hello! how's it going out there?

Her head pounded, and just like before, every muscle in her body felt sore. But unlike the last time she'd woken up like this, it wasn't morning. It was still the night of August 22nd, and the moon still sat round and luminous in the sky above her. Hyunjin blinked, her vision blurring slightly before she realized she was crying. Heejin had... done it. She'd killed Chris Hackett. She'd ended the curse. 

Just like she promised she would. 

Hyunjin smiled, tears mingling with the still-wet blood on her face. Then she laughed, and couldn't seem to stop laughing, the noise bubbling out of her and bouncing against the trees and across the water. She just couldn't believe she was finally, finally free. 

The relief died down soon, though, along with her laughter as she realized with sudden dread that she wasn't where she'd been when she transformed earlier that night. She was outside, sitting on the wooden walkway leading up to the tree house. Hyunjin got to her feet, swaying unsteadily and leaning on the railing as she gathered her bearings. 

She tried to tell herself there were plenty of reasons she could have ended up outside, even when she'd made sure the trap door was sealed shut behind her before she transformed. Maybe she just... saw a squirrel and got hungry, so she jumped out the window. But as she made her way towards the tree house, she couldn't help worrying that it had been something much worse. And when she saw the doorway in the distance—wood splintered like it had been forcibly opened, her anxiety only grew. 

What if Heejin had come back to the island before she'd broken the curse? What if someone else had been here and she'd attacked them?

Swallowing, Hyunjin walked inside, noticing a piece of furniture sitting behind the door. Lines had been gouged into the floor where it had undoubtedly been shoved against it in an attempt to hold it shut. An attempt that had, ultimately, failed. 

Hyunjin looked away, turning towards the duffel bag she'd stashed in the corner next to Heejin's. The zipper was undone, thrown wide open, and as she moved stiffly towards it, she could see that more than half its contents were missing. 

She dropped to her knees, feeling nothing as they collided with the wooden floor. This was proof—someone had been here. Someone had taken her clothes, taser, and can of bear spray. Hyunjin stared at her bag, eyes blank and unseeing. With a shaking hand, she took out a towel and soaked it with water from her water bottle, before working to scrub the blood off her skin, wondering how much was hers and how much wasn't. 

Beside her bag, Heejin's sat untouched. It gave her some consolation—that it hadn't been her girlfriend who'd come here before she'd turned back. After all, why take Hyunjin's clothes and not her own? Her movements became somewhat more relaxed, but she still chewed the inside of her cheek, wondering who it could have been that had come here, then. 

When she'd cleaned enough of the blood off that she didn't look like she'd just freshly committed murder (which, frankly, was still up for debate at the moment), Hyunjin took the spare change of clothes Heejin had packed in her bag and pulled them on. They wasn't quite to her taste—a matching pair of black athletic wear with a thick pink stripe running down each side of the cropped shirt and leggings—and they were a bit too tight on her, but at least it was better than walking around in her underwear. 

Hyunjin let out a deep sigh, before slinging the bags over her shoulder and heading down towards the dock.

On her way, she kept her eye out for any blood or bodies laying about—any sign she'd done something in the hours while she hadn't been herself. Bile rose in the back of her throat at the memory of what she'd done during the last full moon. Or rather, the memory of what she'd watched herself do on the security feed. She'd tried as hard as she could, but everything between when the moon rose and set was nothing more than a gaping hole in her memory. 

And maybe it was easier that way. At least when she didn't remember her time spent as that... thing, she could separate herself from it and everything it had done. She didn't have any control over it, and she didn't have any memory of it. It wasn't her, it was the curse, the infection—taking root in her brain and changing every fundamental aspect of who she was. 

But when the moon finally set and the sun rose the next day, she came back as herself every time, so that had to count for something. 

(If it didn't, she wouldn't be able to live with herself.)

When Hyunjin finally made it down to the end of the dock, staring out at the calm lake in front of her, she set the bags down and sat on the edge of the wooden pier, letting the soles of her shoes skim the water below. The boathouse lights were still on, glowing a faint yellow across from her. She could just barely make out Heejin's canoe off to the right, hidden in the reeds at the edge of the bank and out of sight. 

If everything went according to plan, they'd meet right here at the dock. Heejin would row back across the water to get her, and then they'd somehow find a way to get home. Even though neither of them had any idea what'd happened to Hyunjin's car after Travis kidnapped them, and the one they'd stolen from the sheriff was currently sitting submerged under several feet of water at the bottom of the lake. 

All Hyunjin had to do in the meantime was wait. But it certainly wasn't easy, when she had nothing to distract her but her own thoughts. Her mind wandered, wondering where Heejin could be right now, and whether or not she was safe. What if she was in danger, hurt, or worse? Hyunjin had no way of knowing, not even a single bar of coverage on her phone to text her and find out. 

The longer she sat there under the glow of the full moon, the more her mind started to spiral, and the more she worried something might have happened to her. She'd gone out all by herself, after all, with nothing to defend herself with except a single shotgun and a handful of silver shells. 

Hyunjin rubbed her hands over her face, trying to calm herself down. Logically, it would take some time for Heejin to return to the island after she'd killed Chris Hackett. There was no telling how far she'd had to venture out just to find him, and it'd only been around fifteen minutes since Hyunjin had woken up. And logically, staying in one spot meant Heejin would have an easier time finding her when she did return. 

(There was no 'if' in Hyunjin's mind; if Heejin had fulfilled her promise to end the curse, Hyunjin knew she'd do whatever it took to get back to her so they could to back to living the rest of their lives together. It was just one of the many things she loved about her.)

It still didn't quell the fear that she might be alone in the woods right at this very moment, though. Wounded and bleeding as she made her way back to the island. It made her chest tighten and her throat feel like it was closing up until she couldn't breathe. But she just kept reminding herself that all she had to do was wait. 

At least...until she saw a figure in the distance slink out from under the trees and into the moonlight. 

Hyunjin leapt to her feet, peering towards the opposite shore. She could hardly make out who it was, until they crouched down to the ground and started walking forward on all fours and she realized it wasn't a who, but a what. 

The breath caught in her throat, her blood going cold. She didn't understand...how could there still be werewolves in the woods if she was back to normal? The only logical conclusion must be that Chris—the werewolf who bit her, hadn't been the first. That there was someone else out there going around and infecting people. 

She didn't want to believe it, not after they'd convinced themselves it was the only way she could be free. That the only way to break the curse was to kill their boss. But who then had bitten him and turned him into a werewolf? What if there were others like him that were also out there in the woods, infecting other innocent people with their own lines of infection? 

Hyunjin felt like she was going to be sick. Because if she was right, then that meant Heejin was still out there in the woods with werewolves running around. Maybe that was why she hadn't come back yet. Maybe she'd been attacked, or worse. 

Her feet started moving before she realized it, carrying her back across the dock and up the steps to the island, to a little clearing where the trail up to the tree house started. To the left of the clearing sat the restrooms and a small, outdoor meeting house. To the right, there were extra canoes stored on a bunch of outdoor shelving units, in case the counselors needed them for any reason. Hyunjin lifted one up, her already-sore muscles screaming in protest as she started carrying it over her head back to the dock. She set it in the water, and then looked out at the shore, searching for the werewolf and just barely catching sight of it slipping back into the trees again. 

Before her, she had two options. 

Option one: wait on the island or in the canoe until morning came, and search for Heejin under the light of day. None of the werewolves could get to her where she was—it was the whole reason they'd chosen to leave her on the island in the first place, after all. 

Option two: paddle to shore and risk her life searching for her girlfriend while the full moon was still out. 

Hyunjin had already survived one encounter with a werewolf in the lodge's storm shelter, and spent two moons under the effects of the curse. She'd been lucky to walk away mostly unscathed the first time, but her luck wasn't going to last forever. The smarter thing to do would be staying where she knew she'd be safe, and where her girlfriend knew to find her. 

But Heejin was still out there. What more, the only reason she was even out there in the first place was to free Hyunjin from the curse, risking her own life just for the chance her girlfriend might have a normal one. 

So, when it came down to it, there really wasn't a choice in Hyunjin's mind. 

She tossed the bags in the front of the canoe and carefully lowered herself in. Then she picked up the paddle and dipped it into the inky water, pulling away from the island. As she rowed across, her boat cutting through the silvery reflection of the moon, the air lay utterly silent. Not even a single bug or squirrel chattered in the woods, making the hair on her arms stand on end. 

When she reached the opposite shore, she hopped out into the shallow water, her shoes sinking into the mud. She hauled her boat up onto the bank beside Heejin's, hoping that in the chance her girlfriend did come back to the island looking for her, the sight of it would clue her into realizing she was no longer there. Then she grabbed the bags and pulled out the little pamphlet with the map of the camp printed on the back. 

The closest building to the boathouse was the lodge—which also happened to be the largest and most central building at camp. If Heejin hadn't come back because she was holed up somewhere else waiting for the sun to rise, there was a good chance she was there. Maybe that was even where she'd found Chris Hackett. Either way, it was as good a starting point as any.

Hyunjin took a deep breath, staring into the forest as she pocketed the map. Then she adjusted the bags on her shoulders and started down the trail towards the lodge, the shadows enveloping her.

03:32 | August 23 - Jiwoo Hackett’s Quarry Lodge

Jiwoo stared up at the wooden rafters high above them from where she lay on one of the benches in the dining area, her hands folded over her stomach and the straps of her over-sized overalls falling off her shoulders. Though, after nearly dying not once, not twice, but three times, she couldn't quite bring herself to care if one of her co-workers saw her bra straps peeking out. They were all girls, after all.

Not much had changed in the last hour or so. Vivi had apparently woken up briefly, only to pass out again, and Yerim, Yeojin, and Chaewon were still missing in action. It felt like it had been hours since they left, but Jiwoo hadn't actually been keeping track of how much time had passed, her phone still down by the boathouse with her clothes. 

With nothing left to do but let her mind wander, Jiwoo kept herself distracted by counting the individual beams of wood high up on the ceiling above them. It was better than thinking about how futile their chances of survival were, and how each of the girls out on their various missions might not return at all. How she might never see Yerim, or Chaewon, or Hyeju, or Yeojin or... Haseul... ever again. It was better than thinking about how the van was still broken out front, so even if they made it until the sun came up and all the werewolves turned back to their human selves, they still had no way to get back to civilization unless they walked several miles. 

Jiwoo abruptly slammed her eyes closed, cutting her count off at two hundred thirty-something. She dragged her hands over her face. The whole point was to not think about their circumstances, although her methodology definitely left something to be desired. Perhaps she needed a better distraction. 

Footsteps approached, and Jiwoo blinked her eyes open to see Sooyoung sitting down on the bench across from her, setting the shotgun beside her. It seemed she had finally tired herself out after endlessly circling the perimeter and checking every door and window to make sure they were shut tight. She looked nearly as exhausted as Jiwoo felt, bags under her eyes and her hair curling slightly where it still hung damp at the ends. 

Jiwoo turned her head towards her, but Sooyoung's eyes were closed. She watched her breathe deeply for a few moments, before her eyes fluttered open. When she met her gaze, Jiwoo felt a jolt run down her spine and through her veins, like a live wire danced between them. 

Her heart skipped a beat. How did Sooyoung still manage to look so beautiful after everything that had happened to them that night? Jiwoo knew she must look like a complete zombie, with her puffy eyes, smudged makeup, and hair all knotted and tangled in a mess. Her feet were scraped-up, and she probably still had mud and dirt on her from when the werewolf tackled her outside the lodge. 

When Jiwoo looked closer, though, she realized Sooyoung was just as beat-up as her. Her eyes were ringed with red and dark bruises had started to form under them from her lack of sleep. Her shoulders slumped slightly, and her hands absently picked at a hangnail on one of her fingers. Her feet were just as scraped-up as Jiwoo's, a stray leaf clinging to one of her bare legs—and yet she was still the most beautiful person Jiwoo had ever laid eyes on.

Sooyoung was still looking at her, making heat rise to Jiwoo's cheeks in spite of herself. She pushed herself upright, turning to face her. 

"How are you doing?" Sooyoung asked quietly.

Jiwoo shrugged, chewing slightly on her bottom lip. "Ask me in a few days?" She asked, equally soft, before nodding in Sooyoung's direction. "You?" 

"Ask me in a few days," Sooyoung smiled. Secretively, like it was meant for just the two of them. 

Jiwoo blushed again, looking away. She'd meant what she said to Jungeun earlier, she wasn't going to get her hopes up about anything. But Sooyoung seemed intent on making that as difficult for her as possible. 

Still, though, Jiwoo knew she owed it to her to try and just be friends first. They'd skipped over all that at the start of camp, jumping straight from coworkers to hooking up behind the showers. (They'd skipped over courting each other too, with gifts and first dates and hand-holding. There had only been shameless flirting and heavy make-out sessions when they were sure no kids were around.)

"Hey," Jiwoo said, scooting a bit closer to her and holding her hand up to her mouth like they were schoolchildren whispering in the back of the class.

Sooyoung raised her eyebrow slightly, before humoring her and leaning in. 

"What's your favorite color?" Jiwoo whispered into her ear.

Sooyoung leaned back, a mixture of amusement and confusion in her face. "Why are you asking me that?" 

“I just realized we’ve known each other for two months and I don’t know the most basic thing about you,” Jiwoo explained.

Sooyoung laughed lightly under her breath. “You know how old I am, my surname, and where I’m going to school next semester. Those are pretty basic things.”

“Yeah, but this is the most basic of basic questions,” Jiwoo countered, spreading her hands out for emphasis. 

“Alright fine,” Sooyoung sniffed, drawing herself up and thinking for a moment. “Burgundy,” She finally said.

Jiwoo pinched her chin between her forefinger and thumb, nodding dramatically. “Makes sense—it’s sophisticated, not something basic like red or blue.”

“I didn’t realize my choice said so much about me,” Sooyoung replied with a teasing smirk, “What’s yours?” 

“Peach,” Jiwoo answered easily. 

Sooyoung copied her pose, nodding, “Warm and happy, just like you.” 

Jiwoo flushed all the way to the roots of her hair. "R-right," She stammered, "Totally." 

"So are we playing 20 questions?" Sooyoung asked, leaning back to rest her elbows on the table. 

"If you want," Jiwoo said, not at all opposed to wasting time waiting for morning to come. "That would make it your turn." 

"Alright," Sooyoung thought for a moment, and then asked, "Favorite fruit?" 

"Strawberries," Jiwoo replied, once again easily, "You?" 

"Apples. Your turn."

"What's your favorite..." Jiwoo trailed off, raising her head at the creak of the front door slowly opening across the way. The smile dropped off her face and she jumped to her feet, heart racing. "That must be them!" She exclaimed, hurrying towards the entryway. 

"Wait, Jiwoo—!" Sooyoung called after her.

The urgency in her voice made Jiwoo stop just short of the door, heart pounding not out of excitement anymore, but fear. 

Sooyoung hurried over to her side, shotgun in her grasp as they both watched the door open further and further, until a girl with long, dark hair slipped inside, freezing in her tracks when she saw them. 

The three of them stood still for several moments, sizing each other up. The girl eyed the shotgun in Sooyoung's arms cautiously, but it seemed she herself was unarmed. She was decked out in a matching set of athletic wear that revealed a section of her midriff. In her hands, she carried two duffel bags, one of which looked...a little familiar...

"Who are you?" The girl asked before Jiwoo could dwell on it much further. 

"Who are you?" Jiwoo fired back. 

"I..." The girl stammered, looked between the two of them. "I asked you first." 

Her eyes then fell to their clothes, her features pulling into a frown, before the blood drained from her face and she let out a gasp. She raised her free hand to point at them, her voice a horrified whisper. "Where... where did you get those?" 

Jiwoo glanced down at her overalls, exchanging a confused glance with Sooyoung. "We borrowed them...? They're not yours, are they? They were just sitting there in a duffel bag on the... island..." She trailed off, looking again at the bags clenched in the girl's fist.

Sooyoung put the pieces together a second before Jiwoo did. "It was you," She breathed, staring at the girl with wide eyes. "You were the monster in the tree house." 

The girl recoiled like she'd been slapped. 

"Wait, WHAT?!" Jiwoo all but screeched, before remembering there might be more of them out there and clamping a hand over her own mouth. 

The commotion drew Jungeun out of the infirmary, who marched over, concerned at the sight of a new arrival. "What's going on out here?" She asked, but both Sooyoung and Jiwoo were too busy coming to terms with the fact that the girl standing in front of them had nearly killed them earlier that night to fill her in. 

"What were you doing on our island?" Sooyoung demanded. 

"Your island?" The girl scoffed, though her voice was shaking so much there was hardly any malice in it. "What were you doing there after camp ended? In fact, why are any of you here? We thought this place was empty!" 

"'We?'" Jungeun echoed the same time Jiwoo said, "Our van broke down." 

"We've been stranded since before sundown," Sooyoung affirmed.

"And of all the places you could have gone, you decided to go to the island?!" The girl cried, her voice rising in hysterics. "And not just that, but you decided to open the trap door that was supposed to keep me locked inside the tree house?!"

"Look, in our defense, we didn't know werewolves existed." Sooyoung hissed, her grip on the shotgun tightening.

The girl's eyes widened, before she took a step back, her gaze falling to the floor. In the lull that followed, Jungeun seized her opportunity and stepped between them with her hands out. 

"Alright, let's all just calm down," She spoke, holding Sooyoung's gaze with a knowing look until she glanced away. "No one got hurt, no one died. Everything's fine." 

It was certainly easy for her to say when she hadn't been there, but then again, it could have been worse. Much, much worse. And this girl... Jiwoo looked up to see her trembling hands clenched into fists, the dark circles ringing her haunted eyes. She wasn't just upset, she was terrified. 

She tried to think what it would be like in her shoes, if she got bit and slowly succumbed to the curse—all rational thought overtaken by bloodlust and rage until she turned into an unrecognizable monster that could kill the people she loved without a second thought. That was probably what it had been like for this girl. And if the same thing happened to Jiwoo... she'd probably want to lock herself up too and throw away the key. 

As it was, the girl dragged her hand over her face and took a deep breath, attempting to regain her composure. "I'm sorry," She muttered quietly, unable to meet their eyes. "It's not your fault; we didn't know either when we first got here," She said, letting out a shaky breath, "I'm just...glad no one got hurt. I don't want to think what I could have done while I was like that. We picked he island because we thought it would be the one place that would keep me from hurting anyone else..."

Sooyoung swallowed, sharing a guilty glance with Jiwoo. Even though they hadn't known, they still felt guilty, somehow. They'd poked around in the tree-house after sunset. They'd gone through someone's belongings and taken their stuff. And then they'd opened the trap-door even after hearing strange noises coming from above. The danger they'd been in—although unintentional—was technically self-inflicted. 

"We're sorry too," Sooyoung said. The girl's eyes lifted to meet hers, and some sort of understanding passed between them that Jiwoo wasn't privy too, but all of them seemed to relax a little. 

"You're Heejin's girlfriend, aren't you?" Jungeun said, "Hyunjin, right?" 

The girl's eyes snapped towards her with a newfound intensity. She nodded quickly, taking half a step towards her. "You– you've spoken to her? To my girlfriend?" She asked, a mixture of hope and desperation in her voice. "Is she alright? We were supposed to meet at the docks when everything was over, but..." 

But she hadn't been there. 

"Last we saw, she was headed to the Hackett's house with Hyeju to look for Mr. H." Jungeun told her, "That was two– maybe three hours ago."

Hyunjin's face fell in dismay. She looked back out the front windows of the lodge, almost as if she wanted to run all the way there herself. But the full moon was still out; it was way too dangerous. 

She glanced over her shoulder, locking eyes with Jungeun. "Which way is it?" She asked, and, correction—she didn't just look like she wanted to follow them, she intended to. 

"Woah, are you seriously going back out there?!" Sooyoung asked, stepping forward. "Do you have a death wish?" 

Hyunjin's eyes flicked to hers. "Heejin would go out there for me," She said with a slight raise of her chin. "She did. That's the only reason I'm back to normal."

"Wait—" Jiwoo looked around at them all, wondering if she'd heard her correctly. "You mean they killed..."

"Chris Hackett," Hyunjin nodded, "The werewolf who bit me." 

Her jaw dropped open. The other two stared at Hyunjin, wearing equally shocked expressions. Jiwoo recalled everything the others had filled them in on, how Heejin told them about the meaning of the poem and overhearing the argument between the brothers that confirmed Chris had been the werewolf in the storm shelter. The only way to break the curse was to kill the first, so if Hyunjin was free, that meant... would Haseul and everyone else be back to normal too? 

"So... that's it?" Jiwoo dared to ask, the tiniest flicker of hope sparking in her chest. "It's all over?" 

"Not quite," Hyunjin said, cringing when all eyes fell on her. "When Heejin killed Chris Hackett, she freed me, yes... but either he wasn't the first or there are others out there, because I nearly crossed paths with one on my way here."

The room fell silent as they all took in the news. 

"Of fucking course," Sooyoung chuckled wryly, "Just when we think we might actually catch a break for once." 

Jungeun's eyes moved from Sooyoung to Hyunjin. "And you still want to go out there?" She asked cautiously, "At the risk of getting attacked again?" 

Hyunjin nodded sullenly, her eyes downcast. "You guys don't get it," She said, glancing up at them, "Heejin risked her life for me, and she's still out there. I can't just...sit around and do nothing knowing that. And I..." 

She swallowed, her brow furrowing as she looked down again. "The second night I transformed, in the jail cell, I didn't just attack her physically—I berated her for everything she'd done leading up to that point. For coming up one night early. For not going to the Harbinger Motel like we were told. For breaking the lock to the storm shelter. I threw it all back in her face, and even though deep down it was all true, I couldn't seem to stop myself, because I wanted to see her in pain. I wanted her to hurt. And then after I turned into that monster, I clawed her eye out—I watched myself do it on the security camera footage, watched my claws slash across her face and rip through the pipe on the wall next to her. I could have easily killed her..." 

Hyunjin took a shaky breath, looking queasy as she avoided each of their gazes. "And after all of that, she still went into those woods at sunset, armed with nothing but a shotgun, and broke the curse for me. So...I have to return the favor." 

Jiwoo glanced over at her friends, seeing them just at a loss for words as she was. In front of them, Hyunjin's lip trembled slightly, but then she exhaled, her eyes slipping shut for a brief moment. 

When she opened them again, Jungeun took the opportunity to step closer to her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm really sorry..." She said, her gaze filled with anguish. "You're right, we don't get it. We didn't go through what you guys did in that police station, but... you said you had a meeting spot, right? For after everything was over?"

Hyunjin nodded slowly. 

"And she left you on the island so you'd be safe from hurting anyone else—and from anything else that might hurt you, right?"

"Y-yeah," Hyunjin nodded again, "I guess so." 

"So..." Jungeun continued, "You guys clearly know how easy it is to get lost in the woods. Imagine if you went out there in search for her and got lost in the woods, alone. Everything she'd have done would be pointless if you got hurt falling down somewhere or getting attacked by one of the werewolves still running around." 

"But..." Hyunjin protested, though some of the air had left her sails. "I just have to follow the path to get to the Hackett's house." 

Jungeun nodded in agreement. "But if she already killed Chris Hackett, she probably wouldn't stick around there, right? She'd be on her way back, or she might have been sidetracked—but either way, none of us know for sure where she is other than where she might show up." 

"Plus," Sooyoung cut in, "If she's following one of the trails, they'll likely pass right in front of the lodge on their way to the boat house."

"Unless she cuts through the woods," Hyunjin pointed out. 

"Well, if we don't see her before then, we'll help you look for her at first light," Jungeun promised. 

Hyunjin met her eyes, searching them. Then she glanced at Jiwoo and Sooyoung, who nodded sincerely as well. At last, her shoulders drooped, and she sighed. "Alright, I'll stay here for now," She said, "Thank you." 

Jiwoo shot her an encouraging smile, which Hyunjin returned half-heartedly. She cast one last forlorn look out the windows behind her, at the moon barely grazing the tips of the trees in the distance. 

Then the silence was interrupted as the back doors suddenly slammed open. Jiwoo spun around, her heart jumping against her rib cage as she searched the shadows for glowing yellow eyes. But instead all she saw were two girls rushing inside, slamming the door behind them and collapsing to the floor. 

Jiwoo shared a look with the others before they all rushed across the room, Hyunjin included—clearly hoping one of them was her girlfriend. As they drew closer, Jinsoul emerged from the nurse's office as well, startled by the commotion and joining them by the back hall. 

The two girls who had returned were none other than Yerim and Chaewon, and while Jiwoo was relieved to see them, her chest tightened at the sight of the obvious missing member from their trio. Both girls were out of breath as they slumped against the floor, their eyes puffy and red like they'd been crying. 

"What happened?" Sooyoung demanded, more fearful than anything, though her tone suggested otherwise. "Where's Yeojin?" 

Yerim didn't offer a reply. She didn't even raise her head from where her face hid behind her hair. When their eyes sought out Chaewon next, the other girl merely shook her head, looking away. Her lower lip trembled, and her cheeks were splotchy, leaving a pit in Jiwoo's stomach. 

She stepped back, a hand going to her mouth as she looked at the others who wore equally shocked expressions. There were only two options for where their youngest member could be, and neither of them were good. 

"She's alive," Yerim spoke into the heavy silence that filled the room, her voice empty and hollow. It was so...wrong. It was like the person they'd gotten to know all summer had been carved out and left as nothing more than a shell of who she used to be. After all, this was Yerim. Bright, bubbly, optimistic Yerim. Who had spent the last two months doing her best to become friends with each and every one of her fellow counselors. Who always wore a smile, even when she was sad, because cheering up others was more important to her than anything else. Who had spent what little free time she had not on herself—but helping others in any way she could, even if it meant taking on more work. It was the reason Mr. Hackett trusted her to organize the camp schedules every week, the reason he put her in charge of the end-of-camp checklist. 

And it was also the reason why she was near-unrecognizable to them as she was right now. Because Yerim wasn't meant to look like she'd had the life beaten out of her. Yerim wasn't meant to look as though she thought there was no more hope left in the world. 

Slowly, Jinsoul stepped forward to kneel beside her, placing a gentle hand across her back. Yerim hardly registered the touch, not leaning into it, but not pulling away either. It was like she didn't even know she was there. 

But as they waited, the young girl took a shuddering breath, some of the glossy sheen leaving her eyes. 

"We found a car at the scrapyard," She began slowly, like even just speaking the words aloud caused her physical pain. "It was hanging by a giant magnet on the end of this massive crane in the middle of the scrapyard. We were going to detach it and drive it out of there, but then... one of those things showed up. It was going to get us, I- I saw it stalking towards me. It would have gotten me, but Chaewon dropped the car on top of it before it could. And that's when Yeojin—" Her voice broke, a single tear slipping down her cheek. "She told us to run..." 

Yerim's face screwed up in pain as she started to cry all over again, her shoulders shaking with each stifled sob. Jiwoo's vision doubled, unaware of the tears that had risen to her own eyes. She blinked, trying to tamp down on the feeling building in her chest and tightening in her throat. But the tears still fell, slipping silently down her cheeks as she stared in shock.

Jinsoul wrapped her arms around Yerim, pulling her into a hug, and the younger girl went willingly, muffling her cries in Jinsoul's shoulder. Chaewon sniffled, wiping away the tears that had gathered in her own eyes, the sleeve of her shirt shifting and revealing a stain of red Jiwoo hadn't noticed before. 

"Chaewon..." Jiwoo asked worriedly, "What happened?" 

Chaewon looked up at her with a teary, confused expression. Then her eyes widened, panicked as her hand shot to her injured arm in a feeble attempt to hide the blood. "Um, I– uh," She stammered, her eyes jumping around frantically now. "It's– uh—" 

"It's alright," Jungeun spoke softly, her eyebrows pinched in concern as she tried to calm her down. "You don't have to talk about it, but we should probably get it patched up so it doesn't get...infected." 

Jungeun's eyes met Jiwoo's briefly and Jiwoo swallowed, not liking the way she lingered on the word infected. She looked at the bloodstain again, the torn fabric of her shirt sleeve. She had a feeling she knew what had happened, and so did Jungeun. She could only hope they weren't right. 

Chaewon's face was pale as she got to her feet, avoiding their eyes and still tugging on her sleeve to try and hide the blood as she followed Jungeun into the nurse's office, leaving the rest of them at the back of the lodge. 

Jinsoul turned to Yerim sitting beside her, nudging her shoulder softly. "There's another bed left in case you want to lie down too," She offered. 

But Yerim shook her head, swiping a hand under her eyes and clearing her throat. "I'm fine," She mumbled, pulling away from her slightly. 

A sad frown pulled at Jinsoul's features, but before she could say anything, the room around them lit up in a brief flash of light. Jiwoo glanced towards the windows in time to hear the ensuing rumble of thunder roll across the sky above them. Tiny droplets of water began to patter against the metal roof, gradually growing louder. 

"On the bright side," Hyunjin piped up half-heartedly, "At least the rain will slow them down." 

Sooyoung nodded, the gears practically spinning in her head as she turned to look around the lodge. "How many more hours until sunrise?" She asked, turning back to them. "Does anyone know?" 

Jinsoul pulled her phone out of her back pocket, her face falling under the dim glow of her screen. "Two hours," She announced, her mouth pulled into a grim line. 

Jiwoo's shoulders slumped. There was still so much time—too much time. And even if they somehow survived until morning, they had no way of getting home. Two of them were injured, and four were still out in the woods somewhere. 

Sooyoung didn't look too optimistic either, but she straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath. "Okay...we can do this," She said, though it seemed like she was trying to assure herself as much as the rest of them. "It's only two hours, so if we just stay really quiet, they might not find us." She turned to Hyunjin, "Right?" 

Hyunjin was silent for a moment, her mouth twisting. "The rain will slow them down and mask any small noises we make, sure," She replied carefully, and they could all feel the tangible but hanging in the air before them. "...but we shouldn't assume we'll be safe anywhere. I was locked in a jail cell with metal bars and I still hurt my girlfriend. And you saw how easily I... tore through the tree house door," She said haltingly, making both Sooyoung and Jiwoo flinch at the memory. "If they want to get in here, there's not anything that can stop them." 

Jiwoo tried to swallow, her throat chalk-dry. Her hands trembled at her sides, feeling clammy, so she folded her arms across her chest, looking at Sooyoung. 

Sooyoung's expression was troubled, and when she glanced over to meet Jiwoo's gaze, it saddened even further, making Jiwoo's breath catch in her throat. She looked so scared, so afraid, but somehow, Jiwoo could tell it wasn't for herself. She swallowed again, averting her eyes, because there was no way she was about to unpack that right now. 

Surprisingly, it was Yerim who spoke up next. "Didn't Chaewon and Hyeju say something about Mr. H. having trail cameras set up around the camp?" She asked, looking up at them for the first time. 

Jiwoo thought back to earlier that night, drawing a blank, but she wasn't the only one, because Jinsoul looked just as confused as she did (and Hyunjin, having not even met Hyeju, did too). Only Sooyoung seemed to understand what she was referring to, because her face lit up and she snapped her finger. 

"Yes!" She exclaimed excitedly, "We can use those to keep an eye on the forest around the lodge and track any of the werewolves that are still out there," She said, before turning to Hyunjin, "Maybe we'll even be able to spot Heejin and Hyeju on their way back here." 

Hyunjin perked up considerably at that, nodding quickly. "I'll come with you."

Sooyoung slung the shotgun in her hands over her shoulder. "It's a plan," She said, looking around at the three of them. "Anyone else want to come?" 

Jinsoul glanced back towards the nurse's office. "I should probably go check on the others," She said, giving Yerim one final glance before pushing herself to her feet and leaving them. 

Yerim merely shook her head, leaving Jiwoo to look up and meet Sooyoung's gaze. As much as she wanted to stick by her side, she also didn't want to leave Yerim all by herself, especially now of all times. 

"You guys go on ahead," She said, smiling in reassurance. 

Sooyoung seemed hesitant to leave, watching her carefully. "Alright," She nodded at last. "Just... stay quiet, and stay alert." 

"We will," Jiwoo promised.

03:56 | August 23 - Sooyoung Hackett’s Quarry Lodge

Sooyoung slipped the key into the door and unlocked it, pushing it open to reveal the dark interior of their camp owner's office. The rain pattered in a steady drone of noise against the roof above them, and the taxidermied deer's head in the corner seemed to watch them with it's dark, glossy eyes. 

Hyunjin cleared her throat from behind her, and Sooyoung stepped inside, making her way over to the door on the right side of the room. Like the door to the office, Mr. Hackett's living quarters were also locked, but she didn't exactly know which key unlocked them, so she had to flip through and try each one individually, trying not to dwell on how awkward the air was with just her and Hyunjin standing in the room by themselves. Judging by the creak of the floorboards under Hyunjin's feet as she shifted her weight nearby, she found it just as awkward as Sooyoung did. 

She'd nearly killed them, after all. 

Silence hung between them as they keys jingled softly in Sooyoung's hands. After the third try was unsuccessful, she flipped to the fourth key with a clear of her throat.

"Sorry, by the way," Sooyoung muttered, glancing at Hyunjin out of the corner of her eye. "If I came off too strong earlier, about... everything." 

Hyunjin blinked slowly, perhaps in surprise. Sooyoung could still see the way she'd recoiled when Sooyoung called her a monster—the immense fear and pain in her eyes. It only got worse when she told them about what she'd done when she transformed during the last full moon, and her reasons for wanting to follow her girlfriend into the woods to save her. 

"It's, uh..." Sooyoung licked her lips, flipping to the next key when the fourth one turned out to be a bust as well. "It's an aspect of my personality that I’m not particularly proud of.”

Hyunjin was quiet for a moment. Then she took a deep breath, “I think people would say having that level of self-awareness is something to be proud of." 

This time it was Sooyoung's turn to be surprised, turning her head to look at her more fully, but Hyunjin's gaze was locked on the windows over her shoulder. 

"I called myself a monster, too," Hyunjin admitted softly, "When I saw what I'd become. When I saw what I'd done. So... no hard feelings." 

Sooyoung didn't know how to respond to that, so she merely nodded, turning back to the keys in her hand. "No hard feelings," She agreed, and though she didn't see it, Hyunjin's shoulders sagged slightly in relief. 

She turned the key and the lock clicked, opening in her hand. Sooyoung pushed the door open, looking around the camp owner's living quarters. The closet sat directly in front of them, looking inconspicuous enough, but when her eyes fell to the slight gap between the back panel and the floor, she could make out a faint, flickering glow amidst the darkness. 

Sooyoung pushed her hand against it, and it swung open easily, revealing the secret room Chaewon had spoken of at the bonfire earlier. She shared a brief look with Hyunjin before pushing the coat hangers aside and crawling through. 

The actual surveillance room was smaller than she'd expected. There was a desk in one corner stacked to the ceiling with small, fatback TV monitors displaying trail cam footage in the woods and around the camp. On the wall opposite was a map of the Hackett property, marked up with a bunch of red X's and O's. One of the symbols undoubtedly indicated the locations of the trail cameras, but as to what the other was...

Hyunjin walked up to the monitors, her face awash in the pale glow as her eyes scanned over them, looking for any signs of life. She glanced over at Sooyoung, who stood studying the map. "What does a camp owner even need with this many security cameras anyways?" She asked, "I mean, isn't it kind of creepy considering this place is full of kids every summer?" 

Sooyoung turned, looking at the grainy footage of the quiet forest. "That's what Yeojin said," She remarked without thinking and instantly regretted it, her mouth turning bitter at the thought of the young girl and where she might be right now. "But Hyeju said they were trail cameras, not security cameras. Meant for tracking wildlife so the campers could be kept safe from bears and stuff." 

"Bears?" Hyunjin asked incredulously, to which Sooyoung could only shrug. 

Her eyes moved back to the map, to the red X's and O's. Most of the O's were concentrated closer to camp, while the X's were far more spread out deep in the woods. 

"Okay, this is going to sound crazy," Hyunjin began, "But what if the Hacketts weren't tracking bears. What if... what if they were looking for the werewolf who bit Chris Hackett?" 

"The first," Sooyoung breathed out, echoing Hyunjin's words from earlier. "Fuck." 

It seemed the more they uncovered, the less Sooyoung actually wanted to know. She'd come to this camp to get a bit of work on her resume before college, after all, and now she couldn't even use her boss as a professional reference because he was a werewolf and also confirmed dead. She should have accepted the offer at the local coffee shop down the street from her house instead. 

"That must be what these X's are," Sooyoung said in realization, nodding towards the map. "The places where they saw sightings of the werewolf." 

"And the O's?" Hyunjin asked. 

"The trail camera locations," Sooyoung replied, pointing to the tiny numbers marked next to them. "They correlate to the numbers in the bottom corner of the footage on the screens." 

"Good catch," Hyunjin remarked with the tiniest hint of a smirk. 

Hyunjin turned back to the monitors, and Sooyoung's eyes fell to the desk sitting under the map. There were more blueprints for several of the buildings in the lodge, as well as outlines for repairs and costs that were... clearly above the camp's budget. She glanced to the right of the desk, at some envelopes sitting on top of a stack of cardboard boxes, and froze. 

"Hey, Hyunjin," She said, drawing the other girl's attention from the video cameras. 

Hyunjin walked over, following her gaze. When she saw what she was looking at, her eyes darkened. "That motherfucker," She growled, snatching the envelopes off the box—which weren't just any envelopes, but letters addressed to Heejin and Hyunjin from their families writing to them while they thought they were working at camp. "If he weren't already dead, I'd kill him." 

Sooyoung felt her veins go cold. Not at Hyunjin’s remark, but at the irrefutable evidence that their camp leader had been covering up their disappearance this whole time. When he'd left them earlier that evening, she'd thought he was a little frazzled, sure. Maybe even erratic. But she'd figured he at least had their safety in mind when he'd sped off in a hurry down the road, promising to come back and pick them up the next morning. 

It was clear now, though, that he'd done nothing more than leave them for dead.

Sooyoung glanced over at Hyunjin, who stared at the letters clutched in her hand with an expression of stone. She had no idea what to say, what she could say. Here she was lamenting about losing out on a professional reference, while Hyunjin’s family hadn’t been notified of her disappearance for two whole months.

"Hey," She began softly, making Hyunjin look over at her. "I just want to say... what you guys went through? It really sucks." 

Hyunjin swallowed, looking back down at the letters in her hands. 

"And... I know it won't magically fix everything or give you back what you lost, but... they're not going to get away with it," She promised. She wasn't even really sure it was something she could promise, but it seemed like the right thing to do. "We all know the truth now. They won't be able to cover it up anymore."  

Hyunjin looked up at her again, her eyes haunted by a deep sorrow. But there was gratitude in their depths, as well as in her voice when she whispered, "Thank you." 

Sooyoung nodded, watching her turn around and slip the letters into her bag before moving back over to the trail cameras. As she did, her foot kicked something small across the ground, sending it skittering under the desk. She shared a glance with Sooyoung before crouching down to retrieve it. When she stood back up, she held a small, black object in her hand Sooyoung had never seen before. Hyunjin frowned, squinting like she was trying to figure out what it was. 

"What is it?" Sooyoung asked. 

Hyunjin shook her head, tilting it to one side. "It's a rotor arm," She said slowly, perplexed. "But what's it doing in here?" 

"What's a rotor arm?" Sooyoung asked, still at a loss. 

Hyunjin glanced over at her. "It's a piece of an engine that connects the ignition to the spark plug," She explained, and then paused. "Hey, didn't you guys say your van broke down today?" 

Sooyoung nodded slowly, her blood growing cold.

"What was wrong with it?" 

"The–" Sooyoung licked her lips, her throat suddenly feeling dry. "The engine wouldn't start..." 

Hyunjin's expression grew somber. "Look," She lowered her voice, "I know a thing or two about cars," She said, and then held up the rotor arm. "I'm willing to bet this is the culprit." 

Sooyoung looked between her and the seemingly-innocuous piece of metal and plastic in her hand. "Then...how did it get in here?" She asked, her mind racing. "You don't think someonesabotagedit, do you?" 

But Hyunjin could only shrug. "Only one way it could have gotten removed from the engine. Maybe your camp leader was just in the process of replacing it and forgot to put the new one in." 

"Yeah," Sooyoung replied distantly, "Maybe." 

She didn't think so, though. She'd seen how frantic he'd been when he'd lifted the hood to see what was wrong with the van. She sweat glistening on his skin, the wild look in his eyes. There was a chance he might not have been thinking clearly enough with the threat of the full moon rising that night—enough to forget to remember to check the rotor arm. But if he'd really been changing it, why bother removing it if he didn't plan to replace it immediately? 

No, she was sure there was something more going on. But there was little use dwelling on it now; she'd figure it out only when morning came and they were safe. 

04:00 | August 23 - Yerim Hackett’s Quarry Lodge

Yerim stared at the ground in front of her, unblinking. Her eyes burned, but she couldn't bear to close them, not even for a second. Her veins felt like ice, blood moving through them sluggishly and slowing the world down around her. 

She knew she was safe for the moment, hidden away inside the shadows of the mess hall that had once been filled with firelight and the chatter of campers and counselors alike happily eating dinner. Yet it didn't stop the storm from swirling in her mind—a cacophonous howl of what ifs and should haves, nor the cold that spread from her chest all the way down to her fingertips, numbing her from the inside out so that sting between her ribs might no longer echo so sharply. 

And her tongue tasted bitter. Bitter with words she regretted never saying. Bitter with words she did. But mostly bitter with fear that she might never get the chance to see Yeojin again. And even if she did, it wouldn't be the same as before. 

Not like those mornings together, sitting in the radio hut and discussing next week's schedule as the sun rose steadily higher over the camp, casting golden rays of sunlight through the leaves of the giant oak tree in front of the cabins and through the window—the wooden box getting so stuffy they had to resort to propping the door open each time. 

Not like those nights around the bonfire, listening to Hyeju's ghost stories and making s'mores for the younger campers, Yeojin purposefully lighting marshmallows on fire to burn the edges, one time accidentally dropping one on Yerim's shoes as she brought it over to her, causing her to scream and hastily kick dirt on top of it. 

Not like that one afternoon when she'd dragged Yerim out onto the lake to help her retrieve a missing canoe that had floated away from the dock, insisting she could jump into it without falling into the water, and promptly causing the entire thing to flip over and dump them both into the lake. Afterwards, paddling the canoes back to shore sopping wet, sneaking back to the cabins to shower and dry themselves off before they could get chewed out by their camp leader, and swearing each other to secrecy. 

Not like earlier that night—looking up from the window of the staff room to see Yeojin fidgeting in the doorway. Sitting beside her at the bonfire and sharing half a watermelon between them. Walking through the woods and realizing just how little she actually knew about her. Wrapping gauze around her tiny wrist. Wrapping arms around her shaking form as she could piece her back together through sheer strength alone—

In front of her, Jiwoo cleared her throat, abruptly pulling her from her thoughts. Yerim dragged her eyes painfully up from the floor to meet her gaze, but Jiwoo wasn't watching her face, her gaze was angled down. 

Yerim looked down, slowly uncurling the fingers in her right hand and pulling it away from her leg, staring at the row of little red crescents left in its wake. She rubbed the skin a little bit, feeling the indents under her fingers, but no pain. 

Jiwoo still sat in front of her on one of the benches, watching her carefully. Yerim avoided her gaze, but she knew she couldn't avoid the inevitable, Are you okay? 

Jiwoo hesitated for only a moment, and then asked, "Do you want to talk about it?" 

Talking about it was the last thing Yerim wanted to do. Talking about it made it real, made that tight feeling rise from her chest up to her throat. If she tried talking about it, she might not be able to stop the tears from rising to her eyes either, and if she started crying again, she wasn't sure she'd be able to stop. 

So she remained silent, fist clenched against her thigh instead of pressing her nails into the skin, and stared at the floor. 

Jiwoo sucked in a breath and seemed to hold it there, her hands clasped together between her knees, nearly hidden amidst the denim of the oversized overalls she was still clad in. "You know, despite everything..." She trailed off, chewing her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment. "I'm really glad you guys made it back okay." 

One of us didn't, Yerim bit back, the words pressing her tongue to the edge of her teeth futilely. It would be pointless to say, especially when Jiwoo was only trying to help in whatever way she knew how. She was only trying to help. 

"And..." Jiwoo continued, clearly put-off by Yerim's silence and lack of reaction, but still pressing forward anyways. "Whatever happened out there—it was out of your control. You know that, right? None of it was your fault." 

"You're wrong," Yerim blurted out before she even realized she'd spoken, her own voice startling her for a moment with how scratchy and hoarse it was. 

Jiwoo blinked in front of her, equally surprised. She opened her mouth to say something else, only to close it again. 

Yerim took a shuddering breath, feeling it go down her throat like a sequence of needles stabbing her chest from the inside out. "In the radio hut," She confessed, her voice hardly more than a whisper. "After she got attacked, after she got bit, she asked me to cut her hand off." 

She was amazed how calm she felt revealing such life-shattering information, how the tears didn't spring to her eyes like she expected them to. Maybe she didn't have any left. Maybe she'd already cried enough to dry them all up.

"I didn't," Yerim continued, voice blank and eyes distant. "And then she turned. And if- if I had, then maybe she'd be here right now. But she's not." 

She couldn't bear to raise her head to see whatever emotions were written on Jiwoo's face as she watched her in silence. She just waited, hand curled into her leg and heart pounding in her chest, her throat tight but her eyes dry. 

"You can't know what would have happened the other way, either," Jiwoo uttered gently, a fierceness to her voice. 

"She asked me to, and I refused—"

"No, that's fucking bullshit!" Jiwoo burst suddenly, making Yerim's head shoot up in surprise as she reeled back slightly, eyes finally scanning over her face. 

Jiwoo gripped the fabric of the overalls in her fists as she leaned forward, her face scrunched in pain. "You can't know that cutting her hand off would have been any better," She repeated, voice on the verge of breaking. "You just can't."

Yerim opened her mouth to protest, tears springing to her eyes at last, but Jiwoo pressed on before she could. Insistent. Desperate. 

"If you cut off her hand, she could have gone into shock or died from blood loss. Or maybe you would have cut it off, only for the infection to continue to spread and turn her anyways, and it all would have been for nothing." She told her, voice quavering, " And besides, I don't think anyone in their right mind would have cut off her hand either. I probably would have refused just like you did. So... stop beating yourself up for that." 

Yerim closed her mouth and swallowed thickly, tears still brimming in her eyes but somehow managing not to fall. Jiwoo heaved a shaky breath, looking just as distraught as Yerim felt, possibly more—if such a thing were even possible. 

"It wasn't anyone's fault that we got stuck here and ended up in this situation," Jiwoo whispered, more to herself than anyone else. "It was just bad luck." 

Her words didn't get rid of the ache in her chest or the bitter taste in her mouth, but they did help alleviate them a little. Yerim rubbed absently at her ankle, a sharp pain abruptly glancing through it. She looked down, noticing for the first time how swollen and discolored it was—likely from when she jumped out of the car earlier. 

Yerim drew her gaze away, looking up at Jiwoo. "Do you think she's going to be okay?" She asked quietly. 

A troubled expression ghosted Jiwoo's features, her eyes falling to the floor. "I don't know." 

Yerim thought about the silver shells weighing heavy in her pocket. If what was written in the poem was true, then that meant the only way Yeojin or Haseul could die while they were transformed was with silver. It gave her some small sliver of hope that they would at least survive long enough to return to their normal selves. 

Then she remembered the hunters from earlier, who chased the others out of the lodge and tracked them all the way to the radio hut. If they were out there right now, would they kill any werewolves they came across? 

Jiwoo looked off towards the office, chewing on the inside of her cheek, perhaps wondering if Sooyoung and Hyunjin had found anything. From what Yerim remembered, Hyunjin was Heejin's girlfriend—the one she was trying to save by going after Chris Hackett to end his line of infection. If she was here and back to normal, that had to mean that... Chris was dead. 

Did that mean Haseul and Yeojin could be back to normal too?

A small clattering noise drew her attention and she turned to look around, her eyes landing on the fireplace in the center of the room. A small trickle of dust rained down to settle on the blackened and charred logs now sitting abandoned on the metal grill positioned in the center. She frowned slightly, eyes traveling up the fireplace towards the ceiling. She knew it was in need of repair, all the counselors having been instructed to keep the campers away from it while camp was in session, but she didn't think it was literally at risk of collapsing. 

"Do you hear that?" She asked Jiwoo, tilting her head towards what sounded like scratching. Maybe there were mice nesting in the chimney somewhere. 

Jiwoo followed her gaze, raising an eyebrow. "No...?" 

Another cloud of dust trickled down from inside the fireplace, sending a few tiny pieces of rock with it. The scratching grew louder—more frantic. 

Yerim grasped the shotgun, ignoring her ankle as she slowly rose to her feet. She edged closer to the fireplace, heart speeding up in her chest. 

"Yerim..." Jiwoo warned, now on her feet as well. 

Yerim only half-listened to her, fear gnawing at her bones and spurring her forward. She was aware of Jiwoo hanging back behind her, too nervous to come closer. 

One of the stones inside the chimney knocked loose and fell down, clattering loudly at her feet. Yerim froze, her heart leaping into her throat. Then an unmistakeable growl sounded from within.

"Yerim...!" Jiwoo shrieked, grabbing onto her shoulder just as a giant figure came crashing down into the fireplace in a giant cloud of ash and dust. 

Both girls quickly stumbled back, Yerim drawing her gun before hesitating. She didn't know who it was behind those glowing yellow eyes and sharp teeth. She didn't know who they would turn back into if she shot them with silver. It could be Haseul. Or Yeojin. 

The door to the nurse's office burst open as Jungeun appeared. "What happened?!" She demanded, before her eyes landed on the werewolf in the fireplace and the blood drained from her face. 

"HIDE!" Yerim shouted, hoping her voice would be loud enough to reach Sooyoung and Hyunjin in the surveillance room as well. 

She raised the shotgun in her shaking hands, stepping between the werewolf and Jiwoo and praying she wouldn't actually have to shoot it. The shotgun was loaded with regular bullets, so she knew they wouldn't kill it, but still... The thought of having to shoot either of her friends made her feel sick. 

Jungeun ducked inside the infirmary, shutting the door a little too quickly and drawing the attention of the werewolf that was still catching its bearings and scrambling to get to its feet inside the fireplace, hairless skin coated in ash. 

"Jiwoo, you need to run," Yerim said under her breath. 

Jiwoo sucked in a sharp breath. "What about you?" She asked, the grip on her shoulder increasing. 

"I need to lure it away before it gets to Vivi and the others," She told her. "Slowly, but hurry—I don't want you getting caught in the crossfire." 

Jiwoo took a step back, towards the office. "Please..." She whispered, voice shaking. "Please be careful." 

Yerim swallowed, but didn't say anything as she moved in the opposite direction towards the front of the lodge. The werewolf was getting closer and closer to the infirmary. 

When Jiwoo was almost to the office and Yerim had nearly reached the stairs, she took a deep breath, shouting, "HEY!" 

The werewolf spun towards her instantly, nostrils flaring and teeth bared into a snarl, its previous quarry forgotten. 

Yerim started up the stairs, pain shooting up through her ankle every other step. She kept her eyes on the monster below, trying to stay ahead of it while also making sure it was still following her. It hadn't yet given chase, thankfully, not like the one in the scrapyard. Maybe it was still disoriented from falling through the chimney, or maybe it knew it had her cornered and was merely playing with its food.

"Come on, come on..." She muttered, reaching the landing and turning to continue up to the second floor. It was still on her trail, slowly stalking after her. 

Yerim made it to the second floor, and fuck, as she looked around, she realized she really didn't have a plan past luring the werewolf away from her friends and trying not to die in the process. The further the better, though, and so she hurried up the stairs that led to the third floor attic just as its yellow eyes appeared over the top of the steps. 

There was nothing up here other than a bunch of boxes and old furniture Mr. H. had put into storage. But to her left sat a window that led out to the roof, and to her right stood a support beam running across the length of the lodge to the balcony on the other side. 

Heejin swallowed, feeling the weight of her words settling across her shoulders. An unspoken promise that they were going to protect each other. And to think that a mere two hours ago they'd been at each other's throats about the curse, unable to see eye-to-eye. Now, there wasn't anyone Heejin would rather have watching her back.

"Okay," She whispered. 

Hyeju poured a tiny bit of blood onto her fingertips. "Ready?" 

Heejin nodded, watching Hyeju step closer to her, and then, with a feather-light touch, began to smear the blood across her face. The first thing she registered was how cold and sticky it felt, sending an unpleasant shudder down her spine. The second was the smell, burning her nostrils and making her eyes water. It was all she could do to screw her eyes shut and hold her breath, trying not to cough as Hyeju diligently coated as much of her skin as she could with the small amount she'd acquired.

At long last, she heard her take a step back and sigh. Cautiously, Heejin opened her eyes. She tried to inhale again, but the stench was so overpowering she doubled over, coughing.

Hyeju wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, it doesn't smell great, sorry," She apologized sheepishly, "But on the bright side, you don't smell human anymore either."

"It's fine," Heejin muttered behind her hand, opting to breathe through her mouth. If it meant she wasn't going to end up on a werewolf's dinner platter, it was worth the temporary discomfort. 

She glanced down at the blood coating Hyeju's fingertips, and then back up at her clean face. She could have used the blood herself, but instead she'd willingly made herself an easier target for whatever lay waiting for them in the woods. Guilt curled up in Heejin's stomach. It wasn't the first sacrifice Hyeju had made that night, either. She more than deserved to get out of here too, and if Heejin had anything to say about it, she would.

"Stick close to me," Heejin said, eyebrows knitting together as she held her gaze, voice serious.

Hyeju swallowed, nodding.

Together, they stepped off the interstate and into the woods.

04:31 | August 23 - Heejin Route 919

They caught up to Travis after several minutes of stealthily making their way through the undergrowth—no designated paths for them to follow and all too aware of the danger that could be lurking and waiting for them in the darkness. The trees overhead nearly completely blocked out the light of the moon in the sky, so Heejin had to rely on the beam of the flashlight strapped to the end of her shotgun to guide them. The cop barely acknowledged them with a turn of his head as they fell into step a few paces behind him. If he noticed the blood coating her face, he made no mention of it.

Heejin exchanged a nervous glance with Hyeju. They were deep enough into the woods that the car headlights were no longer visible through the trees. She was tempted to ask if Travis knew where he was going—because it seemed like they were aimlessly wandering through the forest. But she kept silent, not wanting to make any more noise than necessary.

She looked up at the trees standing tall around them. Massive firs and pines stretching their branches over their heads as if to shield them from the sky and trap them within the forest. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, the base of her skull prickling. She wondered how close she was to the spot she'd driven off the road with Hyunjin and subsequently ventured into the woods to chase the shadow of a person she thought had been down here. She didn't like to think about it often, the mere memory making her shiver, but now that she was back here...

Her arms suddenly erupted with goosebumps, every hair standing on end like the air was charged with static energy.

"GET OUT." A disembodied woman's voice screamed in her ear and she flailed, swinging her gun around wildly, her heart jackhammering against her ribs.

Beside her, Hyeju looked just as shellshocked, her face pale and eyes wide as they danced over the trees. Even Travis had stopped, looking more perturbed than usual. They both must have heard it too.

"Come on," Travis said without further fanfare as he turned back around, "We must be close."

Heejin shared another glance with Hyeju as they followed him, apprehensive. This was hardly the first time they'd heard the woman's wailing spirit, but those times, Heejin had almost been convinced she was helping or guiding them in some way. Now, though, she couldn't seem to stop shivering, the back of her neck cold like someone had strapped an ice pack to it.

Back in the car, Hyeju had been on the verge of saying something before the white wolf landed on the roof and nearly caused them to flip over. She'd met Heejin's eyes in the rear-view mirror, and somehow, Heejin could tell what she'd been thinking. That the ghost who had been following them all this time, the Hag of Hackett's Quarry, as Hyeju had dubbed her, was the mother of the werewolf in the woods. The travelling sideshow's leading lady who had perished in the fire six years ago and set off the chain of events that landed them where they were now.

If that was true, and they were now trying to hunt down her son and break the curse, it made sense that they wouldn't be welcome.

But as they pushed deeper and deeper into the forest, no more ghastly cries bombarded them. The only sounds that met their ears were their own footfalls across the leaf-strewn ground and the occasional rustle of the bushes in the undergrowth. The silence should have relieved her, but it only served to put her more on edge. Because when the woods fell quiet like this, it usually signalled the presence of a predator nearby.

Travis halted at the edge of a clearing, his shoulders going stiff, and when Heejin stepped around him to see why, her breath caught in her throat.

It was like fire had frozen the entire clearing in time, the black and burnt husks of circus caravans and stalls standing exactly where they had six years ago. Ash coated the floor, and the trees that circled the clearing were charred on the edges, their branches burned away so they pointed straight up, like rows of teeth inside the gaping maw of a giant beast.

"Woah..." Hyeju breathed, eyes wide. 

Travis stepped forward, his foot crunching softly through the ashen remains of a large branch that immediately crumbled beneath him. "Unbelievable..." He muttered, looking around in awe. "In all our six years of hunting the white wolf, we never saw this..."

Heejin frowned, sharing a glance with Hyeju. "How is that even possible?"

"I'm not sure, exactly," Travis replied, stepping further into the clearing. "We combed every inch of these woods looking for it, figuring it might be the spot he comes back to. The last thing he had a connection to before he was set free. This is the first time I've seen it in six years."

Heejin stepped apprehensively into the clearing after him. She had no idea how an entire part of the forest could go unnoticed for six years, especially after it was the site of a terrible disaster that claimed multiple lives. But she thought about the strange things she'd encountered while wandering the woods two months ago, remnants of the carnival left behind, yet she hadn't seen any trace of the burnt-down clearing either.

She shifted in place, the silence of the forest pressing around them, until she realized there was one sound she could hear that wasn't coming from any of them. It was a slow, deep breathing she almost mistook for the wind, if it hadn’t been for the occasional pained snarl that punctuated it.

Heejin's spine stiffened, going on high alert as she scanned their surroundings. Hyeju noticed her change in demeanor, her eyes darting around them in fear as she stepped the tiniest bit closer to her. Perhaps against her better judgement, Heejin followed the noise, moving to the right side of the clearing where a gap in the trees opened to reveal what must have once been a path—and what was now buried under pine needles and branches, tiny clumps of grass and ferns cropping up every few inches between them.

Travis finally noticed them, his eyes narrowing as he brought up the rear, gun drawn and flashlight pointed low. 

The first thing Heejin noticed was the glint of metal through the trees before they opened up into a smaller clearing, revealing the giant cage she’d seen two months ago—rusted from time and woven into the trees around it. Glass crunched underneath her boot, and she froze, glancing down at the wooden sign by her feet, advertising the half-boy half-dog. 

Beside her, Hyeju’s breath became faster, shallower. Heejin turned to her, heartbeat pounding an uneven tune in her own ears as she met her eyes and rested a brief hand on her shoulder. Hyeju searched her gaze, swallowing as she did her best to calm herself down. 

A low snarl reached their ears and Heejin turned around, her eyes finding the giant metal and wooden cage, and trailing down to the pale figure curled up at the bottom of it. One glance at Travis told her this was him. The White Wolf. The “first” referred to in the poem. He lay with his back to them, limbs tucked close to himself in a fetal position. Like this, he didn’t appear to be the immense, hulking beast she’d pictured when described by Travis, or even when he’d attacked them on the road. 

With the bars of the cage twisting up tall around him, he just looked like a scared little kid. 

“Do it,” Travis whispered, his eyes flickering between the figure and her shotgun. 

Heejin’s hands trembled as she raised it, hitting the werewolf’s back with the flashlight beam. The rusted metal glinted behind him, the bars that had kept her prisoner for two long months flashing through her mind. She swallowed, her throat constricting at the omnipresent feeling of being trapped. Trapped in a cage. Trapped on this path. Killing everything and everyone in sight to get what she wanted. 

At what point was it enough? At what point would she be able to wash away the red and see the same person she’d been before beneath it all? 

Was this how Silas felt every morning after the full moon—waking up in a blood that wasn’t his? Looking up at the bars surrounding him, his own home a prison around him. Heejin stared at his back, her breath shallow as she realized she had more in common with this werewolf than the cop standing beside her. 

“Shoot him,” Travis said, louder this time. 

Heejin’s finger moved to the trigger, but something kept her from squeezing it. Maybe it was the sight of his back turned to them, exposed and defenseless, leaving a pit in her stomach at the thought of killing him in cold blood. Maybe it would be easier if he were actively trying to rip their throats out, not curled in on himself amidst the remains of the last place he probably ever called home. 

He was just as much a victim as they were. All throughout his childhood, he'd been carted around the country and put on display inside a cage. And yet, for the six years following the devastating fire that set him free, he was still trapped. Stuck to the remains of the circus that had touted him around in a cage, and bound by the curse that transformed him into a monster once a month. Who could even say he was the first werewolf in his line of infection? What if he had been bitten by another, and would be inevitably freed when they were killed? 

Heejin gritted her teeth, the gun shaking in her grasp. On the other hand, did those infected by him deserve to be bound by the same curse that had shackled him all these years? What if killing him would be a mercy—freeing him from a life that only continued to inflict pain? 

Who was she to even decide something like that?

“Shoot,” Travis commanded. 

Slowly, she lowered the gun.

"What are you doing?" Travis said, voice deadly quiet. Then, with a burst of volume, "Shoot him!"

Heejin's head snapped towards him and she took a step back. "No."

Travis gaped at her wordlessly. Between them, Hyeju's eyes nervously darted back and forth. "'No?'" He repeated.

"Did you not hear me the first time?" Heejin asked in defiance, though her voice shook with each word. "Why does he deserve to die just because your family fucked up and messed with something that was none of their business in the first place?"

She knew she'd stepped over the line when Travis' face wen't purple with rage. "Why, you—" He snarled, lunging for the gun in her hands.

Heejin dodged out of his way and he stumbled, tripping over his own feet and sprawling into the mud and leaves. She whipped the gun towards him as he groaned, pushing himself to his feet. When he was fully upright, he just stared her down the end of the barrel with disgust.

"I should never have saved you two the night in the storm shelter," He said, glowering, "I should have just killed you when I had the cha—"

He never got to finish the sentence, though, because in the next instant—in a blur of white—his head disappeared. Heejin blinked, stunned as blood spurted from his neck and slowly, his body toppled to the ground.

Someone screamed. Heejin wasn't sure if it was Hyeju or herself. All she could do was stare at the headless corpse in front of her with wide eyes.

Hyeju grabbed onto her arm, tugging on it harder and harder until Heejin snapped back to reality. The cage– nest– whatever it was, was now empty. She swung the flashlight around the trees, searching for any movement or glimpse of white amidst the darkness.

Oh god, she'd screwed them, hadn't she? They hadn't even seen Silas move before he ripped Travis' head from his shoulders and killed him. Now he was going to do the same to them, and it was all her fault. All because she didn't shoot him—

Hyeju shrieked and Heejin spun around, shoving the other girl behind her as she came face to face with the white wolf.

He'd been bounding towards them through the trees, but stopped short as she turned to face him, drawing himself up to his full height before them. Glowing red eyes pierced right through her as he stared them down from the other end of the shotgun barrel shaking in her hands.

Heejin stopped breathing, all the blood draining out of her face. Hyeju's nails dug into her arm so tight she was sure they'd cut all the way through her skin.

The white wolf sniffed the air, looking to one side first, and then the other. He snarled, moving right into the space in front of her and sniffed again, leaning away again when he smelled the blood on her. Heejin's eyes widened slightly, realizing Hyeju's plan was working.

Behind her, Hyeju let out a shuddering gasp. Silas bared his teeth, lunging to the side, but Heejin moved with him, keeping herself between planted firmly in front of her. She didn't know how she was even able to move, considering her legs felt like they might give out under her at any moment, but she kept moving side to side whenever he tried to get to the girl behind her who didn't smell like they did.

Eventually, he lowered himself back down until he was on all fours, watching her almost apprehensively. Then, he slunk away into the trees, disappearing for good.

Heejin didn't let herself move, didn't let herself breathe until she was certain he wasn't going to come back for them. Until the moon fell below the horizon and the quiet chirps of the crickets and squirrels and morning doves returned.

Then her legs buckled and her knees hit the ground, the gun sliding from her grasp. Hyeju hurried over and knelt down in front of her, concern etched into her features and mouth moving, but Heejin couldn't hear anything over the ringing in her ears.

"...did it," She realized Hyeju was saying, voice calm and encouraging despite the pallor of her skin and tremor in her hands. "We're safe. You did it."

Heejin shook her head a little, eyes drifting to the cop's body. "I..." She sucked in a breath, feeling like she was going to be sick. "I didn't shoot him."

Hyeju followed her gaze briefly before turning back to her. "No," She agreed, expression solemn as her eyes raked across the trees over Heejin's head.

"Should I have?" Heejin asked, voice coming out in a harsh whisper as she clenched her fists against her thighs.

Hyeju's expression turned sorrowful, her head dropping a little as she glanced to the side. "I... don't know," She admitted quietly, "I don't think I can be the one to tell you what's right and what isn't."

Heejin stayed silent, eyes fixed on the ground in front of her. It didn't comfort her like she wanted, but then again, she wasn't sure what answer she could give that would comfort her.

Her head pounded, and just like before, every muscle in her body felt sore. But unlike the last time she'd woken up like this, it wasn't morning. It was still the night of August 22nd, and the moon still sat round and luminous in the sky above her. Hyunjin blinked, her vision blurring slightly before she realized she was crying. Heejin had... done it. She'd killed Chris Hackett. She'd ended the curse. 

Just like she promised she would. 

Hyunjin smiled, tears mingling with the still-wet blood on her face. Then she laughed, and couldn't seem to stop laughing, the noise bubbling out of her and bouncing against the trees and across the water. She just couldn't believe she was finally, finally free. 

The relief died down soon, though, along with her laughter as she realized with sudden dread that she wasn't where she'd been when she transformed earlier that night. She was outside, sitting on the wooden walkway leading up to the tree house. Hyunjin got to her feet, swaying unsteadily and leaning on the railing as she gathered her bearings. 

She tried to tell herself there were plenty of reasons she could have ended up outside, even when she'd made sure the trap door was sealed shut behind her before she transformed. Maybe she just... saw a squirrel and got hungry, so she jumped out the window. But as she made her way towards the tree house, she couldn't help worrying that it had been something much worse. And when she saw the doorway in the distance—wood splintered like it had been forcibly opened, her anxiety only grew. 

What if Heejin had come back to the island before she'd broken the curse? What if someone else had been here and she'd attacked them?

Swallowing, Hyunjin walked inside, noticing a piece of furniture sitting behind the door. Lines had been gouged into the floor where it had undoubtedly been shoved against it in an attempt to hold it shut. An attempt that had, ultimately, failed. 

Hyunjin looked away, turning towards the duffel bag she'd stashed in the corner next to Heejin's. The zipper was undone, thrown wide open, and as she moved stiffly towards it, she could see that more than half its contents were missing. 

She dropped to her knees, feeling nothing as they collided with the wooden floor. This was proof—someone had been here. Someone had taken her clothes, taser, and can of bear spray. Hyunjin stared at her bag, eyes blank and unseeing. With a shaking hand, she took out a towel and soaked it with water from her water bottle, before working to scrub the blood off her skin, wondering how much was hers and how much wasn't. 

Beside her bag, Heejin's sat untouched. It gave her some consolation—that it hadn't been her girlfriend who'd come here before she'd turned back. After all, why take Hyunjin's clothes and not her own? Her movements became somewhat more relaxed, but she still chewed the inside of her cheek, wondering who it could have been that had come here, then. 

When she'd cleaned enough of the blood off that she didn't look like she'd just freshly committed murder (which, frankly, was still up for debate at the moment), Hyunjin took the spare change of clothes Heejin had packed in her bag and pulled them on. They wasn't quite to her taste—a matching pair of black athletic wear with a thick pink stripe running down each side of the cropped shirt and leggings—and they were a bit too tight on her, but at least it was better than walking around in her underwear. 

Hyunjin let out a deep sigh, before slinging the bags over her shoulder and heading down towards the dock.

On her way, she kept her eye out for any blood or bodies laying about—any sign she'd done something in the hours while she hadn't been herself. Bile rose in the back of her throat at the memory of what she'd done during the last full moon. Or rather, the memory of what she'd watched herself do on the security feed. She'd tried as hard as she could, but everything between when the moon rose and set was nothing more than a gaping hole in her memory. 

And maybe it was easier that way. At least when she didn't remember her time spent as that... thing, she could separate herself from it and everything it had done. She didn't have any control over it, and she didn't have any memory of it. It wasn't her, it was the curse, the infection—taking root in her brain and changing every fundamental aspect of who she was. 

But when the moon finally set and the sun rose the next day, she came back as herself every time, so that had to count for something. 

(If it didn't, she wouldn't be able to live with herself.)

When Hyunjin finally made it down to the end of the dock, staring out at the calm lake in front of her, she set the bags down and sat on the edge of the wooden pier, letting the soles of her shoes skim the water below. The boathouse lights were still on, glowing a faint yellow across from her. She could just barely make out Heejin's canoe off to the right, hidden in the reeds at the edge of the bank and out of sight. 

If everything went according to plan, they'd meet right here at the dock. Heejin would row back across the water to get her, and then they'd somehow find a way to get home. Even though neither of them had any idea what'd happened to Hyunjin's car after Travis kidnapped them, and the one they'd stolen from the sheriff was currently sitting submerged under several feet of water at the bottom of the lake. 

All Hyunjin had to do in the meantime was wait. But it certainly wasn't easy, when she had nothing to distract her but her own thoughts. Her mind wandered, wondering where Heejin could be right now, and whether or not she was safe. What if she was in danger, hurt, or worse? Hyunjin had no way of knowing, not even a single bar of coverage on her phone to text her and find out. 

The longer she sat there under the glow of the full moon, the more her mind started to spiral, and the more she worried something might have happened to her. She'd gone out all by herself, after all, with nothing to defend herself with except a single shotgun and a handful of silver shells. 

Hyunjin rubbed her hands over her face, trying to calm herself down. Logically, it would take some time for Heejin to return to the island after she'd killed Chris Hackett. There was no telling how far she'd had to venture out just to find him, and it'd only been around fifteen minutes since Hyunjin had woken up. And logically, staying in one spot meant Heejin would have an easier time finding her when she did return. 

(There was no 'if' in Hyunjin's mind; if Heejin had fulfilled her promise to end the curse, Hyunjin knew she'd do whatever it took to get back to her so they could to back to living the rest of their lives together. It was just one of the many things she loved about her.)

It still didn't quell the fear that she might be alone in the woods right at this very moment, though. Wounded and bleeding as she made her way back to the island. It made her chest tighten and her throat feel like it was closing up until she couldn't breathe. But she just kept reminding herself that all she had to do was wait. 

At least...until she saw a figure in the distance slink out from under the trees and into the moonlight. 

Hyunjin leapt to her feet, peering towards the opposite shore. She could hardly make out who it was, until they crouched down to the ground and started walking forward on all fours and she realized it wasn't a who, but a what. 

The breath caught in her throat, her blood going cold. She didn't understand...how could there still be werewolves in the woods if she was back to normal? The only logical conclusion must be that Chris—the werewolf who bit her, hadn't been the first. That there was someone else out there going around and infecting people. 

She didn't want to believe it, not after they'd convinced themselves it was the only way she could be free. That the only way to break the curse was to kill their boss. But who then had bitten him and turned him into a werewolf? What if there were others like him that were also out there in the woods, infecting other innocent people with their own lines of infection? 

Hyunjin felt like she was going to be sick. Because if she was right, then that meant Heejin was still out there in the woods with werewolves running around. Maybe that was why she hadn't come back yet. Maybe she'd been attacked, or worse. 

Her feet started moving before she realized it, carrying her back across the dock and up the steps to the island, to a little clearing where the trail up to the tree house started. To the left of the clearing sat the restrooms and a small, outdoor meeting house. To the right, there were extra canoes stored on a bunch of outdoor shelving units, in case the counselors needed them for any reason. Hyunjin lifted one up, her already-sore muscles screaming in protest as she started carrying it over her head back to the dock. She set it in the water, and then looked out at the shore, searching for the werewolf and just barely catching sight of it slipping back into the trees again. 

Before her, she had two options. 

Option one: wait on the island or in the canoe until morning came, and search for Heejin under the light of day. None of the werewolves could get to her where she was—it was the whole reason they'd chosen to leave her on the island in the first place, after all. 

Option two: paddle to shore and risk her life searching for her girlfriend while the full moon was still out. 

Hyunjin had already survived one encounter with a werewolf in the lodge's storm shelter, and spent two moons under the effects of the curse. She'd been lucky to walk away mostly unscathed the first time, but her luck wasn't going to last forever. The smarter thing to do would be staying where she knew she'd be safe, and where her girlfriend knew to find her. 

But Heejin was still out there. What more, the only reason she was even out there in the first place was to free Hyunjin from the curse, risking her own life just for the chance her girlfriend might have a normal one. 

So, when it came down to it, there really wasn't a choice in Hyunjin's mind. 

She tossed the bags in the front of the canoe and carefully lowered herself in. Then she picked up the paddle and dipped it into the inky water, pulling away from the island. As she rowed across, her boat cutting through the silvery reflection of the moon, the air lay utterly silent. Not even a single bug or squirrel chattered in the woods, making the hair on her arms stand on end. 

When she reached the opposite shore, she hopped out into the shallow water, her shoes sinking into the mud. She hauled her boat up onto the bank beside Heejin's, hoping that in the chance her girlfriend did come back to the island looking for her, the sight of it would clue her into realizing she was no longer there. Then she grabbed the bags and pulled out the little pamphlet with the map of the camp printed on the back. 

The closest building to the boathouse was the lodge—which also happened to be the largest and most central building at camp. If Heejin hadn't come back because she was holed up somewhere else waiting for the sun to rise, there was a good chance she was there. Maybe that was even where she'd found Chris Hackett. Either way, it was as good a starting point as any.

Hyunjin took a deep breath, staring into the forest as she pocketed the map. Then she adjusted the bags on her shoulders and started down the trail towards the lodge, the shadows enveloping her.

03:32 | August 23 - Jiwoo Hackett’s Quarry Lodge

Jiwoo stared up at the wooden rafters high above them from where she lay on one of the benches in the dining area, her hands folded over her stomach and the straps of her over-sized overalls falling off her shoulders. Though, after nearly dying not once, not twice, but three times, she couldn't quite bring herself to care if one of her co-workers saw her bra straps peeking out. They were all girls, after all.

Not much had changed in the last hour or so. Vivi had apparently woken up briefly, only to pass out again, and Yerim, Yeojin, and Chaewon were still missing in action. It felt like it had been hours since they left, but Jiwoo hadn't actually been keeping track of how much time had passed, her phone still down by the boathouse with her clothes. 

With nothing left to do but let her mind wander, Jiwoo kept herself distracted by counting the individual beams of wood high up on the ceiling above them. It was better than thinking about how futile their chances of survival were, and how each of the girls out on their various missions might not return at all. How she might never see Yerim, or Chaewon, or Hyeju, or Yeojin or... Haseul... ever again. It was better than thinking about how the van was still broken out front, so even if they made it until the sun came up and all the werewolves turned back to their human selves, they still had no way to get back to civilization unless they walked several miles. 

Jiwoo abruptly slammed her eyes closed, cutting her count off at two hundred thirty-something. She dragged her hands over her face. The whole point was to not think about their circumstances, although her methodology definitely left something to be desired. Perhaps she needed a better distraction. 

Footsteps approached, and Jiwoo blinked her eyes open to see Sooyoung sitting down on the bench across from her, setting the shotgun beside her. It seemed she had finally tired herself out after endlessly circling the perimeter and checking every door and window to make sure they were shut tight. She looked nearly as exhausted as Jiwoo felt, bags under her eyes and her hair curling slightly where it still hung damp at the ends. 

Jiwoo turned her head towards her, but Sooyoung's eyes were closed. She watched her breathe deeply for a few moments, before her eyes fluttered open. When she met her gaze, Jiwoo felt a jolt run down her spine and through her veins, like a live wire danced between them. 

Her heart skipped a beat. How did Sooyoung still manage to look so beautiful after everything that had happened to them that night? Jiwoo knew she must look like a complete zombie, with her puffy eyes, smudged makeup, and hair all knotted and tangled in a mess. Her feet were scraped-up, and she probably still had mud and dirt on her from when the werewolf tackled her outside the lodge. 

When Jiwoo looked closer, though, she realized Sooyoung was just as beat-up as her. Her eyes were ringed with red and dark bruises had started to form under them from her lack of sleep. Her shoulders slumped slightly, and her hands absently picked at a hangnail on one of her fingers. Her feet were just as scraped-up as Jiwoo's, a stray leaf clinging to one of her bare legs—and yet she was still the most beautiful person Jiwoo had ever laid eyes on.

Sooyoung was still looking at her, making heat rise to Jiwoo's cheeks in spite of herself. She pushed herself upright, turning to face her. 

"How are you doing?" Sooyoung asked quietly.

Jiwoo shrugged, chewing slightly on her bottom lip. "Ask me in a few days?" She asked, equally soft, before nodding in Sooyoung's direction. "You?" 

"Ask me in a few days," Sooyoung smiled. Secretively, like it was meant for just the two of them. 

Jiwoo blushed again, looking away. She'd meant what she said to Jungeun earlier, she wasn't going to get her hopes up about anything. But Sooyoung seemed intent on making that as difficult for her as possible. 

Still, though, Jiwoo knew she owed it to her to try and just be friends first. They'd skipped over all that at the start of camp, jumping straight from coworkers to hooking up behind the showers. (They'd skipped over courting each other too, with gifts and first dates and hand-holding. There had only been shameless flirting and heavy make-out sessions when they were sure no kids were around.)

"Hey," Jiwoo said, scooting a bit closer to her and holding her hand up to her mouth like they were schoolchildren whispering in the back of the class.

Sooyoung raised her eyebrow slightly, before humoring her and leaning in. 

"What's your favorite color?" Jiwoo whispered into her ear.

Sooyoung leaned back, a mixture of amusement and confusion in her face. "Why are you asking me that?" 

“I just realized we’ve known each other for two months and I don’t know the most basic thing about you,” Jiwoo explained.

Sooyoung laughed lightly under her breath. “You know how old I am, my surname, and where I’m going to school next semester. Those are pretty basic things.”

“Yeah, but this is the most basic of basic questions,” Jiwoo countered, spreading her hands out for emphasis. 

“Alright fine,” Sooyoung sniffed, drawing herself up and thinking for a moment. “Burgundy,” She finally said.

Jiwoo pinched her chin between her forefinger and thumb, nodding dramatically. “Makes sense—it’s sophisticated, not something basic like red or blue.”

“I didn’t realize my choice said so much about me,” Sooyoung replied with a teasing smirk, “What’s yours?” 

“Peach,” Jiwoo answered easily. 

Sooyoung copied her pose, nodding, “Warm and happy, just like you.” 

Jiwoo flushed all the way to the roots of her hair. "R-right," She stammered, "Totally." 

"So are we playing 20 questions?" Sooyoung asked, leaning back to rest her elbows on the table. 

"If you want," Jiwoo said, not at all opposed to wasting time waiting for morning to come. "That would make it your turn." 

"Alright," Sooyoung thought for a moment, and then asked, "Favorite fruit?" 

"Strawberries," Jiwoo replied, once again easily, "You?" 

"Apples. Your turn."

"What's your favorite..." Jiwoo trailed off, raising her head at the creak of the front door slowly opening across the way. The smile dropped off her face and she jumped to her feet, heart racing. "That must be them!" She exclaimed, hurrying towards the entryway. 

"Wait, Jiwoo—!" Sooyoung called after her.

The urgency in her voice made Jiwoo stop just short of the door, heart pounding not out of excitement anymore, but fear. 

Sooyoung hurried over to her side, shotgun in her grasp as they both watched the door open further and further, until a girl with long, dark hair slipped inside, freezing in her tracks when she saw them. 

The three of them stood still for several moments, sizing each other up. The girl eyed the shotgun in Sooyoung's arms cautiously, but it seemed she herself was unarmed. She was decked out in a matching set of athletic wear that revealed a section of her midriff. In her hands, she carried two duffel bags, one of which looked...a little familiar...

"Who are you?" The girl asked before Jiwoo could dwell on it much further. 

"Who are you?" Jiwoo fired back. 

"I..." The girl stammered, looked between the two of them. "I asked you first." 

Her eyes then fell to their clothes, her features pulling into a frown, before the blood drained from her face and she let out a gasp. She raised her free hand to point at them, her voice a horrified whisper. "Where... where did you get those?" 

Jiwoo glanced down at her overalls, exchanging a confused glance with Sooyoung. "We borrowed them...? They're not yours, are they? They were just sitting there in a duffel bag on the... island..." She trailed off, looking again at the bags clenched in the girl's fist.

Sooyoung put the pieces together a second before Jiwoo did. "It was you," She breathed, staring at the girl with wide eyes. "You were the monster in the tree house." 

The girl recoiled like she'd been slapped. 

"Wait, WHAT?!" Jiwoo all but screeched, before remembering there might be more of them out there and clamping a hand over her own mouth. 

The commotion drew Jungeun out of the infirmary, who marched over, concerned at the sight of a new arrival. "What's going on out here?" She asked, but both Sooyoung and Jiwoo were too busy coming to terms with the fact that the girl standing in front of them had nearly killed them earlier that night to fill her in. 

"What were you doing on our island?" Sooyoung demanded. 

"Your island?" The girl scoffed, though her voice was shaking so much there was hardly any malice in it. "What were you doing there after camp ended? In fact, why are any of you here? We thought this place was empty!" 

"'We?'" Jungeun echoed the same time Jiwoo said, "Our van broke down." 

"We've been stranded since before sundown," Sooyoung affirmed.

"And of all the places you could have gone, you decided to go to the island?!" The girl cried, her voice rising in hysterics. "And not just that, but you decided to open the trap door that was supposed to keep me locked inside the tree house?!"

"Look, in our defense, we didn't know werewolves existed." Sooyoung hissed, her grip on the shotgun tightening.

The girl's eyes widened, before she took a step back, her gaze falling to the floor. In the lull that followed, Jungeun seized her opportunity and stepped between them with her hands out. 

"Alright, let's all just calm down," She spoke, holding Sooyoung's gaze with a knowing look until she glanced away. "No one got hurt, no one died. Everything's fine." 

It was certainly easy for her to say when she hadn't been there, but then again, it could have been worse. Much, much worse. And this girl... Jiwoo looked up to see her trembling hands clenched into fists, the dark circles ringing her haunted eyes. She wasn't just upset, she was terrified. 

She tried to think what it would be like in her shoes, if she got bit and slowly succumbed to the curse—all rational thought overtaken by bloodlust and rage until she turned into an unrecognizable monster that could kill the people she loved without a second thought. That was probably what it had been like for this girl. And if the same thing happened to Jiwoo... she'd probably want to lock herself up too and throw away the key. 

As it was, the girl dragged her hand over her face and took a deep breath, attempting to regain her composure. "I'm sorry," She muttered quietly, unable to meet their eyes. "It's not your fault; we didn't know either when we first got here," She said, letting out a shaky breath, "I'm just...glad no one got hurt. I don't want to think what I could have done while I was like that. We picked he island because we thought it would be the one place that would keep me from hurting anyone else..."

Sooyoung swallowed, sharing a guilty glance with Jiwoo. Even though they hadn't known, they still felt guilty, somehow. They'd poked around in the tree-house after sunset. They'd gone through someone's belongings and taken their stuff. And then they'd opened the trap-door even after hearing strange noises coming from above. The danger they'd been in—although unintentional—was technically self-inflicted. 

"We're sorry too," Sooyoung said. The girl's eyes lifted to meet hers, and some sort of understanding passed between them that Jiwoo wasn't privy too, but all of them seemed to relax a little. 

"You're Heejin's girlfriend, aren't you?" Jungeun said, "Hyunjin, right?" 

The girl's eyes snapped towards her with a newfound intensity. She nodded quickly, taking half a step towards her. "You– you've spoken to her? To my girlfriend?" She asked, a mixture of hope and desperation in her voice. "Is she alright? We were supposed to meet at the docks when everything was over, but..." 

But she hadn't been there. 

"Last we saw, she was headed to the Hackett's house with Hyeju to look for Mr. H." Jungeun told her, "That was two– maybe three hours ago."

Hyunjin's face fell in dismay. She looked back out the front windows of the lodge, almost as if she wanted to run all the way there herself. But the full moon was still out; it was way too dangerous. 

She glanced over her shoulder, locking eyes with Jungeun. "Which way is it?" She asked, and, correction—she didn't just look like she wanted to follow them, she intended to. 

"Woah, are you seriously going back out there?!" Sooyoung asked, stepping forward. "Do you have a death wish?" 

Hyunjin's eyes flicked to hers. "Heejin would go out there for me," She said with a slight raise of her chin. "She did. That's the only reason I'm back to normal."

"Wait—" Jiwoo looked around at them all, wondering if she'd heard her correctly. "You mean they killed..."

"Chris Hackett," Hyunjin nodded, "The werewolf who bit me." 

Her jaw dropped open. The other two stared at Hyunjin, wearing equally shocked expressions. Jiwoo recalled everything the others had filled them in on, how Heejin told them about the meaning of the poem and overhearing the argument between the brothers that confirmed Chris had been the werewolf in the storm shelter. The only way to break the curse was to kill the first, so if Hyunjin was free, that meant... would Haseul and everyone else be back to normal too? 

"So... that's it?" Jiwoo dared to ask, the tiniest flicker of hope sparking in her chest. "It's all over?" 

"Not quite," Hyunjin said, cringing when all eyes fell on her. "When Heejin killed Chris Hackett, she freed me, yes... but either he wasn't the first or there are others out there, because I nearly crossed paths with one on my way here."

The room fell silent as they all took in the news. 

"Of fucking course," Sooyoung chuckled wryly, "Just when we think we might actually catch a break for once." 

Jungeun's eyes moved from Sooyoung to Hyunjin. "And you still want to go out there?" She asked cautiously, "At the risk of getting attacked again?" 

Hyunjin nodded sullenly, her eyes downcast. "You guys don't get it," She said, glancing up at them, "Heejin risked her life for me, and she's still out there. I can't just...sit around and do nothing knowing that. And I..." 

She swallowed, her brow furrowing as she looked down again. "The second night I transformed, in the jail cell, I didn't just attack her physically—I berated her for everything she'd done leading up to that point. For coming up one night early. For not going to the Harbinger Motel like we were told. For breaking the lock to the storm shelter. I threw it all back in her face, and even though deep down it was all true, I couldn't seem to stop myself, because I wanted to see her in pain. I wanted her to hurt. And then after I turned into that monster, I clawed her eye out—I watched myself do it on the security camera footage, watched my claws slash across her face and rip through the pipe on the wall next to her. I could have easily killed her..." 

Hyunjin took a shaky breath, looking queasy as she avoided each of their gazes. "And after all of that, she still went into those woods at sunset, armed with nothing but a shotgun, and broke the curse for me. So...I have to return the favor." 

Jiwoo glanced over at her friends, seeing them just at a loss for words as she was. In front of them, Hyunjin's lip trembled slightly, but then she exhaled, her eyes slipping shut for a brief moment. 

When she opened them again, Jungeun took the opportunity to step closer to her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm really sorry..." She said, her gaze filled with anguish. "You're right, we don't get it. We didn't go through what you guys did in that police station, but... you said you had a meeting spot, right? For after everything was over?"

Hyunjin nodded slowly. 

"And she left you on the island so you'd be safe from hurting anyone else—and from anything else that might hurt you, right?"

"Y-yeah," Hyunjin nodded again, "I guess so." 

"So..." Jungeun continued, "You guys clearly know how easy it is to get lost in the woods. Imagine if you went out there in search for her and got lost in the woods, alone. Everything she'd have done would be pointless if you got hurt falling down somewhere or getting attacked by one of the werewolves still running around." 

"But..." Hyunjin protested, though some of the air had left her sails. "I just have to follow the path to get to the Hackett's house." 

Jungeun nodded in agreement. "But if she already killed Chris Hackett, she probably wouldn't stick around there, right? She'd be on her way back, or she might have been sidetracked—but either way, none of us know for sure where she is other than where she might show up." 

"Plus," Sooyoung cut in, "If she's following one of the trails, they'll likely pass right in front of the lodge on their way to the boat house."

"Unless she cuts through the woods," Hyunjin pointed out. 

"Well, if we don't see her before then, we'll help you look for her at first light," Jungeun promised. 

Hyunjin met her eyes, searching them. Then she glanced at Jiwoo and Sooyoung, who nodded sincerely as well. At last, her shoulders drooped, and she sighed. "Alright, I'll stay here for now," She said, "Thank you." 

Jiwoo shot her an encouraging smile, which Hyunjin returned half-heartedly. She cast one last forlorn look out the windows behind her, at the moon barely grazing the tips of the trees in the distance. 

Then the silence was interrupted as the back doors suddenly slammed open. Jiwoo spun around, her heart jumping against her rib cage as she searched the shadows for glowing yellow eyes. But instead all she saw were two girls rushing inside, slamming the door behind them and collapsing to the floor. 

Jiwoo shared a look with the others before they all rushed across the room, Hyunjin included—clearly hoping one of them was her girlfriend. As they drew closer, Jinsoul emerged from the nurse's office as well, startled by the commotion and joining them by the back hall. 

The two girls who had returned were none other than Yerim and Chaewon, and while Jiwoo was relieved to see them, her chest tightened at the sight of the obvious missing member from their trio. Both girls were out of breath as they slumped against the floor, their eyes puffy and red like they'd been crying. 

"What happened?" Sooyoung demanded, more fearful than anything, though her tone suggested otherwise. "Where's Yeojin?" 

Yerim didn't offer a reply. She didn't even raise her head from where her face hid behind her hair. When their eyes sought out Chaewon next, the other girl merely shook her head, looking away. Her lower lip trembled, and her cheeks were splotchy, leaving a pit in Jiwoo's stomach. 

She stepped back, a hand going to her mouth as she looked at the others who wore equally shocked expressions. There were only two options for where their youngest member could be, and neither of them were good. 

"She's alive," Yerim spoke into the heavy silence that filled the room, her voice empty and hollow. It was so...wrong. It was like the person they'd gotten to know all summer had been carved out and left as nothing more than a shell of who she used to be. After all, this was Yerim. Bright, bubbly, optimistic Yerim. Who had spent the last two months doing her best to become friends with each and every one of her fellow counselors. Who always wore a smile, even when she was sad, because cheering up others was more important to her than anything else. Who had spent what little free time she had not on herself—but helping others in any way she could, even if it meant taking on more work. It was the reason Mr. Hackett trusted her to organize the camp schedules every week, the reason he put her in charge of the end-of-camp checklist. 

And it was also the reason why she was near-unrecognizable to them as she was right now. Because Yerim wasn't meant to look like she'd had the life beaten out of her. Yerim wasn't meant to look as though she thought there was no more hope left in the world. 

Slowly, Jinsoul stepped forward to kneel beside her, placing a gentle hand across her back. Yerim hardly registered the touch, not leaning into it, but not pulling away either. It was like she didn't even know she was there. 

But as they waited, the young girl took a shuddering breath, some of the glossy sheen leaving her eyes. 

"We found a car at the scrapyard," She began slowly, like even just speaking the words aloud caused her physical pain. "It was hanging by a giant magnet on the end of this massive crane in the middle of the scrapyard. We were going to detach it and drive it out of there, but then... one of those things showed up. It was going to get us, I- I saw it stalking towards me. It would have gotten me, but Chaewon dropped the car on top of it before it could. And that's when Yeojin—" Her voice broke, a single tear slipping down her cheek. "She told us to run..." 

Yerim's face screwed up in pain as she started to cry all over again, her shoulders shaking with each stifled sob. Jiwoo's vision doubled, unaware of the tears that had risen to her own eyes. She blinked, trying to tamp down on the feeling building in her chest and tightening in her throat. But the tears still fell, slipping silently down her cheeks as she stared in shock.

Jinsoul wrapped her arms around Yerim, pulling her into a hug, and the younger girl went willingly, muffling her cries in Jinsoul's shoulder. Chaewon sniffled, wiping away the tears that had gathered in her own eyes, the sleeve of her shirt shifting and revealing a stain of red Jiwoo hadn't noticed before. 

"Chaewon..." Jiwoo asked worriedly, "What happened?" 

Chaewon looked up at her with a teary, confused expression. Then her eyes widened, panicked as her hand shot to her injured arm in a feeble attempt to hide the blood. "Um, I– uh," She stammered, her eyes jumping around frantically now. "It's– uh—" 

"It's alright," Jungeun spoke softly, her eyebrows pinched in concern as she tried to calm her down. "You don't have to talk about it, but we should probably get it patched up so it doesn't get...infected." 

Jungeun's eyes met Jiwoo's briefly and Jiwoo swallowed, not liking the way she lingered on the word infected. She looked at the bloodstain again, the torn fabric of her shirt sleeve. She had a feeling she knew what had happened, and so did Jungeun. She could only hope they weren't right. 

Chaewon's face was pale as she got to her feet, avoiding their eyes and still tugging on her sleeve to try and hide the blood as she followed Jungeun into the nurse's office, leaving the rest of them at the back of the lodge. 

Jinsoul turned to Yerim sitting beside her, nudging her shoulder softly. "There's another bed left in case you want to lie down too," She offered. 

But Yerim shook her head, swiping a hand under her eyes and clearing her throat. "I'm fine," She mumbled, pulling away from her slightly. 

A sad frown pulled at Jinsoul's features, but before she could say anything, the room around them lit up in a brief flash of light. Jiwoo glanced towards the windows in time to hear the ensuing rumble of thunder roll across the sky above them. Tiny droplets of water began to patter against the metal roof, gradually growing louder. 

"On the bright side," Hyunjin piped up half-heartedly, "At least the rain will slow them down." 

Sooyoung nodded, the gears practically spinning in her head as she turned to look around the lodge. "How many more hours until sunrise?" She asked, turning back to them. "Does anyone know?" 

Jinsoul pulled her phone out of her back pocket, her face falling under the dim glow of her screen. "Two hours," She announced, her mouth pulled into a grim line. 

Jiwoo's shoulders slumped. There was still so much time—too much time. And even if they somehow survived until morning, they had no way of getting home. Two of them were injured, and four were still out in the woods somewhere. 

Sooyoung didn't look too optimistic either, but she straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath. "Okay...we can do this," She said, though it seemed like she was trying to assure herself as much as the rest of them. "It's only two hours, so if we just stay really quiet, they might not find us." She turned to Hyunjin, "Right?" 

Hyunjin was silent for a moment, her mouth twisting. "The rain will slow them down and mask any small noises we make, sure," She replied carefully, and they could all feel the tangible but hanging in the air before them. "...but we shouldn't assume we'll be safe anywhere. I was locked in a jail cell with metal bars and I still hurt my girlfriend. And you saw how easily I... tore through the tree house door," She said haltingly, making both Sooyoung and Jiwoo flinch at the memory. "If they want to get in here, there's not anything that can stop them." 

Jiwoo tried to swallow, her throat chalk-dry. Her hands trembled at her sides, feeling clammy, so she folded her arms across her chest, looking at Sooyoung. 

Sooyoung's expression was troubled, and when she glanced over to meet Jiwoo's gaze, it saddened even further, making Jiwoo's breath catch in her throat. She looked so scared, so afraid, but somehow, Jiwoo could tell it wasn't for herself. She swallowed again, averting her eyes, because there was no way she was about to unpack that right now. 

Surprisingly, it was Yerim who spoke up next. "Didn't Chaewon and Hyeju say something about Mr. H. having trail cameras set up around the camp?" She asked, looking up at them for the first time. 

Jiwoo thought back to earlier that night, drawing a blank, but she wasn't the only one, because Jinsoul looked just as confused as she did (and Hyunjin, having not even met Hyeju, did too). Only Sooyoung seemed to understand what she was referring to, because her face lit up and she snapped her finger. 

"Yes!" She exclaimed excitedly, "We can use those to keep an eye on the forest around the lodge and track any of the werewolves that are still out there," She said, before turning to Hyunjin, "Maybe we'll even be able to spot Heejin and Hyeju on their way back here." 

Hyunjin perked up considerably at that, nodding quickly. "I'll come with you."

Sooyoung slung the shotgun in her hands over her shoulder. "It's a plan," She said, looking around at the three of them. "Anyone else want to come?" 

Jinsoul glanced back towards the nurse's office. "I should probably go check on the others," She said, giving Yerim one final glance before pushing herself to her feet and leaving them. 

Yerim merely shook her head, leaving Jiwoo to look up and meet Sooyoung's gaze. As much as she wanted to stick by her side, she also didn't want to leave Yerim all by herself, especially now of all times. 

"You guys go on ahead," She said, smiling in reassurance. 

Sooyoung seemed hesitant to leave, watching her carefully. "Alright," She nodded at last. "Just... stay quiet, and stay alert." 

"We will," Jiwoo promised.

03:56 | August 23 - Sooyoung Hackett’s Quarry Lodge

Sooyoung slipped the key into the door and unlocked it, pushing it open to reveal the dark interior of their camp owner's office. The rain pattered in a steady drone of noise against the roof above them, and the taxidermied deer's head in the corner seemed to watch them with it's dark, glossy eyes. 

Hyunjin cleared her throat from behind her, and Sooyoung stepped inside, making her way over to the door on the right side of the room. Like the door to the office, Mr. Hackett's living quarters were also locked, but she didn't exactly know which key unlocked them, so she had to flip through and try each one individually, trying not to dwell on how awkward the air was with just her and Hyunjin standing in the room by themselves. Judging by the creak of the floorboards under Hyunjin's feet as she shifted her weight nearby, she found it just as awkward as Sooyoung did. 

She'd nearly killed them, after all. 

Silence hung between them as they keys jingled softly in Sooyoung's hands. After the third try was unsuccessful, she flipped to the fourth key with a clear of her throat.

"Sorry, by the way," Sooyoung muttered, glancing at Hyunjin out of the corner of her eye. "If I came off too strong earlier, about... everything." 

Hyunjin blinked slowly, perhaps in surprise. Sooyoung could still see the way she'd recoiled when Sooyoung called her a monster—the immense fear and pain in her eyes. It only got worse when she told them about what she'd done when she transformed during the last full moon, and her reasons for wanting to follow her girlfriend into the woods to save her. 

"It's, uh..." Sooyoung licked her lips, flipping to the next key when the fourth one turned out to be a bust as well. "It's an aspect of my personality that I’m not particularly proud of.”

Hyunjin was quiet for a moment. Then she took a deep breath, “I think people would say having that level of self-awareness is something to be proud of." 

This time it was Sooyoung's turn to be surprised, turning her head to look at her more fully, but Hyunjin's gaze was locked on the windows over her shoulder. 

"I called myself a monster, too," Hyunjin admitted softly, "When I saw what I'd become. When I saw what I'd done. So... no hard feelings." 

Sooyoung didn't know how to respond to that, so she merely nodded, turning back to the keys in her hand. "No hard feelings," She agreed, and though she didn't see it, Hyunjin's shoulders sagged slightly in relief. 

She turned the key and the lock clicked, opening in her hand. Sooyoung pushed the door open, looking around the camp owner's living quarters. The closet sat directly in front of them, looking inconspicuous enough, but when her eyes fell to the slight gap between the back panel and the floor, she could make out a faint, flickering glow amidst the darkness. 

Sooyoung pushed her hand against it, and it swung open easily, revealing the secret room Chaewon had spoken of at the bonfire earlier. She shared a brief look with Hyunjin before pushing the coat hangers aside and crawling through. 

The actual surveillance room was smaller than she'd expected. There was a desk in one corner stacked to the ceiling with small, fatback TV monitors displaying trail cam footage in the woods and around the camp. On the wall opposite was a map of the Hackett property, marked up with a bunch of red X's and O's. One of the symbols undoubtedly indicated the locations of the trail cameras, but as to what the other was...

Hyunjin walked up to the monitors, her face awash in the pale glow as her eyes scanned over them, looking for any signs of life. She glanced over at Sooyoung, who stood studying the map. "What does a camp owner even need with this many security cameras anyways?" She asked, "I mean, isn't it kind of creepy considering this place is full of kids every summer?" 

Sooyoung turned, looking at the grainy footage of the quiet forest. "That's what Yeojin said," She remarked without thinking and instantly regretted it, her mouth turning bitter at the thought of the young girl and where she might be right now. "But Hyeju said they were trail cameras, not security cameras. Meant for tracking wildlife so the campers could be kept safe from bears and stuff." 

"Bears?" Hyunjin asked incredulously, to which Sooyoung could only shrug. 

Her eyes moved back to the map, to the red X's and O's. Most of the O's were concentrated closer to camp, while the X's were far more spread out deep in the woods. 

"Okay, this is going to sound crazy," Hyunjin began, "But what if the Hacketts weren't tracking bears. What if... what if they were looking for the werewolf who bit Chris Hackett?" 

"The first," Sooyoung breathed out, echoing Hyunjin's words from earlier. "Fuck." 

It seemed the more they uncovered, the less Sooyoung actually wanted to know. She'd come to this camp to get a bit of work on her resume before college, after all, and now she couldn't even use her boss as a professional reference because he was a werewolf and also confirmed dead. She should have accepted the offer at the local coffee shop down the street from her house instead. 

"That must be what these X's are," Sooyoung said in realization, nodding towards the map. "The places where they saw sightings of the werewolf." 

"And the O's?" Hyunjin asked. 

"The trail camera locations," Sooyoung replied, pointing to the tiny numbers marked next to them. "They correlate to the numbers in the bottom corner of the footage on the screens." 

"Good catch," Hyunjin remarked with the tiniest hint of a smirk. 

Hyunjin turned back to the monitors, and Sooyoung's eyes fell to the desk sitting under the map. There were more blueprints for several of the buildings in the lodge, as well as outlines for repairs and costs that were... clearly above the camp's budget. She glanced to the right of the desk, at some envelopes sitting on top of a stack of cardboard boxes, and froze. 

"Hey, Hyunjin," She said, drawing the other girl's attention from the video cameras. 

Hyunjin walked over, following her gaze. When she saw what she was looking at, her eyes darkened. "That motherfucker," She growled, snatching the envelopes off the box—which weren't just any envelopes, but letters addressed to Heejin and Hyunjin from their families writing to them while they thought they were working at camp. "If he weren't already dead, I'd kill him." 

Sooyoung felt her veins go cold. Not at Hyunjin’s remark, but at the irrefutable evidence that their camp leader had been covering up their disappearance this whole time. When he'd left them earlier that evening, she'd thought he was a little frazzled, sure. Maybe even erratic. But she'd figured he at least had their safety in mind when he'd sped off in a hurry down the road, promising to come back and pick them up the next morning. 

It was clear now, though, that he'd done nothing more than leave them for dead.

Sooyoung glanced over at Hyunjin, who stared at the letters clutched in her hand with an expression of stone. She had no idea what to say, what she could say. Here she was lamenting about losing out on a professional reference, while Hyunjin’s family hadn’t been notified of her disappearance for two whole months.

"Hey," She began softly, making Hyunjin look over at her. "I just want to say... what you guys went through? It really sucks." 

Hyunjin swallowed, looking back down at the letters in her hands. 

"And... I know it won't magically fix everything or give you back what you lost, but... they're not going to get away with it," She promised. She wasn't even really sure it was something she could promise, but it seemed like the right thing to do. "We all know the truth now. They won't be able to cover it up anymore."  

Hyunjin looked up at her again, her eyes haunted by a deep sorrow. But there was gratitude in their depths, as well as in her voice when she whispered, "Thank you." 

Sooyoung nodded, watching her turn around and slip the letters into her bag before moving back over to the trail cameras. As she did, her foot kicked something small across the ground, sending it skittering under the desk. She shared a glance with Sooyoung before crouching down to retrieve it. When she stood back up, she held a small, black object in her hand Sooyoung had never seen before. Hyunjin frowned, squinting like she was trying to figure out what it was. 

"What is it?" Sooyoung asked. 

Hyunjin shook her head, tilting it to one side. "It's a rotor arm," She said slowly, perplexed. "But what's it doing in here?" 

"What's a rotor arm?" Sooyoung asked, still at a loss. 

Hyunjin glanced over at her. "It's a piece of an engine that connects the ignition to the spark plug," She explained, and then paused. "Hey, didn't you guys say your van broke down today?" 

Sooyoung nodded slowly, her blood growing cold.

"What was wrong with it?" 

"The–" Sooyoung licked her lips, her throat suddenly feeling dry. "The engine wouldn't start..." 

Hyunjin's expression grew somber. "Look," She lowered her voice, "I know a thing or two about cars," She said, and then held up the rotor arm. "I'm willing to bet this is the culprit." 

Sooyoung looked between her and the seemingly-innocuous piece of metal and plastic in her hand. "Then...how did it get in here?" She asked, her mind racing. "You don't think someonesabotagedit, do you?" 

But Hyunjin could only shrug. "Only one way it could have gotten removed from the engine. Maybe your camp leader was just in the process of replacing it and forgot to put the new one in." 

"Yeah," Sooyoung replied distantly, "Maybe." 

She didn't think so, though. She'd seen how frantic he'd been when he'd lifted the hood to see what was wrong with the van. She sweat glistening on his skin, the wild look in his eyes. There was a chance he might not have been thinking clearly enough with the threat of the full moon rising that night—enough to forget to remember to check the rotor arm. But if he'd really been changing it, why bother removing it if he didn't plan to replace it immediately? 

No, she was sure there was something more going on. But there was little use dwelling on it now; she'd figure it out only when morning came and they were safe. 

04:00 | August 23 - Yerim Hackett’s Quarry Lodge

Yerim stared at the ground in front of her, unblinking. Her eyes burned, but she couldn't bear to close them, not even for a second. Her veins felt like ice, blood moving through them sluggishly and slowing the world down around her. 

She knew she was safe for the moment, hidden away inside the shadows of the mess hall that had once been filled with firelight and the chatter of campers and counselors alike happily eating dinner. Yet it didn't stop the storm from swirling in her mind—a cacophonous howl of what ifs and should haves, nor the cold that spread from her chest all the way down to her fingertips, numbing her from the inside out so that sting between her ribs might no longer echo so sharply. 

And her tongue tasted bitter. Bitter with words she regretted never saying. Bitter with words she did. But mostly bitter with fear that she might never get the chance to see Yeojin again. And even if she did, it wouldn't be the same as before. 

Not like those mornings together, sitting in the radio hut and discussing next week's schedule as the sun rose steadily higher over the camp, casting golden rays of sunlight through the leaves of the giant oak tree in front of the cabins and through the window—the wooden box getting so stuffy they had to resort to propping the door open each time. 

Not like those nights around the bonfire, listening to Hyeju's ghost stories and making s'mores for the younger campers, Yeojin purposefully lighting marshmallows on fire to burn the edges, one time accidentally dropping one on Yerim's shoes as she brought it over to her, causing her to scream and hastily kick dirt on top of it. 

Not like that one afternoon when she'd dragged Yerim out onto the lake to help her retrieve a missing canoe that had floated away from the dock, insisting she could jump into it without falling into the water, and promptly causing the entire thing to flip over and dump them both into the lake. Afterwards, paddling the canoes back to shore sopping wet, sneaking back to the cabins to shower and dry themselves off before they could get chewed out by their camp leader, and swearing each other to secrecy. 

Not like earlier that night—looking up from the window of the staff room to see Yeojin fidgeting in the doorway. Sitting beside her at the bonfire and sharing half a watermelon between them. Walking through the woods and realizing just how little she actually knew about her. Wrapping gauze around her tiny wrist. Wrapping arms around her shaking form as she could piece her back together through sheer strength alone—

In front of her, Jiwoo cleared her throat, abruptly pulling her from her thoughts. Yerim dragged her eyes painfully up from the floor to meet her gaze, but Jiwoo wasn't watching her face, her gaze was angled down. 

Yerim looked down, slowly uncurling the fingers in her right hand and pulling it away from her leg, staring at the row of little red crescents left in its wake. She rubbed the skin a little bit, feeling the indents under her fingers, but no pain. 

Jiwoo still sat in front of her on one of the benches, watching her carefully. Yerim avoided her gaze, but she knew she couldn't avoid the inevitable, Are you okay? 

Jiwoo hesitated for only a moment, and then asked, "Do you want to talk about it?" 

Talking about it was the last thing Yerim wanted to do. Talking about it made it real, made that tight feeling rise from her chest up to her throat. If she tried talking about it, she might not be able to stop the tears from rising to her eyes either, and if she started crying again, she wasn't sure she'd be able to stop. 

So she remained silent, fist clenched against her thigh instead of pressing her nails into the skin, and stared at the floor. 

Jiwoo sucked in a breath and seemed to hold it there, her hands clasped together between her knees, nearly hidden amidst the denim of the oversized overalls she was still clad in. "You know, despite everything..." She trailed off, chewing her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment. "I'm really glad you guys made it back okay." 

One of us didn't, Yerim bit back, the words pressing her tongue to the edge of her teeth futilely. It would be pointless to say, especially when Jiwoo was only trying to help in whatever way she knew how. She was only trying to help. 

"And..." Jiwoo continued, clearly put-off by Yerim's silence and lack of reaction, but still pressing forward anyways. "Whatever happened out there—it was out of your control. You know that, right? None of it was your fault." 

"You're wrong," Yerim blurted out before she even realized she'd spoken, her own voice startling her for a moment with how scratchy and hoarse it was. 

Jiwoo blinked in front of her, equally surprised. She opened her mouth to say something else, only to close it again. 

Yerim took a shuddering breath, feeling it go down her throat like a sequence of needles stabbing her chest from the inside out. "In the radio hut," She confessed, her voice hardly more than a whisper. "After she got attacked, after she got bit, she asked me to cut her hand off." 

She was amazed how calm she felt revealing such life-shattering information, how the tears didn't spring to her eyes like she expected them to. Maybe she didn't have any left. Maybe she'd already cried enough to dry them all up.

"I didn't," Yerim continued, voice blank and eyes distant. "And then she turned. And if- if I had, then maybe she'd be here right now. But she's not." 

She couldn't bear to raise her head to see whatever emotions were written on Jiwoo's face as she watched her in silence. She just waited, hand curled into her leg and heart pounding in her chest, her throat tight but her eyes dry. 

"You can't know what would have happened the other way, either," Jiwoo uttered gently, a fierceness to her voice. 

"She asked me to, and I refused—"

"No, that's fucking bullshit!" Jiwoo burst suddenly, making Yerim's head shoot up in surprise as she reeled back slightly, eyes finally scanning over her face. 

Jiwoo gripped the fabric of the overalls in her fists as she leaned forward, her face scrunched in pain. "You can't know that cutting her hand off would have been any better," She repeated, voice on the verge of breaking. "You just can't."

Yerim opened her mouth to protest, tears springing to her eyes at last, but Jiwoo pressed on before she could. Insistent. Desperate. 

"If you cut off her hand, she could have gone into shock or died from blood loss. Or maybe you would have cut it off, only for the infection to continue to spread and turn her anyways, and it all would have been for nothing." She told her, voice quavering, " And besides, I don't think anyone in their right mind would have cut off her hand either. I probably would have refused just like you did. So... stop beating yourself up for that." 

Yerim closed her mouth and swallowed thickly, tears still brimming in her eyes but somehow managing not to fall. Jiwoo heaved a shaky breath, looking just as distraught as Yerim felt, possibly more—if such a thing were even possible. 

"It wasn't anyone's fault that we got stuck here and ended up in this situation," Jiwoo whispered, more to herself than anyone else. "It was just bad luck." 

Her words didn't get rid of the ache in her chest or the bitter taste in her mouth, but they did help alleviate them a little. Yerim rubbed absently at her ankle, a sharp pain abruptly glancing through it. She looked down, noticing for the first time how swollen and discolored it was—likely from when she jumped out of the car earlier. 

Yerim drew her gaze away, looking up at Jiwoo. "Do you think she's going to be okay?" She asked quietly. 

A troubled expression ghosted Jiwoo's features, her eyes falling to the floor. "I don't know." 

Yerim thought about the silver shells weighing heavy in her pocket. If what was written in the poem was true, then that meant the only way Yeojin or Haseul could die while they were transformed was with silver. It gave her some small sliver of hope that they would at least survive long enough to return to their normal selves. 

Then she remembered the hunters from earlier, who chased the others out of the lodge and tracked them all the way to the radio hut. If they were out there right now, would they kill any werewolves they came across? 

Jiwoo looked off towards the office, chewing on the inside of her cheek, perhaps wondering if Sooyoung and Hyunjin had found anything. From what Yerim remembered, Hyunjin was Heejin's girlfriend—the one she was trying to save by going after Chris Hackett to end his line of infection. If she was here and back to normal, that had to mean that... Chris was dead. 

Did that mean Haseul and Yeojin could be back to normal too?

A small clattering noise drew her attention and she turned to look around, her eyes landing on the fireplace in the center of the room. A small trickle of dust rained down to settle on the blackened and charred logs now sitting abandoned on the metal grill positioned in the center. She frowned slightly, eyes traveling up the fireplace towards the ceiling. She knew it was in need of repair, all the counselors having been instructed to keep the campers away from it while camp was in session, but she didn't think it was literally at risk of collapsing. 

"Do you hear that?" She asked Jiwoo, tilting her head towards what sounded like scratching. Maybe there were mice nesting in the chimney somewhere. 

Jiwoo followed her gaze, raising an eyebrow. "No...?" 

Another cloud of dust trickled down from inside the fireplace, sending a few tiny pieces of rock with it. The scratching grew louder—more frantic. 

Yerim grasped the shotgun, ignoring her ankle as she slowly rose to her feet. She edged closer to the fireplace, heart speeding up in her chest. 

"Yerim..." Jiwoo warned, now on her feet as well. 

Yerim only half-listened to her, fear gnawing at her bones and spurring her forward. She was aware of Jiwoo hanging back behind her, too nervous to come closer. 

One of the stones inside the chimney knocked loose and fell down, clattering loudly at her feet. Yerim froze, her heart leaping into her throat. Then an unmistakeable growl sounded from within.

"Yerim...!" Jiwoo shrieked, grabbing onto her shoulder just as a giant figure came crashing down into the fireplace in a giant cloud of ash and dust. 

Both girls quickly stumbled back, Yerim drawing her gun before hesitating. She didn't know who it was behind those glowing yellow eyes and sharp teeth. She didn't know who they would turn back into if she shot them with silver. It could be Haseul. Or Yeojin. 

The door to the nurse's office burst open as Jungeun appeared. "What happened?!" She demanded, before her eyes landed on the werewolf in the fireplace and the blood drained from her face. 

"HIDE!" Yerim shouted, hoping her voice would be loud enough to reach Sooyoung and Hyunjin in the surveillance room as well. 

She raised the shotgun in her shaking hands, stepping between the werewolf and Jiwoo and praying she wouldn't actually have to shoot it. The shotgun was loaded with regular bullets, so she knew they wouldn't kill it, but still... The thought of having to shoot either of her friends made her feel sick. 

Jungeun ducked inside the infirmary, shutting the door a little too quickly and drawing the attention of the werewolf that was still catching its bearings and scrambling to get to its feet inside the fireplace, hairless skin coated in ash. 

"Jiwoo, you need to run," Yerim said under her breath. 

Jiwoo sucked in a sharp breath. "What about you?" She asked, the grip on her shoulder increasing. 

"I need to lure it away before it gets to Vivi and the others," She told her. "Slowly, but hurry—I don't want you getting caught in the crossfire." 

Jiwoo took a step back, towards the office. "Please..." She whispered, voice shaking. "Please be careful." 

Yerim swallowed, but didn't say anything as she moved in the opposite direction towards the front of the lodge. The werewolf was getting closer and closer to the infirmary. 

When Jiwoo was almost to the office and Yerim had nearly reached the stairs, she took a deep breath, shouting, "HEY!" 

The werewolf spun towards her instantly, nostrils flaring and teeth bared into a snarl, its previous quarry forgotten. 

Yerim started up the stairs, pain shooting up through her ankle every other step. She kept her eyes on the monster below, trying to stay ahead of it while also making sure it was still following her. It hadn't yet given chase, thankfully, not like the one in the scrapyard. Maybe it was still disoriented from falling through the chimney, or maybe it knew it had her cornered and was merely playing with its food.

"Come on, come on..." She muttered, reaching the landing and turning to continue up to the second floor. It was still on her trail, slowly stalking after her. 

Yerim made it to the second floor, and fuck, as she looked around, she realized she really didn't have a plan past luring the werewolf away from her friends and trying not to die in the process. The further the better, though, and so she hurried up the stairs that led to the third floor attic just as its yellow eyes appeared over the top of the steps. 

There was nothing up here other than a bunch of boxes and old furniture Mr. H. had put into storage. But to her left sat a window that led out to the roof, and to her right stood a support beam running across the length of the lodge to the balcony on the other side. 

Heejin swallowed, feeling the weight of her words settling across her shoulders. An unspoken promise that they were going to protect each other. And to think that a mere two hours ago they'd been at each other's throats about the curse, unable to see eye-to-eye. Now, there wasn't anyone Heejin would rather have watching her back.

"Okay," She whispered. 

Hyeju poured a tiny bit of blood onto her fingertips. "Ready?" 

Heejin nodded, watching Hyeju step closer to her, and then, with a feather-light touch, began to smear the blood across her face. The first thing she registered was how cold and sticky it felt, sending an unpleasant shudder down her spine. The second was the smell, burning her nostrils and making her eyes water. It was all she could do to screw her eyes shut and hold her breath, trying not to cough as Hyeju diligently coated as much of her skin as she could with the small amount she'd acquired.

At long last, she heard her take a step back and sigh. Cautiously, Heejin opened her eyes. She tried to inhale again, but the stench was so overpowering she doubled over, coughing.

Hyeju wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, it doesn't smell great, sorry," She apologized sheepishly, "But on the bright side, you don't smell human anymore either."

"It's fine," Heejin muttered behind her hand, opting to breathe through her mouth. If it meant she wasn't going to end up on a werewolf's dinner platter, it was worth the temporary discomfort. 

She glanced down at the blood coating Hyeju's fingertips, and then back up at her clean face. She could have used the blood herself, but instead she'd willingly made herself an easier target for whatever lay waiting for them in the woods. Guilt curled up in Heejin's stomach. It wasn't the first sacrifice Hyeju had made that night, either. She more than deserved to get out of here too, and if Heejin had anything to say about it, she would.

"Stick close to me," Heejin said, eyebrows knitting together as she held her gaze, voice serious.

Hyeju swallowed, nodding.

Together, they stepped off the interstate and into the woods.

04:31 | August 23 - Heejin Route 919

They caught up to Travis after several minutes of stealthily making their way through the undergrowth—no designated paths for them to follow and all too aware of the danger that could be lurking and waiting for them in the darkness. The trees overhead nearly completely blocked out the light of the moon in the sky, so Heejin had to rely on the beam of the flashlight strapped to the end of her shotgun to guide them. The cop barely acknowledged them with a turn of his head as they fell into step a few paces behind him. If he noticed the blood coating her face, he made no mention of it.

Heejin exchanged a nervous glance with Hyeju. They were deep enough into the woods that the car headlights were no longer visible through the trees. She was tempted to ask if Travis knew where he was going—because it seemed like they were aimlessly wandering through the forest. But she kept silent, not wanting to make any more noise than necessary.

She looked up at the trees standing tall around them. Massive firs and pines stretching their branches over their heads as if to shield them from the sky and trap them within the forest. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, the base of her skull prickling. She wondered how close she was to the spot she'd driven off the road with Hyunjin and subsequently ventured into the woods to chase the shadow of a person she thought had been down here. She didn't like to think about it often, the mere memory making her shiver, but now that she was back here...

Her arms suddenly erupted with goosebumps, every hair standing on end like the air was charged with static energy.

"GET OUT." A disembodied woman's voice screamed in her ear and she flailed, swinging her gun around wildly, her heart jackhammering against her ribs.

Beside her, Hyeju looked just as shellshocked, her face pale and eyes wide as they danced over the trees. Even Travis had stopped, looking more perturbed than usual. They both must have heard it too.

"Come on," Travis said without further fanfare as he turned back around, "We must be close."

Heejin shared another glance with Hyeju as they followed him, apprehensive. This was hardly the first time they'd heard the woman's wailing spirit, but those times, Heejin had almost been convinced she was helping or guiding them in some way. Now, though, she couldn't seem to stop shivering, the back of her neck cold like someone had strapped an ice pack to it.

Back in the car, Hyeju had been on the verge of saying something before the white wolf landed on the roof and nearly caused them to flip over. She'd met Heejin's eyes in the rear-view mirror, and somehow, Heejin could tell what she'd been thinking. That the ghost who had been following them all this time, the Hag of Hackett's Quarry, as Hyeju had dubbed her, was the mother of the werewolf in the woods. The travelling sideshow's leading lady who had perished in the fire six years ago and set off the chain of events that landed them where they were now.

If that was true, and they were now trying to hunt down her son and break the curse, it made sense that they wouldn't be welcome.

But as they pushed deeper and deeper into the forest, no more ghastly cries bombarded them. The only sounds that met their ears were their own footfalls across the leaf-strewn ground and the occasional rustle of the bushes in the undergrowth. The silence should have relieved her, but it only served to put her more on edge. Because when the woods fell quiet like this, it usually signalled the presence of a predator nearby.

Travis halted at the edge of a clearing, his shoulders going stiff, and when Heejin stepped around him to see why, her breath caught in her throat.

It was like fire had frozen the entire clearing in time, the black and burnt husks of circus caravans and stalls standing exactly where they had six years ago. Ash coated the floor, and the trees that circled the clearing were charred on the edges, their branches burned away so they pointed straight up, like rows of teeth inside the gaping maw of a giant beast.

"Woah..." Hyeju breathed, eyes wide. 

Travis stepped forward, his foot crunching softly through the ashen remains of a large branch that immediately crumbled beneath him. "Unbelievable..." He muttered, looking around in awe. "In all our six years of hunting the white wolf, we never saw this..."

Heejin frowned, sharing a glance with Hyeju. "How is that even possible?"

"I'm not sure, exactly," Travis replied, stepping further into the clearing. "We combed every inch of these woods looking for it, figuring it might be the spot he comes back to. The last thing he had a connection to before he was set free. This is the first time I've seen it in six years."

Heejin stepped apprehensively into the clearing after him. She had no idea how an entire part of the forest could go unnoticed for six years, especially after it was the site of a terrible disaster that claimed multiple lives. But she thought about the strange things she'd encountered while wandering the woods two months ago, remnants of the carnival left behind, yet she hadn't seen any trace of the burnt-down clearing either.

She shifted in place, the silence of the forest pressing around them, until she realized there was one sound she could hear that wasn't coming from any of them. It was a slow, deep breathing she almost mistook for the wind, if it hadn’t been for the occasional pained snarl that punctuated it.

Heejin's spine stiffened, going on high alert as she scanned their surroundings. Hyeju noticed her change in demeanor, her eyes darting around them in fear as she stepped the tiniest bit closer to her. Perhaps against her better judgement, Heejin followed the noise, moving to the right side of the clearing where a gap in the trees opened to reveal what must have once been a path—and what was now buried under pine needles and branches, tiny clumps of grass and ferns cropping up every few inches between them.

Travis finally noticed them, his eyes narrowing as he brought up the rear, gun drawn and flashlight pointed low. 

The first thing Heejin noticed was the glint of metal through the trees before they opened up into a smaller clearing, revealing the giant cage she’d seen two months ago—rusted from time and woven into the trees around it. Glass crunched underneath her boot, and she froze, glancing down at the wooden sign by her feet, advertising the half-boy half-dog. 

Beside her, Hyeju’s breath became faster, shallower. Heejin turned to her, heartbeat pounding an uneven tune in her own ears as she met her eyes and rested a brief hand on her shoulder. Hyeju searched her gaze, swallowing as she did her best to calm herself down. 

A low snarl reached their ears and Heejin turned around, her eyes finding the giant metal and wooden cage, and trailing down to the pale figure curled up at the bottom of it. One glance at Travis told her this was him. The White Wolf. The “first” referred to in the poem. He lay with his back to them, limbs tucked close to himself in a fetal position. Like this, he didn’t appear to be the immense, hulking beast she’d pictured when described by Travis, or even when he’d attacked them on the road. 

With the bars of the cage twisting up tall around him, he just looked like a scared little kid. 

“Do it,” Travis whispered, his eyes flickering between the figure and her shotgun. 

Heejin’s hands trembled as she raised it, hitting the werewolf’s back with the flashlight beam. The rusted metal glinted behind him, the bars that had kept her prisoner for two long months flashing through her mind. She swallowed, her throat constricting at the omnipresent feeling of being trapped. Trapped in a cage. Trapped on this path. Killing everything and everyone in sight to get what she wanted. 

At what point was it enough? At what point would she be able to wash away the red and see the same person she’d been before beneath it all? 

Was this how Silas felt every morning after the full moon—waking up in a blood that wasn’t his? Looking up at the bars surrounding him, his own home a prison around him. Heejin stared at his back, her breath shallow as she realized she had more in common with this werewolf than the cop standing beside her. 

“Shoot him,” Travis said, louder this time. 

Heejin’s finger moved to the trigger, but something kept her from squeezing it. Maybe it was the sight of his back turned to them, exposed and defenseless, leaving a pit in her stomach at the thought of killing him in cold blood. Maybe it would be easier if he were actively trying to rip their throats out, not curled in on himself amidst the remains of the last place he probably ever called home. 

He was just as much a victim as they were. All throughout his childhood, he'd been carted around the country and put on display inside a cage. And yet, for the six years following the devastating fire that set him free, he was still trapped. Stuck to the remains of the circus that had touted him around in a cage, and bound by the curse that transformed him into a monster once a month. Who could even say he was the first werewolf in his line of infection? What if he had been bitten by another, and would be inevitably freed when they were killed? 

Heejin gritted her teeth, the gun shaking in her grasp. On the other hand, did those infected by him deserve to be bound by the same curse that had shackled him all these years? What if killing him would be a mercy—freeing him from a life that only continued to inflict pain? 

Who was she to even decide something like that?

“Shoot,” Travis commanded.