Moonlit Night
Just a short story I wrote almost a decade ago.
This is a story I wrote back in my high school English class. The assignment I wrote it for showed me that I enjoyed writing stories. So I figured I should share it, since it's been on my computer for close to a decade.
Moonlit Night
The winter night sky was covered with dark clouds, obscuring the moon and threatening snow. The young man leaned against a lamp post, smoking a cigarette and watching the clouds go by. The lights at the top of the post were shrouded in fog, and very little light could otherwise be seen.
Every few moments, the cherry of his cigarette would brighten, illuminating his face a bit better, before going dark once more. He was completely average. Medium height, medium build, with brown hair and brown eyes. Not exactly someone you would notice in a crowded room. A person average in every way...
Or was he?
As his cigarette burned to half, the young man turned his gaze up to the sky once more. The clouds were clearing, thinning out, and he could just barely make out the glorious full moon. In but a few moments, the clouds would pass completely, leaving the sky unsullied by the unwanted drifts.
He took a last, long drag from his smoke, bringing the cherry right down to the filter, before he flicked the butt away. He blew out a long stream of smoke, indistinguishable from normal breath in the cold winter air. Silently he pulled off his jacket and set it aside. Though is was below zero out, he felt as though he were burning up inside. He had to get cooler. Soon, the rest of his clothes went the way of his jacket, leaving him standing naked on the sidewalk.
The cold went completely unnoticed as the clouds drifted clear of the moon. He couldn't tear his gaze away from it, his eyes full of the glowing orb. His body ran even hotter, melting the snow at his feet into a small puddle.
He was on fire within! He was going to be burnt to a cinder from the inside out! He had to release the heat!
He let out a hair-raising howl as the heat erupted forth, reducing his skin to ash, leaving in his place a large gray wolf. It panted from exertion and shook itself off, dislodging leftover ash. It then went over to the pile of clothes and, with great care, picked them up in its maw and placed them within the boughs of a nearby evergreen tree.
Once finished, it went back to the lamppost and, taking one last look at the moon, drew in a deep breath and released a loud howl.
Hawooooooo!
The sound filled the night, covering the town in the bone-chilling noise.
After but a moment, the cry was answered.
Hawooooooo!
The wolf took off down the street, looking for others like itself.
For the perfectly plain young man was anything but plain. Like all people, he lived a life secret from others. He was a werewolf.
And he was not alone...