My brain pounded in my skull, each pulse wreaking havoc on my mind. Some idiot sang in the background, sounding like a dying cat clawing at a chalkboard.

"Make it stop…please,” I muttered.

My breath hitched as something on the right side of my chest stung. Sliding my hand forward, I winced as my fingers grazed a sore spot.

With a gentler touch, I tried to feel where the pain was and brushed against an extended cut.

What the hell?

I cracked open my eyes and shielded them from the stinging light.

My hand was coated in blood—my blood.

I began to take in my surroundings and tried to raise my head but banged it against something solid and collapsed to the floor.

My side throbbed in pain. It was a minute before I was strong enough to move again.

This time, I put both hands on the ground and pushed up, bringing myself to my knees. I raised my head again and gently lifted it till I met hard metal.

Okay. Don't panic. Someone is probably playing a prank on you.

My instincts screamed, telling me I was an idiot, but I clung to the hope that this was a crappy prank. Because if it wasn't? I’d face either death or torture, the kind of fate you'd expect from a psychopath who locks humans in cages.

A quick scan of my surroundings told me I was outside. Inside some unknown forest in the middle of nowhere, I was locked in a cage with only moonlight to help me see.

Reaching my arm out slowly, I gripped the metal bars in front of me and tried to pull. "Urggh." My side spasmed, and I dropped to the floor.

I'm going to die. Some maniac is nearby preparing to eat me or something! What the hell did I do?! How did I get in here?

I bit my lip to stop me from screaming out for help. Even on the verge of freaking out, I knew that would be a stupid idea. I had to think.

Closing my eyes, I tried to recall what I did the night before, but my mind came up blank. I squeezed them tighter and tried to walk myself backwards, but it was nothing; all I got was a load of nothing.

Why can't I remember?

My fingers closed around the cage bars, and a moment later, I froze in realization as the change hit me.

Silence. No more singing.

I dropped to the floor and lay still, forcing my breathing to slow.

"Oh, Wolfy! He thinks he can pretend to sleep," came a little girl's voice.

"Wulf!"

"Silly man. I can hear your heartbeat!"

My thoughts froze. The last word was whispered right next to my ear. I felt hot breath caress my skin, making the hairs on my neck stand tall.

An insane fit of giggling burst from the little girl's throat. It reached a pitch so high it became a cackle. The sounds of screams and laughter mixed in as the dog beside her began to howl.

Screw it! I need to know!

I cracked my left eye open and flinched. My back hit the bars on the side of the cage, and my head bumped into the ceiling.

A little girl in a red hood was in front of me, unmoving, with a grin fit for nightmares. Her eyes glowed crimson, and she had a smile filled with razor-sharp teeth.

"No more sleep. It's time to eat!"

The red glow in her eyes faded away and turned into a pair of normal blue ones. When she smiled again, her teeth were squared and human-looking.

"Wh-" My voice was hoarse and shaky, so I swallowed my saliva and tried to ask again. "Wh-why am I here? Let me go, please."

She shook her head and held out her arm. I didn't know what she wanted, but something impacted the cage from behind me. I whipped my head around to see what happened, but a large shadow blocked my vision.

No, not a shadow. It’s a monster!

I trailed the black figure's form till I saw gray teeth attached to a wolf's maw staring back. It snapped at the bars, causing me to squirm the other way. The little girl beside me cackled again, the sound driving me mad.

"Bleed, oh bleed, a sight to see! Your crimson gift is pure glee!"

I wouldn't have noticed the blood coating the cage if her words didn't ring in my head. I felt no pain; the adrenaline in my veins kept me from feeling my new injury.

Blood and gore trailed from my arm to the wolf’s blood-stained teeth, and I screamed. "Stop! Stop! Let me go! Get me out of here!"

A lone wolf howl met my plea, and I felt a small hand run its fingers down my back. I internally screamed but kept the sound from escaping my throat. With a glare, I stayed still as the demonic child petted me like a dog.

"I'm going to miss you when you're gone, silly man." She moved her head closer, and I caught a glint of crimson in her crazy eyes. "So let me take a bite or two."

Her teeth were back to being sharpened points that gleamed in the moonlight. I couldn't take my eyes off them as she leaned down slowly.

Not once did she lose her demented smile. And I could see a pointed tongue lick the back of her teeth.

"Amara!" a louder, older voice sounded out from behind the demon. "Playtime is over. I thought I told you not to disturb the volunteers."

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The little girl's face returned to normal, and she pouted. She slowly stood up and joined the white-haired woman wearing a matching crimson cloak.

Her shadow wolf stalked forward and sunk into the girl's shadow.

"I'm sorry, Granny Elspeth. But his fear smelled sooo delicious!"

"I know, little one. Only a little longer, and we can enjoy ourselves." The older lady reached a hand down and stroked the girl's hair. "Go see Granny Aylona, alright? She's ready for you and your sisters to join the circle."

The little girl giggled in delight and squeezed the lady's leg. If I hadn't been tortured by the demon child and saw the monster underneath the human skin, I'd have thought they looked sweet.

A loving grandmother scolding her grandchild.

"Let me out of here!"

I knew I shouldn't scream. They were demons, and I was an idiot for antagonizing them.

Screw them! They’re monsters! Why? Why am I here?!

Seeing the little girl skipping away while the lady smiled like a proud grandma made me sick in the stomach. I felt like screaming, throwing up, running away, trapped, bleeding, in the blood-coated cage.

The grandma sighed and turned to face me. She approached slowly and with silent footsteps. When she smiled, it revealed crooked teeth, and she leaned down to meet my eyes. "I'm so sorry, dear. The little ones have trouble controlling their hunger."

She apologized to me with a sincere smile. The wrinkles on her face and her caring voice gave her the appearance of a kind elderly woman apologizing for their terror of a grandchild.

However, even though her skin might be old and pockmarked with liver spots, as she kept her facade of the fragile elderly, pure malice filled her eyes. They did not glow but were just as monstrous as the little girl's.

My stomach dropped, and I wanted to rage and beat myself bloody in order to escape.

I didn't.

I couldn't.

Those eyes told me everything I needed to know.

I was going to die.

The old lady stood up and hummed a playful melody as she snapped her fingers. From her shadow, a wolf the size of a bear stepped out and pushed its nose into her palm. She stroked its fur and then pointed to my cage.

The beast padded over and casually latched its jaw around the bars. It raised my prison into the air, sending my body crashing against the back end of the cage.

“Try not to move, dearie. We need to keep the rest of your blood in your body. But don’t worry, the others are only a short walk away.”

The lady began walking deeper into the forest, the wolf in tow, as I was carried to my doom.

We exited the treeline and entered a clearing. I heard several voices, both young and old. The wolf placed the cage on the ground, and I could finally see where I was.

Inside the clearing, blood covered the ground with swirling lines. The blood formed a pentagram on the stone below, and each quadrant held several runes painted on the rocks.

There were five 'Grandmas' positioned at each point of the star. Between each grandma, a little girl, all wearing the same red cloaks.

They danced in place or sang along to a tune only they could hear.

I'm going to be sacrificed. An insane cult kidnapped me, and now I'm going to be eaten!

Someone sobbed to my left. My cage was not the only one placed inside the circle. There were four others like me, bloody, beaten, bruised, and afraid. One woman looked to the forest, unblinking, unmoving, as she wept silent tears.

"Let me out! Get me out of this cage!" a man screamed repeatedly.

The demons ignored his wailing.

A loud, bassy thrum rang throughout the clearing, popping my ears and vibrating my bones so intensely that my side pulsed with pain.

"Sisters! Little ones! It is time!" The old lady from before spoke, her voice cutting through the chaos. She clapped her hands, and another pulse passed through my body. "Tonight is the night our coven grows in power. These brave volunteers before us will grant us their energy and grow our lore."

A few of the little girls screamed in delight as the women nodded their heads in perfect sync.

"To the court!"

"To our fate!"

"For the coven!"

"For the children!"

"Avenge the fallen!"

As one, the five women chanted and raised their arms to the sky. Even the girls stopped their chaotic ramblings to join in with their arms held low. My fellow prisoners fell silent, shaking in our cages.

It started as a single hum, then they all joined in. The sound was alien to my ears. It made my skin crawl. The hums shifted to low, guttural sounds that shook the earth.

In my head, I knew this was it. Nothing could save me, and I would never escape. But my body didn't accept that. I punched the bars and ignored the pain. My knuckles split, and my hand became bloody. I got on my knees and kicked back with all the strength I could muster.

Hot tears ran down my face as I punched the metal roof.

It did not dent.

The chanting raised in pitch once more, and something began to scrape at my skin. It felt as if burning nails scratched down my limbs, forcing me to yelp in pain.

I tried to roll onto my back, but the feeling of hot needles pressed into my legs, making them immobile.

The agony built on each other, each new pain weaving itself across my flesh.

It hurt too much to move. I fought and failed to keep my eyes open, letting the void take my thoughts away.

Make...it stop...

As a new pressure began crushing my chest, I heard a loud howl cut through the haze of misery. Screams and yelling began to erupt, and the burning pain disappeared.

My eyes shot open, and I looked around right as I saw a large wolf carry a screaming Grandma by the leg and charge off into the woods.

An eruption of blue flames blinded my eyes. When I opened them again, the clearing was a warzone. Creatures moved too fast for me to see properly with my ruined night vision.

I saw one of the Grandmas elongate her limbs and lift a snarling wolf into the air before launching it deeper into the woods.

Wait... that's not a wolf!

I wish I could laugh. Werewolves were fighting the demons, and all I could do was shake in my cage.

One of the little girls pressed her back against the iron bars, screaming as she cowered away from something.

"Get away! Get away from me, you naughty wolf!" she shrieked.

I saw a large man wearing a familiar red cloak, albeit one more ripped and torn, come stalking closer with a bloody axe in hand.

He was silent as the demon child yelled at him to back away.

He raised his axe, and I watched the girl's feet begin to shift. She was going to dodge, and I wouldn't let her.

My hand shot through the bars and seized her ankle with a death grip. She stumbled and tried to break free, but my other hand grabbed on and held her still. Her screeches of terror brought a manic grin to my face. Now she knew what it felt like to be hopeless and scared to death.

The man in the red cloak severed her head from her shoulders in a single stroke. I watched it tumble to the floor in a fountain of black blood.

When a drop landed on my hand, it sizzled against my skin. I pulled back and stared as the man kicked the corpse away from the cage. He looked at me with glowing orange eyes that caught the moonlight's radiance.

He raised his axe again. I closed my eyes, accepting my fate, when I felt the metal cut through the lock.

What?

My eyes widened, and I looked at the offered hand. I stared, unable to to believe I was still alive.

When I didn't respond after a few seconds, he reached in and lifted me by the shirt. I winced in pain as he grazed my right side but forced my mouth closed as he casually lifted me out of the cage.

"Wake up, kid. You're still alive." He had a voice fit for radio–deep and smooth.

"I... what? What's going on?" I asked.

He sighed and kicked the severed head away. The thing launched into the trees, crashing into the forest floor with a wet thunk. "There's no time to explain. Just shut up and follow me. Follow my orders, and you'll live to see another moonrise. Sound good?"

"Uhm."

I had no time to answer before he clapped me on the back, pushed me forward, and launched into a run, even as my flesh screamed at me for every bounce and twitch.