Kevin drove his mother’s car up the hill toward the parking lot. Mark’s mustang wasn’t there. Maybe a tow truck took it away. Well, they better give it back to him after we find him….. I hope.

After Kevin parked his mother’s car toward the cliff, we got out, catching the breathtaking forest air. From a distance, the sun was already setting over the mountains.

Geez, already the nightfall was coming. If we don’t find the werewolf soon, the next night would be a total night of carnage!

God, we gotta hurry!

“So does anything ring a bell here?” Kevin asked.

I glanced around the empty parking lot. “I remember Mark and I being in his car until we walked into the woods.”

“What were you two doing in the woods?”

I glared at him. “That is totally none of your beeswax!”

“I’m just asking. You don’t have to be a pain.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Do you know where you went?” Kevin asked.

“I…. can’t remember the trail. I’m totally not good at tracking stuff!” I rubbed my head, feeling frustrated.

Kevin pointed his finger at my nose. “How about you try smelling Mark’s trail.”

I widened my eyes. “Are you totally being serious?”

“Even if you are in your human form, you still have your basic werewolf instinct. That includes heightening smell, long-distance hearing, speed, and super strength. If the werewolf came through here, you can smell his scent. Try it.”

“Okay.” I closed my eyes and sniffed the air. The smell of minty forest atmosphere and the dirt on the ground breezed through my nose. Never before my nose was extremely sensitive. “I can only smell the forest. Nothing else.”

“Try sniffing the ground,” Kevin suggested.

"What? You’re totally kidding me, right?”

“Dogs can track their targets better by sniffing on the ground. Wolves do the same thing when hunting their prey.”

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“But what does it totally supposed to smell like?”

“I don’t know. Mark’s cologne?”

Well, I totally dug Mark's cologne. That will make me sniff him out.

I sighed and kneeled, touching my nose to the ground. I only smelled the dirt and rocks on the ground until I caught something. Spicy, musky, like a dirty ass wolf.

Ewww!

Totally not Mark’s sweet cologne-

What a minute! A wolf?

“Hey! I think I found something!” While sniffing, I crawled on all fours, following the scent through the bushes. I couldn’t help it.

“Good girl, Jessica!" Kevin cheered behind me. "Good girl!”

I growled. “Don’t treat me like a dog!”

Through the forest, I recognized the trail which I ran through three nights ago. Or at least I remembered.

I approached the tree with the claw marks and stopped. The claw marks were still on the tree, and the dry blood still stenched the ground, smelling like metal. Human blood, I totally suspected.

I rose to my feet as Kevin approached me.“I think this is where the wolf attacked Mark. His blood is still on the ground.”

Kevin stared at the claw marks and touched it. “Wow! It feels like a chainsaw had cut through this tree. A bear couldn’t even do that.”

I looked to the left. “I think I ran that way next.”

Geez, like before, I continued sniffing the trail on all fours.

Totally unsanitary!

I better not be sniffing feces on the ground. But how could I control my sniffing? It was like the scent was drawing me to the werewolf. Why couldn’t it be Mark’s sexy smell instead?

I reached the river and stopped on the shore, losing the scent as the smell of salty dirt near the freshwater replaced it. In the water, Mark’s leather jacket floated without blood on it.

I instantly sprinted through the water, ignoring the icky water splashing against my long legs. I grabbed the jacket and sniffed it to make sure it belonged to him for sure.

Yes! It was his jacket as my memories came back to me. His attractive sweet scent poured through me like the warmness from the sun. Although I blushed, feeling as if he was close to me, a tear dripped down my left cheek.

Oh, Mark….. Where are you?

“Is that his jacket?” Kevin asked.

I stepped out of the river while carrying the jacket toward him. “Yeah….. There was blood on it, proving the werewolf attacked him. This is where I lost track of him before I got attacked.”

Kevin looked around. “Where did you go next from here?”

I looked to the right and placed the jacket down. “That way.”

We continued along the river until I spotted the exact place where my nightmare began. The river mill house.

“Over there!” I pointed. “That is where the werewolf attacked me!”

Kevin looked at the mill house. “Roachshire’s watermill?”

“Yes! The creature was standing on the roof when I approached the door. Before I went through it, it jumped down to attack me. I then ran from that place and into the woods where the monster bit me. I kept running until I reached the road where dad found me. It was totally terrible! I almost thought I was going to die!”

Kevin beamed his eyes at the watermill house. “We should go in there. If the werewolf is inside, that is where we must go next.”

My skin shivered, but I knew I had to go in there. Mark could be inside, hurt, or….. Even dying! There was no turning back now.