Chapter 1: Chapter 1

(Chapter Song ‘Cold’ by Aqualung)

20 YEARS AGO “Have a safe trip and mind the highway. It’s supposed to be icy tonight.”

“Yes, mom.”

I dance my red riding hood rag doll across my knees and make her sing.

“Sammy.”

I raise my eyes to my mother who’s turned around in the front seat. She smiles. “Are you buckled up?”

“Yes, mama.” I dance my doll some more.

There’s a tap on my window. I look to my grandma. I smile and wave. She waves back and my mother drop my window.

She reaches in and holds my cheek. “Granny's gonna miss you, my little angel.”

“I’ll miss you, too.” I put my dolly in the window. “I miss Nana, too.” I pretend to make her talk.

She laughs and playfully kisses my doll. She leans in and kisses my head. “I'll call you at bedtime, ok?”

“Ok, Nana.” I dance my dolly.

“Mom. We have to go. We'll visit next month, alright?” My daddy says.

“See you then. Love you guys!!”

My window is rolled up and my parents shout bye as we leave my grandmother’s house and head for home.

We drive down the two lane highway that has a forest on one side and an open field on the other. The sun starts to set and it looks pretty as I lean to the window.

“Crap. We're so behind.” My dad mutters.

“Don’t worry. There’s no traffic. You’ll make it to your conference call. I just can’t wait to get some sleep. I have my sister’s baby shower to plan and then I have to sign Sammy up to school.” She looks out the window. “Why did we move a state away again?” She chuckles.

“Because my career gets you all those pretty paintings you like.” My dad grins.

“Smart but.” My mom laughs.

“Mama. Can we paint when we get home?” I ask as I drop my doll on the seat.

She turns back to me. “I'm sorry, baby. It’s bedtime by the time we get back.”

“I don’t want to go to bed.” I pout.

“Sammy.” My dad warns.

“We can paint after you get home from school.” She says.

“Ok!” I grin and grab my doll.

The minutes turn to hours and my mom starts singing when I start getting cranky.

“If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands…”

I laugh and clap my hands.

“If you’re happy and you know it and you really want to show it… If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.”

I clap my hands faster. “Daddy, clap!” I order.

“I can’t. I’m driving.” He laughs.

My mom gasps and looks at me with surprise. I laugh, and clap my hands.

“No, please don’t…” My dad whines.

“The wheels on the bus…”

“Oh, God…”

“Stop!” My mom laughs.

We laughed and sang as my dad drove into the cold, winter night.

He leans to the windshield. “Oh my God.”

“What?”

“Look…over there…is that?”

“Wow! I’ve never seen a white one before.” My mother says. I look out the window but don’t see anything.

“Must be a defect. There’s no white wolves here. He’s huge though.”

“Where, daddy?”

“He’s out in the field, baby. Here. I’ll speed up so you can see him better.”

“I wonder where he’s going in such a hurry.”

“Probably trying to get out of this damn cold.” My dad chuckles.

“Language!”

“You didn’t hear that, Sammy.”

“Ok, daddy.”

My dad points. “You should see him now.”

I raise my chin and look out the window. “Wow.”

“See him?”

“Yep. He’s a big doggie.” I giggle.

“He is.”

“What’s he doing?”

“He's apparently wants to run with us. Look, Sammy.”

I watch the giant white wolf run beside us and get closer. “He's coming, daddy!” I slap the glass and smile.

“Keep an eye on him. He might be the big bad wolf.” He laughs.

“Don’t scare her!” My mom scolds.

“He looks like a nice doggy.” I grin. “Hi, doggy!! I'm Sammy!!”

I wave to the wolf as he comes closer to the car. I squeal with excitement as he turns my way. His eyes glow red.

“Red eyes. Weird.”

“Funny. He has a marking on his head that looks like a black cross.” My mom laughs.

“Wow. What an awful birthmark.” My dad chuckles. “He's…uh…He’s getting real close, isn’t he?”

“Go a little faster. He'll tire out.”

My dad speeds up, but the wolf stayed with me at my window.

“Pretty doggy.” I hold my dolly up. “You like red riding hood?”

“I don’t think he’d like her too much.”

He gets even closer and his giant head fills my window. “Does the doggy want a ride?” I study him all over. He pants and his red eyes look into mine. “Daddy, I want to pet the doggy.”

“Sorry, baby. That’s not a good…”

The wolf’s head lowers in my window and he runs into the side of our car. I scream as the car rocks.

“What’s he doing?!” My mother looks out the window.

“I don’t know, but I’m getting him away from us.”

He hits the car again and it shakes as my dad corrects.

“Jesus.”

“Charles, drive faster!”

He hits the car harder and I see my door bend. I scream again. “Daddy!”

“It's ok, Sammy. It’s ok.”

“Go faster!”

“I’m already flooring it!

The car shakes violently and I start to cry from fear. “Mama!!”

She turns around holds my hand. “Daddy’s stopping it. It’s OK.”

“FUCK! HE’S BITING THE TIRES!! HANG ON!!”

The wolf hits us again and again then there was an explosion.

“SHIT!!”

I scream loud enough to hurt my own ears as the car serves and the inside of the car smashes and rolls.

“SAMMMMYYYY!”

I’m tossed around in my seat. Windows smash and my doll falls out. My parents flop around in their seats. When the car stops my world is upside down. I’m terrified and wailing.

“MAMA!” I bawl with barely any breath.

“Darlene…” My dad chokes. He reaches over and grabs my mother.

“Charlie…”

He undoes his belt. “I got your belt. Hang on.”

“DADDDYYY!!” I sob.

He turns to me with a bloody face. “Ok. It’s OK. Daddy’s here, baby. Let me undo your seat belt.”

He undoes the seat belt and I land on the roof. I can barely stand from crying. He grabs me in his arms. “Ok. I got you, baby. I got…”

His screams filled the car as he was pulled from my arms.

“CHARLIE!!!” My mother calls out.

“DADDY!!”

I watch in horror as he’s dragged away by the wolf with red eyes.

“SAMMY, GET IN THE BACK!! GET IN THE BACK!! SAAMMMYYY!”

The wolf drags her out and I cry as I watch my parents die.

I sat in the back, shaking with fear. I thought it was a bad dream and that I was going to wake up, but no.

My horror was only reinforced when the white wolf, covered in my parents blood, turns his red eyes to mine.

“MMMAAAAMMMMAAA!”

11 YEARS AGO “Samantha?”

I blink my eyes open like I’ve been asleep for hours. “Yeah?”

“We're done.”

I look up at Dr. Foster. “Oh, ok.” I sit up.

He looks me over. “How do you feel?”

“I don’t really feel any different.” I answer as I fix my pink skirt and adjust myself on the leather couch.

“Do you hear any voices or have any violent thoughts?” He leans back in his chair and fixes his thinning brown hair.

“Um…no.” I look around the dark, quiet psychiatric office.

“You'll let me know if the nightmares come back.” He says to my mother.

“Yes, doctor.” She agrees.

“Sammy. I believe that these hypnotherapy sessions are really getting to the root of these dreams. I believe if we can change or even block the cause of them, your sleepwalking will stop.” He informs.

“I hope so.” I mumble as I pick at the white bandage that covers my entire forearm.

“You'll need to watch for triggers. Make sure she’s not exposed to anything that might remind her of the nightmares.”

I stare outside and watch the clouds float by.

“Yes, Doctor.”

“Sammy. You’re doing very well. Keep it up.”

“Ok.” I whisper as one of the clouds turns into a white wolf.

The pain.

The hatred The ripping and tearing and shredding.

The blood-red eyes.

“SHE'S TEARING HER APART! LET HER GO!”

“I CAN'T! YOU KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN!”

“SHE'S KILLING HER!!!”

“STOP IT, PLEASE!!!”

“THROW THE ICE WATER!!”

“THE CHAINS! SHE’S BREAKING THE CHAINS!!”

“GET OUT! GET OUT NOW!!”

“HOLD THE DOOR!! HOLD THE FUCKING DOOR!!”

“SHE’S BREAKING THROUGH!”

“SAMMY! STOP!!!”

“GET MY GUN!!”

“YOU CAN'T SHOOT HER! PLEASE!!!”

“IT'S EITHER US OR IT! MOVE!!!”

The searing pain of the bullet entered my chest and I felt my body fall to the floor. I felt my blood soak my already blood soaked, shredded shirt.

I felt myself get light. I drifted up and floated in my mind. She disappeared in the black and I felt myself fall.

My breath becomes shallow and labored. They also become fewer. The time between heart beats gets longer and the beats get weaker.

Somewhere in the distance, my mother screams hysterically.

Don’t cry, mom.

As I drown in the black, I only have one thought.

Thank you.