Onto the road and into the woods

You went back to your Sentinel outside and started the engine, while Valerie slipped into the passenger seat naturally. You were not surprised, so after she had buckled her seatbelt, you hit the gas and drove off.

In truth, you haven't really thought of what to talk to her about at all, so you just drove on in silence for several minutes. Strange that you found yourself trusting her, a werewolf, as much as you trusted May, a vampire. Or the other way around. You were not sure. You began to believe that maybe not all of them were evil.

"Do you really want to talk, or do you want to do something else?" Valerie kept looking at you for all this time before she gave you a wicked smile.

You could see that she was slowly moving her hand down between her thighs. What was that supposed to mean? You didn't dare dwell on it, so you gave your head a little shake to clear your mind a bit.

"Okay... So, do you want to tell me more about yourself?" You casually asked while driving, "It's okay if you don't."

The smile faded on her face. She rolled down the window and took a breath of fresh air before she finally decided to talk.

"18 years ago, a pure werewolf attacked the village I lived in, killed my parents, and infected me." She said, looking outside the window.

"The mayor knew it, and he was going to prevent me from turning... by killing me. Professor Jones... well, Nathan's dad, took me in and tried to cure me, and... I had been injecting myself with monkshood solution for nearly a decade, but I couldn't take it anymore after that. I stopped doing it one day, isolated myself in the woods, and finished the transformation on the next full moon." She was talking about it so calmly that it sounded like a story rather than her own life.

"Nathan became a doctor and continued his dad's research after the professor died of cancer, and I have learned to enjoy the new perks of my new body. I hunted animals in the woods, had sex with Nathan and other people while trying not to hurt them... It felt good, sometimes." She smiled faintly, "But I keep reminding myself that I did all those terrible things to keep myself alive and sane long enough to avenge my family. I have to kill that pure werewolf that killed my parents and made me a monster. Then I can finally kill myself and rest in peace."

"So here we are." She turned to you with a smile, "You don't know how excited I was when I learned that you had been attacked by a pure werewolf. I need to kill it. I need to feel its blood on my hands."

"You think it's the same werewolf? It has black fur and yellow eyes." You described what you knew of the attacker.

"Yellow eyes, sure. It was dark at night when it attacked us, so I couldn't see clearly." She paused for a moment, "But I know it is the one. I'm sure."

You noticed a sliver of uncertainty in her voice. You knew that she wasn't sure at all. She was just saying that to keep her mind intact, to convince herself that this was it, that killing this werewolf would be her last mission and she could finally be free from this living hell. You were scared, not only of what she had become, but also of what you would become.

"So, you and Dr. Jones are very close." You shifted to other topics.

"He's more than just a friend to me, and I know he feels the same way about me. But there can never be anything between us. He's a good guy, and I'm a monster." She sighed helplessly, "I think you understand as well. Her name is Francesca, right? What would you do if you find yourself beyond saving?"

You were speechless. That was a question you were afraid to face, and you could only pray to Lady Fortune that you would never have to. Valerie knew exactly what you were thinking, so she didn't press further.

After driving for nearly ten minutes, luck finally found you. You saw a car parked quietly by the side of the road, and it was none other than the mayor's Chevrolet. You quickly parked your car behind it and went to take a look.

You didn't find the mayor or his wife inside. The driver's side door was bent out of shape, and there were bloodstains beneath the driver's seat. It looked like something had hit the car from the left, and the driver was hurt. The mayor's couple must have left from the passenger's side door after the accident. But what hit them? Where did they go?

"Here. These are footprints." Valerie walked to the right side of the car, and saw a trail of bloody footprints leading into the woods. "Why would they go into the forest? Shouldn't they call an ambulance or something?" She was confused.

"The thing that hit them isn't here, either." You looked at the deformed door. You suspected that it was an animal, and it chased them into the woods. But, what kind of animal could survive the hit? A terrible thought crossed your mind.

Could it be... it?

"We should call the police. They might send someone to help." You picked up your cellphone, only to find you had no signal, "Damn it..."

"What now?" She asked nonchalantly.

"Well... Let's search the woods." You hoped that you could find them still alive.

You ventured deep into the east forest with Valerie at around 15:00. The forest was filled with vast stands of western larches. Their foliage was so dense that even the sunlight was blocked out. It was as dark as night when you walked beneath them, and the deeper you went, the darker it became. Fortunately, you had a flashlight, and Valerie was very good at smelling strange scents.

"After this long, it has almost faded." Valerie kept sniffing around and tried to pick up the faint scent of blood, but it wasn't going well.

"Yeah... It would be hard to follow their trails."

"Should we... split up to cover more ground?" She asked in an excited tone.

You were confused about why she sounded excited, so before you replied, you turned around to look at her. You could almost see the lust and hunger in her blue eyes when she was just standing there, staring at you. At the same moment, you felt something stirring in your body, trying to push you towards her. You were imagining your tongue exploring her mouth, your hands over her back, and your...

"I..." Valerie bit her lips and shook her head, "I find it hard to stay focused when you're around, if you know what I mean. We should... keep our distance."

"Sure!" You snapped out of it quickly and stepped back, "If either of us finds something, just call aloud. If we don't find anything in an hour, we'll regroup at my car, alright?"

"Okay..." Valerie immediately turned around and headed northeast.

You took several deep breaths before you completely calmed down. The pheromones emitted by both of you in these quiet woods were too strong for you to resist. You hadn't noticed them earlier while driving, because Valerie had rolled down the window.

This was the curse of her werewolf nature, and this was what you have been fighting, too. And you knew your limit. You could never win this without Fran's help, her understanding and support. But if you chose to stay by Fran's side, your condition would just drive you to hurt her again and again. Could your conscience truly be at ease?

You knew Valerie and Nathan, a werewolf and a clinic doctor. Valerie has been fighting her werewolf nature, and she has isolated herself for most of the time, so that she wouldn't hurt the ones she cared about. And Nathan has always been looking out for her, caring for her, even though he knew that there would never be anything between the two of them.

But you also knew May and George, a vampire and a bookshop owner. May claimed that she has never killed or turned anyone in this town, and she has been living a peaceful life with George as his wife. George knew what she was, and he accepted her anyway.

You couldn't help but wonder, could there truly be love between humans and non-humans?

You made your way southeast and checked carefully with the light. In a dimly lit place like this, you easily lost track of time and went further and further. Judging by the bloody footprints by the car, the mayor should be too injured to go this far. They should build a fire, rest, and tend to their wounds. Something must have stopped them from doing so.

The unchanging scenery and hushed stillness slowly drained you of hope. You grabbed your cellphone and realized that it was almost 16:40. You had found nothing. You followed the dim light, hurried out of the forest, and went back to your car. Valerie was already there.

"You're back. I was worried." She stood beside the car with her arms crossed, looking at you with a faint smile, "It seems that you haven't found anything either."

"No." You looked at the mayor's Chevrolet and shook your head helplessly, "Well, at least we found their car. We should head back to town and inform the police. Are you coming with me?"

"To the police station? No! I don't like the people there." Valerie shook her head with a look of disgust, "There was one time when I was hunting in the woods, a police officer thought I was a big wolf and shot me."

"Haha..." You couldn't help laughing, "No, I mean going to town. Maybe you could have dinner with Dr. Jones tonight."

"Why would I do that? It's not like we enjoy the same food." She frowned.

"I still don't know the answer to your question. If I couldn't find the cure in the end, maybe I'll leave Fran before I turned. Or maybe I'll stay, I really don't know." You said calmly.

"So?"

"But that doesn't mean the same goes for you and Dr. Jones, too." You continued with a more determined look on your face, "I don't want Fran to spend the next 18 years in suffering and enduring, but that's what he has already done for you. He has been your friend for at least 18 years, and he has never left you. You know he cares about you. I don't know what you plan to do next, but you should at least cherish the time you have with him."

Valerie lowered her head and remained silent for a few seconds. "I don't think you know what you're saying, but... fine..." She sighed and got in the car.

You got in the driver's seat and started the engine. You knew that you had done everything you could, and it was up to the police to find the mayor and his wife. You decided that after you informed the police, you would get back to the Smith Mansion and spend the night with Fran there.

Let's just hope that everything goes well, you sighed.