DISPLACED

My uncle stood before a huge werewolf, one that seemed like an Alpha. His right hand was bleeding profusely, and his battle dress uniform was torn mercilessly. I perceived that he had no energy in him as his legs were shaking uncontrollably. The Alpha stood vicious and gallant, ready to devour. Saliva was dripping through its teeth, and its snarling was so loud.

I stood at my uncle's back, dislodged of all my weapons. I knew my uncle, in his state, was incapable of taking down the huge wolf, so I took a step forward. He sensed I was moving and yelled, "Don't come any closer; I can take it." I halted, hoping for a miracle.

The Alpha scraped off some dry leaves with its right paw, and my uncle shifted his right leg backward. I sensed he was going to attack the Alpha barehanded. A surge of shock washed over me when the Alpha jumped on my uncle's chest. My uncle, in his extreme state of weakness, held the wolf by its neck, strangling it with his hands. The Alpha used its fang to bite my uncle on his neck.

I frantically searched for a log of wood to get the wolf off my uncle's chest. I found one and knocked the wolf off his chest. Unfortunately, it had already used its claws to make deep marks on my uncle's face. I cradled my uncle in my arms, sobbing and praying he didn't lose it. He coughed out blood and gasped, "Run; Emily run!" I watched as he breathed his last.

The wolf restored itself to its feet and began snarling again. Frantically, I stood, leaving my uncle's body behind. I could see the aversion in the wolf's eyes. I had no weapon or any means of defending myself, so I ran into the woods, struggling to see through the thin ray of moonlight.

My race was put to an abrupt pause when I spotted a pack of werewolves, about ten of them. I tried to run back, but I caught sight of the Alpha. I was perplexed, and before I could think of what to do, I was swept off my feet when I saw the wolves running towards me.

I gasped for breath and awoke from my slumber. I felt trickles of sweat on my forehead and realized I had been dreaming. I stood to my feet and picked up my night goggles that had dislodged from my face when I fell through the cliff.

"Where's everyone?" I asked, whispering. The scary sounds of animals in the woods made me shiver, putting me in a state of unrest. "I need to find my family," I mused. I lost my gun but had my pistol, dagger, and some gear with me. My survival kit was nearby; it had been dislodged from my back during my fall.

I picked up my survival kit, hung it on my back, and started walking, trying to locate my family. My communication device had gotten lost, and the moon gave me enough light for me to see without a torch. I only prayed I didn't encounter a snake or a scorpion.

The feeling of weariness hit me after I had walked alone for twenty-five minutes. I sat on a fallen tree and took out a chocolate bar and a bottle of water from my bag. I indulged in my snack, wondering how I would be able to locate my family.

When I finished my snack, I gulped down half of my bottle of water. I realized, after drinking, that I had a GPS tracker in my bag. I frantically searched my bag for it and brought it out when I found it. Unfortunately, the fall I experienced had taken a toll on it. Annoyed, I threw it into the woods and continued my journey.

I didn't know where I was going, but I had an intuition that if I stayed on the same path, walking toward the end of the woods, I would find help or probably find my family.

I found a stream on my path. Dropping my bag, I rushed to wash my face, glancing at my tired face through the water. I raised my head slightly when I heard rustling from the opposite end of the stream. Forgetting my bag, I rushed to hide myself against a tree, cocking my pistol slightly. I tried to hold my breath while trying to catch sight of whatever it was.

It was a wolf; it was quenching its thirst in the stream. It raised its head when it heard the sound of my leg. I could hear it snarling, preparing for battle. As it tried to cross the stream by carefully stepping on the logs of wood in its path, I fired a bullet into its forehead. It fell into the stream, and I quickly grabbed my bag, crossing the stream hurriedly.

I knew for certain that the sound of my gunshot would attract more wolves, so I had to be smart. It was obvious the wolves had prepared for my family because no mission had ever been this steep.

I fell on the ground when I hit my feet against a stone. As I raised my head, I caught sight of two wolves, vicious and scary. Their eyes were lit with anger. One of them had my pistol in its claw; it had been dislodged from me when I fell.

I stood on my feet, rustling through the leaves. I drew out my dagger. One of the wolves tried to jump on my chest but had a bullet shot into its neck. The other had a dagger pierced through its head.

I turned to look at who it was; it was my uncle. He had sealed the muzzle of his pistol with a suppressor so as not to draw attention. His condition was fairly good; however, he had a slight injury on his head as a result of the fall he sustained.

"Uncle! I thought you were dead," I began.

He sat on the ground, sighed, and said, "It's best to be dead this time around. These wolves are more prepared than us."

"How did you survive that fall?"

"I'm old, not weak," he said. "I lost my survival kit and gun during the fall. My GPS was in that kit."

I picked up my pistol, sat on the ground, and asked, "Have any idea where Dad could be?"

"I bet they're just as lost as we are."

"Great," I hissed. "I can't continue this anymore."

"Continue what?" my uncle asked. "If you don't die here, you'll surely die some other time."

"Uncle, there's more to life than werewolf hunting. I have a life, you know. I killed a werewolf when I was washing my face in the stream. What if I couldn't defend myself?"

"But you can; that's a good thing if you ask me."

I sighed and said, "I just want to be normal."

My uncle lay on the ground and said, "I've been on this planet for decades; no one is normal, Emily. We all have something that makes us different. If we're all normal, we will all be the same."

I sighed and looked at my uncle as he closed his eyes. I guess he wasn't scared of the mosquitoes, spiders, or creepy insects in the woods. I joined him, lying flat on the ground.