Chapter 1

Death was standing in front of me. I had no doubt that this was the night I was going to die; in an empty park with freezing rain just starting to fall. My nothing-special life was going to end in a way I would never in a million years have seen coming. A nothing-special death sounded so much better right then.

Staying late that night to help close up the diner was always going to be a mistake, not least because I didn't get paid overtime. Stupid choice #1. Mr Kalamides wasn't a bad boss, but he was a stingy one. He didn't believe in paying his staff any more than absolutely necessary and took the approach that if he didn't acknowledge the overtime then it didn't exist. Yet there I was, thirty minutes after my shift had ended. Call me a soft touch. Or someone who needed to work on saying 'no' more often.

The night air was cold against my face, and I kicked myself for forgetting my scarf as I rushed out the door this morning. Checking that everything was secure one final time I started the short walk home. Frigid wind whistled through the leafless trees, casting dancing shadows onto the damp sidewalk. This is where I made stupid choice #2: I cut through the park. At that moment in time the quickest walk home to warmth seemed the best idea, and the park offered that.

If you've never walked through a deserted park at night then you can't imagine just how eerie it can be. A place that, during the day seems bright and non-threatening can, at night, become haunted by monsters lurking behind every boney-limbed tree. Little did I realise how right my fanciful thoughts were.

A lone jogger came puffing past me, his breath misting into little clouds. I remember thinking that he was a crazy person for voluntarily being out in this weather. And for jogging. Hugging my coat more closely around me I hurried on feeling a mounting pressure to get home and safely behind a locked door. 

Always trust your instincts.

The gateway out of the park was just feet away when I heard the first, low, rumbling growl. The vibrations rippled through my body. We're always told that in terrifying situations that a fight-or-flight reaction will kick in, but apparently there is a third option: I froze. Not a single muscle moved, as if by staying very still whatever was out there would pass me by. A primal survival instinct held me captive.

To my left I could hear the rustle of branches, but my traitorous body wouldn't let me turn to look. My brain willed me to run but my body was locked in place. A brush of fur against my upper thigh finally snapped me out of whatever trance I was in and, looking down, I was confronted with the stuff of nightmares.

Prowling in front of me was the biggest wolf I had ever seen, its head nearly reaching the middle of my chest. Dark fur covered a densely muscled body that tensed with every step taken by paws the size of a lion’s. Amber eyes glowed in the dark; they fixed on me with inexplicable malice. But for all that my gaze got caught on the snarling muzzle filled with razor-sharp teeth.

I took a small, slow step back, desperate not to provoke it. Stupid choice #3. Running like hell would have been the way to go, but don't they say you shouldn't make sudden movements around dangerous animals?

The beast in front of me lunged forward and latched onto my arm. A scream lodged in my throat, fighting for an escape that didn't come. As the blood rushed to my head and darkness began to edge my vision, the wolf sat back on its haunches and simply watched me.

I felt myself sink to the frozen ground, my body completely out of my control. Still the wolf sat and watched, not making any move towards me, it’s eyes unblinking. Just as darkness was about to take me I heard a yell in the distance. The crazy jogger was on his way back through the park. My saviour in lycra. Dragging my heavy head back in the direction of my attacker, all I saw was a dark tail disappearing into the undergrowth. Finally I gave in to the need to close my eyes and rest.

Until that moment I thought I had life all figured out. I had a job, just about managed to cover the rent on my own apartment and I had some pretty good friends. I had a life. Nothing special, but it was mine. A life I made and I chose. Doesn't sound like a big deal, right? Maybe it wasn't in the grand scheme of things, but looking back now it seems like a pretty damn big deal.