Lila didn't know how long she'd been running, her nightgown tearing against the brambles grasping for her with their thin, crooked fingers, her bare feet leaving a trail of blood that anyone could follow. She only knew that if she stopped, the wolves would catch her and tear her to bits...or worse.
She hadn't known that she'd set up her little campsite in werewolf territory, not until it was too late. It had seemed like the perfect spot, so perfect she had wondered why there were no signs that anyone else had used it. It was a small clearing up on a hill, just high enough above the neighboring treetops that she could see over them and clear down to the shimmering blue lake. There was no one at the lake, either, no fishermen or kayakers enjoying the beautiful summer day. She had thought that odd, but decided to sit back and enjoy the peaceful remoteness. She loved her solitude, never got enough of it back at home where phones were always ringing and doors always being knocked.
Everything had been fine while the sun was still up. Lila had been tending her fire, cooking the fish she'd caught that evening, when night fell and it all went wrong. The first eardrum-piercing howl had made her blood run cold. She only had time to think
that was way too close
before they were upon her, the whole pack, blocking off the path down to the lake. She was running before she'd even consciously registered what was happening, some ancient instinct buried deep within her brain resurfacing at the sight of those massive wolves slobbering over her scent.
Now she had no idea how much time had passed, but she knew that her every muscle was burning with effort, her chest clenched tight as she struggled to draw in enough air to keep going. She was flagging, she had to face it. She didn't have the strength to outrun the whole pack. By the light of the full moon she could see the woods around her opening up into another clearing, a patch of flowers lit up silver.
Lila stumbled into the clearing, making it almost dead center before her legs gave way beneath her. The ground was so soft and yielding, it almost felt like falling into bed.
Falling into bed for the last time,