Melanie

A scream erupted through Melanie’s lips as the man she loved burst through his skin as if he were ripping clothes—not muscles and layers of skin—into a hairy beast of her worst nightmares. She should have been running by now as Jared was looking at her with his lips curled over—what used to be perfect teeth, now sharp-pointed daggers, instead, her brother's words came into her memory, “Always run.” She always thought it was a silly explanation, to run from your fears, but now she got it. If she stayed here death would be horrible, the sound of ripping flesh sounded in all the walls of her brain. She screamed and ran out of the room to the tiny town of Breckenridge—as if her running didn’t encourage the monster to chase after his prey. Melanie didn’t think of Jared as she ran past all the town, if she would have, she would have lost all grip on reality. She didn’t think of him until the sound of vicious snarling and growling came from her flank. She choked on a scream and pushed her legs to go faster. Her tears didn’t help as it made her chest rise and fall frantically as she ran for her life. She ran into an empty plaza and up a staircase leading to somewhere she hoped was very far away from the beast. Of course, Jared had an easy time keeping up with the terrified Melanie as he ran on all fours, except, when it came to the steel door? Melanie had bolted to use as a distraction, she almost sighed in relief as the monster struggled with the thick steel door. She then remembered the needle with the serum she carried around, just in case of emergencies in her jacket. She put her shaking fingers around the life-saving serum and tried to placate herself. All I have to do is wait until the beast called Jared breaks the hinges off the door and I can just sink the needle into his skin and push the plunger to let the serum go and everything will be fine...Right? She sighed as the comfort she hoped would help, didn’t. Suddenly, a deafening crack came from the protective door, she whimpered and felt herself cower out of the plan of sticking the needle into his skin, as she saw his green eyes she almost thought he was actually there in the monster. She shook it off and the monster sprang at Melanie from all fours, to slam her against the surface underneath them, she screamed as her head cracked on the cement, she gripped the needle tighter and quickly stuck the needle into Jared’s hairy arm. Pushing the plunger down and letting the life-saving serum leak into his bloodstream. The wolf yelped and slid his long nails into her chest below the ribs, Melanie closed her eyes tightly and shrieked and pushed the needle deeper into his skin, he slid his nails out as he ran across the room, him forming back into the gorgeous boy Melanie had loved since freshman year. Melanie kept her eyes tightly closed as Jared tried to catch his breath—unknowing of the bloody body on the other side of the room. He looked over at her when she whimpered; he gasped and ran over to her, tears forming in his green eyes. She kept her eyes tightly closed and continued to breathe unevenly as her heart beat like a helicopter as it beat its last beats. He pulled her bloody body onto his lap, keeping her torso up. He sobbed into her black silk-like hair. She pushed him back, if she was dying, she needed a last glance at his perfect face. As Jared sobbed over her, Melanie felt everything slipping away from her, she frantically panted and looked at him tears in her eyes “Tell me you love me.”

At that, Jared sobbed harder and pressed his face in her long black hair. “I love you. I always will.” Melanie nodded and with one last thump of her heart, fell limp in Jared’s arms.