UNDER THE MOON

 

 

UNDER THE MOON

By Randy Romero

 

 

It was only a matter of time before Lena said the the words Ray was dreading. “We’re lost.”

“We’re not lost,” Ray Stokes told his wife. “We’re on an adventure.”

“What are you, five years old?”

“I have the mind of one.”

She sighed, exasperated. “I told you not to get off the highway.”

Twenty minutes had passed since Ray lost the main road, opting for a more scenic route. It was his decision to abandon the highway for a road he never traveled before, a decision he now lived to regret. But he’d never admit defeat and give Lena the satisfaction of saying, “I told you so.” It was one of her choice phrases.

If it was the scenic route Ray had desired, that’s exactly what he got. The road was virtually deserted, with the sporadic exception of a passing semi-truck traveling in the opposite direction. They were from Nassau County and Ray wasn’t used to how eerily quiet it was in certain areas of Suffolk. No traffic, no commotion, no pedestrians, no crazy drivers blowing through stop signs or red lights.

There were no lights or streetlamps lining the roads, but that didn’t matter on this particular evening. The full moon gave Ray all the light he needed.

He rolled his window and breathed in the fresh, untainted air; no pollutants. At home, their backyard was so close to the Expressway that Ray practically choked on exhaust fumes every time he went outside. His lungs had never breathed air so clean and healthy. His air sacs felt like they were on vacation.

“Roll up your window,” Lena said. Then she added, “Please.”

“Oh, come on, hon. Enjoy the fresh air. It’s better than inhaling people’s exhaust fumes on the highway.”

“It’s December and it’s freezing out.”

“Fine,” he sighed and rolled his window up. Lena cranked up the heat and fished through her purse for her Samsung.

“I should call Zachary and see how he’s doing,” Lena said.

“We never should have left him with Elliot.”

“He was the only person available on such short notice. And what’s wrong with Elliot?”

“I just don’t like the idea of a gay babysitter looking after our son. What if he…you know, touches Zach or something?”

“He’s gay, Ray. He’s not a pedophile.”

“If he likes men, he could like little boys, too.”

“By that logic, all straight men could easily like little girls.”

Ray thought about her argument for a moment, stymied, unable to retort. “All right, you got me there,” he admitted. “At least Elliot’s not transgender.”

“I believe they prefer to be called transsexuals now.”

“Is that what they’re calling it nowadays?”

“You really need to join the twenty-first century, Ray. In this day and age, gender isn’t relevant. It isn’t even binary.”

She made a quick call to the house, checked in on Zach, and spoke briefly with Elliot. “They’re making a gingerbread house,” Lena said when she got off the phone.

Ray felt guilty about leaving Zach with a babysitter on Christmas Eve. But Ray always went to visit his dad on Christmas Eve. Shane Stokes’ condition was rapidly declining, and he didn’t want Zach to see his grandfather in his sickly, emaciated state.

“I hope he isn’t mad at us,” Ray said.

“Your father?”

“No, Zach.”

“We’re only going for a few hours. We’ll be home in time for Santa to put the presents under the tree.”

“You mean I’ll put the presents under the tree. I’m tired of that Santa guy getting all the credit.”

“We need to find a spot to eat. I’m famished.”

“Famished,” he repeated.

“Yes, it’s a word.”

“Nobody says famished.”

“I say famished.”

“I’ll find us a place to eat.”

“Yeah, as soon as you get off this godforsaken road. I haven’t seen anything for miles. What made you get off the highway in the first place?”

“I was bored,” he shrugged. “I wanted to take the scenic route.”

“Well, you definitely got your wish.”

Ray turned up the radio to give himself a much needed reprieve from the conversation, and to drown out the rattling of a bad catalytic converter. He went through every station until he found one that wasn’t playing Christmas music.

Ray and Lena’s road had been a rocky one. In fact, their relationship had been a road paved with landmines. But they had evaded every bomb in their path and managed to keep their relationship intact. Ray knew all too well what divorce does to a child. He’d been through it before, and he wasn’t about to put Zach through the same. And Lena seemed to concur. It was the only thing keeping their frayed marriage from completely falling apart.

“That’s it, I’m using the GPS on my phone,” Lena said, fed up.

The catalytic converter rattled and pinged.

“Don’t bother,” Ray said as he saw a sign welcoming them to the town of Hither Hills.

There was a sharp turn after the sign, and as they came around the bend, it darted out from the tree line. Ray panicked and popped the brakes to avoid hitting the deer. The car skidded on the slick winter pavement, and they collided head-on with it.

The deer went flying and the car came to a sudden stop. They both took deep breaths, waiting for their hearts to beat normally again.

He turned the key in the ignition. The engine coughed and sputtered.

“Sit tight. I’m going to get out and see the damage.”

Ray popped the hood and opened the driver side door. He got out and checked the front. The damage was more than superficial. They would need a tow truck. No way he was going to get it running without repairs.

“Poor thing,” Ray said, looking at the deer sprawled out in the road. Given the size, he wasn’t surprised at the damage. It was the biggest deer he’d ever seen up close.

He walked around to the passenger side and Lena rolled her window down. “Better call a tow truck. There’s no way this thing is going to start.”

“What about the deer?” Lena asked.

“I don’t know,” Ray said. “I think you have to call animal control and they come pick it up. I feel terrible, but it’s the least of our concerns right now. I’ll call my dad and Elliot and tell them both we’re going to be late tonight.”

Rough, serrated claws scraped the pavement as it clambered to its feet.

Lena tried to scream. Tried to find the words to warn her husband. She could hear them in her head. But she had no voice to produce them.

It’s not a deer.

Ray saw the horror in her eyes and was afraid to look. He turned slowly, revealing the bipedal creature that towered over him.

Its body was a suit of thick gray fur, its eyes as yellow as moonlight. Jagged, asymmetrical fangs protruded from its thick, hairy, wet snout. The beast growled, taking Ray’s breath away.

He couldn’t shout, couldn’t talk, couldn’t find the air. He felt dizzy, faint. But he remained on his feet long enough to feel it sink its teeth in.

His screams pierced the night. It was aiming for its neck, but instead its fangs sank into his left shoulder. It ripped and teared away, pulling flesh and muscle from the bone. When it had its fill and its lust for blood was satiated, it disappeared into the night, running back into the woods.

Ray could feel the change almost instantly. Felt his body transforming under the moonlight. He begged and pleaded with Lena to leave him behind before it was too late.

She slid into the driver’s seat, grinded the key in the ignition, praying the car would start. The engine groaned and sputtered.

“Come on,” she cried. “Please, just start.” She turned the key again. Nothing.

She glared through the windshield, watching as the transformation completed. Fur replaced flesh. A thick, gray snout replaced his face. His yellow eyes glowed in the darkness.

In one last act of desperation, she twisted the key again and the engine rumbled to life. She floored it out of there, swerving to avoid the beast in the road that was once her husband.

She looked back in the rearview mirror, watching him howl at the bright, piercing moon above.