Chapter 1
The autumn moon shined bright as Amya walked along the neighborhood sidewalk. With her arms crossed, her strut was reminiscent of a soldier. She had just broken up with her boyfriend, Ryan. He kept trying to pressure her into sex. At the ripe age of 22, she had only kissed a man and she had no intentions of doing anything more until she was ready. She refused to be pressured by anyone else.
Amya…
There was a whisper in the wind that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She turned behind her but saw nothing but the darkness of the night. She continued to walk at a hurried pace when she heard the voice again.
Amya…
“I am losing my mind.”
Amya stopped in her tracks and took a deep breath. When she heard growling behind her, she couldn’t help but to turn around. A giant wolf had started galloping towards her. Amya began to panic and took off running. She crossed over across the street when she felt fingers on the back of her neck. The wolf slid at the sudden turn. Amya used this advantage to hide in a nearby yard. She watched as her attacker searched the area for her. Amya hid under a row of flower bushes and was in shock of what she was seeing. She pulled out her phone to take a picture. No one would ever believe her.
A giant black wolf was walking around on its hind legs, sniffing the air— trying to find her scent. Amya tried her hardest to not make a sound. The wolf’s ears perked up and Amya knew what it was doing. Her scent had been clouded by the scent of the rose bush that she had ducked under. Now, it was trying to hear her. Amya tried not to make any sudden movements that would’ve given her position away. When a nearby trash can toppled over, Amya took the chance to run through her neighbors’ backyards.
She heard a loud howl behind her. The sound of galloping feet began to grow closer. Amya wouldn’t dare turn to look back. Amya hopped a large wooden fence into her neighbor’s — Mrs. Delaney’s — backyard. Amya noticed the pool in her backyard had finally been finished and it was already filled with water.
Amya wasted no time in slowly lowering herself into the water. It began to rain heavily. This was another advantage. The rain drops would further make it hard to see Amya beneath the surface.
Right when Amya finished lowering herself as far as she could go, the wolf came over the fence as well. A low growl escaped its snout. The clack of its nails on the cement surrounding the pool gave the illusion of it being a normal sized dog that was just walking around.
Amya held her breath for as long as she could. She could see the monster circling the pool — sniffing the air. It was obvious that Amya had been in the area — her scent lingered in the air. Her fear was prominent.
Amya’s lungs started to burn. The shadow of the creature lingered around the pool. Amya tried to continue holding her breath, but she knew that if she didn’t come up for air soon…that she would drown.
When the animal sneered and stalked off, Amya torpedoed out of the water to gasp for air. She climbed out of the pool. She was gasping loudly for air… The sound of the thunderstorm masked her attempts to catch her breath. She couldn’t believe what had just happened.
Amya rushed out of Mrs. Delaney’s backyard, and didn’t stop running until she was safely inside her own home. She was dripping wet. Amya rushed to the kitchen and got a bowl and a bag of uncooked rice. She placed her phone in the bowl filled with uncooked rice. She grabbed the bowl and made her way to her room.
What the fuck is happening?
Amya grabbed some clothes and headed for the bathroom. She needed a shower and to clear her mind. She was just chased by a giant wolf. She didn’t understand why it had begun to chase her. She had just left the night shift at work when she heard the heavy panting and thunderous galloping that was headed towards her.
She tested the water to see if it had warmed up a little. The water was hot so she dialed it back a little bit. When the temperature was to her liking, Amya undressed and stepped into the shower. She hadn’t realized how cold her skin was until the hot water washed over her. Her body was weak from running — weak from almost drowning. She nearly collapsed in the shower.
Amya managed to cleanse her body from the dirt and chlorine that she encountered during her chase. She didn’t know how she was even able to put her clothes on. She lacked strength and her body was weary. She left her sopping clothes on the bathroom floor until tomorrow. She walked lazily back to her room and fell on the bed. Everything went black and for a moment, Amya was at peace.