R. Stine - Werewolf Skin

I hesitated. My mind whirred.

Should I make a run for it? Run to the street and keep going?

How far would I get before they caught me? My aunt and uncle were both werewolves. If they caught me-what would they do to me? Would I be their breakfast?

No. I decided not to run. Not just yet, anyway. Not until I had a chance to talk to Hannah.

I felt Aunt Marta’s eyes on me as I made my way slowly into the house. Uncle Colin muttered good morning. He stared hard at me too. “Early start, huh?” he asked softly.

I nodded and took my place at the breakfast table.

“Marta and I worked all night,” Uncle Colin reported. He yawned. “We took some pretty good shots.”

That’s a lie! I wanted to shout. I followed you. I saw what you did. I know what you are!

But I didn’t say anything. Just stared down at my cereal bowl.

I’m having breakfast with two werewolves! I thought, feeling my stomach churn. My aunt and uncle run through the woods at night, murdering and ripping animals apart.

I can’t sit here another minute! I told myself. I started to get up.

But I felt Uncle Colin’s hand on my shoulder. “Relax, Alex. Have a nice breakfast,” he said softly.

“But, I-” I didn’t know what to say. I was too terrified to eat. I wanted him to take his hand off me. It was making my whole body tremble.

“It’s Halloween,” Uncle Colin said. “You’ll be out late tonight.”

“Have a good breakfast,” Aunt Marta chimed in.

They watched me as I choked down my cornflakes. They didn’t smile. They were studying me coldly.

They know that I followed them, I decided. They know that I know their secret.

They’re not going to let me get away.

“Uh… I have to go to Hannah’s now,” I said, struggling to sound calm and cheerful. I slid my chair back and started to stand up.

But I felt Uncle Colin’s hand grip my shoulder again. He grasped me tightly and held on.

“Alex, come with me,” he ordered.

He kept his hand clamped tightly on my shoulder as he led me to the back of the garage. He walked quickly and didn’t say a word.

I wondered if I could break out of his grip and make a run for it. How far would I get?

He let go of my shoulder. What did he plan to do?

“I’m sorry I followed you,” I said in a choked whisper. “I–I won’t tell anyone what I saw.”

He hadn’t heard me. He had moved to the corner of the garage and picked up a long-handled tool.

He shoved it toward me. “I need your help this morning,” he said. “There’s a lot of yard work to be done.”

I swallowed. “Yard work?”

Uncle Colin nodded. “That’s a weed whacker. Have you ever used one before?”

“No. Not really,” I confessed. The handle shook in my hand.

“It’s pretty easy,” he said. “I need you to cut down all these weeds behind the garage.”

“Yeah. Okay,” I replied, feeling dazed.

“And be careful not to toss any weeds in the Marlings’ yard,” he warned. “I’m sure they’ll be watching your every move. Waiting to complain to us about you.”

“No problem,” I replied.

There are no Marlings! I wanted to scream.

“I’ll work with you,” Uncle Colin said, wiping sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. “Together we can teach these weeds a lesson they’ll never forget.” He grinned for the first time that morning.

Does he know that I know? I wondered. Is that why he’s keeping me here this morning?

My uncle and I worked in the yard all day. Whenever I would take a short break, I’d catch him watching me coldly, studying me.

I was so frightened. I wanted to drop my tools and run.

But I couldn’t leave without warning Hannah and her family. They had to know that they were in danger too.

I didn’t see Hannah until after dinner. She burst in just as we were finishing.

“Well? How do I look?” she demanded. She did a fast twirl in her rag-doll costume.

“You look wonderful!” Aunt Marta gushed.

Hannah frowned at me. “Alex, where’s your costume? Come on. You’re not ready to trick-or-treat?”

“Uh… it’s upstairs,” I told her. “It won’t take me long to get it together. Uh… come help me-okay?”

I practically pulled her all the way to my room.

“It’s a great night out,” she said. “Perfect for trick-or-treating. The night of the full moon.”

I tugged her into the room and shut the door behind us. “We’ve got a problem,” I told her.

She fiddled with the rag hat that flopped down over her forehead. “Problem?”

“Yeah. Uncle Colin and Aunt Marta are werewolves.”

“Huh?” Her eyes bulged. “What did you say?”

I explained everything. Speaking rapidly in a low whisper, I told her all that I’d seen last night. “They hide their wolfskins in the Marlings’ house,” I finished.

“But the Marlings-?” Hannah started.

“There are no Marlings!” I cried. “The house is empty. My aunt and uncle use it as a hiding place for their wolf skins.”

Hannah stared at me openmouthed for a long time. Her chin trembled. “But… what are we going to do?” she cried breathlessly. “Your aunt and uncle-they seem like such nice people. They’ve always been so nice to me.”

“They’re werewolves!” I cried. “We have to tell your family. We have to hurry away from here. We have to get help. Tell the police or something.”

“But-but-” Hannah sputtered, her face twisted in panic.

And suddenly I had another idea. “Wait!” I cried. “Hannah, what did Mr. Shein say about werewolves shedding their skin? Didn’t he say that if someone finds their skins and burns them, the werewolves will be destroyed?”

Hannah nodded. “Yes. That’s what he said. But-”

“So that’s what we’ll do!” I cried excitedly. “We’ll go next door, and-”

“But you don’t want to kill your aunt and uncle-do you?” Hannah replied.

“Oh. No. Of course not,” I told her. “I’m so frightened, I’m not thinking clearly. I just thought-”

“Whoa. Wait a minute, Alex!” Hannah cried, grabbing my arm. “I know what we can do. I have a plan that might work!”

I heard my aunt and uncle moving around in the living room. Outside the bedroom window, the white full moon was rising behind the trees. Wisps of black cloud floated over it like wriggling snakes.

Hannah tugged me farther into the room. “What if we hide the wolf skins?” she asked in an excited whisper.

“Hide them?” I whispered back. “What will that do?”

“Your aunt and uncle won’t be able to find them,” Hannah replied. “The night will pass. They won’t be able to change into wolves.”

“So maybe if they go a whole night without the skins, it will cure them!” I cried.

Hannah nodded. “It’s worth a try, Alex. It might just work, and-” She stopped. “No. Wait. I have an even better idea. We’ll wear the skins!”

“Excuse me?” I gasped. “Wear them? Why?”

“Because your aunt and uncle will search everywhere for the skins,” Hannah replied. “They’ll search every house, every garage, every yard. But they won’t look for them on us! That’s the last place they’d look!”

“I get it,” I replied. “And we’ll make sure to stay away so they don’t see us until after daybreak.”

I wasn’t sure whether the plan made any sense or not. Hannah and I were both too frightened to think!

Maybe… just maybe… we could cure Uncle Colin and Aunt Marta by keeping the skins from them until morning.

“Let’s try it,” I said.

“Okay,” Hannah agreed. “Quick-get into your pirate costume. We don’t want your aunt and uncle to suspect anything. While you’re doing that, I’ll sneak next door and slip on one of the wolf skins.”