Under the Blood Moon by Jenny Garcia (latest books to read TXT) 📖

feel wetness on my cheeks. I look at my mother and she is terrified of me. I am sure that she thinks that I murdered someone. Before I can say anything to her, the alley begins illuminated. We look up to the sky at the same time and see full moon is directly above us and I feel my body begin to burn. The pain is getting stronger and stronger until I collapse to the ground. I hear the blood curdling scream of my mother ring in my ears. I lie on the ground and start to convulse uncontrollably. She tries to hold me in her arms but my body is thrashing too violently for her to hang on. She starts to scream, “Someone help me please! Please Help!” No one can hear us because the festival music is so loud. She lays me on the ground and runs to find help, “Hang in there Denise I am going to get someone to help you!” He hear her footsteps pounding the ground as she runs out of the alley.

 

The pain that is surging through my body is unbearable. I feel my back contort and then hear a loud CRACK. I scream out as pain pulses through me. My elbows twist around and snap. Some sort of hair begins to grow all over my body. Every bone in my body is breaking, moving and healing back together. My body thrashes and I pull my clothes ripping them piece by piece trying to stop whatever is happening to me. After what it feels like hours of pain, my body becomes still and I lie in the alley alone trying to catch my breath. I feel emptiness in my abdomen and then my mouth begins to water. I have the overwhelming feeling to eat. My throat begins to burn and I realize that I need to get something in my system and fast. I try and get to my feet but I cannot stand straight up. I feel as if I am walking on my hands and feet at the same time. I look down to my hands and see two large furry gray paws in their place. My heart stops. I have changed into a werewolf already? I have no idea what I am supposed to do. Where is my guide? My mother is going to be coming back to the alley any second and if she sees me like this she is going to lose her mind. The hunger that I feel has taken over every inch of my body. My legs start to move forward without my command. I try to stop them from moving but I am not in control of my own body. This werewolf shell is now forcing me out of the alley and towards the Festival. I try with all my might to stop it but the closer I get to the festival the stronger my hunger grows. I continue down the dark abandoned street towards the square passing vacant stores. I catch my reflection in shop window and I can’t believe my eyes. My body is now covered in a coat of fur. It’s grey with a black marking on my right hip. It looks like an arrow broken in half. I have no idea what this can possibly mean. I turn my head away from my reflection. I can’t look anymore. This is not what I wanted for myself. My shoulders rise and fall and I creep towards the Square. I can hear the music getting louder and louder as I get closer. Voices begin to ring out in my ears of laughing children and adults. My legs begin to sprint towards the noise and once I reach the light screams break out in the crowd.

 

My eyes lock on one woman who stands frozen in fear. I try to stop my legs from moving but it’s pointless. I slowly walk towards her as the towns people run away screaming in terror. My back legs launch me into the air and I land on top of the woman sinking my teeth into her shoulder. The moment the blood touches my tongue I am overwhelmed by the satisfaction it provides. The warmth of her blood runs down my throat and I want more. I clench down on the woman’s shoulder and ignore the screams of pain she lets out. There is nothing that I want more then to keep feeding the hunger I feel. I rip my head to the side and remove her arm casting it to the side. The screams soon die down from the woman and I realize that she is dead from the loss of her blood. I don’t feel anything for what I have done. No sadness or regret. All I know is that I need more and I need it now.

 

After I finish with her I continue my hunt. There are still flocks of people running around the town square screaming. I lock eyes on another woman…Michelle. Anger pulses through my body and I charge. This woman has taken everything from me and now I will take everything from her. I have adopted my new power and I decide to us it to the full extent. If Renee thinks that I have a black heart, then I will show her just how black it can get. I start to get a buzzing sensation in my throat. I throw my head back and let out a terrifying howl. Michelle turns and tries to run but the crowd of people panicking are making it difficult to get anywhere. This is too easy! I lunge towards her and I feel the fur that runs down my spine rise. She runs down the dark streets screaming in fright, “Please someone help me! James Help!” I can’t help but laugh inside. She is the reason that I have been cursed and I feel that it’s only fitting to return the favor.

 

Michelle trips and falls to the pavement. She rolls over to her back sitting up immediately scooting backwards trying to escape. Tears are pouring from her eyes and I can smell the sweet stench of fear. My paws pound the ground as I come closer to her. I can hear her heart racing in my ears and then I hear…a second heart beat. The baby pops into my mind. I forgot about her. If I kill Michelle then the baby will also die…oh well…an eye for an eye. She took away my only chance of happiness so I will take hers away. I come inches from her and the screaming stops. Everyone is gone from the square and it is just Michelle and I. There is no help coming for her. Her precious James is not here to save her. By the time anyone finds her she will be in pieces. The thought of it fuels my rage and it burns through my body. With each step I take forward she is moving back until she is backed into an empty shops door. There is nowhere to go and nowhere to hide. This is my moment of revenge. I lower my head and rock my shoulders from side to side.

 

Michelle raises her hand towards me and smoke begins to flow from her palm. A red glow begins to swirl and her fingers curl. Before I can think or move, fire shoots from her palm engulfing me in flames. I thrash and roll trying to extinguish the flames. I can smell my flesh burning and the pain in unbearable. I let out howling screams and cries. I start to loss my vision then slowly start to black out. I try to hold on and put the flames out but I am losing my strength…I’m dying. The only sense that I still have is my hearing. The sound of my flesh popping and breaking open seems to echo. Then another Howl, but it’s not my own. For some reason its sounds familiar. Then I hear the sound of pounding paws running in my direction. I cannot hold on any longer and I stop fighting the darkness. It envelopes me and the pain is no more.

 

***

 

My eyes rip open and I sit up. I don’t know where I am. It looks as if I am some sort of abounded warehouse. I look down at my hands and they are no longer paws. I feel the rest of my body and realize that I am human again. I scan my surroundings and there seems to be no one around. I get to my feet and begin to walk around the large open space trying to find a way out. I am in an over sized black sweatshirt and men’s boxer shorts. Who put me in these clothes? Was last night all a dream? I look at my skin and there are no burns or scares. The last thing I remember is the pain I was in before I blacked out. The warehouse is dark, musty and all the walls are covered in spider webs. It doesn’t seem that people have been in the building for years. I turn around and look towards the back wall of the building. There is a small room that looks to be an abandoned office. There are two small broken out windows and the door is cracked open. I start to walk towards it. Maybe there is some evidence of where I am still left behind from the owners. I walk towards the building. The concrete floor is freezing on my feet. A small light illuminates one of the broken out windows in the office. I dash behind one of the large metal pillars that hold the ceiling. There is someone in there… Who could it be? Maybe they brought me here. I try and steady my heart and breathing. I male voice calls out, “I know you are out there. I saw you wake up. You can come out I am not going to hurt you.” I don’t respond and try to stay perfectly still behind the pillar. I can hear a chuckle echo through the empty room. “I can see you behind that pillar.” I let out the air I was holding and turn around. The pillar isn’t even wide enough to cover one leg let alone my whole body. God, now I look like a damn idiot. I was so terrified I didn’t even realize how tiny the pillar was. I turn around my and face is beat red with embarrassment. I can’t believe how ridiculous I must have just looked. There is a tall man standing in the door way leaning against the frame. He has golden hair, athletic body and he is so handsome it takes my breath away. I have never seen someone so prefect in my life. It doesn’t help that he doesn’t have his shirt on. My embarrassment is holding my tongue from forming any words. He motions to the office, “Do you want to come in?” I nod my head yes and walk over the cold floor to where he is. I get about a foot from him and a vision flashes in front of my eyes.

 

I see the beam above his head give way and the doorway crumble on top of him. I rush to him as fast as I can and pull his arm moving him out of the doorway. Seconds after the beam breaks and the doorway collapses. Dust fills the air and we both choke on it. I let go of his arm and grabs both my shoulders with force and turns me to face him, “Are you a Mystic?” I don’t know if I should respond to him or not. The last time I told someone about my gift I was branded a psycho and a liar. I stay silent and he shakes my shoulders and asks again, “Tell me! Are you a Mystic!?” I scream back at