POV: You’re Paul, and You’re Naked

I had nightmares of pouncing on deer, ripping them open; nightmares of sacking an abandoned RV; nightmares of howling at the moon—no real memories, though, just dreams of how it might have happened.

The next morning, I came to with a sneeze. I could hear the bok bok of frightened chickens, and the smell of a coop. I brushed away a feather on my face, and looked around.

I was splattered in dried blood and coated in down. I could see the limp, headless body of a rooster on the ground, and a terrified flock of hens perched high above.

Light filtered through the scratched plexiglass roof, and I stood up.

I was completely naked.

There was a large hole in the wall where I had broken in. I had unintentionally guarded it with my presence.

There were more bodies laying outside, and I groaned. Fuck me, I thought.

I walked out of the coop, guarding my privates. It was early.

I noticed I was on a property just outside the forest. I had no clue how far I was away from the car, and I had no way of knowing how to get back. I’d need help.

With no phone and no clothes, it looked like a difficult task.

I saw a house in the distance. I figured knocking on their door and explaining things would be my best bet. I’d look deranged, but hopefully I’d be able to get through to them.

A minute of anxious walking later, and I got to their back door. I knocked.

There was clamoring in the house, and then the door flew open.

“Oh, Jesus!” the woman at the door said, averting her gaze. She seemed to be human uptop, and deer or something below the waist. “Who the hell are you?” she asked with a slight Southern drawl.

“I’m so sorry, I uh… you see…. Do you have anything I can wear? I’m really, really, sorry, I promise I can explain.”

She looked at me, scared and confused. I understood completely. Luckily, she relented. “I’ll… see what I can find. Wash off with the hose.”

I agreed, thanking her profusely. I went to the spigot and sprayed myself down with the too-cold water. At the very least it could serve as part of my punishment, I reckoned.

The woman was waiting for me at the back door with a well-used shirt and jeans.

I accepted them happily.

“So you want to tell me what’s going on?”

“Uh yeah,” I said, taking a deep breath. “So, I’m Paul, and… I’m a werewolf.”

“Aren’t they supposed to have a tail or something?”

“I only… transform during a full moon. And I guess I… have a tail when that happens. I’m not sure but—”

“But?”

“Last night… I went to a party when I shouldn’t have… and… I went crazy—”

“Oh god, was anyone hurt?”

“No! No, I don’t think so. I was driving away in the woods when it happened. But I think… I… I’m so sorry about this… I killed your chickens?”

“Oh god, all of them?”

“Noooo, no, there are still some left. Like I said, I’m so sorry, and I want to make this right as good as I can. I can pay off the damage to the coop, and I can pay for the chickens, I don’t have anything on me, but if you let me call my parents, I swear I can make it right…” I sighed.

The woman was peeved, but concerned. I was glad she wasn’t a total curmudgeon. She said she’d discuss it with her husband, and let me use her phone.

I called my father, and as expected, he was royally pissed. He said he wanted to talk to the woman, and I put her on. They exchanged information, and she said he’d be over as soon as possible.

The woman told me about how she thought she was having a dream when she saw me, since she hadn’t seen a normal human in such a long time. I nodded and laughed painfully.

I fucked up, and I’d have to deal with it.