The Bitten.

Guest.

I am naked, and Gods know however far from home. No keys, no clothes. Nothing to cover myself or to assist me in getting into my apartment. And now, the relief of being human once again feels more like a burden than a blessing as I look around the dark forest to either side of me. I don't want to step foot back into the woods but I don't want to be seen nude walking the road in full view of passing vehicles, less I end up in a mental ward.

I tremble, but force myself to step into the trees just enough to be obscured from the road, while still following it. I reach a low lying branch, and snap a hefty limb from it and carry it along with me. My throat hurts, and I'm scraped and bruised, but I seem okay. Just soreness and nerves for the most part. It eats at me though what might've happened if the black wolf hadn't shown up and interrupted the couple. I might've been able to handle the female, but the male was double my size.

I noticed that my hearing was still sharp, and though it was dark, I could see quite well. Much better than I feared I would be able to as myself again. I can still slightly catch a whiff of blood and the musky wolves, but I know it's fading and that they are long gone. No flight. No thinking. Just concentrate on getting home. I tell myself. One bit at a time. Just go. I'd figure out the apartment issue when I got there, assuming somehow the hotel security hadn't sent some sort of mob there to track me or chase me with torches.

What would happen now? I left my car, my keys. Everything they need to identify me, as if they couldn't just check the registration desk and have my name. Would I be punished? Would they come to see if I'm ok? Or press charges for the damages and stress I had caused. I had not meant to do any of this, but surely there would be repercussions. In the past twenty four hours I have called in work, abandoned my car and keys, abandon my wallet, and caused a huge public disturbance. What if I lose my job? Or I arrested? Or I turn into this fucking thing im public and end up in Area 51?

I almost froze in my tracks, but I proded myself along. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. For now, the plan was to get home and figure out where to go from here. What to do with and about myself. Maybe rest a but and get myself a good excuse to cover my behavior. Research, as if I would find anything halfway useful to help me with this. I sighed. I glanced over to watch a scurrying racoon, startled by the muffled noise of its motion. Not much longer. Almost there. Go on.

After what felt like a century, I was as far as the woods would take me. From here I would have to cross a road, get past a gas station at an intersection, go about a mile and then get through the parking lot and into my apartment building. All of this, in my birthday suit while trying to avoid being seen. I scanned around me, but nothing of use had magically materialized. I had prayed some fool would liter something helpful. Or somebody's large trench coat would blow out the window and land along the road. It would've made this whole ordeal simpler but, outside of myself, nothing in my life is simple.

I looked both ways out of habit, and I bolted across the road. I hit my fours on the other side, using the thin overgrown weeds to try to hide myself as I crawled along. I felt less visible this way versus standing upright, and I was hoping that the darkness and raggedy weeds would cover me just enough to allow me to carry out my journey without witness. I held my breath as a large stretch of bare ground came into view, and I decided to crawl as quick as I could to reach the next patch of tall itchy foliage

I was halfway there when the headlights appeared, and I was blind for a moment. Struck with surprise before I managed to get myself to my destination. I dove into the high grass, flattening out on my stomach as I heard a truck pull off to the curb. The truck continued running, but I could hear a power window sliding down. A feeble flashlight beam bounced to and fro, likely searching for whatever the driver was convinced they had seen. It wasn't long before the light was gone and the vehicle pulled back into a lane and sped away. That could've been bad!