The Wolf’s Bite
It was dark. I woke up in an unfamiliar place. Looking around, I saw two queen sized beds, a tv mounted onto the wall in front of me, and a small kitchen area equipped with a mini fridge and coffee maker. I remembered now, I was on vacation in San Diego. The day before I went to Sea World to see the orcas and dolphins, sea life was always a favorite of mine. I looked over at the other bed and found it empty. Strange, I thought. My parents should still be sleeping at this early hour. We weren’t suppose to check out until noon. I got out of bed and looked out the door into the hallway. A dull ceiling light flickered at the end of the hall. It wasn’t the most expensive hotel, but it worked for the night. I went back in the room, slipped on my shoes, and decided to go look for my parents.
I walked through the hallway down to the lobby and out the door. I could hear the crash of the ocean waves, the mist moving over the beach. California was so beautiful. Just yesterday me and my mom were walking alongside that very beach picking shells and putting them in a bucket for me to take back home with me. Would I ever get the chance to see them again? No, I thought. I can’t think childish thoughts like that. They’re here somewhere, and it’s my job to find them.
I stepped back into the hotel, but before the doors behind me closed I heard something. A wolf howled loudly from the outside, too loud. I looked behind me to see the beast. Tall, grey, eyes a bright gold. I wanted to scream, I wanted to run, but I was frozen with fear. Frozen, until it took a step toward the hotel doors. I ran around the corner into a hall closet. Slamming the door behind me, I could hear the pounding of its paws against the cool tile floor. Screams erupted from behind the lobby counter. I peered out a crack in the door to see the desk man’s flesh tear and bleed underneath the teeth of the beast.
Then out the corner of my eye, I saw them. My parents came down the stairs to the lobby, most likely looking for me as I was for them. They did not expect what they saw behind the lobby counter. The wolf perked its head up, hearing new prey approach it. I watched as my father pushed himself between the wolf and my mother, fear in both of their eyes. The wolf leaped from behind the counter and for a slip second, my father caught my eye from behind the door, smiled, and then was pushed down and ripped apart by the beasts mighty jaws. I pushed myself to the back of the closet, crying, trying to wipe the memory of blood stained fur from my mind. Then, between my sobs, I heard a loud crack and silence once again fell onto the hotel lobby.
I was too afraid to look out. I didn’t want to know what had happened. I didn’t want to wipe out any hope that my dad somehow managed to stop the vicious wolf. So, I sat there. The silence almost overwhelmed me, my curiosity bursting. I wanted to open the door, I wanted to run and hide somewhere safe, but my legs would not move. Especially not after I heard the faint sound of sniffing. My breath became short, he knew I was here. It was only a matter of time before the beast will find me. I could hear its panting breath, the clicking of its claws on the tile. The crack in the door slowly opened larger as the large creature crept closer. He was so close, I could feel his hot breath on my face. And as quickly as the wolf had come into the hotel, it darted forward, jaws open, aimed directly at me. I didn’t have time to scream before I felt the pressure and pain of teeth around my neck, and a quick crack of my bones. The last thing I could see was the blood of my parents on its fur as my mind slowly faded to darkness.