The moon that was covered with dark clouds illuminated as much as the sky as it could. A warm breeze blew in the summer night, stirring the leaves on the trees. Five kids walked down the street, oblivious to everything around them. They spoke amongst themselves, laughing and carrying on like teenagers do. Two boys and three girls made up their group. The youngest, being seven years old, had wavy blond hair that was pulled up into a high ponytail. Her blue eyes were excited that she finally got to walk the night with her older sister, Maria. Their mother was not home for she had to work late. Carrie did not mind. She loved being with her sister who was tall, blond and blue eyed. She was beautiful as was her best friend, Camille. Camille had short light brown hair, dark brown eyes and was shorter than Maria. Maria was more of a girlie girl where Camille was more tomboyish. Either way, Carrie adored them both. The two boys, Peter and Tony, walked a couple feet ahead of the girls. Tony was taller than Peter with black hair and brown eyes. He had a muscular build and was Maria's boyfriend. Peter had red hair and bright green eyes that were always friendly and warm and was as built as Tony. He treated Camille like his little sister for they have known each other all their lives. They were both rebels and best friends. Neither of them cared what others thought and were very much alike. Carrie adored them as well for they treated her like a little sister. The group continued their walk back to Carrie and Maria's home, unaware of what lurked in the shadows.

The beast watched the kids trot along, ignoring his presence. He was hungry and their blood called to him. He inhaled deeply, smelling the blood in their veins, the life that poured through them. The life he would take. Red eyes glowed with hunger and blood lust. He shivered in anticipation. His black fur helped him blend in with the night so he removed himself from the shadows of the bushes which was his hiding place and ran beside a house, keeping to shadows just in case they may spot him. He took another deep breath and exhaled, closing his eyes in ecstasy. Oh, how good they would taste. He could almost taste their flesh and blood now, hear their screams of terror, smell their fear. It sent a shiver of excitement through him. He trailed behind them, unseen but with eyes on them constantly.

Maria felt a tingling sensation shiver down her spine. She looked around with narrow, confused eyes. "What is it?" Camille asked her best friend.

"Nothing," Maria said, shrugging the feeling off. "It just feels like I'm being watched."

Camille waved a hand. "Don't worry about it. We're almost to your house and we have Peter and Tony with us so no one will hurt us." Maria nodded, grabbing Carrie's hand. She trusted Camille but something just was not right. Maybe it was nothing and Camille was right. They had Tony and Peter here to protect them if anything happened. Finally, they made it to Maria's two story white house. They climbed the porch and went inside. Tony ordered pizza and a half hour later, they were all seated at the table, talking and eating. Maria felt much better now that she was home. Help was but a phone call away. That is, if she could dial the number in time.

The beast crept slowly and silently to the side of the house, peering into the window to see the group of five laughing and eating. His long pointy ears pricked at the sound of something creeping closer to him. He turned to see another beast with black fur but black eyes that seemed lost in the fur. They nodded at each other and waited patiently to make their move.

"Can I go get my teddy?" Carrie asked Maria.

"Of course, you can, sweetie," Maria said, smiling at her beautiful little sister. How she loved her baby sister and would do anything for her. Carrie smiled and ran out of the kitchen, through the living room and into hallway. She flew up the stairs to her room that was all pink. Her favorite stuffed animal, a purple teddy bear with a dark purple ribbon around its neck, sat on the bed. Its eyes were the same color purple as the ribbon. Carrie grabbed the teddy bear and hugged it to her chest. She had named him Puff. He was her favorite because she's had him since the day she was born. Her Daddy had got him for her. She usually never went anywhere without Puff and she certainly never slept without him. But she may never sleep again.

The beast with red eyes stared through the window at the littlest of them all. She would be easy to take down. She was weak and small. He wanted more but to draw in the others, he would have to take out the most precious thing they cherished. That thing was sitting on a bed, hugging a bear to her. The bear would not protect her from what fate had in store for her this warm night. The beast slowly ran its razor sharp claws down the window, making a screeching sound that would soon be screams.

Carrie was hugging Puff, smiling into his soft purple fur when she jumped at the sound of something scratching against her window. Like most little kids, she was too afraid to look but did anyway. Nothing was there. Feeling better, Carrie got up with Puff in her arms to walk out of the door. Another scratching noise came and this time, when Carrie looked out the window, she saw what looked like a big dog with black fur and red eyes that were staring right at her. Carrie knew that no dog had red eyes. Then she screamed and the beast crashed through the window, stopping the screams.

The beast with black eyes was staring in the window at the remaining four. His stomach grumbled as his eyes glowed, swirling in the light of the moon and the house. How he could not wait to sink his teeth into their flesh, tear them all apart one by one, lap up their blood then howl his victory. Master would be proud of his pets. They would not disappoint him. They were much too hungry to let their prey get away.

Maria, Camille, Tony and Peter were all laughing, chatting about school and other things while eating their pizza. Maria still could not shake the feeling of being watched so she concentrated on her friends. Tony whispered something in Maria's ear that made her laugh and blush.

"Hey, you guys, secrets don't make friends," Camille said, smirking.

"Well, Cam, if you really want to know-" But Tony was cut off but an abrupt scream that ended all too quickly. Maria gasped, seeing that Carrie had not yet returned. Fear consumed her as she leaped out of her chair and ran up the stairs towards Carrie's bedroom. The others followed just as fast. Instantly, Maria screamed and started crying at the sight of a large wolf looking creature straddling her sister. It's snout was long with sharp, blood stained teeth that tore into Carrie's stomach. The muscles under the thick black fur rippled and its tail was very long and bushy. Its paws were big with long claws that jutted out of what looked to be short fingers. The was no ordinary animal.

The beast wallowed in the taste of the little one. She had been so easy to kill. There was not a lot of meat on her but she was still delicious. The bitter, metallic taste of her blood that he swallowed greedily had him ravenous for more. And just like he had planned, the others came to the little ones rescue. He turned glowing red eyes towards them and snarled. Fear rose. permeating around the room. The sweet, pungent smell assaulted his senses. There was no stopping him now.

Blood was everywhere; on Carrie, her clothes, the floor, Puff. It seemed as though the thick crimson liquid was trying to paint itself into the room. Maria was so consumed by terror and pain. Carrie was pale, her eyes wide, fear stricken and empty, her stomach torn open, blood and internal organs being devoured by the beast. That was until, the monster looked up and snarled at them. Its eyes were horrifying. No animal had that color for eyes. The way they glowed made a shiver run down Maria's spine. There was a lamp in the hallway that Peter grabbed and hurled at the beast. Glass shattered over the monster's head, making it even more angry.

"Go get help!" Peter shouted. Camille tried to get Maria to come down the stairs with her but Maria would not budge. She was rooted to the spot.

"Maria, please!" Camille begged.

"Go, we'll protect her," Tony promised. Camille nodded then rain down the stairs, skipping every other step. She leaped to the bottom and hurried to the phone. Picking it up, she dialed the police.

"Hello, this is-"

"Please, help me!" Camille shouted into the phone, tears blurring her vision and running down her cheeks. "There's something in my friend's house and it just killed her sister! Please, send someone to help us!"

"Ma'am, please, remain calm," the person on the other end of the phone said.

Camille's voice cracked. "No! I can't!" She gave the address quickly. "Please, please, don't that thing kill my friends!"

"I need you to tell me what it looks like," the person said.

"There's no time for that!" she bellowed. "It's upstairs right now and is going to..." she dropped the phone, eyes widening. The door was open and in the threshold stood another beast, similar to the other except this one had pure black eyes. She screamed.

"Ma'am, are you there? Pick up the phone! What's going on?" The voice on the other end pleaded with Camille. Soon, a constant beeping was all that the person heard.

Camille backed up against a wall. Her breathing became erratic. She closed her eyes and whispered to herself over and over, "It's not real."

Peter flung a pair of scissors at the beast. The scissors stuck in the beast's haunch, making it growl in irritation and pain. Blood trickled from its leg. It reached back, grabbing the scissors with its teeth and ripping them out then threw them across the room. It started to slowly stalk towards the kids. Maria ran into her parents bedroom where her father kept a hunting knife. She grabbed it and ran into Carrie's room.

"Maria, no!" Tony and Peter shouted together. But it was too late. The beast lunged at Maria, tackling her to the ground, teeth sinking into her throat on the way down. As soon as her back hit the floor, the monster tore her throat out. The hunting knife went flying.

"Maria!" Tony screamed. Peter ran to pick up the hunting knife then scurried back to Tony.

"We have to get out of here!" Peter said. Then a scream echoed through the house. Camille. The beast leaped at the boys and they ran. Tony went first, tripping halfway and tumbled the rest of the way. His back slammed against the wall and he lay there, unmoving. Peter ran to his friend. "Tony, man, come on! Get up! Don't you die on me!"

Tony coughed and blinked at Peter. His eyes widened as he saw the beast behind Peter, slowly walking down the steps, all eyes for him. "Go," he choked out.

Peter glanced behind him to see the monster. "No, I won't leave you."

"Go!" Tony demanded. "Please. You and Camille can still make it. Just go! I'll be fine." When Peter did not move, Tony shoved him away. "NOW!" Peter hugged his friend quickly then got up to run to Camille. Tony looked into the eyes of the beast, unafraid. He had no reason to be scared of these monsters. The beast came closer and closer until its face was right in Tony's.

The beast watched the girl cower against the wall, whispering words that were not true and would never be true. This was real and she would see it soon enough. Death was real and she would face it. He walked towards her with a predators gait, always watching her. It stopped right in front of her, placing its cold nose against her stomach and inhaling. He could hear the blood coursing through her veins, the speeding pulse and pounding of her heart that he would soon tear out of her chest.

Peter found Camille backed against a wall. Another monster loomed in front of her, this one having black eyes instead of red. Gripping the hunting knife in hand, he charged towards the beast and swung the knife down with a cry of anguish, stabbing it in the back. The beast roared, throwing back its head. Peter grabbed Camille's arm and yanked her out of the house.

Surprised at the sudden jerk that sent her flying forward, Camille finally opened her eyes to see Peter pulling her out of the house. "Where's Tony and Maria?" she asked, frantically. Peter made a pained sound in his throat as his shaking hand pulled out his keys from his pocket and unlocked the door to a blue Mustang. Camille's hand flew to her mouth as a sob escaped her. No! They could not be dead.

A howl made them turn their heads to the door where the beast stood, the knife no longer in its back. The sound of a window breaking had them turning in the other direction to see the beast with red eyes leaping through the window, glass flying around it. The one with black eyes leaped at Camille. She ran as fast as she could down the street. What a mistake fleeing was.

The beast rose to its intimidating stance and turned its head to stare at the boy. He watched as the boy leaped into the car and slammed the door. He ran towards the car and slammed into it, making it tilt. The boy yelled. The beast jumped on the hood of the car, watching intently as the boy searched for something. He would wait. The anticipation would make it all the more glorious.

Peter could not believe that Camille had run. What had she been thinking? When the monster had slammed into the car, the keys had gone flying. Finally, he found them after what seemed like forever searching for them. Smiling triumphantly, he looked up to see the monster on the hood. His smile vanished instantly. The beast revealed its fangs that were so long they looked to be almost three inches in length. He jammed the keys into the ignition and revved the engine. Putting the car in reverse, he put his foot on the gas all the way to the floor. The car went flying backwards. The beast dug its claws into the hood, holding on. Peter whipped the car out of the driveway, sending the beast soaring through the air. To his surprise, it landed on its feet gracefully. Not waiting to see what it would do next, he put the car in drive and sped down the street in search of Camille. That was if she was still alive.

The beast raced after the girl. She was fast but no where near as fast as him. He could catch her instantly if he wanted but he loved a chase so he let her get a good fifteen feet lead. She never looked back to see if he was still there. His paws hit the ground, tail gliding behind him as he ran faster. His heart raced with him as the image of blood flowing over his tongue made him feral. Now, he could wait no longer. Now, he would attack.

Camille had never ran so fast in her life. Her arms and legs pumping, she saw lights on the street, realizing a car was coming. Thank God! She cut onto the street, waving her hands in the air. The car was coming so fast that she leaped out of the way, scared that it might hit her. She looked up to the see the coming towards her. Her eyes widened, seeing that this was it for her. It leaped. Her heart lurched. The car slammed into the beast then came to a screeching halt. Camille cried as she saw Peter come out of the car and run towards her.

"Thank God, you're alright!" Peter exclaimed, taking Camille in his arms and holding her tightly as she cried into his shoulder. He stroked her hair, tears running down his face. "We'll be alright. Everything is going to be fine." But that was not true. Three of their closest friend were dead.

Camille could not speak past the tears. She was sad, scared and happy all at the same time. Then, all she became was scared. Finding her voice, she screamed, "Look out!" But it was not soon enough. The beast with red eyes wrestled Peter to the ground. Peter was on his stomach, face pressed into the road.

"Run, Camille!" he told her. "Take the car and go!" That was the last thing he said for the beast sank its fangs deeply into his spine and ripped out flesh. It did not stop. It ate hungrily, its nose sunk into Peter's flesh as it fed with no mercy.

Camille cried harder. "NO!" she screamed into the night. Leaping up, not being able to see anymore, she ran to the Mustang and hopped in, closing the door. She wiped her tears, telling herself that she could still save him if only she regained some composure. Her inner voice told her that they were all dead and there was nothing she could do. Anger boiled inside her, mixing with every other emotion and put the car in reverse, slamming on the gas. She turned her head to see the beast and aimed for him.

The beast could not believe how good these humans tasted. It had been so long since master allowed them to feast upon the flesh of humans. Hungry, he was so hungry and the blood trickled down his throat, leaving the most delicious taste on his tongue. His ears pricked as he heard a rumbling coming closer. Looking up, he saw a car backing up fast, coming straight for him. The car was five feet away before he leaped towards it, running up the back, on the top and jumped from there, landing on the ground. The car stopped, headlights glaring in his face. He lowered his head, eyes filled with challenge and excitement.

Camille was shocked and put the car in park. Instead of getting out of the way, the monster had faced her head on. Intelligence shined in its eyes. Behind it, the other beast came forward and stood side by side with the other. Nodding to each other, they ran into some nearby bushes just as Camille was about to put the car in drive. Keeping her foot on the gas and her hand on the gearshift, Camille watched in surprise as they vanished into the night. Strange. But they were gone. She was going to turn around and drive past the house to see if the police were there yet. If not, she would go the station herself and drag them all down here. Before she could moved her foot to the gas pedal and put the car in drive, the black eyed beast slammed against the driver side door, denting it in. Camille yelped in surprise. The beast backed up then ran again, full force, and jumped through the air and the window. Its upper body was through the door. Glass shattered, falling on Camille's lap and the seat. She screamed, trying to put the car in gear but the beast bit her in the face, fangs cutting into either side of her face. Her yells, cries and screams of fear and pain continued as the beast pressed harder, crushing her face in. All she could smell was the blood on its breath and all she could think was that she was going to die.

The girl thought they were stupid. But they were not. The beast gloried in the taste of fresh blood. He pressed his fangs deeper into her skin and relentlessly lapped at the blood. He backed out of the car so quickly that the girl's neck snapped and silence ensued. The monster backed up, pulling the girl through the window. The jagged edges of the broken glass shredded into her skin, blood welling up at each wound. She fell to the ground limply and the beast feasted. When he finished, he threw back his head and howled his victory.

The police tried hard not to vomit at the crime scene. Whatever did this was not human. They had sent out an alert that all people stay inside their houses and keep their doors locked, windows shut and a knife or gun close by. They had found two dead upstairs but that was all. The gore and blood had them all ready to throw up. The smell of death was strong, filling the house.

Officer Ramboni scanned the downstairs area. A bloody knife lay on the ground in the kitchen. He ran a hand through his black hair that had flecks of gray in it. Brown eyes were filled with uncertainty and fear. What could have done this? The ME had said that no one was murdered by a human. This was the work of an animal. He had already spoken to the broken parents who were outside now, crying. They did not own a dog. The ME had said that this was not the work of a dog for the puncture wounds were too deep. If not a dog, then what? A bear? There were no bears around here. A wolf? There were no wolves in this area. What could have done such a thing?

"Sir, we found two more bodies," an officer came in and informed Officer Ramboni who glared at the bloody knife.

"What are the damages?" he asked, though he did not want to.

"A boy and a girl. They are beside a Mustang registered to Peter Daniels. We found an ID on both and found that Peter was one of the dead bodies. His back is torn open and it looks like something ate everything. The girl is Camille Burdick and her face has been crushed in, her throat and stomach shredded." Officer Ramboni cursed then called animal control. Whatever was out there would not stop killing. They needed to stop this monster no matter what it took.

The monsters were in the thick trees across from the house, watching the police search every inch. And they waited. Behind them, leaves crunched under feet that were silent as they treaded. In between them, stood a man who placed a hand on both their heads and stroked affectionately.

"Well done," Tony said, eyes swirling red and black. "Well done." The beasts looked up at their master and the three disappeared into the night.

The trio was never found.

End