Date with a Drifter

It must be morning, sunlight was bleeding in through the curtains, and he felt movement at the foot of the bed as Smoke glanced up at him. Memories flooded his head as he struggled to wake up, remembering his night with the werewolf as he examined the broken hinges where the bedroom door used to be.

"What's up?" Matt asked, yawning widely. She seemed taken aback by his aloofness, her hand leaving his shoulder and her expression becoming confused.

"Matt...are you okay? For a moment there I thought that..."

"I'm fine," he replied. He tried to sit up straight, realizing that he was covered in scratches and bruises, every muscle in his body ached as if he had run a marathon.

"Actually," he grumbled, flopping back down onto the torn up mattress. "Let's downgrade that from fine to alive..."

He felt her arm around his chest, and she buried her face in the nape of his neck, hugging him against her as he winced. They were both nude, she must have...turned back into a human?

"Oh Matt, thank God. I was so afraid, I thought...I thought that I might have killed you. What happened last night?"

"You're a werewolf," he announced awkwardly, and she averted her eyes as if he had just accused her of something terrible.

"If I had told you, you wouldn't have believed me. I'm so sorry Matt, I was supposed to be gone long before the full moon, but-"

"Your bike."

"Yeah..."

She seemed embarrassed and ashamed, as if she had been caught doing something horrible. He couldn't stand to see her that way. Whatever had happened, he was sure that it wasn't her fault.

"Hey," he said, reaching down to turn up her chin. She had tears in her eyes, her cheeks flushed perhaps with embarrassment, strands of her unkempt hair falling over her face. "I'm fine, no harm done. I might have a few scars to remember you by, but it's cheaper than getting your name tattooed on my arm, right?"

"You...aren't afraid of me? You don't want me to leave?"

"Hell yeah I was afraid of you, but it's hard to stay afraid of someone when they're...well, I had to reevaluate a few things last night. You might feel better if you talk about it. I already know your secret, so tell me how and why."

"You won't be mad?" she mumbled.

"Cross my heart."

She collected herself for a moment as Matt watched, then she began to tell him her story.

"I was born in nineteen sixty-five. I don't look it because I don't really age in the way that normal people do, not anymore, but I'm fifty-two years old. I contracted lycanthropy when I was a teenager. I don't know if it's a disease, a virus, or a magical curse. All I know is that whenever the moon is full, I transform into this savage, violent creature. That's why I drive out into the wilderness once a month, away from population centers. It's so that I can't hurt anyone."

"That's why you're so strong," Matt mused, "and why you told me that you were on a schedule."

She nodded.

"You don't seem shocked."

"Well, I was kind of forced to come to terms with the whole werewolf thing last night," he replied. "Let's just say that I'm intimately familiar with the concept. So how did it happen? How does one contract lycan..."

"Lycanthropy. I was maybe eighteen or nineteen when it happened. Even after all these years, it's still fresh in my mind. Like it was only yesterday. It's so mundane when I think about it," she said, laughing bitterly. He gestured for her to continue and so she did.

"I was kind of like you when I was your age. I liked nature, liked being on my own. I decided I would walk the Appalachian Trail, I thought that I could handle it. Even if I hadn't encountered...well, even if everything had gone as planned I doubt that I could have completed the trek. The trail is a hiking-only route that passes through fourteen states, about two thousand miles long. It's sort of America's answer to climbing Everest, a coming of age thing, a way to prove yourself. Most people walk the trail for a few days at most, but I was one of those hardcore hikers. I wanted to do the whole thing. I had a rucksack full of supplies, and I was going to restock at the various trail towns along the route. I had a tent, all of my orienteering gear, and a can of bear mace just in case."

Matt could guess where the story was going, but he let her continue. Perhaps she would glean some kind of catharsis from sharing it with him.

"I was camping in the woods one night, off the beaten path so that I wouldn't be disturbed. I had made it to North Carolina, and I was headed to Tennessee. I had set up my tent in Great Smoky Mountains national park, and there was a full moon that night."

She laughed again, hugging the sheets against her chest as she reminisced.

"I felt safer because there was more visibility, can you imagine? I remember thinking that it was a bear at first, huffing and sniffing around the tent. I got the mace ready, and when it found me, it tore through the fabric like it was paper, the tent collapsing on top of us. The thing was savage, I knew that it would kill me if I didn't act quickly. It closed its jaws around my leg and tried to drag me out from under the tent, that's when I hosed it. I knew where its face was because I could feel its teeth scraping bone. If you know what pepper spray does to humans, then you can imagine what it does to animals with a keener sense of smell. The thing let go of me, howling in pain, and it vanished into the night leaving me wounded in the forest. Being bitten by an animal is one thing, but accidentally spraying your wound with bear mace is quite another. I was too far from the trail, nobody could hear my cries. I was losing a lot of blood. When I finally calmed down and closed my eyes, I didn't think that I'd ever open them again. When morning came, the pain was gone, and my wound was healed. I couldn't understand it. I thought that maybe it had been some horrible night terror, but the trashed tent and the dried blood proved otherwise."

"So it's transmitted like rabies, through bites?" Matt asked.

"Oh God Matt," she yelped suddenly, "did I bite you? Oh no, oh please, please tell me that I didn't bite you."

"You didn't break the skin I don't think," he said, running his fingers over his neck and checking for wounds. "Plus, I feel like I've been beaten with clubs and none of my scars have spontaneously healed. I think I'm in the clear."

"I could never forgive myself if I put you through that," she sighed, her lower lip trembling.

"Finish your story," he said, trying to keep her mind off it. She nodded and took a moment to compose herself before continuing.

"The first time I turned, I...hurt some people. You're not conscious when it happens, it's like you fall asleep and someone else takes control of your body. You wake up in a strange place not knowing what you did the night before. It's a horrible feeling, not knowing if you've killed someone, not knowing where you are or how to get home. The news reported it as an animal attack, but I knew better. From that day on, whenever there was a full moon, I'd make sure that I was away from people. Locked up somewhere, or out in the woods where I couldn't do any harm."

"And that's why you ended up at my diner."

"Yeah, I wanted to be out in the wilderness when it happened. I didn't plan on meeting you, didn't plan on putting you in danger. It was selfish of me, you're so young, so naive. I could have killed you, or worse...bitten you. It was a moment of weakness. I just wanted to pretend for a while, wanted to spend a night with someone without having to answer a thousand questions about why I couldn't stay with them. I wasn't even going to tell you my name, you'd never see me again, and I'd be gone before the full moon. What would it matter?"

"In a way I'm flattered," Matt chuckled. "You took all of those risks because you liked me. Maybe it wasn't the most responsible course of action, but you know what they say. The heart wants what the heart wants."

"I don't want you thinking that I do this often," she added hurriedly, "I can't do the whole one-night-stand thing. It makes me feel...dirty...used. I can't have long term relationships either because, y'know, I might eat my boyfriends."

Matt laughed, then quickly sobered as he realized that she wasn't joking.

"You were quirky, cute, we connected. I thought that we could have some fun and there wouldn't be any consequences. But there are always consequences. When my bike broke down, I was certain that you were going to die. I ran as far into the forest as I could before I started to turn, but I guess the werewolf found its way back here."

"It's kind of my fault too," Matt admitted, "I didn't take your warnings seriously, and I went out looking for you. I might have been alright if I had stayed inside like you said, but I heard what I thought was a wolf and you were out there alone."

"My hero," she replied sarcastically.

"Really Smoke is to blame, he knew you were a werewolf, and he didn't tell me. Isn't that right, you old mutt?"

Smoke raised an ear in their direction, then resumed his nap at the end of the bed, the biker laughing at the dog's reaction.

"So do I get to know your name now?" Matt asked.

"It's Jessie."

"Nice to meet you, Jessie."

"So...what did I do last night...exactly?" she asked as she looked around the trashed bedroom. Now it was Matt's turn to be embarrassed, and he rubbed the back of his neck as she watched him expectantly, trying to find a polite way to phrase it.

"Well I locked up the house like you said, but Smoke was going crazy all night, trying to get out. He knew that something was going on outside and when I heard a wolf howling, I thought that you might be in trouble. I didn't know why you'd asked me to batten down the hatches, I wouldn't have suspected the truth, not in a million fucking years. Me and Smoke went out to find you, turns out he's best buds with your werewolf alter ego, led you straight back to me. I shot you a few times, sorry about that by the way, but it didn't seem to do you any real damage. I made it back to the house and holed up inside, but you were persistent. You managed to break your way in. You cornered me in the bedroom and then you kind of..."

Her questioning expression turned to one of surprise, her eyes widening as she looked at his red cheeks and the shredded bedspread, putting two and two together.

"I...I don't...I'm so sorry Matt. Was it...consensual?"

"Not at first?" he replied, unsure of why had phrased his answer as a question. They both began to laugh nervously, Jessie sensing that he wasn't angry with her. She seemed relieved.

"And you're okay? I didn't hurt you?"

"I'm alright. A little sore maybe, but none the worse for wear."

"What was that like? I've videotaped myself you know, when I turn. Just to see what I looked like, how I behaved. What I saw...it terrified me. Giant, vicious, hairy. Like some kind of rampaging beast."

"You're a handful in more ways than one, I'll give you that. At least now I can say that I've slept with a werewolf. In all honesty, at first I was scared out of my wits. When you were trying to get inside the house, hammering on doors and smashing through windows, I thought you'd tear me to ribbons if you got your hands on me. When you had me on my back, and your jaws were an inch away from my throat, I made my peace. But that bite never came. It was like you recognized me in some way, like you knew my scent. You stopped, and your whole demeanor changed. I'm certain that there was some part of you still in there, some remnant of your personality."

"And it...liked you too?"

"Oh yeah, it liked me alright."

"I didn't, uh...know that you were into that kind of thing," she said with a sardonic smile.

"Nor did I."

Her tone became serious again, and she stared at the opposite wall as she went over what had happened in her mind.

"I know that no matter how many times I say I'm sorry, it won't change what happened," she said. "I can't take back the stupid, selfish decisions that I made. I can't take back what I did to you. But I am sorry, Matt."

"You have nothing to apologize for," he insisted, curling his arm about her shoulders and pulling her close. "The last couple of days have been a ride. I've been bored out of my mind living in this town, never meeting anybody new, never being able to go anywhere or do anything exciting because I have to manage the diner. You've given me my fill of excitement and adventure, that's for damned sure. If I could roll back time, I wouldn't do anything differently. Your jacket is in the woods by the way," he added, and she snickered.

"I told you you'd give me diabetes," she complained, leaning her head on his shoulder. "You're too sweet for your own good. It almost got you eaten by a werewolf."

"You can stay you know, for as long as you need," he blurted. "You're not going to hurt me."

"Don't be cruel," she grumbled, "you know that I can't take you up on that."

"Why not?" Matt protested. "I live alone in the middle of the woods, miles from civilization. I've met your werewolf, and whatever she is, she isn't feral. She recognized me, she showed empathy and restraint. She could have killed me at any point, but she didn't. I'm not afraid of meeting her again. Besides, I know your secret now, which means that you don't have to hide. You don't have to slink off into the woods, you don't have to make excuses. You could even have a real relationship. I mean...if that's what you want."

"That's a funny way of asking me out."

"What if I am asking you out?" Matt said defiantly. "Every relationship comes with caveats you know. I have a large dog, for example, we're a package deal. You have a...somewhat larger dog."

"You're serious, aren't you?" Jessie asked. She turned her face up to stare at him, gauging his reaction.

"I know you probably have responsibilities up North, a job and a social life. But even if you can only come down here on the weekends, or even if it's only once a month, I'll take it. Hell, even if you-"

She reached a hand up towards his face and cupped his cheek in her palm, bringing him down for a comforting kiss and silencing his rambling. She locked him in a slow and passionate embrace for a moment, before breaking away and staring up at him with her blue eyes.

"I take it that's a yes?" Matt mumbled.

Jessie nodded, a warm smile brightening her features.

"Do you, um...have something that will fit me?" She gestured to her nude body beneath the torn bedspread, and he began to chuckle.

"Yeah, I guess we should go find your clothes. Hey Smoke, want to go for a walk?"

The Husky jumped down onto the floor, whining excitedly and spinning on the spot as his master eased himself out of bed, taking a few tentative steps. Damn it, that werewolf had really tenderized him. It would take him a month to recover enough for round two. Jessie watched from beneath the sheets, her eyes playing over his body. She saw the scratches that decorated his back, imagining what must have happened the night before.

"What do you want for breakfast, by the way?" Matt asked as he struggled to pull on a pair of jeans. "I've got eggs, bacon and sausages, I could make pancakes."

She grinned at him, stretching her arms above her head and interlocking her fingers, the sheets threatening to fall away and expose her.

"Forget the menu, kid. Surprise me."

THE END