"Don't make me wait too long," Zac whispered in her ear, causing chills to run up her spine. He stood up and returned to the apples while Amber sat back down next to me. An all-knowing grin pulled at her lips. Jen and Brady eventually came back. Jen's face was bright red, and their lips were swollen.

We switched places with them and went out to enjoy the carnival. The sun was setting now, and the lights hung up flashed on, creating an orange glow around the festival. Amber and Zoey split from Zac as he said he wanted to get some food from one of the booths. Zoey rolled her eyes as he started flirting with a group of girls.

A group of people snickered at her as she passed. Zoey recognized them from her school. They had made jokes all year after they heard what had happened. She tried to ignore them, but their taunts were hard to ignore.

She felt eyes on for the rest of the time. Instead of the haunting feeling she usually felt, it was the townspeople watching her. Zoey tried to enjoy the festival, but she just couldn't.

Amber looked down at her phone as the groups of teens thinned, "Ready to go find the Beast?"

Zoey swore her heart stopped beating, and her hands started to tremble. She had been dreading this the whole day. She was practically offering herself to him. He won't even have to go to town to get her. She was going to him.

Zoey hid her hands behind her back and nodded to Amber. They all met up back together at the Ambers parent's booth. She said goodbye to them, and the group headed to her car. By now, Zoey's heart was pounding out her chest. Amber drove away from the festival and headed towards the north side of the woods. Which was near Zoey's house. Amber stopped in front of a familiar spot. Zoey's hiking trail.

They climbed out of the car, and Zoey looked towards the deep dark path. "W-what are we doing here? Don't most people go to the west side of town to look for the Beast?"

"Yes, that's why we're over here. The Beast will most likely be over here since there are fewer people."

Zoey took a deep breath to settle her nerves as they ventured into the dark woods. The full moon was their only source of light at that moment. Familiar memories filled her head, and Zoey pulled out her phone and turned on her flashlight to avoid being left behind again. Zoey was also freezing as the cape did little to protect her skin.

She could hear Amber and Brady joking around, trying to scare Jen. Zoey stayed in the back of the group, looking everywhere around her. She expected something to jump out from the trees. She felt sick with fear, and every sound rose her panic.

Zac turned around, noticing Zoey was a couple steps behind. He slowed down and hiked next to her. Zoey kept her head turned slightly from him and kept her eyes on the darkness. She could feel his eyes on her. Since it was dark, he would only be able to see a little of her face illuminated by the moon.

"We should separate from the group," Zac whispered and nudged her in the side.

"What? No, we should stick together."

"Why? Are you scared?"

He taunted, but Zoey nodded. She wasn't ashamed to admit that she was frightened.

"Come one, I'll protect you. What are you afraid of? The Beast is just a myth."

Zoey wanted to believe that it was just a myth, but as much as she didn't want to admit it, there was something out there. He wrapped his arm around her and slightly pulled her so Zoey would stop and walk in a different direction. "Hey guys, we'll meet up with you in a bit."

They turned around to look at Zac and Zoey, smirking across their faces. Zoey pleaded with her eyes hoping they would tell them to stick together.

"Okay, don't get lost. Zoey, you know your way around the woods, so meet us back on this trail or the car. Have fun."

Amber winked at her. Zoey wished she hadn't known the way because maybe they wouldn't have let them go. Zac held on to her tighter and led her onto another trail. Zoey slowed down, causing him to practically drag her down the path.

"Don't worry, we won't go far."

Her heart was beating at an alarming rate as there were just two of them alone in the woods. Zoey wasn't too concerned about Zac. She was worried about the potential monster out there who could get them.

They both fell silent as he dragged her alone. Zoey had noticed the forest had also turned quiet, leaving her with an eerie feeling.

"So..." Zac eventually spoke up. "Have you thought about my offer?" He asked while tracing his hand up her arm.

"C-can we not t-talk about this right now?" Her voice was thick with fear. Zoey listened all around her for any sound, but there was no noise. No animals, no wind.

"Why not? It's easy. Just answer yes or no."

She huffed as she started to get irritated with him. "Okay then, no. I don't want to go with you. To be honest, I don't even want to go to the club."

"Zoey, don't be like that. This is a one-time offer that I would consider more carefully if I were you. Unless you mean, you'd rather do it right now."

Before Zoey could respond, he had her back up to the tree.

(Nothing really happens, but if you don't feel comfortable, feel free to skip until you see this, ✅)

Zoey stared at him in hysteria, but he quickly pressed his lips to hers. She fought against him to let her go, but he grabbed her wrists and lifted them above her head. A moment like this made her despise how weak she was.

His lips travel to her jaw and down her neck. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she felt helpless. His free hand traveled from the side of her breasts and to her hip, which he grasped tightly. Zoey cried out loudly, hoping Amber would come to her rescue. Zac's hand let go of her hip, and he slammed it onto her mouth. Silencing any sound from escaping.

"I wouldn't bother yelling for them. This was all Amber's plan. She told me you were boring, and maybe if you had someone, you would be more fun."

More tears fell down her face as Zoey felt betrayed. How could Amber do that to her? They had been friends for so long. Zac let go of her mouth and returned to what he was doing. Her sobs echoed through the trees, but Zoey knew no one would hear them. The only people stupid enough to go into the woods on a full moon were on the west side of the woods. This must have been Amber's plan all along.

She could feel Zac kissing and sucking on her neck, which caused her to cry harder and almost gag. Zoey felt his fake wolf teeth scrape gently on her skin, and she fought harder.

✅

Zoey noticed something move in the dark in the corner of her eye. She wasn't sure why she did it, but she called out to it.

"H-help."

Suddenly Zac's body was ripped from hers, causing her to tumble forward, but she was caught by someone's arm. She was slammed against someone's hard body. Zoey looked up into the eyes of her savior but was met with dark features. She squinted, wishing she could see anything to help her identify him.

As soon as he spoke, Zoey knew who he was. "Zoey, I told you I would come for you."

She gasped and backed away from him until her back hit the tree.

"N-no! Y-you're not real!" Zoey stuttered while pointing a shaky finger at him. Her body started to tremble, and her legs felt like they would give out any second.

The Beast took a step closer to her, and she turned so she wouldn't be trapped between the tree and him. He hastily grabbed ahold of her wrist and forced her back.

"Baby, I am as real as you are."

Zoey stared into his face looking for anything, but there was nothing. He was blank and dark. He was a shadow.

"I have waited for you for a long time, and I will never let you go."

The Beast expressed as he wrapped an arm around her back and pulled her into his chest. Zoey's will to fight back with Zac disappeared, and she found herself still in his arms. He moved his head closer to her, and she could feel his hot breath on her neck.

"I will explain everything to you soon, and hopefully, you will forgive me."

Zoey wanted to ask him what he meant, but she suddenly felt razor-sharp teeth slicing into her neck. Zoey let out a scream and tried to push him away with her hands. The pain was unbearable, and she soon felt as she had lost all her strength. Her knees buckled, but the Beast held onto her tightly.

He licked the wound, causing shivers to run down her back. He finally pulled away from her after a moment of his teeth being embedded in her skin. Zoey hazily looked up at him. All she saw were fangs sticking out of his mouth, blood dripping from them.

"Stay home tonight," he commanded before he suddenly vanished, leaving her shivering in the cold forest.

Thanks for reading!! What do you think the beast is now? Please comment and let me know!