Blanche stood on a corner two blocks up. She never heard me screaming for her to run. She never saw the charging beast, and I couldn't run fast enough to save her. The giant wolf was on her in no time. He pounced on her chest, sending her to the ground hard, and pinned her poor body there. Her arms and legs flailed in the air trying to get the furry demon off her. It didn't work. I watched as he bit into her neck over and over again. Blood spurted into the air and in what felt like hours she lay motionless.

I screamed as loud as I could. Nobody heard. Nobody was around. I desperately searched for a weapon, for anything that I could use to beat off the beast before he turned me into dessert.

Lying in an alley, I found a thick, broken 2x4. I picked it up and ran at the wolf, swinging wildly. It lifted its head and glared at me, blood dripping from the now red snout. The animal howled and charged at me.

"Get down!" a voice shouted behind me.

I turned to see Connor running down the street, a silver axe in his hand. My eyes bulged, and I quickly dropped to the ground as he leaped over me. I managed to turn my head in time to see him slam into the wolf, landing with a loud thud on the ground. They rolled around for a bit. Connor would swing the axe at the wolf, the wolf would slam its enormous paws into Connor's body.

How the hell does a well-dressed IT guy know how to fight a wolf? And where the fuck did that ax come from?

I hugged the lamp post next to me watching the battle of beasts. Connor's shirt was slashed and blood dripped down his chest. The wolf's fur was a bit disheveled, but he looked as though he were winning. At least that's what I thought until I heard a horrendous whimper. The wolf lay on its stomach with the axe buried in its shoulder blade. Connor put his foot on the beasts back and yanked it out. The animal winced and lay there in pain. The man raised his arm about to give the final blow until the wolf's eyes shot open and he sprang up knocking Connor over.

He looked up at me with wild eyes and shouted, "Run!"

I stared back my eyes still bugging. My legs didn't want to listen. I couldn't seem to get my brain to process the words that were being screamed. I wasn't entirely sure I believed what was going on right in front of me.

Run? Run to where?

The wolf turned his attention back on me, compelling me to clamber to my feet and run as fast as I could through the snowy sludge on the streets. I knew I wouldn't make it far. Nobody could outrun that thing. It could clear an entire city block in four bounding strides. I quickly dodged down a small alley and hid in an alcove behind a dumpster listening for anything. The wet snow soaked into the butt of my skirt as I shivered waiting for my death.

The sound of the wolf's heavy paws thudding against the snow resounded off the brick walls. I hugged my knees and closed my eyes waiting for the inevitable. He sniffed the air trying to find me.

"You won't get her, wolf."

He snarled at Connor. I peeked between the dumpsters and watched as he attacked. The battle continued. With a swipe of his paw the wolf had Connor pinned against one of the walls. He was about to bite down on Connor's neck when I grabbed the nearest brick and chucked it at his head. It dazed him long enough for Connor to get a few punches in.

I ducked back down and buried my face in my arms. I did not want to be see Connor be eaten or be eaten myself.

"Elysse? Are you back there?"

I lifted my head, crept from the darkened corner, and looked out. Connor stood in the middle of the alley; panting hard with a bloody axe in his hand. His shirt ripped, and he had a scratch on his face. I crawled out of the hiding spot, and headed back into the light. I couldn't help it, I ran into his arms. I was terrified.

"Where did it go?"

"I don't know," he replied. "After you hit it I managed to get a whack in with the ax. It whimpered and limped away."

"What was that thing?"

"Remember how I said I hunted?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay."

"I don't understand, Connor."

"There are a lot of things that you don't understand yet, Elysse. Come on." He led me back into the slushy street. I looked toward the motionless body, and walked away from Connor. I still didn't see anybody around.

How is it possible that all of downtown is empty? Where the hell is everyone?

The closer I got the more red snow I saw. She didn't move. I slowed down even more as I neared her. Fear crept in as I neared the body. I had no idea what I was going to see.

"Oh my God," I leaned into the street and vomited.

The tips of my shoes were in red snow. I looked back down at what used to be Blanche. Her lifeless eyes stared straight forward, her mouth frozen in a scream, and her throat was missing. The crimson liquid stained the ground beneath her, and small drops disgraced her once blemish-free, porcelain face. The red hooded jacket she wore was torn at.

I could feel the vomit rise in my throat again.

I removed a glove and shakily reached my hand out for what remained of the girl's neck. I knew there was no point. I knew she was dead but I had to be sure. I had to try and find a pulse. Her blood was still warm and sticky. Using my teeth I pulled the other glove off and fished through my pockets for my phone.

"Don't bother with 911. I already called but we have to go now," Connor said, coming down the street.

"What the hell is going on?" I yelled.

"It's a long story, but seriously, we have to go, Elysse."

"Connor, Blanche's throat was just torn out! We were attacked by a man-wolf thing. We're waiting for the cops!"

"We can't. If they come, they'll ask questions."

"So? That thing is still out there! What if it attacks someone else?" I asked.

"If they're wearing a red, hooded jacket then they're in trouble. Otherwise, everyone else is fine," Connor said, grabbing my hand and dragging me down the street.

"Connor! We're leaving the scene of an-an attack, or mauling."

"Elysse, quit being so stubborn. Let's go. Now!"

"Stubborn? There is nothing stubborn about waiting for the police to handle that." I motioned toward the lifeless Blanche. "I'm not going anywhere till I talk to them and until you tell me what the fuck is going on!" I screamed.

"Later."

"No, now! Who the hell are you? There is no way you're only a computer guy." I yanked my hand out of his. "Don't play with me, Connor."

"We all have secrets, Elysse," he said, grabbing it again pulling me even harder.

"Secrets, Connor? Secrets? I don't know what kind of secrets you're used to, but to me a secret is I kissed your boyfriend. Whatever you have going on has surpassed secrets to possibly illegal activity and needing to see a psychiatrist. It's entirely possible you may need some strong psychiatric drugs if this does not bother you."

"Let's go."

"I'm not going anywhere. This shit is fucked up."

"Calm down, the sooner we leave, the sooner I tell you what is going on."

Reluctantly I gave in, and let him drag me down the street to a garage. We rounded the corner into the building as police cars flew past us. I buried my head in Connor's back trying to silence the sobs that escaped from my throat. As much as I couldn't stand Blanche, she didn't deserve to die, especially not like that. My body shuddered as the sobs escaped. I stood there crying, trying to forget about the sight of her body. But her face, the eyes pleading for help and getting none, was burned into my memory.

I stood in mystified horror as the police and coroner worked. Blanche's body was tucked into a black body bag and loaded up before I moved further into the parking structure.

"I'm sorry," Connor said after a while of walking.

"For what?" I asked.

"I didn't think you and Blanche were close."

"Are you kidding? We weren't. She was a jerk, but she didn't deserve to die like that."

"Nobody does."

"What did you mean about the red hooded jacket?"

"Red drives them crazy," he said, wiping the axe off on a cloth hanky.

The bright, crimson blood stained the pure whiteness of the small snot rag. It didn't look like it had ever even been used.

"Them? You mean there are more?"

"Yes," he replied.

"What are they?"

"Wolves."

"That was not just a wolf. It was a man who changed into a wolf. It was, I don't know. A volf."

"A volf?" he asked.

"Yes."

"What is that?"

"A person who obviously doesn't change at will, but isn't a werewolf. It's the vampire of wolves."

"Um, right."

"You know what's going on, don't you?"

"I'll tell you more when you get home," he said.

"Why when I get home? Why won't you tell me now?" I demanded.

"Because, there is more you need to know."

"What? How can there possibly be any more? I don't think I can deal with more than this."

"Get in." Was all he would say as he climbed into the driver's side of his car.

I stared at him as he started his car. He didn't look at me. He just drove. I sat there and seethed in anger and confusion. Perhaps some guilt was thrown in. How could we leave her lying there like that? She was left in the snow like a discarded piece of chewed gum.

I wasn't paying much attention to my surroundings. I didn't notice the skyscrapers and city blocks give way to green yards and open fields. I didn't even realize he had turned off the car until he opened his door. Looking around, I saw we were in front of my house.

"How do you know where I live?"

"There is a lot you don't know, Elysse," he replied, getting out of the car.

"What? I am so confused!"

"Come inside and you won't be."

I slammed the car door shut and stood there staring after him. He walked right up to and in the house as if it were second nature to him.

Who the hell does this guy think he is?

All thoughts romantic, nice, and wickedly naughty fled from my mind. I couldn't believe the gall of this man. He did not know me. He did not know my mom. Yet he just walked into the house. He appears out of nowhere with an axe, leaves a dead person in the street, and thinks I'm going to just be okay with everything? I walked up the walkway, past my mother, saying nothing, and headed for my room. As I mounted the stairs I could hear Connor explaining things. I stopped at the top, and leaned against the wall eaves dropping on them.

Does she know? Is she involved?

Mom never freaked out. I never heard her scream, and nobody came running after me. My mind was officially blown. I knew mom wasn't really emotional, but to find out your daughter witnessed a deadly mauling only an hour ago; she should have said, or done something. I lifted my hands to bury my head in them, but noticed they were still covered in sticky, red blood. The metallic smell invaded my nostrils, and I almost ruined my great-grandma's Persian rug. I went to my room, sunk to the floor, and finally looked down at the rest of myself. I looked like something out of a George A. Romero film. There was blood everywhere, not just on my hands. I didn't even realize I had gotten that much on me, or that there was the much blood in the human body. Horror movies definitely didn't let the victims bleed out enough.

Why would vampires need more than one victim a week with all this blood?

I started crying while ripping off the clothes. Maybe I need the psychiatric help for my inappropriate thoughts at such inappropriate times.