Brother

I’ve seen enough horror movies to know the girl who walks alone, away from the party, in a secluded location dies first. I also know, that kind of scenario only actually happens on TV. Actually I didn’t know, I hoped; especially due to recent trouble in town and with the wolves running around. Since I’d managed to avoid all the Blakes, at their own party - luck must be on my side.

Danny had disappeared about half an hour ago. It was nearly midnight; Rachelle had passed out in our tent at ten and Wendi had enough of the party so was now reading a book on her phone while listening to our friend snore. Neither of them were even remotely interested in finding him, well I just presumed Rachelle wasn’t since she couldn’t even open her eyes on her own and Wendi cared more about her socks matching than she did about my sibling. I had no allies there and rather than draw attention to myself, I decided to just check on him before joining Wendi and calling it a night.

He could have passed out somewhere not safe or be sick and needing help. I couldn’t stop myself from worrying. Anxiety already had my stomach churning with butterflies as I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Considering the fact Danny had been taking his role as over protective brother to a whole new level after I had told him about my run in with Michael last Friday, and he had since decided we needed to spend time ’bonding’, which included him joining me in whatever I had planned for the day; his sudden absence was worrying.

At work, he’d drop in with a coffee or just to say hi. If I went out, he offered to come too. There hadn’t been any all nighters. No more coming home smelling of pot. He’d helped Mum with dinner most nights and did the dishes without any arguments. Even last night he had stayed out the back with Dad, playing darts and talking cars.

He’d changed, but none of us could work out how or why and my parents didn’t want to ask. When I did, he would simply shrug, and change the topic or come up with some line like, ’what? can’t I be a good brother?’

Danny had also tried to talk me out of coming tonight whenever I’d mention it or he’d hear me and Rachelle talking. He wouldn’t leave me alone for this long, especially here of all places. He’d also made sure Jake had chosen the spot beside our tent to set theirs up. So where was he?

Leaving the bulk of the noise and party behind, I head down behind the shed and see the open gate. I’d last seen him going this way and he had told me he would only be a second as he wanted to get a drink. I hadn’t even seen him have the first one, or anything actually, which was strange.

The green and brown covering of the paddock was an eerie mix of silver and shadows as the moon was full overhead. Firebreaks had been freshly placed around the fence line so not wanting to risk tripping in a rabbits hole or anything else, I stick to the uneven sand track as I try and see where Danny could be.

Trees loomed up ahead; a black mass that seemed a hundred times scarier than what they actually were. For a second it was easy to imagine I was the lead female in a horror movie. Who knew what dangers lurked in the dark; vampires, axe wielding masked men, maybe the trio of wolves?

“Oh grow up!” I scold myself, glancing around uneasily as I see something scurry off up ahead.

It’s only a rabbit.

I should know better, but my brain doesn’t and my skin feels sticky with sweat, despite the cool night. I take a few deep breaths in an effort to try and calm down as all I can think about is serial killers, Michaels jail time and an episode of CSI where they found a young girls body buried in a shallow grave off the side of the highway. Wendi would come looking for me if I was gone too long, unless she was already asleep. Then what if she did come looking for me and she was killed too and-

I nearly turn back.

I would have if I didn’t see Danny’s hat a few steps ahead of like a shiny beacon luring me on. Had he left it on purpose? What if he was being chased; do rabbits have rabies? Do we even have that disease in Australia?

Just as I pick it up, the chain on the gate behind me bangs against the pole with a loud clang sound, and instantly I squeal, spinning around to throw the hat as if it was something bigger and heavier, at what ever may be coming for me.

“Bit jumpy Sar?” Jake laughed, jogging over.

“Jerk, you scared the hell out of me!” I punch his arm as he stops beside me, and he instantly looks at Danny’s hat in my hands. “He isn’t with everyone else, do you know why he’d be heading out here?”

“Na, I don’t. I’ll come with, but we go back once we reach the other end k?” His words are a little slow, and the stale stench of beer surrounded him like he’d had a carton of the stuff poured over him.

“My hero!” I mocked, but I was glad of the company.

Having Jake with me didn’t actually help settle my growing nerves. A fear of the dark and wide open spaces I didn’t know I actually had, made me reach out and hold his arm, despite how badly he smelled.

“Hey Sar, do you, well, do you like these guys?” Jake broke the silence, going one step further than arm holding so his fingers were suddenly entwined in mine. I flinched, but didn’t pull away and his question felt more awkward than it should. “The Blakes, I mean. Danny mentioned you’ve been seeing Michael and-”

Jake stopped, turning to look at me instead. His face was unreadable, and the lack of clear light made it even harder to work out what was going on with him.

“I don’t know them.”

It was a truthful answer. I didn’t know them, not really. What I did know of Michael made me think he was nice enough; a little weird, and creepy at times, but okay.

“Danny’s changed since they came to town. I don’t trust them.” He admitted, looking up towards the trees. “I don’t think he does either.”

If I thought I was paranoid and a little scared before, I knew I was now. “Jake, what’s going on?”

“I don’t know. Danny said some weird shit before Justin came over and said he wanted to talk to him. I got stuck talking to that chick with the glasses in your History class when Danny was with him. Then he was gone.”

“What did Danny say?” I hated how my voice went a little higher on it’s own.

“To get you out of here if, if the wolves came. That’s weird right?” His voice mirrored my own and I realised how scared he was too. “I haven’t been drinking tonight. Neither of us have, cause Danny made me promise to be ready to leave.”

“You stink?”

He sniffed his shoulder and groaned, “Benno shook his beer up and sprayed me and a couple of the guys just after after we got here.”

It became even clearer to me then just how scared he really was. Jake was constantly looking around us, always glancing back to the party and safety. His grip on my hand was only getting tighter.

“Let’s just get Danny and go okay?” I squeezed his hand back trying to reassure him, and as he nodded, we kept walking.

“He told me on Wednesday he made a mistake and he was trying to fix it. Do you know what he could be talking about?” Jake carried on talking.

“No. He’s been perfect all week, Mum’s positive he is on drugs or something because of the sudden change. If I try to talk to him about it, he closes off.”

“Do you think it could be drugs? I dunno if Dad will let him work at the garage if it is. He’ll put up with a lot from us, reckons he was worse back in his day, but that’s too much I think.”

“We’ll just find him and work it out after that.” I assured him, trying to convince myself more than anything. He looked beyond nervous and one of us had to keep a clear head. I guess it was going to be me, but what has Danny done?

“Yeah, you’re right.” He mumbled something under his breath and with the music a dull thud from out here, I saw the fence ahead. “Should we-”

Jake stopped as a savage growl echoed towards us from the treeline. So much for being the calm and in control one and in an act that would anger any feminist, I practically jumped into his arms playing damsel in distress. Problem was, it wasn’t as if he could grab his sword and defend us, and me holding onto him wasn’t helping the situation. Not the one I had in mind at least as Jake became distracted and I felt his hands lower at the base of my spine. My hands were on his chest, and I could feel how hard his heart was beating, as well as the short sharp breaths he was taking.

“Sarah, I just want you to know, and I know it’s not the best time and you’re Dan’s sister, but-” His rambling was cut off by another growl, this one ending in a howl.

“The wolves!” I quickly let him go and before he could stop me, I climbed the gate.

Images of Danny passing out somewhere to be left at their mercy, or worse him being trapped and then attacked made me run faster

“Sarah! Stop! We can go back and get a car or something!” Jake yelled, but as I hit the treeline, he was right behind me. “A gun? Surely their old man has one. The farmers Dad knows all have one!”

I ignore him.

“Danny!” I scream into the dark, over and over - sounding as hysterical as I felt. “Danny!”

“Sh!” Jake snaps, catching up to me.

We blindly stumble through the dark. Due to the size of the trees, not much of the light filters down to our level and if not for Jake behind me, I would have fallen twice. I try not to think of snakes or bugs, or anything else that could be around us and as another branch scratches my legs, I’ve never been more thankful of wearing jeans and boots.

“Danny!” I call again.

Something better be happening, because after this, I was going to kill or at least severely hurt him. I felt faint as fear unlike anything I’d ever felt before left me feeling empty inside. If I stopped moving, I’d probably throw up.

“Sarah?” He finally answered, “Get out of here!”

“No!”

“Stop being so stubborn and-” I didn’t hear him as the pale figure of the wolf appeared in front of us. I scream and Jake slams into me so I nearly fall into it’s snarling jaws. Danny is still shouting, but I can barely hear him over the growls from the monster in front of me.

“Leave her alone!” I hear. He doesn’t quite sound like Danny; too angry, scared.

“Hey there wolf dog. Aren’t you a, a handsome pup.” I softly coo, letting Jake slowly guide me backwards.

Someone whistles, and the wolf hesitates before leaping off the track to be behind us instead. Jake yells in surprise, while I let out a girlier scream. We hold each other, and slowly start to move forward as it herds us into a small clearing. The moon isn’t hidden here, the white, almost blue glow showing me more than I wanted to see.

Another wolf stood between Danny and Michael, instantly jumping into a lower position as it prepared to attack. Danny is just throwing out all kind of insults, and from one look it already appears that Michael is the one in control.

“Hello, Bright Eyes.” Even in this light all I can see is Michael’s smirk and instinctively I step back against Jake.

Somehow I still had a voice and it didn’t betray what I was feeling inside. “What is going on?”

“Ah, you’re just in time!” Michael turned to face us as Danny went to move in our direction.

“No! I told you I changed my mind!” I never heard Danny sound so angry before. “Let. Them. Go!”

“Too late for that Dan!” The eldest Blake snapped. “But we won’t hurt, her. Relax!”

I don’t like the sound of that.

“Danny?” I ask, shaking out of Jake’s hold to go to my brother. “Come on, let’s go!”

I grabbed his hand and went to move away, only to have both wolves block us. Danny quickly shoved me behind him and I realised he had his shirt off. My mouth drops as he actually snarls back at them.

“Not that simple Bright Eyes. Your brother here committed himself and now he doesn’t have a choice.” He taunts.

“You’re insane!” I hold Danny’s arm, and his body is trembling. His skin turns from cold to as hot as a fever; so hot I have let go. “What’s wrong with you?”

Ignoring the animals, I move around to stand in front of Danny as he falls to his knees, and I instantly follow him. I put my hand on his forehead, which is now wet with sweat and the shakes only get worse. He pushes his head against my stomach, holding onto me as he screams in agony.

We need help.

“Danny! Danny look at me. What’s happening?” I don’t know what to do.

I put my hand on his shoulders cringing as he flinches at my touch. The same reaction happens with his arms and head. Anywhere my hands go, I seem to make him hurt more. I don’t understand and as a shadow looms over us, Michael is standing behind Danny.

“What did you do to him!” Looking up, I gasp, and try to keep hold of my brother as best I can - he screams again. Michaels eyes a glowing like the moon, and as he smiles, his teeth aren’t what they usually are. They look more canine than anything else.

“Exactly what he wanted, I’d move if I was you.” He extends his hand, but he really is crazy if he thinks I’m going to touch him.

“Sarah!” Jake yells and instinctively looking back to where he had been, I turn just in time to see one the paler of the wolves, jump at him. When he falls, he doesn’t get back up.

“No!” I gasp, falling backwards as Danny drops to the ground completely. “Jake!”

Nothing. Danny grabs at the dirt as if he’s trying to hold onto something. His face is on the ground as he screams again and rolls onto his side. Looking back to Michael, he is only watching Danny with such intensity I forget to breath for a second, before screaming at him instead. “Help him! Michael!”

He only shakes his head.

“You did this! What is going on? Stop it!” I get up and charge at Michael, fueled by my anger I feel stronger than I have ever been before. “You asshole!”

Despite how strong how I feel, I’m still weak against him and he catches each of my wrists as I throw my punches. So I kick and try to scratch him and whatever I can. It’s pointless and instead he spins me around so my back is against his chest and I’m left to stare at Danny as he squirms around on the ground in some kind of fit. His screams have turned to a more, primal, sickening growl sound and my insides feel like their being torn apart; like I am feeling what he is.

“Calm down. He. Wanted. This.” Michael whispers into my ear.

“Wanted what? I don’t understand what is happening to him!” As Danny curls into himself again, I respond the same way as another wave of pain consumes me. I curl around Michaels arm as he holds me and I’m pretty sure he is trying to soothe me as his voice is a soft whisper in my ear. I can’t focus on him as the pain takes over.

“You shouldn’t have come. Danny told you to stay away.” He tells me as I start to breath again, the pain gone as quick as it came. I manage to look up at him, only to see he is staring up at the moon. “Not long to go now.”

“What?” I look back at Danny as his hand raises to the sky, and as I watch, fingers merge together to reshape as the cracking of his shoulder and back has him struggling to stand. I stop fighting Michael, and my jaw drops as I don’t believe what I’m seeing.

His shoulders hunch and crack as his spine seems to push his hips back. The skin stretches over bones as the sound of them breaking, rearranging has my heart stopping. His remaining hand starts to struggle with his belt and falling onto his back, his legs start to shorten as he kicks off his pants. The hair appears then, darker than his usual shade as his body begins to take on a more dog like shape. He throws his back, a howling sound of pain and fear leaving his jaws since his mouth has been replaced by a snout.

I can’t breath.

Michael isn’t there holding me up anymore and I fall to my knees as Jake grabs my arm instead. “Sarah, is this, what is, did, is this happening?”

I can’t answer him and the other two wolves circle Danny, looking ready to spring into attack mode at any given chance. The second I make myself move forward to my brother, I was right. They were ready to attack - me. Us. Who ever dares to go to Danny.

“Stay back Sarah.” Michael growled, the roar that then leaves him freezing me in place as he discarded his own clothing.

“Werewolves.” I stuttered, feeling Jake back at my side. “They’re werewolves.”

Danny let out a sound that was anything other than human and in a quicker, less painful display, Michael exchanged two legs for four. In his place stood the first wolf I had seen with Peta when we went riding. The blackish brown fur spread along his back and down his sides, and blue eyes met mine for a second before it’s muzzle was tilted upwards and the trio howled.

It was a beautiful sound and closing my eyes, the air seemed to tingle around us. It was like being zapped by static electricity, a shock, but not too painful and the chorus seeped into my mind until one new singer joined in. It wasn’t like the others, and my heart felt like it being crushed as the misery took over the peaceful harmony. As it stopped, I opened my eyes and I found myself nearly nose to nose with a black wolf.

“Danny?” I managed to whisper; not sure if I wanted to scream, vomit or pass out.

The wolf whined before one of the trio behind it growled, then just like that Jake and I were left alone with two pairs of jeans, the moon and a lot of questions.

What the hell just happened?

-x-

I don’t know how long Jake and I just sat there. He was the first to move and he practically carried me back down the path. It wasn’t real. It was a joke, a sick, twisted joke, that must have taken a lot of planning.

People don’t turn into wolves.

“Jake. Stop.” I wiggled out of his hold and looking around into the night, it was scarier than I ever imagined it to be. “We have to find Danny.”

I just wasn’t sure what we’d find when we did.

“Did you, they turned into wolves. Sarah, we need to get the fuck out of here. This is what he meant. If anything happened I had to get you of here!” Jake didn’t sound like Jake.

“I have to find him.”

“No!” He yelled angrily, and suddenly his shoulder was digging into my stomach as he carried me back to the party. His arms were like chains around my legs and as my mind replayed Danny, changing, he was lucky he didn’t end up with vomit down his back.

We must have been gone a while. The lights were off, and the music. I couldn’t yell at Jake anymore, I didn’t bother fighting him and as Jake dropped me in front of my tent, Wendi’s face soon appeared while I was too busy looking at the old man staring out the front room window of the house.

“Sarah, Sarah? Are you alright?” Wendi was tugging on my arm and in his tent, Jake was packing his bag.

He didn’t move, and he had to know I was staring at him. “Go to sleep.”

“I can’t. Did you hear the howling? That had to be wolves!” She whispered.

“Go to sleep.” I tell her again. “It’s fine.”

Going towards the house, Wendi is saying something to Jake and I start to run. Getting to the front door, I knock. He didn’t move from the window and I keep knocking until he does, which was just before Jake worked out where I was.

“What?” He snapped, looking more like a grandfather than a dad.

“Are you one?” I demanded.

Fuzzy grey brows rose slightly, before a smug smile took over. He was definitely Michael’s relative. “One, what?”

“A, a werewolf.” It sounded ridiculous.

“I wondered why he let those boys have all these people over tonight.” He sighed, rubbing his jaw as if it ached. Hazel eyes looked me over, lingering on my arms before his noise tilted upwards and he inhaled deeply. “Wasn’t you. Who was it girl? Your boyfriend?”

“My brother. Danny.”

“Ah, you Bright Eyes then?”

“Sarah.” I corrected.

“Makes sense. Fancy a cuppa?” He moved down the hall and I followed. “Don’t worry about your friends. They’re all safe. We don’t hunt humans.”

I shivered at his words, but stayed. We just made it to the kitchen when the back door burst open and Jake came in. “Sarah, we’re going.”

“No. We’re not.”

The two males glared at each other for a moment, before Jake made up his mind. “I will carry you out of here!”

“Jake, calm down.” I tried to sound serious, but calm seemed so, irrelevant.

“I’m too old for this.” Mr. Blake mumbled, turning on the kettle. “Sit!”

We stopped and if I hadn’t been sitting, I would’ve. Something changed in the room as the air went heavy, almost suffocating and Jake looked completely bewildered before he took the seat opposite me at the small dining table. Instantly the pressure released.

“Still got it.” The old man laughed. “Now, werewolves you say?”

Jake tensed and I nodded, daring a glance around the modern kitchen. The man didn’t look at home here, and in his old checked shirt and dirty jeans, around a campfire seemed like a more fitting setting for him. Rough, calloused hands with dirt that looked forever embedded in the grooves of his fingers held the cup with familiar ease and despite the steam that flowed from the top, he seemed obvlivious to the heat.

“Well Bright Eyes, we werewolves, exist and your brother Danny, jumped at the chance when it got offered to him.”

What do you say to that?

“Your probably wondering why, well, it’s simple. He’s an outsider, and this is his chance to be apart of something. Pack offers security, a sense of belonging; everything he doesn’t have. Mike must like the boy, see some kind of potential in him to actually go through with the change.” I think the last part was more to himself as he sipped his old mug filled with tea.

He never made one for me, or Jake.

“He’s a werewolf? You turned him into a fucking werewolf?” Jake sounded like he was thirteen, his voice high pitched and hysterical as he gripped the edge of the table in such a way I was expecting him to tip it over. “Can it be undone?”

“I didn’t do anything, and no.” There Simple. Danny is a werewolf.

“Could he, change us?” I stayed quiet as Jake kept asking the questions.

“Maybe. One day.” Mr. Blake shrugged.

“Does it only happen on a full moon?”

“No. Anytime, anywhere.”

Staring out the window, I dropped out of the conversation completely. Bits of it filtered through, like the fact there were others. They kept to small, mostly family sized packs. Hunting humans went out in the eighteen hundreds and silver was a weakness to them only in the movies.

“But, well, is he okay?” I finally interrupted.

“Yes. If he accepts and adjusts to the change, it will be like nothing ever happened.” Mr. Blake assured me. There was something about his voice, so calm and reassuring I wanted to believe him.

"If, he accepts it?”

The old man sipped his tea as a howl rang out in the distance. I looked at Jake who had gone quiet and sat staring at his hands. He clearly didn’t hear it. Mr Blake did, I could almost imagine him as a wolf, ears twitching as he heard the sound. We looked at each other at the same time and his eyes caught the kitchen light, appearing more amber and, not human. Dog, well wolf eyes looked at me now and he chuckled softly to himself before sipping the tea again.

“Never mind that. How about you sleep in here tonight?” He offered. “Both of ya?”

Another howl and Jake looked up at me, clearly trying to work out what I wanted to do.

“Will they come back tonight?” I ask.

“Maybe. Probably before dawn.”

“I’ll wait.” I tell him and Jake nods. He wasn’t going to leave me.

We set ourselves up in the living room on a fold out sofa and I wonder what I can tell my parents. I don’t know why, but I feel like I shouldn’t tell anyone. It’s just before Jake turns off the light that I see the blood on his face and getting up, I carefully look him over. He must have hit his head when he was knocked over.

“Let me get this cleaned up.” He doesn’t argue, and going into the kitchen, I find some paper towel and clean it up. It was only a scratch, but already it was starting to swell and bruise.

“Thanks, for this.” I’d swear he was blushing and looking down at him, I try to smile.

He hugs me like Danny had, his head pressing into my stomach and it’s then I feel how sensitive my skin feels. I hold my breath, and wait for him to let me go, not wanting to worry him further. We turn the lights off and go back to the fold out. Jake gets comfortable beside me, but I can’t sleep or lay down.

As soon as he is asleep I get up and find the bathroom, lifting my shirt to check myself in the mirror and sure enough, where Danny had held onto me, the skin is sore and red with his hand prints. I ignore it, I’d worry about myself later.

Right now, Danny is out there, somewhere, as a wolf, doing who knows what. My brother is a werewolf. I never thought that would be what made the Blake’s so strange, you just wouldn’t read about it. My mind was a mess. I just wanted to see Danny. He’d tell me what to do and I really needed him to do that. I didn’t know what to think, or feel or anything.

Shock.

I was in shock.

It made sense and leaving the bathroom, found my boots, slipping them on like I’d done a hundred times before only even doing that felt surreal. I went outside and sitting on the back steps, I waited for Danny.

We’d work this out. We always did and now he didn’t have to keep it a secret from me. I would help him like I always do and leaning back against the door, I slowly let my eyes close. Despite it feeling like hours, it couldn’t have been that long as it was still dark when Michael lifted me away from the door. I felt numb as I saw his brothers go inside, and he noticed it to.

“I can’t believe he let you sit out here in the cold.” He mumbled, and I was too asleep to protest him taking me inside.

We ended up in his room and the second he set me down on his bed, I woke up. “Where is Danny?”

“Put this on.” He threw me a jumper, but I ignored it.

“Where. Is. He?” I stood and the stiffness from sitting on the stairs had my back aching; amongst other things.

“Jumper first.” None of this bothered him. This was normal for the werewolf, so I did as he said, glaring at him the whole time. “Stay here. I’ll get him.”

Sure enough, he reappeared a few minutes later, the mass of black fur being awkwardly carried in and dumped on the bare wood floors in front of me. Danny didn’t move.

“Is he, is he okay?” I didn’t shift from my position on the bed, scared of my own brother.

“Tired, that’s all. Relax Bright Eyes, we look after our own.” He promised.

Michael left us, and from across the hall I heard the shower turn on. Slowly, I got the courage to go and sit beside Danny. The wolf head was sat in my lap, and I carefully ran my hand from his neck and along his side, ignoring what ever wet, sticky patches tainted the oddly soft fur. He whined once, his eyes flickering open before he snuggled closer against me and then completely passed out.

“Oh Danny, what have you done?” I whispered against his cheek, unable to stop my tears as I kissed his nose. He didn’t need pack, he needed family. Wolf or not, he was still my brother and I would help him through this.

I just didn’t know how yet.