((Sorry if there's any errors. I was up really late writing this. I'll fix any mistakes later.))


Kay slammed the door behind him as he arrived home from work. The one-story three-bedroom house was in complete disarray. Clothes and dirty dishes were in piles and the very suspect was lounging on a broken-springed sofa, watching basketball. In his bartender clothes, Kay dragged his feet away from the entrance to the nearest night stand. The man on the couch turned his head, greeting Kay with a mouthful of yesterday’s Salisbury steak.

“How was work?” He forked another piece of steak in his mouth.

Kay remained unpleasant as he slammed a wad of envelopes in his roommate’s lap, making him flinch. He hit the surface of the nightstand.
“Reiger.” His voice was steady, but low.
“Two weeks worth of mail…including BILLS, stashed under the doormat. EXPLAIN!”

Reiger kept his mouth open, glancing at the television while holding a fork and plate in hand.
“Ummm…”
The sound of cheering roared from the television when the team scored a 3-pointer. Kay shut it off in frustration.

Reiger sighed, setting his plate down.
“I didn’t want you getting all stressed…”

Kay snorted, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“If anything, it’s caused me more.”

He took a seat on the couch, forcing Reiger to sit up.
“Well, like… the electric bill… I just knew it wouldn’t look pretty…”

Kay placed his head in his hands.
“But if you hide them, they’ll never get paid. They’ll keep piling up.”

“I thought I’d pay it off myself once I had the money. The last thing I want to deal with is you getting mad at me over my beloved television.”

Kay grumbled.
“I rarely ever get mad. But these are bills we’re talking about. I work every night to pay them off!”

“Okay! I won’t do it again. I promise. Problem solved.”

Kay shook his head.
“I hope you mean it this time.”


After a few moments of silence, Reiger flipped the television back on. It was dinner time and Kay was starving. Pushing himself up from the couch, he removed his coat and dropped it to the floor. Reiger seemed to be in his own little world of basketball once again.

As Kay walked into the kitchen, he noticed a few new holes in the pale-green walls. Reiger and Kay were a fairly rowdy bunch when they had one too many beers. Their other roommate, Pyria, usually hung in her room when the other two were acting wild. She was the more composed one of the pack. Kay opened the door to the refrigerator, hoping to find something juicy. There were more than enough bones stashed away in the compartments, as well as every pantry in the house. It was certainly an odd site if any human were to see the condition of their food supplies. Kay opened one of the sections and pulled out a rather large fish wrapped in plastic. He decided that it would be his meal and put it on the counter for preparation.

As he was fixing his dinner up, his mind shifted to the incident that happened a couple nights before. After he had called the ambulance, he transformed once again and leaped beyond the fence of the park so the paramedics wouldn’t see him. The girl had suffered a head wound from the accident, but he sensed she was alright. The only thing that continued to trouble Kay was if she would remember what she saw. If it wasn’t for that drunken fool of a wolf, the whole thing would have never happened. Kay threw the pieces of fish in a frying pan and left them to simmer. For some reason, Reiger had switched the channel to the news station . Kay leaned against the wall, staring at the television screen.

“Why did you change the channel?”
Reiger had one arm folded behind his head, the other holding the remote.

“The game ended. The team I was routing for lost. Heh, figures.”

Kay shook his head.
“That’s too bad.”

Reiger nodded, then suddenly turned the volume up.
“Did you hear about this?”

Kay leaned in closer, listening to whatever it was his roommate wanted to show him. On the screen, it was showing footage of a garbage dump which was not too far from where they lived. Several body bags were being rolled out onto stretchers into ambulances. The place was filled with smoke from the flames the firefighters had to put out earlier.

“At least thirteen victims were found at the miniature garbage dump of southern Corentine. After firefighters doused the flames, the bodies were inspected. The cause is still unknown, however, the victims were inflicted with strange beast-like gashes.”

They then switched over to another report regarding some school fundraiser. Kay had dug his nails into the wall as he listened to the previous report.

Reiger wore a grim expression.
“Hard to believe, don’t you think? Someone’s definitely starting trouble.”

Kay didn’t know what to say. Never on the news had they reported claw markings on bodies unless it was proven to be someone’s dog( which they would put down soon after). He gritted his teeth.

“They better find the runt that caused it. Otherwise, Corentine’s going under lockdown.”

Reiger raised his brow.
“Lockdown? What do you mean?”

“If too many of these killings got out of hand, the government would catch on. Then, they’d make it where nobody could leave the city until all werewolves were exterminated by hired hands.”

The thought sent chills down Kay’s spine. His worst nightmare was for the very thought to happen. Reiger sat staring at the floor in deep thought, thinking of the same things as Kay.

The two had known each other for five years. They met in the place that Kay worked at. Reiger had gotten into a fight with another customer who happened to be the ring leader of a few other wolves. If it wasn’t for Kay, Reiger would’ve become mince meat. Ever since, they had agreed in becoming a pack to watch out for each other’s backs. Soon after, Reiger’s girlfriend Pyria had moved in with them. If any trouble ever raised, they would work against it. Kay was a strong believer of equality and fairness. Unlike a lot of werewolves, he didn’t have any sorts of racial thoughts towards humans. It was why he could work as a bartender among both species. Some werewolves were prone to acting out of line when it came to anger. Kay knew how to calm them down before they got out of hand, as long as they cooperated. It was a difficult ask at times, but Kay insisted on keeping the peace.

At the end of their hallway was the bathroom. The toilet seat was up and there was no more toilet paper. As much as Kay wanted a maid to deal with their messes, it would be foolish to create more chances of getting caught. Besides, he didn’t have the money for one anyways. Kay unlocked the door to his room and stepped into its amazingly normal brilliance. There were a few jeans and socks scattered across the floor, but it was nowhere near as cluttered as the mess outside.

Kay removed his work clothes, stripping down to his navy-blue boxers. His skin was a decent peach tone, barely covered in black hairs. A few scars were embedded in his back from previous run-ins with violent characters; Some preferred knives over fangs. Pulling open his black curtains, he lifted the window to the top. A big gush of cool air blew in, airing out all the stuffyness. Kay breathed in all the rich scents while marveling at the view of the lights below the small hill. Looking out the window was always a breath of fresh air. He leaned against the sill, pondering in thought while examining the light of the red glowing tower off in the distance. How long would it be before chaos showed its face?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


The sound of the alarm clock shook the insides of Amanda’s head. She kept her eyes closed, furrowing her brows at being woken up from a very peculiar dream. She had been taking her weekly jog down the park before running into a stranger dressed in a brown cloak. They stopped her from proceeding, and forced a red rose into her hands. She tried getting a better look at who the person was, but the only thing she could make out were whiskers. The thought of the dream left her feeling puzzled, but she refrained from thinking about it as she went to get dressed. The pain in her forehead was throbbing as usual, but it was getting better. From head to toe she felt slightly fatigued, but it was from the lack of exercise she was so used to. It would be a good idea to go downtown and look around. There were sales she was missing out on that were probably being picked over right that second. Wearing a green shirt with boot cut jeans, Amanda slipped out the door before her mom could yell at her to get more rest. She laughed at the idea since she was a twenty-eight year old woman. Her mom tried too hard sometimes.

Living so close to the shopping area had its benefits. Amanda’s car was in the shop and she didn’t want to steal her mom’s car, so she decided to walk. The crispy air seemed to ease the pain in her head temporarily. There were a few others taking their morning strolls, but none of them were friendly enough to offer a ‘hello’. Amanda kept her badge tucked away in her pocket, even when she was off duty. It was good for when trouble rose in unexpected places. After some time, she finally reached the stores. The first thing to capture her interests was Coffee Express. It had been awhile since she had a decent cup of coffee. There were fewer customers when she went to order. The majority of them sat in the back of the place, typing away on their laptops. When Amanda received her tall coffee latte, she left the building. Benches were placed directly in front of the bookstore, which was going to be her next stop. Because drinks weren’t allowed inside, she decided to sit and finish her coffee.

A big burly man walked past her, shoving a woman out of his way. He was so hairy looking that Amanda could take him for a grizzly bear or wolf. She glared after him, disliking the poor behavior he had shown to the lady. She was a thin woman with long dark red hair that framed her face perfectly. She could have been a model if it weren’t for the green thick-rimmed glasses. The lady walked up to the door of the bookstore, and fumbled with the keys she held in her hand. She didn’t notice Amanda sitting there right away, and started when she realized she was being watched.

“I’m opening it now, so you can come inside whenever you please.”
She offered a quick smile before disappearing into the building.
“Quirky lady. Seems nice though.”
Amanda shrugged.

Tossing away her cup, she went inside. It was a very cozy yet stuffy place. Amanda had been here before, but later in the day with a different cashier. The walls were painted dark purple and the carpet was shaded gray.

“I’ve never seen you here before. You must not be much of a morning person.”
The woman observed Amanda with her hand curled under her chin, a faint hint of sarcasm in her voice.

Amanda rubbed the back of her head.
“Well, I’m usually working at this time. I don’t get to come here as often, being busy and all. Heh.”

The lady nodded.
“Fair enough. Well, I hope you find a book to your liking.”

“Thanks. I’m sure I will.”
Amanda went towards the aisles. She was under the Fantasy section, being one of her favorite genres. It was easy to tell which books were newer and older, as some of the spines looked worn. One thick red one stood out the most as opposed to all the black ones. Pulling it out to take a look, Amanda furrowed her brows at the cover. A pack of wolves were surrounding a dimly lit campfire in some cave with stalactites. It was painted really well and was captivating. It made her think of the animal she’d seen that had leaped out in front of her car that one night. It was a large wolf, very similar to the ones on the cover (according to what she could remember). To top it off, the title was “Legends of the Lycan”. Lycan was short for Lycanthrope, which meant half human and wolf. The idea played around in Amanda’s head until she realized she was being silly. It was most likely some wolf that wandered out of the park’s forest. Eventually, the city would find it and force it back to its territory.

Just as she closed the book to put it back, the bell on the door had rung when somebody entered. Amanda slightly leaned her head back when she heard male voices to get a better look. Two tall men stood around the cashier counter, talking to the woman. One had long black hair while the other preferred his brown hair cut short. She couldn’t hear what they were talking about, nor did she care enough to eavesdrop. Putting the book back, she went to look for another. Walking out of the aisle, she went into the next row down. Before she disappeared behind the wall of books, her badge fell out of her back pocket. The button on her pocket had undone itself, making it easier for it to slip. She cursed quietly, crouching down to pick it up, then turned her head a little to see behind her. To her embarrassment, the black haired man at the counter was staring at her. His eyes were hidden behind sunglasses, so she couldn’t exactly tell what his expression was.

Trying her best to not notice, she went down the aisle and pulled out a couple smaller books wedged between two big ones. They were both part of the same trilogy that was about fairies and witches. It was one Amanda didn’t recognize. She began to get absorbed in the text as she flipped through the first few pages. Too distracted to realize, the man had walked over to her and was standing near her left side. She realized the aisle suddenly felt smaller and flinched when she saw him there.

He smiled.
“I’m trying to find a book. It was over here somewhere.”

Amanda nod her head, stepping away from the shelf to allow him to get in front. He lowered to the floor, searching the shelf for whatever book he wanted. His back was enormous compared to hers and was covered in a leather black jacket. It took him about a minute to find his book. As he stood, he glanced at the bandage that covered half of her forehead.

“How’s the wound?”
His voice was low and very clear. He sounded compassionate.

“I-It’s.. it’s healing.” She smiled, placing her hand on the bandage.

“That’s good. Hopefully it doesn’t leave a scar.”

“It just might. But it won’t be all too noticeable, I don’t think. Thank you for your concern.”
Amanda felt rude ending the polite conversation so quickly. The man’s presence made her nervous, as he was so much bigger than her and standing close. She could smell the scent of smoke and cologne. Just when she thought he was going to leave, he stopped in his tracks and skimmed through more of the books on the shelf. This annoyed her a little, as she was eager to be alone. She quickly reached for a random book on the shelf and pulled it out. To her dismay, it was a romance novel in the wrong section with two half naked pioneers of the same sex on the front. The man had looked over at the wrong time and saw what she held in her hands and couldn’t help but smile while raising a brow. Amanda’s face flared red and she quickly returned it to the shelf. Clearing her throat, she decided to forget about looking for books today and squeezed passed him, inching to the doorway. Quickly waving at the cashier lady, Amanda walked out of the store.