Not Again

“We’re here!”

Kenzie’s eyes sprung open and her right hand shot forward, grasping the first thing it met.

“Hey! Watch it!”

Piper wrenched her wrist away from Kenzie and stared at her like she was a monster. From the driver’s seat, Ezra twisted around and looked at her with concern.

“Sorry,” Kenzie mumbled as white-hot self-awareness crawled around under her skin. “I think I was having a nightmare.”

“Well, wakey, wakey. We have arrived!” Piper announced again, reclaiming her usual pep.

“Finally.” Kenzie wiped the sleep from her eyes but as she turned to face the window, her relief morphed into dread. Instantly, her breath quickened and her head grew light. “What is this?”

“It’s the chalet.” Piper smiled uneasily.

“This is not a chalet, Piper. This is a busted-up cabin in the middle of the woods.”

Ezra looked away.

“You promised me, Piper. I said, ‘No camping. No isolation. And certainly, no backwoods BS.’ And you swore this wouldn’t be that!”

“It’s not camping! It’s inside. And the woods are, like, way back there! Plus, there are a bunch of other chalets—”

“Cabins.”

“Fine, cabins on the grounds and reception’s in the main house, right over there.” Piper pointed in a random direction. “It’s perfectly legit. No backwoods BS, whatsoever. Scout’s honour.”

Kenzie looked out at the house of horrors. The peeling paint. The cracked front steps. The opaque windows. The haphazard pile of firewood. Nothing about it felt legit. Now she really was having a nightmare. She suddenly had the urge to grab hold of Piper again and give her a good squeeze. Leave a mark. Maybe break a bone so they could all go home. She grit her teeth against the thought and did her best to cast it out. She sighed. They were three hours from home and dusk was setting in. She had to make this work, at least for tonight, which meant she had to channel all her energy into pretending to be okay. But, really, what else was new?

Kenzie eyed Ezra in his rearview mirror. “You knew about this, didn’t you?”

“I brought taquitos and board games.”

“A peace offering? Wise.”

“Come on, Kenz,” Piper batted her eyelashes. “A little nature could do us all some good after the semester we’ve had.”

Rolling her eyes, Kenzie exited the car. Piper and Ezra joined her, one on either side, and she told herself to let their presence soften her. She could do this. Couldn’t she?

“You know that now that I know that you two can’t be trusted, this is the one and only trip we’ll ever take together, right?”

“Well, then we better make it count.” Piper smiled deviously, then bolted for the door.

Ezra took off behind her, running in a zig zag to make Kenzie laugh. It worked.

“Grr! I truly hate you guys.”

Before following, Kenzie leaned back into the car to grab her backpack. As she did so, she couldn’t help but eye the woods across the way. Not at all “like, way back there,” as Piper had tried to delude her, but right there. Just on the other side of the car. Facing the cabin. Watching it. Watching her. The thought sent a finger-like sensation crawling up her spine. She was not okay. She stared out at the gathering darkness between the trees. Blind spots. Not okay. She tried to trace the outline of each shadow with her eyes and commit them to memory, so she’d know if anything changed. But what was the point? Shadows were always changing, and the woods were anything but still. As if agreeing with her, a single tree branch shifted. Kenzie jumped.

“Kenz?”

Kenzie jumped again, this time, twirling to face Ezra. She stared at him blankly, struggling to recall what a normal human expression looked like. Was she blinking? Should she be?

“You good?” he asked.

No. “Of course.”

Ezra, looking not at all convinced, said nothing and let her lead the way into the cabin.

The inside was just as grimy as the outside. A tattered green carpet covered most of the floor in the living room, where there was a gas stove fireplace that looked sticky to the touch, and two mismatched couches, both as ratty as the carpet. Off of the living room were three doors (presumably, a bathroom and two bedrooms) and a small but functional kitchen.

Kenzie shivered, goosebumps erupting down her arms. It wasn’t just her unease. The late summer chill had taken up residence in the ill-insulated walls, along with several mice, judging from the droppings Kenzie immediately spotted in the first cabinet she opened. She envisioned it. Pointy nails skittering across the floor. Razor sharp teeth, chewing through wood and tearing open bags of chips and dry pasta. Puncturing flesh if given a chance. Prey, playing predator games. But she’d show them. She was no one’s prey.

Kenzie’s eyes wandered towards the window again. More movement in the trees. She braced, feeling eyes on her in the distance. Her nostrils flared as she gathered her breath and steeled her resolve.

“We need to seal up these mouse holes,” she blurted, her fight instinct taking over. She needed to do something. Take action. Fix this. “Did anyone bring duct tape?”

Piper laughed. “Why would we bring duct tape? You didn’t.”

“Because I was told I was going to a fancy chalet with a hot tub.”

“Well, that wasn’t entirely a lie. There is a hot tub, kind of. It’s actually a natural hot spring just up the hill, less than a ten-minute hike from us.”

“That does sound better than housework. Can’t we call guest services to seal these up for us?” Ezra pondered, inspecting the holes himself.

“They closed about twenty minutes ago. But they open at six, so we’ll get it taken care of first thing in the morning.”

“I want it taken care of now,” Kenzie said. “I’m sure I can rig something up.”

“But the spring,” Piper groaned.

“You guys go. I’d prefer a cozy night in anyways.”

After a little more back and forth, Piper and Ezra hesitantly agreed to go without her, knowing she likely needed the alone time to come to terms with what this weekend was going to be. They left, and Kenzie got to work. She had to make this okay. She had to be okay. Pretending simply wouldn’t cut it. Not this time.

*****

Mice were apparently a problem the grounds had dealt with before, because Kenzie found packages of steel wool in a drawer. After carefully stuffing the holes, she’d found that the adrenaline buzzing through her body hadn’t yet been satisfied. She needed to do more before the restlessness and frustration turned into anger. She could feel it simmering just below the surface, scratching her insides, trying to break free. But no. While that would be entirely justified, it wouldn’t be productive. But cleaning would be, so that’s what she decided to do. Just a little light scrubbing, then she’d read a book and try not to hate her friends. She reminded herself that one of the main reasons she continued to hang out with Piper and Ezra was their nearly supernatural gift for pushing her out of her comfort zone. Sometimes she needed that. She told herself that maybe this could be one of those times.

Taking a deep breath, Kenzie dug out a sponge and an unidentified spray bottle and got to work. Some time later—she wasn’t sure how long—she noticed that the chill in the air had turned to actual cold. With no cell reception, Kenzie could only assume they’d be back soon. After pre-heating the oven for the taquitos, she headed outside to collect firewood, noting how creaky the front door was. The sound echoed through the night. When had it gotten so dark? Kenzie eyed her surroundings. People always talked about the peace and quiet of the forest, in reality, though, it was anything but. Kenzie stood still, peering into the blackness and listening to the symphony of the wild night. The screeching cicadas, the chirps and calls of the night birds, the snapping twigs as mice and other rodents scuttered about. The rustling leaves. And then the screams.

Kenzie’s heart jolted. Suddenly, there were screams carrying on the wind from deep in the trees. The screams of a woman, or women, or people. Kenzie’s adrenaline kicked into overtime, her fingers and toes going numb as her blood flow was redirected to her core organs, preparing her body for a fight.

She bolted into the trees, trying to assess what direction the terrifying sounds were coming from, but it was all so confusing. A collection of distorted high-pitched shrieks that seemed to be bouncing from tree to tree. Clashing and colliding. Coming and going, then coming again. She ran at it. She didn’t allow herself to overthink it; didn’t give herself any time to make sense of it. There was nothing to make sense of. Violence was senseless. No one knew that better than Kenzie.

And so, she ran and ran and ran. Ran as branches clawed at her hair and grabbed at her clothes. Ran as the wind whipped across her face. Ran as her lungs constricted and expanded, each breath burning hot with the effort. She ran and kept running and when she finally stopped it was only to avoid slamming into a shape emerging from the shadows. A man. Just then, as if on cue, the screams died.

“You heard that?” he gasped, bending over to catch his breath. “Those screams?”

Kenzie nodded, taking a cautious step back from him. “Where’d you come from?” Kenzie asked in a strong voice as she ground her back heel deeper into the dirt, ready to pounce if necessary.

“Over there.” The man gestured vaguely over his shoulder. “I’m in Cabin B. You?”

Kenzie concentrated on focusing her vision. He wore a red cap. A flannel open over a dark tee. Jeans. An ordinary-looking man, not that that meant a thing.

“Look,” he continued stepping towards her. “I think we should stick together.”

“Stay back.” Kenzie growled. “I’m not going anywhere with—”

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

The screams came again, this time from behind her. From the direction Kenzie had just come. But also from beside them. From everywhere, it seemed. Kenzie’s braid slapped her cheek as she spun on her heel, but before she could assess anything, a new sound arose. Wet and thick and sloppy. Then came the smell.

Iron?

No.

Blood.

Kenzie turned back to the stranger, but he was no longer there. Instead, she discovered that a hole in the ground had suddenly appeared between herself and where the man used to be. He must had literally walked into a trap. Slowly, Kenzie leaned forward and peered into the hole. She made eye contact with the man, but his eyes could not see hers. Wide open with the shock of sudden death, he would never see anything again. The sharply gnarled tree branch sticking out from his chest and pointing up at Kenzie ensured that.

A breathy, “what the?” was all Kenzie managed before rustling leaves to her left stole her attention. A figure; slow, surefooted, and tall—too tall—began to materialize.

Not again.

It was something straight out of a monster movie. Not a man, exactly; but not quite animal, either. A wolf that stood on his hind legs, towering over Kenzie. The second one she’d encountered in her life. Impossible odds, and yet…

She took in his sword-like canines and claws that articulated like fingers as he twirled a skull-shaped rock in his paw. She watched as his snout stretched into a perverse grin, exuding the kind of evil that could only ever exist in a certain kind of human. In the kind of human who would shred others into spaghetti if given half the chance. And this jerk-wad would certainly make the most of his chance if she gave it to him.

No.

The urge to lunge at him rose inside of her like a tidal wave crashing against her ribs. All she wanted in that moment was to shrug off the fear. To peel away the shame. To stop running. To let the swelling anger erupt. To finally self-destruct in the most visceral and beautiful way. To let go.

But no. Despite the impulses rushing through her body, her brain was still her own, and it said to be rational, to be normal, to survive some other way. Any other way. Final Girls in horror movies did it all the time. They fought, yes, but not with animal instincts. With humanity. And that’s exactly what Kenzie would do now. She would fight to stay in control. Fight to stay alive. Fight back the darkness inside. To embrace it would be her true and utter death. And so, Kenzie ran. She thought only two thoughts.

Get to Piper and Ezra. Get to the car.

As she tore through the trees, following the light of her cabin, the screams rang in her ears once again. A cacophony of confusion and terror. The very sound of death rattling her bones. She knew it could indicate another trap ahead. Or behind. It was still hard to tell.

Get to Piper and Ezra. Get to the car.

The cabin was a straight shot, in view now. The hill was directly behind it, and at the top of it would be Piper and Ezra. She had to keep going.

SCRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEE

Just keep going.

She kept going until she tripped over something both hard and soft. A body. Two bodies. A man and a woman. Both blonde—neither Piper nor Ezra—and both eviscerated. It really was happening again.

“Kenzie!” Piper’s voice sliced through her thoughts. She and Ezra were running past the cabin towards her, dripping wet. “Are you okay?! We heard screaming!”

Panic drummed in Kenzie’s chest now. She had to get them out of here. Now. “Ezra, the keys!”

“Inside!”

“Get them!”

Ezra spun around but halted at the sound of Piper’s guttural cry. She’d spotted the bodies. Kenzie leapt over the viscera trying to shield her from it.

“Just stay back! We need to—” she froze.

A shadow in her periphery. Tall. Too tall. She turned and there he was. Somehow, he’d intercepted them and was standing on one side of the cabin, Ezra on the other, both equal distances from the door. Both completely still.

Kenzie reached out and grabbed Piper’s wrist, yanking her behind herself. She stared at Ezra, tried to apologize to him with her eyes. Squeezed Piper, hoping to reassure her. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. She’d had a plan. She’d wanted so bad to be a Final Girl. To simply survive. But surviving wasn’t enough. It never had been. Not the first time, ten years prior, when surviving had deconstructed everything that had made her her, replacing key parts with anger, loneliness, panic, fear, and shame. So much shame. She was ashamed of what surviving had done to her. Of what she had become. The reflection of the very thing that stood before her now, hungry, evil, and predatory.

A Werewolf.

“I wouldn’t move if I were you,” she yelled out, eyeing the beast.

She felt Piper tense against her, saw Ezra’s eyes bulge. She ignored them. She saw now what the Werewolf held in his hand. Not a skull-shaped rock but a death whistle. The source of the screams. She understood now that they’d been artificial. A scare tactic. A hunting tactic. A monster with a human’s brain. Was there anything more dangerous? She didn’t think so. But Kenzie was no one’s prey. And she wouldn’t allow her friends to be either.

“Or else?” he replied. Voice deep, raspy, and menacing. He smirked. “You might be tempted to join in? You’re just like me, after all. Aren’t you?”

So, he knew. No surprise. She couldn’t hide from monsters anymore. Like finds like.

“This is all my fault,” she whispered.

There was no more room for pretending. Not to him, and not to them. She looked at Ezra, then Piper. She heard their hearts pound in fear and confusion. Next up, betrayal. Kenzie took a deep breath.

“Never.” Kenzie straightened. “I’m nothing like you. You’re a Monster.”

“And you are? A hero?”

Kenzie shook her head, a sardonic laugh rising her chest but not releasing. “No. I’m a fighter.” She looked at her friends and smiled sadly. “No matter what happens,” she said. “Remember that I’m still me. And that the woods were not my idea.”

Then, Kenzie stepped forward and let her instincts take over. Let her bones crack and reshape. Let her jaw stretch and tear anew. Let her skin peel away and the fur to break through. In one painful moment, her Change was complete. She eyed her prey. Finally, the anger had a place to go. The hatred she’d lived with for too long finally had a target other than her mirror.

She pounced.

*****

“We’re here.”

Kenzie’s eyes fluttered open. The lights were so bright. The hums and beeps so loud. Piper’s hand slipped into her own and her voice came again.

“We’re both here with you. You’re in the hospital.”

Kenzie tried to sit up but couldn’t.

“Whoa, take it easy.” Ezra adjusted her pillow for her.

“You’re both here?”

“Of course, silly.” Piper smiled.

“But why? Now that you know what I am...”

Ezra took her other hand. “We have no idea what you are. But we know who you are. Our best friend, and our hero.”

“And that’s all that matters,” Piper added. “You’ll tell us the rest when you’re ready. Until then, lemme get you some water. And a nurse. They’ll wanna know you’re awake.”

Kenzie felt the tears clawing at the back of her throat and started to swallow them down. Then she tried something new. She let them fall instead.