One of Those Nights

Apologies! You are using an outdated browser which lacks required capabilities. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.

Initializing. Please wait…

<<if $twoAM == true>> It's just one of those nights. You've felt it coming for a couple days, an unsatiable itch crawling underneath your skin. The clock reads 2:15, and it's looking like you won't get any sleep tonight. Your heart thuds loudly in your chest, and you hear every tiny creak and groan of the house better than you should be able to... <<set $oneAM = false>> Maybe if you [[lie still enough you can trick your body into falling asleep]]. <<else>>It's one of those nights. You've felt it coming for a couple days, an unsatiable itch crawling underneath your skin. The clock reads 1:43, and you'll be lucky to get any sleep tonight. Your heart thuds loudly in your chest, and you smell every object in your room far more strongly than you should be able to... You could [[squeeze your eyes shut and try to sleep]] or [[accept your fate and get up|You get up]].<</if>>

You close your eyes, but no matter what, you just can't get comfortable. You can't find a comfortable position. It's too hot under the covers, but too cold without them. [[Your bones ache.|START]] <<set $restless += 1>> <<set $twoAM = true>>

You lie completely still for a good fifteen minutes... Nope. This isn't going to happen. Your body is too restless. [[You get up]]. <<set $gettingUp = true>>

<<if $gettingUp == true>> You sit up, and after enduring a strong wave of nausea, you flick on the bedside lamp. <<set $gettingUp = false>> <</if>> <<if $windowOpen == true>>A cool breeze filters in through [[the cracked window]] (did you forget to close it?), and the faint light of [[your charging phone]] glows on the opposite corner of the room. <<else>>Your stomach growls. [[You could go downstairs and get something to eat|you might as well head downstairs and grab something to eat]]. Yellow moonlight filters in through [[the window|the cracked window]], and the faint light of [[your charging phone]] glows on the opposite corner of the room.<</if>>

You stumble across the dim room to your phone. It's fully charged, so you unplug it. Your lock screen tells you that you've got one missed text message from your friend John. Sent: 11:34 you gonna be alright tonight? [[You could text John back]]. Or it could wait until morning. [[It's late, and he's probably asleep, so maybe you shouldn't.]] You might wake him up.

<<set $restless += 1>> <<if $windowOpen == true>> <<set $windowOpen = false>> Heaviness pulling at your limbs, you walk over to the open window to close it. That's right, you had it cracked earlier when the weather was nice. The draft coming in now is bone-biting cold. As you pull the windown down, you can't help but look out. Your front yard is bathed in yellow light cast by the moon. It's full tonight, of course. <<else>> Your eyes are drawn to the full moon, and it makes your stomach filp uneasily. A shudder runs down your back, and your skin prickles.<</if>> [img[https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/156/440092557_7871e4962b_z.jpg]] That familiar itching is back tenfold, crawling down your skin, and you can't help but scratch at it. [[Not that it will do anything|You get up]].

Even if John is asleep, you decide to answer. He's a good friend for checking up on you. <<if $oneAM == true>> Sent: 2:03 yeah i'm good thanks <<else>> Sent: 2:45 yea im good tnx <</if>> Since you're up, [[you decide to head downstairs to grab something to eat|you might as well head downstairs and grab something to eat]], going through a couple other notifications as you do.

You dismiss John's text, resolving to respond in the morning, and plug your phone back in. Since you're up, [[you might as well head downstairs and grab something to eat]].

<<if $restless == 1>> You're feeling better now, that primal pull settled into the back of your mind. <</if>> <<if $restless == 2>> It feels good to be moving around, but that itch still crawls underneath your skin, and a primal urge pulls at the base of your head, threatening to explode into a headache. <</if>> <<if $restless == 3>> You hurry down the stairs, hardly able to focus on anything but the energy crawling beneath your skin. Chills run down your back, and a primal urge pulls at the base of your head, threatening to explode into a headache - or something else. <</if>> You flip on the kitchen light, and after a second it flickers on. You could grab some leftovers from [[the fridge]] or get a snack from [[the pantry]].

You shuffle over to the fridge and open it up. A sharp scent assaults your heightened senses, making you dizzy. You'd forgotten about the slab of ground beef sitting in there for a cookout with John and the rest of your friends. How careless. The skin on your neck prickles, and your bones creak tellingly, sending a searing stab of pain through your body. You can't get the scent out of your nose. <<set $restless += 2>> Then, [[a flash of movement in the window catches your eye|A flash of movement in the window catches your eye]].

There isn't too much in the pantry, but you locate an opened bag of pretzels and settle for those. You settle at the kitchen table and pop a few pretzels in your mouth. It feels good to busy your body with sommething. [[A flash of movement in the window catches your eye]].

<<if $restless <= 2>> Oh. It's just a raccoon outside. That part of you wants to leap out the window after it, but you've gotten good at repressing it. Just to be safe, you pull the blinds closed. You meander around the kitchen for a while before heading back up stairs. That primal instinct still lingers underneath your skin, but you have total control over it. It's just one of those nights. <</if>> <<if $restless == 3>> There's a raccoon scuffling outside, and the edges of your vision blur red. The urge to change bubbles up in your chest, and you can already hear your bones creaking against your will. You can [[keep fighting it]] or [[give in|There's no stopping it now]]. <</if>> <<if $restless == 4 and hasVisited("the window")>> There's a raccoon scuffling outside, and the edges of your vision blur red. The urge to change bubbles up in your chest, and you can already hear your bones creaking against your will. There's no stopping it now. But [[suddenly a notification text dings from you phone]]. <</if>> <<if $restless == 4>> There's a raccoon scuffling outside, and the edges of your vision blur red. The urge to change bubbles up in your chest, and you can already hear your bones creaking against your will. [[There's no stopping it now]]. <</if>> <<if $restless > 4>> here's a raccoon scuffling outside, and the edges of your vision blur red. The urge to change bubbles up in your chest, and you can already hear your bones creaking against your will. [[There's no stopping it now]]. <</if>>

Sarah Veith

<<set $oneAM = true>> <<set $havePhone = false>> <<set $john = false>> <<set $restless = 1>> <<set $windowOpen = true>>

You've been so good about fighting the change, but this month, it's just too strong. Your knees give out and you fall to the ground as sharp pain blossoms through your body. You bite into your arm to keep from screaming and taste blood as your teeth grow pointed and sharp, as your face contorts and elongates, as coarse fur pushes through your skin. Your legs crack and break, joints changing, and your dark claws scrape against the tile floor. You fight against it, and it's not a full change, but it leaves you a broken wreck on the floor, curled in a fetal position. You're in too much pain to move, but at least you can't hurt anyone. All you can do is wait until morning to change back. It's just one of those nights.

The notification distracts you for a moment. You blink away the red in your vision, will your body to stop its mutation, and the racoon is gone. Taking a deep breath and trying to ignore the pain throbbing down your spine and legs, you pick up your phone. John replied. <<if $oneAM == true>> Recieved: 2:43 ok just checking in. i know the full moon is hard. call me if you need me <<else>> Recieved: 3:15 ok just checking. i this time of the month is hard. i'm here if u need me <</if>> You take a deep breath and clutch the phone to your chest. That was close; you almost changed. But the effort of stopping it mid-process has left you exhausted. You head back upstairs, the pull of the moon now a distant throbbing in the back of your mind, and try to get some sleep. It's just one of those nights.

<<if hasVisited("You could text John back")>>But [[suddenly a notification text dings from you phone]]. <<else>> It's... it's happening. You've tried so hard to stop it, but [[the pull this month is too strong]]... <</if>>

You've been so good about fighting the change, but this month, it's just too strong. You give in to the change. Your knees give out and you fall to the ground as sharp pain blossoms through your body. You bite into your arm to keep from screaming and taste blood as your teeth grow pointed and sharp, as your face contorts and elongates, as coarse fur pushes through your skin. Your legs crack and break, joints changing, and your dark claws scrape against the tile floor. When the pain finally dulls, everything is sharper. You can smell everything - the beef in the fridge, the flowers in the living room, your dirty laundry upstairs - and you can clearly see out the window. Every little movement draws your eye, and the irresistable urge to hunt hits you like a hurricane. You're not yourself. You won't remember this in the morning. You break through the window, glass shattering, the closest exit to the outside world, and a deep howl bubbles up from your gut, echoing throughout the night sky. The wolf is on the hunt! You can only hope you don't do any irreversible damage. It's just one of those nights.