Can't Fight the Moonlight

It’ll be sundown in a good two hours or less and none of my sources have seen the man I’ve described. I’ve checked out the local haunts for the bad guys but it’s turned up negative, so I’ll have to do this the hard way tonight.

I check myself back into the apartment, walking up the hallway and through the door to see everyone sitting on edge in the room except for Matt. “What’s wrong?” Immediately I ask, not knowing what to think.

“I’m not sure…He was sleeping and woke up and came out here and then…had this…fit. And now he’s locked himself in our room and won’t let anyone in.”

“Did you talk to Ivanna?” I ask, crossing the room to get to the bedroom door.

“She was looking into it. I called her after that happened and she’s said she’s not sure what happened.”

“When did it happen?”

“About an hour ago…” While standing at the door I glance over my shoulder to see his friends. Damn I feel terrible. I can only imagine what they’re thinking and how they’re feeling about seeing their friend go through this. Not even, I don’t have time to imagine.

“Matt can you open the door?” I ask softly in a whisper, resting my hand flat on the door. I can hear the mattress squeak by movement through the door. “Please. Can you let me know what’s going on?” Gently I ask, placing my other hand on the doorknob silently. And the floorboards creek quietly in the silence, I think he’s standing on the opposite side of the door hesitantly because the doorknob doesn’t move and I can’t hear any other sounds coming from the room.

But then I feel the mild reverberation of his touch against the other doorknob and a second later its turning, then there’s the click and the door is open. It’s eerie looking at him when just the other night I was in complete awe just by meeting him. The happy expression that was worn on his face that night is completely gone. It’s been replaced with a tattered, stressed and even scared look. Just connecting my eyes with his sends a shiver down my spine and for a second I have to avert my eyes anywhere but there.

He stands aside to let me in, all while keeping his grip on the door handle. After I’m in the room I hear his friends get up and cross the room, but he’s closed the door with a loud snap. They’re calling from the other side, banging the door even, and I look at him and see the most painful expression I’ve ever seen. And hey, being the Slayer I see plenty of those.

“Will you guys be quiet please,” I say from where I’m standing. I’m not sure if they’ll listen but it’s worth a try. And the calls and banging subside, I figure they know they had no luck with getting him to open the door and I did, so might as well cool it on the couch…or something. Man that makes me feel guilty.

“So what happened?” I ask, sitting on the bed. The pain on his face fades away a bit, but I can tell it’s still there. He crosses the room after a minute and sits on the bed, keeping his face turned from mine.

“I dunno’…I was in the kitchen and then…I hallucinated…” His voice sounds almost weak as his sentence breaks into fragments as he struggles for the right words. Instinctively I want to reach out and take his hand. Squeeze it reassuringly and let him know it’s going to all be okay, but I keep myself from doing that because at the same time it doesn’t feel appropriate.

“You can tell me,”

“I ripped yer’ friends’ throat out.” He tells me after a moments pause, turning his face to look me dead in the eye. I blink, breaking the contact, the way his voice articulated that sentence is chilling and I feel like for a second I lost my breath.

“But you didn’t.” Is my first reaction, but I’m pretty sure he knows that. He gives me this look that says just that but just as quickly as he gives me that he goes back to looking tired and distraught.

“I wanted to! Yeh don’t understand how good yeh all smell…” He confesses, throwing his head in his hand and pulling at his messy hair.

“Your senses have heightened because of what’s happened. It’s a wild animal and red meat, pulsing blood is a turn on.” Turn on? I could have rephrased that… From underneath that chaotic hair I hear him faintly chuckle and it makes me smile slightly. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through…not completely. You can probably smell the blood in our veins and hear the beat of our hearts as if they were through a stethoscope, and part of you wants it, hungers for it. And I’m really sorry for that.” I say, my voice breaking at the end of my sentence and I can feel my eyes swell up but I refuse to let tears get the better of me. “But I do know what it’s like to have your life completely change, so suddenly it could give you whiplash…A couple days ago you were just a guy…and now three days out of the month you’ll be more then that, a monster in the night.” Did I have to say monster? I don’t think that word helps…

“What are yeh exactly?” He asks suddenly, lifting his head and smoothing out his hair. His question takes me off guard and it takes me a few seconds before I react with a voice.

“I’m the Slayer…”

“What is that exactly? You’re more then human aren’t yeh?”

“Yeah…The Slayer is one girl in all the world, chosen to face vampires, demons and the forces of darkness. It’s my calling…And when a Slayer dies another one is called, activated. She stands alone except for her Watcher; the Watcher teaches the Slayer how to defend the world.” I explain while staring holes into the floorboards, I haven’t had to explain my line of work in a long while.

“Sounds tough, no family? Or friends?”

“Um…no…Well except El, I saved her some time back and after awhile I realized she could be useful. But generally there shouldn’t be friends.” I reply quietly, reluctantly having a few old thoughts float around my mind.

“Yer’ parents don’t mind what you do?”

“They’re dead.” I say and just as the words leave my mouth his hand is on my shoulder, touching it kindly. “It’s no big though…I wouldn’t see them anyway.” I say, covering up the truth of it. “Any other questions?” I ask, looking up at him again.

“Sorry for asking them all…”

“No it’s fine, how else are we going to pass the time? So ask away, I don’t mind.”

“’Ow long ‘ave you been the Slayer?” He asks, letting my shoulder go, I forgot it was still there.

“About two years, I was called right after I turned fifteen.” And his face makes this circle dot circle face, kinda’ cute. I laugh lightly at his expression and then he shakes it off. “So are you hungry? I can go grab you some food before you have to get put in the basement.”

“That’d be good.” I nod and tell him okay. I get off the bed and walk over to the locked door. After stepping out of the bedroom I shut the door, I don’t think he’s ready for a full on attack of human heartbeats that are already anxious.

“How is he?” They all ask at once, sort of taking me aback.

“He’s okay…it’s just the wolf thing, making him kind of wonky…” I respond, making my way to the kitchen. “I didn’t find him by the way, so that means a night hunt.” I gently call to everyone in the room, all of whom are now standing in the doorway eyeing me as I grab the food and place it on a plate. “Cliff notes he can hear your hearts beat, he can smell your blood and it all appeals to him.”

“Will he always be like that?” Moose asks.

“Yeah and no, after awhile it’ll get easier to bare with but right now since he’s new and it’s the cycle of the full moon, the craving will be worse.”

“How do you know that?” El asks and I swear she almost sounded jealous.

“It’s common sense.” I reply, popping the plate into the microwave. “I was thinking, while he’s…changed tonight, maybe you guys could bring over some clothes for him? For tomorrow morning you know, it think he’d like that better then chick clothes.” I say with a small laugh, but they find it funny and laugh along with. And then agree that tonight after they see for themselves, that he’s really this werewolf, they’ll grab him some of his clothes.

The microwave beeps and I take the plate out, grabbing a beer from the fridge as I pass it. “Oh, by the way,” I ask as I walk back to Matt in the room. “Any reports of animal attacks last night?”

“None actually…do you think the guy left town?”

“He knows I’d be out hunting for him, so that’s a possibility. But I’m still going out tonight, I have to be sure.” I tell her before turning the knob and returning back into the bedroom.