Alpha Xander: His Contracted Luna

In stormy clouds at night. The rain had started a hazard on the street outside the hospital. People ran across the streets for shelter. Every phone booth had an unlikely pair of individuals, shivering and staring at each other. The posters were ripped off the walls and glass windows.Property © NôvelDrama.Org.

The hospital building was the hallmark of grey lights that stood out in the block. The car park is like a ghost town. Every single person had cleared the building. A patient still remained in the care of a few doctors.

In the first ward of the last floor, a young girl was scared for her life. She clung to the side of her bed, tilting her head to the side. She was in so much pain. The blood transfusion was not a success. Her reaction was getting worse by the minute. Her lifeline was going flat on the monitor.

The doctors left the room. In a little moment, the young girl would give up the ghost. A male nurse came back from behind the door. The room temperature was warmer. She could feel the heat emanating from the salivating young man.

His teeth were sharp and bulgy. Her line went flat on the monitor. She knocked over her pillow and took one last scene of the window. The dark cloud encompassed the building.

***

Like a momentary lapse in time, she thought back to her neighborhood. Her friends chase each other leaving her in the middle. They were young, dumb, and bold. Everyone basically lived in the same house. The rest of the land was extended vegetation. The sunny side of the green valley. The olive garden in the front yard and the vines strung up at the fence of the backyard. The house was a home to many.

The older siblings were quick to leave. They always wondered about the outside world. They wandered till they reached the outskirts. The boys and the girls were split even, career-wise. They either went off to fight the war or joined the glam in the big cities.

Unlike the other boys, Joni was not the war type. He thought it pointless; Men charging at themselves with firearms all in the name of peace. He sat in his room all day by his desk with his pencil and his drawing sheets. He’d paste werewolf sketches all over his walls. He was a fanatic for fantasy creatures.

Sandra and the other girls were in the other wing of the house. She often saw Joni on the fields in the night of the full moon just staring up at the sky like something was going to happen.

“What are you doing?” Sandra sat next to him.

He turned back and fidgeted nervously, “Oh-I uh… I just um… watch the stars sometimes.”

She crossed her arms eagerly, “No. I saw you looking straight at that big ball of white-you some kind of lover of the moon?” she shrugged him teasingly.

He stifled a smile and spread his legs on the grass, “I think they exist… werewolves.”

Sandra wrapped her hands over her knees. Her breaths were cold and slightly foggy, “Well someone has to be crazy about one thing right.”

“It’s getting pretty chill. Too chill,” he held one of her shaky palms. “Maybe we should go inside.”

“It’s not the cold really, I have a condition. Tsk.” She shook her head, “I should not be out here, but I snuck out the first chance I got.” She pushed a finger to his lips, “No snitching. You never saw me outside,” she whispered with a tilted smile.

“You can move closer to me,” he lowered

She rubbed her palms together and leaned back on the grass, “Funny how I’ve never seen you around much. There are a lot of us, but I can bet I know everyone who has ever lived here. That hasn’t already gone out to the city.

Yes I have been cooped up in this house for all my life, with only books and more books. There is this one book…” he turned over to take the book he sat on. A black slender book, dusty Paperback, and crusty broken edges.

She was back on the hospital bed. The clouds had cleared, and the sun was out more beautiful than ever.

“Don’t you look sun-kissed now,” the male nurse stretched his rubber gloves. “Right about now you will be thinking about nothing just… thoughts,” he smiled sitting at her side.

She moved away from his side hesitantly and sat up, “Who-Ouch!” she palmed her neck. She saw her reflection in sun shade of the glass window, her neck was tapered with a bandage.

He raised his hands defenselessly, “Don’t be scared. I only saved you from a horrible death.” He lowered when he saw the calm in her eyes, he pressed against the bed and jolted to his feet, “Well… I guess we can get going,” he walked to the window side.

“Who are you?” she rubbed her hands against the sheets conditionally.

“Sorry I skipped the introduction,” he squinted dragging the curtains over the window. “My name is Shawn, what’s yours?”

“San-Sandra,” she pulled down the sheets and slowly dropped her feet to the ground.

“Cool, cool,” he ran his fingers behind his ear.

“You’re a vamp-

“Eww, God no!” he tapped the window pane.

“We are werewolves,” a male voice said behind her.

She wasn’t spooked. She succumbed to whatever word will come out of the latter’s mouth.

“That’s Jackson,” Shawn pointed. “He’s been in the room for a while now,” he stepped closer to Sandra, crouched, and whispered, “And he can be a little creepy.”

“I heard that,” Jackson showed his face since Sandra was fixated on his window reflection.

“Alright then, you will meet the others and we will explain later,” Shawn turned to the lower side of the bed and zipped a bag full of folded clothes. He took a pause and yawned.

“What’s the evidence?” Sandra confronted Jackson.

“Of what?” Shawn stood up and hung the bag on his shoulder.

Sandra stared at Jackson with a stern, “WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE?”

“Oh wow,” Jackson stood arms akimbo. “I put my blood into your system last night and… Everyone else died-the others I tried it for, but for some reason, you survived.”

“It was you,” her face sunken. “You bit me last night.”

Shawn threw his arms in the air and walked out of the room, “Meet me outside in the car.”

“If only we could bite to save lives,” he chuckled softly. “That’s a transfusion tube isn’t it, and a bunch of other stuff for blood-

“You bit me,” she said defensively.

“Okay take off the bandage,” he stretched to the neck side.

She slapped his hand away, “Why?”

“It’s not a bite mark,” he sighed. “Check to see for yourself.”

***

She sat in the back seat of the blue jalopy. She attached a cleaner bandage to her neck side. A while ago she wouldn’t have believed anything in the world was going to save her life, not to mention werewolves.

Shawn started the car. He put some jazz music on and glided his shoulders to every tune. Jackson looked glanced at her in the exterior side mirror. She caught sight of his smirk.

“He was right,” she kicked Jackson’s seat.

“Who? Me?” Shawn snapped his finger to the smooth jazz.

“Yeah,” she chuckled. “He is a creep.”

Shawn spat the gum out his mouth and burst into laughter. Jackson shook his head and lowered the jazz music.

“Did she strike a nerve?” Shawn teased.

“Excuse you, Sandra,” Jackson raised a brow. “You are not my type.”

“You can say that for now but I’m everyone’s type,” Sandra swung her around his neck, blowing a kiss to his cheek.

“No I mean literally,” he took her arm away from his neck. “I like bold, strong, and fine men.”

“I think the Deltas will love her,” Shawn drifted into the open road.

“Like Shawn over here,” Sandra clasped her hands over her mouth and laid back on the back seat.

“Come on Sandra,” Shawn smirked. “I am too pretty for him.”

“I like bold, string, and fine men,” Sandra and Shawn mimicked.

“That’s it,” Jackson breathed. “You are most definitely going to be a beat, no fun for you.”

***

The street was filled with cars yet again. It was really a stockpile of pedestrians also. Amidst the multitude, the turbulence of last night left a stain on the environment. The grounds were litters and the top of small buildings were either torn apart or tilted to the side.