FICTION | HORROR | WRITING CHALLENGE

Full Moon Rising

A man races against the clock to outrun the beast within on Halloween night.

This is a spooky story in response to Idea #6, a double-drabble, of JF Danskin’s “6 Spooky Writing Prompts.”

The full moon hung low as James walked home from the Halloween party. Little goblins and ghosts ran past him, filling the night with shrieks and laughter. A young boy-wizard paused, looking back with concern at him.

James felt the familiar itch creeping across his skin as his bones and muscles shifted. He had been trying to deny the curse ever since that fateful bite a month ago.

The legends were true — he was now a werewolf. With each full moon, he loses control and transforms into a ravenous beast. So far, he had managed to lock himself away, but tonight he was cutting it too close.

James cried out as a spasm wracked his body. He staggered into the woods, shredding his costume as thick fur sprouted along his limbs. Bones cracked and reformed and his jaw elongated into a snout full of sharp teeth. The pain was unbearable, but soon the beast within took over. The last shreds of James’s humanity vanished. Only the wolf and the hunger remained.

It raised its head to the moon and howled. The night was young; the wolf was hungry.

Somewhere nearby, bite-sized prey played, unaware in their playful innocence.