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Friday, October 28th, 2011

Moon Phase - Waxing Crescent

"Any updates on the meat situation?" Nathan asked as their class was preparing to start.

Alex glanced around before answering. "I think so, but I'll tell you later." At that, his friend nodded and returned to his homework pile.

Throughout the class, Alex was torn on what to tell him. The supplier line would be the easiest, but if he lied and his friend figured out it was really Shane's family supplying him... Alex began leaning towards a two-sided answer as the last five minutes of class arrived, and once he and Nathan were far enough away from the room, he coaxed him aside.

"Yeah," Alex began. "Made some progress on it."

"Good to hear."

"For the moment, I've got one supplier in mind. Should work."

"They have good prices?"

Alex shrugged. "I guess. Wish they had some variety, though."

"Can't say I relate, but okay."

"There is another option, though."

"Which is?"

Alex watched his friend's reaction closely as he spoke. "Shane's family. Let them supply me."

Nathan's expression didn't cross into shock as Alex had been expecting. Instead, he let out a sigh. "They talked to you about that?"

"Brought it up, yeah. They're willing to do it, so long as I can pay for it."

Nathan hummed in response.

"Shane wasn't thrilled with the idea."

This time, Nathan's eyebrows scrunched a bit. "That's...kind of stupid. Why?"

"I don't know. Pride, maybe." When his friend didn't respond, Alex continued, by then having reconsidered his words. "Or maybe not. He sounded...like he was certain it was a bad idea."

"I wouldn't consider keeping safe a bad idea."

"Me either." Alex said before recalling his question about complications with getting meat. He said several years ago that day... Did Angela have any part in that?

Alex's now curious musings were interrupted by Nathan speaking up. "Anyway, if his folks are offering..."

"I'm keeping them in mind."

"Good." Nathan paused for a moment to check the time, remarking right after that he needed to leave. Alex followed him until they reached the first floor, all the while glad that his friend wasn't too apprehensive about the deal he'd already accepted.

Once at work, Marcus's presence immediately nagged him. Would he and Catherine have similar feelings about the arrangement? Though Shane's statement about keeping things to himself came back to mind, Nathan already knew the possibility was there. How likely was he to spread word of that to Catherine or Marcus?

In the end, Alex waited until his friend was close to leaving for the night before approaching him and bringing up the subject. Like Nathan, he seemed pleased by the news of a "supplier", but at the mention of Shane's offer, his tone changed.

"Hang on a second. If he's offering that to you... Why didn't he do that before the first time this happened?"

When Alex struggled to come up with an answer besides 'I don't know', Marcus sighed and continued.

"Let me guess. He kept quiet about what he did to you?"

Alex shook his head after a second.

"Then, I still don't get why they waited until now to even consider this."

"Me either." Alex said before correcting himself a second later. "Or, no, scratch that. Shane kept telling his folks I was doing fine."

"I'm curious how he got that impression." Marcus said with a miffed angle to his tone.

"He probably lied. His dad didn't sound pleased that he'd bitten me, even with the excuse he gave."

"That Angela bled on you that night?"

Alex nodded.

"Yeah, even if his reasoning was sound, he... Gah."

Alex spoke up after a few moments of silence. "For the long term, I think that offer is my best bet."

"I'd still keep that other supplier in mind, though. At least as a way to stop depending on them if they start demanding too much of you."

Alex felt a touch of cold at Marcus's use of 'depend.' "I'll do that. Thanks, man."

Saturday, October 29th, 2011

Moon Phase - Waxing Crescent

I'm not depending on them. I've already hunted twice, and they offered. Alex told himself as the afternoon approached the next day. Despite that self-assurance, his friend's statement kept prodding at his brain. The situation around town was the way it was because of Shane, and now his family was going to be the source of what he needed to keep safe from harm and engaging in cannibalism. When Bailey settled into a rest over his legs, Alex stroked his head and back and leaned against the foot of his bed.

But still it nagged at him. Most of the kills had come after he'd been bitten, not before, and he still had no idea what had pushed Shane to do all of that when his family had their own food sources.

For a second, Alex questioned if things had been planned to go this way. The chill that sparked, and the thought itself, lasted only a few seconds however. He couldn't see a bit of sense in that family risking their livelihoods just to pressure him into siding with them for easy meat. Much less when they were just as at risk as him in terms of getting spotted or tracked.

Even so, once Bailey removed himself from his position atop his legs, Alex made for and powered on his computer. His first fifteen minutes of searching turned up several places that could supply meat, but none that offered fresh cuts of several pounds for less than a hundred dollars. Whoever Shane's dad knows...he's gotta live close to here if that meat comes to them warm.

The sound of his phone ringing a few minutes later caused him to jump in his seat. Who's calling me? he thought after seeing the unnamed number. The first ring went by unanswered, as did the second. The third ring was when he answered.

"Hello?"

"Good, it's you."

Shane's voice sent a chill through his back. The fuck...?"How'd you get this number?"

"Just listen for a second and don't hang up on me, alright?"

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Because I don't want to have to watch out for you on Monday, that's why."

Watch out for me on Monday? "What's that got to do with anything?"

"At this point, nothing, unless you make it something."

Son of a... When Alex checked his desktop's calendar, he was quickly reminded that that day was Halloween. What's his point?

After echoing the question verbally, Shane responded, "Just give me your assurance that you won't do anything stupid that night."

"If you stop beating around the bush and tell me what that's supposed to mean."

"I want your promise that you won't shift and go around freaking people out that night."

Alex's anger laxed for a moment once things were made clear. Was that something Shane had seen another werewolf do and get hurt for? Or was it something he'd once done? His father didn't seem like the type to let something like that slide if he found out.

"What gave you the impression that I would even think of doing that?"

"You've shifted on your own twice already, and a night like that would mean less suspicion, unless the canine cops showed up."

"It's not like I wanted to shift last time."

"Then what prompted you the first time?"

At first, Alex didn't want to respond, thinking that his answer would validate Shane's concerns, but when he asked himself how Shane knew he'd shifted twice on his own, he was torn between the image of being watched and his scent giving it away.

"Concern, for one thing." Alex eventually said. "Didn't work like I wanted, but at least I know something because of that."

"Fair enough."

At least you've got some sense. "Why so much concern about that day, though?"

"Just being safe."

"Or you saw Angela doing that and thought I would too."

"No, and if she ever did, she never said a thing about it to me or Dad."

Alex didn't follow up.

"Whatever. So long as you're not lying to me."

"I'm not."

Shane waited a few seconds to respond. "Then I'll believe you. One more thing: don't block this number. It's my dad's. He'll call you if we need to tell you something."

"Fine, then." A second later, Alex heard the click signaling the other phone hanging up. Thanks for the chastising, asshole.

As he set his phone aside, Alex went back to thinking about other reasons why Shane would be concerned about him shifting. After some time, the only thing he could conclude was a lack of food.

That would make sense... Wait a minute. Is the school's stable really empty? After applying the same question to the stable they'd hit last time, Alex headed outside and to his motorcycle. The breezes were coming from the north, but even when he drove down the road directly south of his high school, he couldn't smell the animals.

What he found when he arrived and walked close to the stable was proof Shane hadn't been lying. The doe's enclosure was cleaned of blood, as he expected, but every other section had only faint scent traces of the animals once housed inside.

The stable was another story. While pretending to use his phone for something, Alex noticed barbed wire surrounding a few pens and fresh metallic fencing in spots. He couldn't hear any crackling or humming in line with electricity, but couldn't see another reason for that kind of fencing and drove off.

On the drive home, he couldn't help wondering how different things would've been if Shane hadn't gone on his killing spree, and then how long he would've had before his options for food would become strained.