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On the Prowl

A mother worries that a terrifying creature from her past could be after not only her, but her teenage daughter.

By Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 3 years ago Updated 3 years ago 5 min read
10

Grad Night, 2001

It was a big night for Andrea Rosen and her best friend, CeeCee Langdon, as they had just received their cap and gowns--they were high school graduates. The girls had left a graduation party and went off on their own in a wooded area, while also talking about the future and their plans. In addition, Andrea and CeeCee expressed how much their friendship meant to each other, but during this point, they were startled by rustling noises, which they dismissed as nothing--until they heard something sinister and animalistic.

The girls ran off to apparent safety in an abandoned old barn, where they were surrounded by deafening silence. Feeling confident that nothing was out there, CeeCee went outside despite Andrea's warnings, but it was at that moment that a clawed hand suddenly grabbed CeeCee, drawing horror from Andrea. Andrea rushed to find her friend, only to see a large creature howling at the moon--a werewolf.

Present Day

Andrea Rosen had since become Andrea King, married to Patrick King and serving as the mother of 16-year-old Desiree King, nicknamed "Desi" for short. However, in the 20 years that passed, Andrea had nightmares about Grad Night, though she has had support from Patrick, who had known about the source of her nightmares for most of their marriage. Andrea has also seen a therapist, Dr. Claire, about her ordeal, which has also caused strain between herself and Desi, who became frustrated and annoyed with her mother's overprotective nature.

Desi wasn't a typical "angsty teen," though she often wanted to go out to parties or just hang out with her boyfriend, Harlan. Andrea's strict overprotectiveness became the bane of Desi's existence, especially since Andrea couldn't bring it in her to tell her daughter what was really going on with her: not only the nightmares, but her fears that a werewolf had been stalking her for some time. One night, Desi decided to sneak out and join Harlan at a party she had wanted to go to, but was forbidden to attend by Andrea.

Desi and Harlan both leave once the party becomes too rowdy, but as they were leaving, they see a shadowy figure lurking, after which Desi decides to follow the figure, dragging a reluctant Harlan with her. As they get a bit closer, they are shocked and horrified when they see that the figure is actually a werewolf, and ran off before the beast could get close. Harlan and Desi arrived at the latter's house, only for Patrick and Andrea to scold Desi for sneaking out. Desi didn't hear the admonishment; she just simply hugged her parents, just happy that she made it home alive.

It was on the following morning that Desi informed Andrea about last night , revealing that she and Harlan had seen a werewolf prowling, making her revelation while watching a news report involving the mauling deaths of a local woman, Diane Nelson, and a man, Isaac Benton, who was revealed to be her illicit lover. Andrea hugged Desi out of happiness that she was safe, and also out of a feeling of relief that she wasn't losing her mind. Even so, Andrea and Patrick recommended Desi to Dr. Claire, fearing that she may suffer the same trauma that befell Andrea for so long.

Desi greeted Dr. Claire and told her about her ordeal, and it was during this session that Desi noticed Dr. Claire's bracelet, with the therapist claiming that it was a gift. The bracelet seemed familiar to Desi, and she suddenly remembered where she saw it: it was on Diane when her picture was shown on the news. Desi informed Dr. Claire that she wanted to end her session and later rushed to leave, as she realized that Dr. Claire was the werewolf. After leaving the office, Desi called Andrea and was about to reveal what she had discovered, only to be attacked from behind by Dr. Claire, who later placed her in the trunk her car. She later took the phone and spoke to Andrea, mentioning Desi's "progress" before suggesting that Andrea participate in a nightly session at a familiar place--claiming that it would settle any and all issues.

The "familiar place" happened to be that same area that the attack took place 20 years ago, with a fearful Andrea arriving and seeing Dr. Claire, who takes her to the old barn, claiming that it was the last stage of her therapy. Andrea enters and is horrified to see Desi tied up and gagged, though Dr. Claire tossed Andrea down to the floor and looked down at her. "You really don't remember, do you?" was Dr. Claire's sinister retort, which bewildered Andrea, who later expressed horror over seeing the evil therapist's animalistic yellow eyes.

"Dr. Claire?"

"Claire is my middle name," the villainess replied. "My full name is Candace Claire Langdon--of course you know, I prefer to go by CeeCee."

Andrea's shock increased; her therapist had been her then-best friend, CeeCee, who Andrea believed had been killed by a werewolf 20 years ago. "Oh my God, " Andrea began, "All this time...I thought you were..."

"Dead?" CeeCee smirked. "Oh, part of me wished I was at first. Death would have been much better than this. But when I changed for the first time, I realized that I had this unbelievable power; this ability to rid the world of selfish people. So I became a therapist, pretended to listen to all of their problems...and put them out of their misery. Every single one of them, whiny crybabies...especially that pathetic tramp I wasted, along with her boy-toy."

CeeCee then narrowed her eyes at Andrea. "But the main thing that kept me going, was getting my revenge on you! You left me to die, Andi. You didn't even bother to search for me or give me a thought, all while you lived your perfect life, while I was stuck with this curse! Which is why I arranged this session at this place, because I can rid you of your guilt...permanently!" Unbeknownst to CeeCee, Desi had freed herself from her capture and struck CeeCee with a wooden chair, allowing herself and Andrea to escape. As CeeCee exited, she gazed at the full moon and made her transformation--tearing out of her clothes and sprouting fur, fangs, claws, and a muzzle, before pursuing Andrea and Desi.

Andrea and Desi reached the former's vehicle, only for CeeCee to appear and grab Desi with her claws, all while growling and snarling at Desi. Andrea shrieked and grabbed a gun from inside her car, as she had kept a gun loaded with silver bullets in case her fears came true. She attempted to get through to her former friend, even offering to sacrifice herself to spare Desi, all while holding CeeCee at gunpoint. While CeeCee appeared to have regained some semblance of humanity, she later gave a loud roar, maintaining her vengeful and bestial demeanor, leading Andrea to fire shots at her former friend.

Desi rushed to her mother and hugged, while both of them saw the werewolf revert back to CeeCee's human form. While both of them expressed sorrow over Andrea having to kill the girl she remembered as her best friend, there was relief from both mother and daughter, as their nightmare was now over.

This is my first short story on Vocal, so if you like it, feel free to respond to my Twitter and Facebook pages, and if you really love this story and review, feel free to leave a tip (if you want)!

Horror
10

About the Creator

Clyde E. Dawkins

I am an avid fan of sports and wrestling, and I've been a fan of female villains since the age of eight. Also into film and TV, especially Simpsons and Family Guy.

Feel free to follow my social media:

Twitter - Facebook - Tiktok - Instagram

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  • Mike Singleton - Mikeydred2 years ago

    Nice lycanthropic horror

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