to Coeur d'Alene. It would be so much easier for him to just turn back, but then he'd be back where he'd started, so he just kept moving. 15

It was an hour later that he stopped walking. He was just about to give up and turn around, when the blinding lights of a car came from behind him. Tiredly, he stuck his thumb out, praying that the car would stop. The sleek black car graciously rolled to a stop beside him. Eagerly he pulled the door open, and tossed his things in the backseat. Happily and weary he slid into the passenger seat.16

A woman with thick, wavy, auburn hair sat in the driver's seat. She was dressed completely in black. A black trench coat, black skirt, and black, leather gloves. Her lips were a bright cherry red.17

Guiding her trim vehicle back on to the road, she asked, "Where're you headed?" Her voice deep and throaty.18

"Coeur d'Alene," Matt said, breathing deeply and wiping sweat from his brow.19

The driver didn't say anything in response, and continued to drive in silence. Several times Matt tried to start a conversation, each time failing. He began to think that possibly Coeur d'Alene was too far for her. She didn't seem to care for his presence after all. He didn't want to burden her like he'd burdened his parents. Perhaps it would just be better for him to attempt to find another ride.20

"You don't have to take me," he told her quietly, "I can probably get another ride."21

"Why would I let a delicious, young boy like you do that?" the woman asked hungrily. 22

Matt gulped. Delicious? He didn't like the way this woman was talking. She sounded a little hungry. "W-what?!" he stammered.23

"Do you know how long it's been since I've had dark meat?" she inquired, turning her face to him. Her eyes were a deep, wolfish amber, and her face was sharp and animalistic. "You're a little skinny, but you'll have to do."24

Matt stared at the woman in horror. Did she really want to eat him? She certainly seemed hungry enough to. He wanted to demand for her to let him out, but doubted that she would comply. If he wanted to escape, he'd have to do it himself. Scooting as far from the deranged woman as he could, Matt fumbled with the lock. As it unlocked, he threw the door open and unbuckled his seat belt. 25

He tumbled out the door. Unable to get his body to roll, he skidded across the asphalt, scraping his skin raw. A howl of anger echoed from the car, while Matt lay limp on the roadside.26

The car came skidding to a halt several yards from where he had landed. The woman leapt from the car, and started toward the boy. Her movements were eerily animal in nature. Hunched over, she walked with her arms dangling at her sides. In the red lights of the tail lights, her silhouette showed her to be even further from human. Her face had lengthened to a snout and she seemed to be covered with hair. 27

Terrified, Matt forced himself off of the ground, and to run into the forest. Seeing him move, the wolf-woman chased after him. With the shadows of the trees blocking out the light of the moon and stars, the forest seemed like the perfect place to hide, but it also made it impossible for him to see if the creature was behind him or not.28

Bleeding, gasping, and heart pounding wildly Matt ducked into the shadow of a large huckleberry bush. Dirt and grit stuck in his cuts, making them sting. His shirt was torn in the front, as were his jeans. He forced himself to control his breathing. Loud, airless gasps would surely, bring the creature right to him.29

From the opposite side of the bush came the wet sound of snuffling. Matt clamped a hand over his mouth to keep from screaming. The thing could already follow his scent; he didn't want to help it anymore by being loud.30

The snuffling stopped, and Matt felt himself relax a little. After a moment of silence, he peered over the top of the plant, in order to see if the monster had left. Instead, he found himself face-to-face with the monster. A toothy grin spread over her wolfy face. Panicking, Matt tried to scramble away. Unfortunately, the werewolf jumped on top of his back, and knocked him on his stomach. 31

Pain filled his being as the monster tore and ripped at his flesh. He screamed in agony. He tried to escape, but only succeeded in flipping himself over. The werewolf began biting into the soft skin on his stomach. Red, sticky blood spilled over everything, and its sickly scent filled the air.32

Matt wondered if this was it. If this was all he had lived for. To runawy from his family only to get killed by some vicious werewolf. If he'd known this was what was going to happen, he wished that he'd never chosen to hitchhike.33

He tried to remaine conscious, but as the pain became unbearable, the world went black.34

*********35

"That's exactly what happened?" the doctor asked, one eyebrow raised.36

Matt nodded. This was it. He was going to be locked up in a mental ward for the rest of his life, believed by no one and a joke to the world. This was the end of it all.37

Shaking his head, the doctor stood and began walking toward the door. Matt closed his eyes. The doctor didn't believe him. He was just some crazy, runaway, hitchiker. But then he heard the doctor mutter, "Damn werewolves. Third attack this month," and he knew he wasn't crazy.38

After the doctor was out of the room, Matt sighed in relief. He wasn't crazy! He wasn't crazy! It had been real. The happiness of not being crazy was short lived, though as another worry seeped into his mind. If it had all been real, and the werewolf-woman had bitten him, did that mean he was a werewolf now, too?