The Neighbors

I threw my backpack in the backseat and climbed in, slamming the door behind me.

That's bullshit. I get three days while she has to do in school suspension. I know it looks bad that I punched first but this has been going on for years, even if it was me that threw the first physical punch. She's been asking for that ass kicking since fourth grade. It was just a matter of time before someone handed it to her. It just so happened to be me. The bright side of this was there was witnesses so they knew it was provoked and I can still go to the dance.

"Linsday, what possessed you to do this out of nowhere?" My father asked as he got in the driver's seat and adjusted his seatbelt. My mom sat in the passenger seat and in silence, she was waiting for my answer too.

"She cornered me against the lockers with a bunch of students and I felt threatened after she said I should go suck off guys because that was all my mouth was good for because I talked to the new guy after he came over to my table." I plainly explained. My parents sat in silence for a moment before my mother spoke up.

"Well, I can see why you punched her, and we won't punish you for it but you're not leaving the house while you're suspended." My father gave a 'are you seriously letting her get away with this?' face while he waited for a traffic light to turn green.

"She punched the mayor's daughter in the face." Barked my father. "I think that's a big deal, Angela!"

"Yeah? And the mayor's daughter has been asking for her face to get punched. Harold, it's not just our daughter that girl bullies. That girl runs that school as if her father owns the whole town just because he's mayor. This might make her stop for once now that someone embarrassed her."

My father sighed and shook his head. "I hope you're right, Angela, for Linsday's sake, I hope you're right." Me too dad, me too.

I slump in my seat and look out the window. The town looked old like usual, a washed-up small town you wouldn't even pass through unless you knew it. A town that gets flooded every time it rained. There were buildings that stood for many years and burnt down, never rebuilt to this day. As we pass the normal, the abnormal starts showing itself on the streets.

Two piles of stray cats in an alleyway, a pile of dogs right beside it. Both rotting and appeared torn apart, like they were hunted for the thrill of it. Like they were just meat. Across that alleyway and exiting it was a splatter feast of blood. All over the walls and any surface it could find, like a dumped bucket of paint, it seeped from the bodies and poured into anywhere it could find.

I could see rabbit heads on the side of the road with the typical dead racoon on the side. The rabbit's guts could be seen by the opossum that was destroyed on the sidewalk. Why was everyone acting nonchalant about this? I know everyone has been talking about it, but I didn't think it was this bad.

As we kept driving through town, the dead animal thing didn't let up, neither did the birds of prey. There were five buzzards every dead cat and three vultures every dead dog. All of them enjoying their food.

We get into the driveway and my dad turns off the car and we get out. I take my backpack and look next door. None of the lights were on and no cars were parked in their driveway. I guess Halvor would be still at school about now.

Remembering Halvor and school, I pull out my phone and text Mindy what happened with Tiffany and how I can leave my house during suspension. She texts back a 'Damn, that sucks, text me when you want, in class rn' and I close my phone screen.

I walk up to my front porch. Something smelled rotten, like a dead animal we saw in town. It smelled really close too, like it was in the backyard or something. Whatever it was, I wanted to find it and bury it. I plop my backpack on the porch and start heading for the backyard, but before I even make it there, I found my answer.

Blood dripping down its chin, bloody meat chunks between its teeth and currently chewing on a cat's head. A wolf the size of a horse, sitting in Halvor's backyard. Piles of who knows what beside it, the smell coming from the runny and bloody mess.

I could feel my throat tighten and the opposite of what I felt when I punched Tiffany. My limbs had no control as I stared at the beast. It didn't notice me as I stood there, unsure of what to do. My lungs wanted to scream but my lips stayed sealed shut. My brain wanted to run but my body was frozen, unable to move. My lord and savior, please have mercy on me and let me survive this.

I inhaled a little too quickly, I must have because the wolf's head turned towards me. Its eyes trailed up from toe to my eyes, locking eyes with me. Its ember eyes stared into my own, like a reflection of what eye color I had. It was weird how the wolf's eyes seemed human at a glance. In that said glance, it was flying in the air and in my direction. Like those anime scenes where they soar over a place, and it looks cool. Ready to pounce and put me between its teeth. It wasn't cool right now, even if it looked cool.

My mouth opened to yell when it would dig its teeth into me, when it would start tearing me limb from limb like a ragdoll, but a different noise let itself into the air.

"Kenneth! Stand down!" The wolf stopped and made its way past me like a dog that was called home. Standing behind me and now beside a wolf the size of a horse was Halvor, petting the head of the said wolf.

I stood there stunned. Then I gained back my ability to speak once I knew I wasn't going to be shredded to death. "What the actual fuck is going on?! What's with the wolf?! It almost killed me!" I'll admit, I didn't expect to scream at Halvor, but I was confused and scared. I just wanted this day to be over.

Halvor sighed and nodded at the wolf. It looked like the wolf nodded back and walked away into the front yard, leaving me and Halvor alone in the backyard with the stench of the dead animals.

'If I'm to try and stay in this town and be a good neighbor, I guess I should be honest with you, Linsday." Halvor sighed after this. I wanted to reply with 'No shit' or something rude but all I said was,

"And that would be?'

"My brother is a werewolf."