New Moon 4

Jennifer sat in an overstuffed chair, staring at the faint cracks in the white leather. She settled her glasses on her nose out of nervous habit, awkwardly ignoring the other two girls in the room. Her arm stood out in stark contrast against the chair, her skin as dark as burnt mocha.

The young woman stole a quick glance at the other two girls - Emily and Madison - and then bent back down to picking at the lines in the chair. She silently cursed her mother for making her come and then quickly apologized to her in the same mental breath.

Stanton Community College, the all girl's school she went to, had decided to select three students as "Young Leaders". No specific background was given for how they selected but, looking at the other two girls, it's was obvious. Madison was the track and field star. Blonde hair, perfect complexion with long legs and a lean frame, she'd won State every year in high school. Jennifer was intelligent and, well, nerdy if she was honest with herself. Her advisor had bawled when she'd learned Jennifer had misplaced her college applications, missingthe deadlines. So now she was in the local community college until next year.

And, Emily? Emily was... popular. That's all Jennifer could figure out. Emily Tanaka was slim and pretty with an infectious smile and an easy going personality. She wasn't particularly intelligent but also not stupid. Jennifer didn't know her very well but she knew

of

her. Their spheres of social cliques had just never overlapped. Ever.

Jennifer picked at a loose piece of leather, frowning with her eyebrows furrowed.

So they have the STEM group and athletics group but did they seriously just pick a popular girl, too? Is she, what? The social media darling? Or did they just need an ethnically diverse group? Oh, god, they didn't just pick me because I'm black, did they?

Jennifer sighed and then looked up as a side door opened.

A young man in a stereotypical hunter's camouflage outfit strode in. He wore a plastic rifle (complete with orange barrel plug) slung across his back and a name tag (Alex) on his orange safety vest.

"Good evening, ladies," Alex drawled. He seemed only slightly older than the three of them and was attractive enough to make Jennifer blush and look away. "We're doing a final walkthrough to ensure everything is setup correctly. I brought drinks for everyone while you wait and we appreciate your patience."

Alex placed a small try on the table in the center of the room. Three cups were arrayed on the tray, their dull copper finish seemingly absorbing the overhead light. Jennifer blinked at them - each cup was cast in the shape of an animal paw print. She reached for a cup with the other two girls.

Oh, right,

Jennifer thought. In addition to recognition at their school, they were each given gift cards to the local Steak House as well as tickets to the local "Escape The Room" business that had just opened. Although, this particular one styled itself as "Escape The Forest". And so the odd cups made a sort of strange sense.

"The door will open when everything is ready," Alex continued. Jennifer sipped her drink (cool, clear water that tasted slightly sweet, she noticed) with the other two girls. "Everything is automated and you'll have sixty minutes to finish. Since you're our first group, we'd appreciate if you'd take the time afterwards to give us feedback."

He smiled brightly at each of them before collecting the empty cups and tray. "Good luck, ladies!"

"Well, he's cute," Emily said as the door clicked close behind Alex. "Can't be worse than the guys that message me online. 'Oh, you're just like a tiny geisha!' and 'Do you watch Attack on Titan?' Ugh. Unless he's really a hunter then, pass. Anyone that can look Bambi's mom in the eye and still pull the trigger isn't my type."

"Yeah, he's alright," Madison yawned. "I like them-"

"Tall," Emily answered at the same time as Madison. "I know. We all know. Giants for the Amazon queen. You're awful quiet, Jenny. You okay over there?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jennifer lied, blushing again and reflexively fixing her glasses.

I just get super nervous talking to people. Especially popular attractive people that I have nothing in common with. No big deal.

"Just thinking about my classes."

The large door facing the three girls opened with a faint click.

Jennifer leaned forward to look into the room from her seat. However, despite the faint light from within, she couldn't make anything out. She looked up at the other two girls when they stood and then she stood with them.

Madison took the lead with Emily second and Jennifer nervously taking up the rear.

The room was painted pure black, fading to gray near the ceiling where fake stars glowed with their own dim illumination. A large full moon was painted low on the wall in front of them and it seemed to be providing light in some way.

Jennifer blinked several times and then gasped as the door they'd just entered clicked shut behind her. She felt a small measure of guilty satisfaction when Emily jumped, too. As her eyes slowed adjusted to the room, she noticed dark clouds painted on the wall. To her right, a huge fake tree stood out from the wall, it's roots twisted and gnarled before it. The ground felt spongy and uneven and the entire room looked like the entrance to a forest.

"There's writing," Madison said quietly. "Look, just under the moon."

Jennifer stepped close to the other girl, squinting at the wall beneath the moon. Cursive letters shined faintly.

"'Whoever drinks water from a wolf's paw print'," Jennifer read in a whisper. "'Shall become a wolf at the first full moon. You've entered the forest with a hunter at your heels. The moon begins to rise and you feel the changes. You know you must escape within the hour or you'll be lost to the wolf forever.'"

"Huh," Emily said. "That's weird."

"Oh hell, I didn't even see the door," Madison said, walking forward. A simple door was set in the wall beneath the writing. It fit neatly into the wall with barely any visible seams. A small doorknob and keyhole were on the right of the door. Madison jiggle the doorknob and then shrugged. "Locked."

"So, we find the key?" Emily asked. She strained her neck forward with a strange grimace. Frowning, and rolling her head, she stood up straight, scratching idly at her cheek with her long nails. "It's too dark to see anything. I can't even read the stupid words on the wall."

Jennifer blinked her eyes and then shrugged uncomfortably.

Overdramatic, I guess. It isn't even

that

dark.

The young girl tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She looked around slowly while rubbing the inside of her ear with her thumb.

Madison stalked around the room carefully with her arms out. "No joke, I can't see shit in here. Is that- Is that a tree? I can't- oh, hold on, I think I've got something in my shoe."

The track star leaned against the wall to undo her shoe. She tipped her shoe upside down, shaking it in case a rock had made its way in. Satisfied, she pulled off her ankle-length sock and grabbed her small foot. Her slim fingers slid along the graceful, soft arch of her foot and before catching on the rough skin of the ball of her foot. She frowned, scratching at the the callus she felt.

Ugh, guess I should buy a pumice stone after all,

she thought to herself.

A small, painless spasm shot through Madison's other foot and the young girl put her bare foot down to catch her balance.

"Oh, wow, I think they put actual grass down. It feels nice." She ran her small, bare foot through the cool grass, thrilling at the way it felt on her skin. Tendons stood out on the backs of her toes briefly and she dug her toes into the ground. "There's even dirt. Crazy."

Movement caught Emily's eye and her lips peeled back to bare her teeth. Goosebumps rose along the back of her neck and faint hairs lifted with them. "Did you guys see that?"

"See what?" Jennifer asked. She turned to where Emily was looking. There were small holes in between the roots. She could see dirt within but nothing moved. The other girl seemed incredibly focused and slightly hunched. She radiated... something. Jennifer shivered. "By the tree roots?"

"Those are roots?" Emily asked, licking her lips. "I can't even see- something moved over there. I will scream if it's a mouse. Someone look for me."

Madison walked over, carrying her shoe with the sock stuffed inside. She knelt where Emily pointed, feeling around. "Oh, yeah, there are some holes here. Hold one. Yup. Here we go."

"Is it a mouse? Maddie, please," Emily whined. She backed away, her upper lip trembling as she showed perfect white teeth. "Please don't pull out a mouse. I- I'll seriously freak out."

"No, dummy," Madison said, standing and dusting herself off. She pulled at the bottom of her shirt and shifted her shoulders uncomfortably. In her hand was a shiny metal object. "It's a key. Come on, let's move on to the next room."

The two girls followed Madison again as she unlocked and opened the door. Jennifer looked over the tall girl's shoulder to see into the next room as they slowly filed in. Light golden flecks appeared in the black girl's eyes and her pupils widened to collect the light. There were three doors in front of them and more writing beneath another full moon that seemed to be slightly higher than the one in the previous room. More fake trees lined the walls.

"It's so dark," Emily complained, holding onto Madison's shoulder.

"No, wait!" Madison said as the door closed behind them.

"What's wrong?" Emily asked.

"Ugh, I left my shoe in the last room," Madison ran her hands along the door they'd just passed but there was no keyhole on this side. "Dammit."

"I'm sure they'll give them back at the end," Jennifer said. She turned back to the door ahead of them and began reading. "'The moon rises higher'-"

"What?" Emily asked.

"It's- I'm reading the words over there," Jennifer pointed. Emily squinted, looked at Jennifer and then walked to the wall in front of them.

"You can see this all the way from back there?" Emily asked. She scratched at the little hairs on the back of her neck while grinding her teeth.

"Y- yeah," Jennifer said. She continued. "'The moon rises higher. You feel the beast pulling at you and the forest comes alive with prey. Your changes continue and your growing hunger gnaws at you.'"

"I don't get it," Madison said. She rocked back and forth on her feet, digging her bare toes into the grass and dirt lining the room. She knuckled her toes into the ground, pawing at the dirt. Faint hairs sprouted from the back of her toes. "This is awkward. I'm just going to go barefoot."

The tall blonde girl pulled her shoe and sock off, sighing in relief as she freed her foot. She put her sock in her shoe and set them by the wall, grumbling about getting them back later.

"There's a box by this door," Emily said. She reached in to pull out a set of cards. Pictures covered the top of the cards and a small black QR code was printed below each picture. She glanced through the large stack of cards. "Tree, car, pig, cow, little kid, eww, blood."

Emily's nose flared at the picture of the blood and she licked her lips. Her bright red lipstick slowly darkened as the pink skin beneath darkened. A dull ache formed within her stomach and she shivered, as if a lover had dragged a finger down her spine.

"There's like a hundred of these cards," Emily said, rifling through the stack. She swallowed a muted growl, forcing the sudden excitement away.

Jennifer looked around the room, scratching at her belly. She

did

feel a little hungry despite having eaten just an hour ago. Her stomach was sore and she sighed, pushing at a tiny fat roll. She wouldn't eat again until breakfast tomorrow.

"What's the to the left of the door, Emily?" Jennifer asked.

"It's- hold up. Your... your eyes," Emily said. She hunched slightly, backing into the wall and baring her teeth with dark lips. Her hackles stood on end as she stared at Jennifer. "They're glowing. They're fucking glowing, Jenny!"

"What? What are you talking about?" Jennifer said, stepping back, her hand going to her face.

Madison walked over on bare feet and tiny blonde hairs sprouted from between her toes, growing up to her ankle. "Holy shit, Jenny, she's not joking. They're golden. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Jennifer said, too loudly. She took her glasses off to rub at her eyes. "You guys are messing with me, aren't-"

Jennifer froze. She could still clearly read the words on the far wall. If anything, they were even sharper now. She put her glasses back on and the words blurred until she took them off again. In the darkness, her hair moved ever so slightly. The curve of her ears shifted, growing out slowly to sharp tips.

"Oh my god," Jennifer whispered. She looked over to her friend and her mouth opened in shock. "Emily, you- your-"

Emily's canines lengthened in her mouth, scraping at the nearby teeth. Her eyes widened as she felt the pressure in her mouth. Her blackened lips bulged slightly to contain the deadly fangs. The young woman gently touched her teeth and then looked up in a panic.

"Oh my god! Oh my god!" Emily yelled, shaking her hands as she hyperventilated. Her words sounded

off

in her mouth, her voice thick and, Jennifer's ears twitched, deeper - almost guttural. "I'm gonna- I'm gonna be sick."

Jennifer turned to Madison.

"I'm fine!" Madison said as her heart began to race. "Seriously, I don't think anything's different about me."

As one, Jennifer and Madison slowly looked down to Madison's bare feet.

"I just- I just had a rock or something in my shoe," Madison said, Still, the young woman sat in the soft grass. Jennifer knelt next to her.

Madison stared at her left foot. Carefully, in the light of the fake full moon, she ran her fingers through the soft hair now covering the top of her foot. The hair was short and sparse and nearly silver in the moonlight. As she watched, her toes cramped and bunched at the knuckle. She expected pain but was surprised to feel nothing. Still, the young woman held her foot gently and massaged the arch.

"Does it hurt?" Jennifer asked quietly.

"No," Madison answered. She tried wiggling her scrunched toes but they felt stiff and strange and refused to straighten. The skin above her toenails split and the toenails bulged.

"Oh!" Jennifer gasped, her hand going to her mouth. Her golden eyes widened and her sharp ears vibrated.

Black glistened under the skin of Madison's toes and sharp, deadly points grew forth, pushing the nails off.

"Fuck," Madison growled. She kept wincing, expecting pain to hit but, instead, felt an odd thrill. "Fuck fuck fuck."

The toes of Madison's right foot pushed forward as the ball of her foot expanded. The arch of both feet shortened and her skin wrinkled before pulling tight. The rough skin beneath her toes began to turn black and her right toes spasmed and bunched to match her left foot.

Madison's growing paws were nearly double the size of the cups they'd used earlier. Nearly double the size of a wolf's paw.

Light blonde hair grew forth from the back of Madison's hands. She hugged herself, hiding her hands under armpits and, in a quick motion, stood on thick, padded paws. With a startled cry, she tilted and Jennifer stood to catch her.

"Are you okay? Madison?" Jennifer asked. Her sharp ears shifted back in concern.

"Yeah," the other girl answered. She seemed pale with wide, terrified eyes. Her pants felt tight on her and she the skin above her ass pressed against the band of her jeans. "Just, uhh, different. Really fucking different. You can let go, I think I have it."

A growl from the other side of the room made both girls turn. Light black fur sprouted from the back of Jennifer's neck and quickly stood on end. Slowly, the line of hair grew down the back of her neck and over her shoulders. It thickened over her collarbones until the top of her arms was covered in small tufts of fur. She hugged herself, rolling her shoulder blades so her sweater scratched against her skin.

Emily had her hands clamped to her mouth.

"Did you just?" Madison asked. "Did you just growl at us?"

Emily shook her head and then moaned, leaning forward. Her jaw cracked and moved, pulling her nose with it. Her tongue fell from her her half-muzzle, thick and wide. Her brow inched forward with her face. The skin along her nose darkened from pale white to dark pink and then further, slowly, into pure black. Her back bulged just below her neck.

"E- Emily?" Jennifer asked. "Are you-?"

Are you still human?

She wanted to ask.

Emily leaned back onto her knees. She breathed deep and then shuddered as she breathed out. When she spoke, her voice was slurred. "How do I look?"

Madison and Jennifer looked at each other. "Uh."

"The writing!" Jennifer shouted suddenly. "In the first room! Drinking from the wolf's paw and changing into wolves!"

"No," Madison said. "No fucking way. There's just no- It can't-"

Jennifer pointed down at Madison's huge paws. Black fur lined the back of Jennifer's hands and she ground her teeth at them. Something twitched on her lower back and she mentally cursed, reaching around to feel a bump forming.

A tail, oh god, that's where my- the- tail would be,

she told herself.

Madison growled and pounded on the walls. "Hey! Hey assholes! Let us out! You can't do this! LET! US! OUT!"

The young girl panted, pressing her face against the wall. Bones in her fingers creaked and she rubbed her hot hands against the cool wall. Her palms grew thick while her fingers shortened.

"Oh god, this can't be happening. It can't," Emily moaned. She cried out as muscles knotted within her calves, forcing her down to her ass. Growling quietly, the young girl massaged her legs over and over. SHe could feel her shoes pressing against her feet. With a loud curse, she pulled at her laces, breaking them with sudden, surprising strength. Her tiny, pale feet were covered with a down of black fur and there were large gaps between her toes. Her feet had widened slightly, forcing the toes apart.

"We have to hurry," Jennifer said, pressing at the bulge growing at the base of her spine. "It said an hour. The guy, Alex, he said we had an hour. And the writing said we'll be stuck if we don't get out. Emily! Emily!"

Madison angrily wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. Her cheeks and ears burned as she struggled with her fear and panic. "I just - I don't understand. What- What's happening.

How

is this happening?"

Jennifer ran to the other side of the room and the little bulge shifted uselessly, trying to balance her. She crouched, grabbing the cards Emily had dropped. Her eyes flicked to the QR code and then up to the door. The right side of the door held a large box where the cards were stored but a small box was on the left side. She stood and looked at the small box. Red lights lined the inside, as if it were a grocery store scanner.

The QR codes!

She thought excitedly, biting back a happy

yip

that threatened to escape her lips.

All three doors had the same small box on the left of the door.

"We have to find the right card and scan- Oh," Jennifer shivered. Her nipples tightened under her bra and she arched her back with a hiss as a thick line of fur sprouted at once over her spine. She could feel the hairs sliding through her skin, tangling with each other before being pushed flat against her back. The young girl blinked her brilliant golden eyes and then cried out as she watched thick black claws slide from her fingertips.

Oh no. Oh no, no no.

Please

, she though.