With another pitiful sigh, Billy opened his locker. The girls did one of two things : make fun of him, or completely ignore him. The guys, on the other hand, gave him three options : make fun of him, beat him up, or completely disregard his entire existence. He preferred the latter from both sexes.

"Hi Billy," a calm, friendly female voice said behind him.

With a cry of alarm, he spun around, sending his notebook and the majority of its contents across the hallway. Laughs began to sound all around him, and he felt his face turn a dark shade of red. Groaning, he dropped to his knees and began to collect his scattered papers.

"Dropped your notebook, geek," a hulk of a guy said above him. He kicked he notebook, sending it down the hallway.

"Back off, Bulk," the voice's source said defensively, placing her foot on the sliding notebook. Billy glanced up to see Trini, one of the few girls in the school was occasionally talked to him. He actually found her quite attractive, with long black hair and wide, warm eyes, and regarded her in nearly the same respect as he did Kimberly.

"Make me," Bulk growled.

"Yeah! Make him!!!" Skull, Bulk's sidekick, laughed hysterically.

"Quiet, numskull!" Bulk grunted.

"Bulk, don't you have somewhere else to be?"

Bulk and Skull glanced at each other, and then at Billy. "We'll take care of you later, nerd boy," Bulk threatened, pointing an angry finger at the trembling younger teen.

"Yeah, later!" Skull echoed, giving his customary laugh.

"I'm sorry, Billy," Trini said, gracefully kneeling beside him to help collect his scattered papers. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Your apologies and actions were not necessary but are greatly appreciated," Billy said hurriedly.

Trini smiled and said, "Don't let Bulk and Skull get to you." She handed Billy a stack of his papers. "I guess I'll see you in Art class."

"Uh huh," Billy said. "Bye." Mentally smacking himself on the head, he collected the last of his things and headed off to class. They had just been dismissed from 6th period and had a ten minute break before 7th, but he preferred to hurry and get to class. If he hung around his locker, he usually ended up getting picked on. He much preferred to read for ten minutes in an empty classroom.

"Oh, come on, Zack," Kimberly said, nudging him in the ribs. "It'll be fun."

"The Haunted Forest," Zack read from the bulletin board. "Fun for all ages. Children under the age of fourteen will not be admitted without parents. Well, how much is it?" His eyes scanned the orange and black flyer. "Eight bucks?! I'm not paying eight bucks to get scared!"

"I want to go, and I don't want to go by myself," Kimberly said. "Besides, this is Halloween. What better night is there to get scared?"

"I am not paying eight dollars to go traipsing through the woods on Friday night," Zack said. "Who knows? This might be the night Angela says yes."

"She is never going to go out with you," Kimberly said, and had to laugh at his overacted crestfallen face. "Come on. I'll even pay your way in."

"Really?"

"My treat," she said. "I just don't want to go by myself."

"Well, okay," Zack agreed. "Hey! Why don't we invite Jase too!"

"Jase? Jason Scott? Steroid boy?"

"Yeah, wait a minute. Steroid boy? Jason does not take steroids. He's a member of D.A.R.E.."

"I suppose you're going to tell me that an ordinary fifteen year old can get that big without steroids?"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you," Zack said. "I've even lifted with him. He's just naturally big."

"Well, if you like him that well, yeah, he can come, too," Kimberly said. "But I am not paying his way."

"You'll like him," Zack taunted, giving her a teasing nudge.

"Yeah right," Kimberly laughed, hitting him on the elbow.

"There he is," Zack said. "I'm gonna go ask him now."

"Ask Angela too!" Kimberly shouted after him. "If she says yes, I'll pay everybody's way!"

Trini walked up to the bulletin board and eyed the extravagant orange and black banner. "Haunted Forest?" Trini asked. "Sounds intriguing."

"Hmm?" Kimberly asked, turning around.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Trini said. "I was just talking to myself about the Haunted Forest."

"Yeah, sounds cool, huh?" Kimberly said. "Me and a few friends are going there tonight. It's the last night, so if you're gonna go, you better go tonight."

"Maybe I'll see you there," Trini smiled.

"Maybe," Kimberly said. "Zack's wavin' me down, so I gotta go. Nice talking to ya, Tina."

"Trini," Trini corrected.

"I'm sorry," Kimberly said. "My name is Kimberly."

"It's okay," Trini said. "I've been called worse. See you around."

"Likewise," Kimberly said with a grin.

_Oh for crying out loud,_ Billy thought to himself. _Having a crush on Trini is not exactly like you're cheating on Kimberly. She doesn't even know your name! At least Trini has talked to you..._

"Hi Billy," Trini said as she entered the Art room. She glanced around and realized that Billy was sitting in the room, completely alone. "Why aren't you out talking with your friends?"

"Uhm," _I don't have any friends..._, "n-no reason." _Well, let's see here Billy. Here is a very attractive girl who is actually willing to talk to you. If you could actually talk back without stammering and making a fool of yourself, you might make a friend..._

Trini walked across the room and pulled a chair up to Billy's table. "Mind if I sit here today? I think we're going to start on Partner Soap Sculpting today. Unless you already have a partner...."

"No!" Billy exclaimed. "No, I have yet to acquire an associate for our upcoming assignment."

"Good," Trini said with a genuine smile. _I will get this boy to relax if it kills us all._

"I believe I have witnessed your presence at Ernest's Restaurant and Gymnasium."

"I go to Ernie's sometimes," Trini said. "I don't think I've ever seen you there, though."

"I have been known to frequent that establishment on rare occasions," Billy said.

Trini paused for a moment, wondering if she should ask Billy what she would like to ask him. _It might push him over the edge..._ However, she decided if she had any hope of making Billy normal, then she would have to go for it. "Billy? I was wondering. Tonight is the last night of the Haunted Forest. Would you like to go with me?"

"Huh?" Billy suddenly croaked, simultaneously turning blood red. "Trini, I do not excel in any situation where there is the possibility of a crowd being present."

"Then we can go late," Trini said. "They stop taking people at eleven o'clock. We'll show up at 10:55, and you won't have to deal with a crowd. It probably won't be more than the two of us that late."

"Oh-okay," Billy stammered. _Did I just make a date?_

"I can't believe you talked me into this," Jason grumbled, pulling his red windbreaker a little tighter. "It's dark, I've been chaperoning little kids all night, I just got out of my costume and it's cold!"

"You'll enjoy yourself," Kimberly told him. "I hear it's a lot of fun. Too bad Zack couldn't get Angela to go with him," she teased. Zack just grinned at her.

"Yeah, well, one of these days, she will see the light," he pronounced in a lofty tone. Jason snorted.

"Sure, Zack, whatever you say." Jason was a bit uncomfortable at the situation. Sure, he knew Kimberly by sight around school, and Zack a bit better than that, from all the times they had lifted together, but they weren't exactly close friends. He didn't have any of those.

"Hey, look," Kimberly suddenly pointed. In the dim lights that illuminated the parking lot which formed the entrance to the Haunted Forest, they could see two people coming towards them. "Isn't that Trini? And that guy next to her, oh, I know his name-"

"Billy," Zack supplied. "He's pretty cool, although he's pathologically afraid of people."

"Oh, yeah, the guy with the overalls and glasses," Jason realized. "I think he's in a few of my classes." He tried to recall. Billy was so shy and retiring that Jason would not have known who he was except for the fascinating report he had given at the science fair last year on laser technology. Some of the kids had made fun of him, but Jason had found the idea of coherent light fascinating. During the fair, he had stopped Bulk and Skull from trashing Billy's models, although Billy had been nowhere nearby at the time and probably knew nothing about it.

"Trini, I am suddenly entertaining notions of abandoning this venture," Billy swallowed, noticing the silhouettes up ahead in the parking lot. One was very small, but the other two were big enough to worry him. He had received one too many thrashings from the school jocks to be totally relaxed around any male bigger than he was.

"Don't be silly," Trini scolded him, taking his arms so that he couldn't run. "It's just Kimberly and her friends. I think that's Zack Taylor waving at us."

Billy felt his face catch fire. "Oh, no, not Kimberly," he muttered to himself. "I will most likely commit some flagrant social error and make myself appear to be completely socially inept."

"You're not going to embarrass yourself, so stop worrying!" Trini refused to let go of Billy, physically dragging him over to the other three.

"Hey, Trini," Kimberly smiled. "Nice to see you here."

"Nice to see you, too, Kim. What are you guys doing out so late?"

"Well, Jason, Zack, and I got roped into chaperoning some little kids as they trick-or-treated, and it took longer than we thought. So, when we changed out of our costumes, we were just in time to catch the last tour through."

"Speaking of which," Jason interrupted, "It's about five Ôtil. If we're gonna go, we'd better go now."

"Right," Trini agreed. The five of them headed for the entrance to the trail.

"Welcome to the Haunted Forest," the man at the entrance grinned. "Enjoy the trip- it'll be the ride of your lives." He laughed evilly and motioned them onto the trail. Kimberly grabbed onto Jason in mock fright, prompting an almost inaudible sigh from Billy. He could only wish she'd grab onto him like that.

"That guy was pretty into his part for a guy who's been on duty all night," Zack observed as they headed down the trail.

"Yeah, and did you see his hair? And his nails? Man, he could use a cut and a manicure," Kim added. "Major gross."

As the five of them walked, Billy realized that he and Kimberly were slowly falling behind the others, she because of her shorter stride and he because of his wariness of Jason and Zack. Suddenly, he noticed that the other three had managed to disappear around the bend, leaving the two of them alone.

_Calm down, Billy_ he told himself. _You will be just fine. After all, you're just walking through the woods with her. What could go wrong?_

"Your name's Billy, right?" Kim remarked suddenly, breaking the silence.

"A- affirmative," he stuttered.

"That means yes, doesn't it?" she chuckled. "I thought so. I've seen you around at school. I'm Kimberly."

"Yes, I was aware of your identity. I, too, have been aware of your presence at various educational activities and functions." Kimberly shot him a look that said she didn't understand anything he had said. He thought for a moment. "I know who you are. I've seen you at various school functions."

"Oh." They walked in silence a little longer. "Do you ever go to Ernie's? ÔCause I've never seen you there."

"I do frequent that establishment, but I try not to be noticed," he replied, trying, and not entirely succeeding, to restrict himself to smaller words for Kimberly's benefit.

"Why?"

"Because large people like Jason and Zack are often in attendance, and I have found attracting their notice to be painful."

"Billy, you're afraid people will beat you up?"

"Affirmative. It has happened far too often for me to expect any other outcome."

"Well, I don't know about anyone else, but if that happened while Jason and Zack were there, they'd put a stop to it."

"Really?"

"Sure. I don't know Jason very well, but what I do know of him is that he's always defending people who are getting picked on and can't fight back as effectively. Maybe you should take Jason's karate class. I hear it's really good for building skills like that."

"I'm afraid that I have no skill at physical endeavors," he sighed. Then he remembered. "I'm not very good at sports."

"Oh." Suddenly she looked up. "How long have we been walking along this path?"

"Approximately five minutes," Billy replied.

"Shouldn't something have jumped out at us by now?"

"Affirmative. This is most perplexing."

"Yeah, and it's weird, too." Suddenly Kim spotted a form laying by a nearby tree. "Here we go." She walked over to it and saw that it was apparently a man who had been ripped open by something very sharp. "Wow, his makeup is really impressive," she mused.

"Actually, Kimberly, from the aroma the breeze is wafting our way, I would say that the lacerations on his body are genuine," Billy replied, holding onto his lunch with an effort.

"What?"

"I think he's really dead." She looked at him for a moment, then screamed. She continued screaming hysterically for several moments, while he stared at her helplessly. Then he reached out and pulled her close. "It's all right," he whispered, for once not feeling self-conscious in the least. "It's going to be all right."

Finally, she sobbed herself out on his chest. "Thanks, Billy," she sniffed. "I guess I really lost it there, huh?"

"I nearly joined you," he smiled weakly. Then his face grew more serious. "We must alert the others. If whoever or whatever perpetrated this is still in the vicinity-" He didn't have to finish. The color drained out of her face and she pulled him along the trail as they ran to catch up with Jason, Zack, and Trini.

"What happened to them?" Jason asked, looking around him.

_Billy is alone with Kimberly?_ Trini asked. _What have I done?! He's probably had a heart attack by now!_

"Man, for eight bucks, this tour really bites!" Zack groaned.

"You didn't even pay to get in!" Jason laughed.

"He's right. This is generic," Trini said. "Now look at this. We're coming up on, ohhh, Crystal Lake. Jason or somebody should be around here."

Kimberly's piercing scream suddenly caught up to them. "Well, looks like they just got a scare," Jason said, smiling all over himself. He was really starting to enjoy himself, despite not really knowing anyone with him.

"Hey cool!" Zack shouted. "There's a dead guy over there!"

"Do you guys smell something?" Jason asked. "Like ... copper, sort of, and ..."

"Crap?" Zack asked in an amused tone.

"Well, we are in the woods," Trini said. She chuckled and crept over to the body. As soon as she was within a foot or two of the supposed corpse, she realized that the smell was coming from the mangled, bloody body before her. "Uhm, you guys.... it's this thing that stinks."

"Maybe it's just a really good special effect," Zack said hopefully.

"Maybe," Trini said, cautiously reaching an arm out to the body's neck. Jason and Zack leaned over her shoulder, watching her carefully.

The body suddenly lashed an arm out, grabbing her firmly by the forearm. Trini screamed at the top of her lungs while Jason and Zack stepped back. As soon as they realized what had happened, they both began to laugh at Trini's expense. "Aw geez," Trini said, feeling a hot rise come to her cheeks. She couldn't help but laugh at herself, though. "I honestly thought this guy was dead for a second."

"Wo-," the body stammered painfully.

"Hey wait," Jason said, smiling from ear to ear. "He's gonna say something."

"He's awfully cold," Trini said, suddenly nervous again.

"Wol-," the man managed to grunt, and then his arm went limp.

"This isn't funny," Trini said angrily as she turned his bloody hand over. She pressed her index and middle finger against his wrist. After waiting several seconds, she dropped his hand with a cry and backed away. "Oh my God! He's dead!"

"No," Zack said firmly, slowly backing away from the corpse. "This is just some kind of weird prank. The guys on this tour just put up major buckage to make a really realistic dummy that can talk and grab people. That is not a real body."

Billy and Kimberly suddenly slammed into his back. All three teens screamed as Zack spun around in horror. Kimberly and Billy were both equally pale-faced and breathing hard.

"There is a body crossed with multiple lacerations all about his head and torso without any of his vitals!" Billy cried, panicked.

"What?!" Jason shouted, exasperated.

"He's dead!" Kimberly shrieked. "There is a dead man back there! And it's not a dummy! He's ripped open, and there's blood and flesh everywhere, and he's dead!"

"This man is dead, too," Trini said, backing away from the corpse.

"What kind of game is this?" Jason asked angrily. "If this is supposed to be funny, it isn't!" he shouted to the tour actors he hoped were just beyond them, laughing hysterically at their reactions.

"Let's get the hell out of here," Zack pleaded. "This stopped being fun about two minutes ago."

"I must concur with Zachary," Billy said fearfully. "I fear that a dreadful occurrence has transpired that resulted in the untimely expiration of the tour actors."

"I'm not even sure if I know what that means, but I want to go, now," Kimberly said angrily.

Suddenly, a rustling came from the side. All five teens turned to look into the dark woods. "Did you all hear that?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, and I wish I hadn't," Zack replied. Instinctively, the five gathered with their backs to each other, forming a circle. A low growl sounded from the bushes in front of Billy, and suddenly something big and hairy shot from them, knocking him to the ground. Billy had never thought of himself as a fighter, but now he found adrenaline shooting through his veins, and suddenly gained the strength to hold the animal's jaws away from his throat. However, it did manage to take a bite out of his chest during the struggle. He screamed, but did not let go.

Suddenly a foot clad in a hiking boot slammed into the wolf's chest, sending it flying off Billy. Kim and Trini helped Billy up. As Zack handed him his glasses, which had been lost in the fight, Billy could see that it had been Jason who had literally kicked the wolf off him and now was holding it at bay with a tree limb. Another powerful swipe, and the wolf ran off into the darkness, howling.

"What the hell was that?" Zack asked, obviously shaken.

"That's what that man was trying to warn us about," replied Trini. "Wolves."

"This is most perplexing," Billy mused, adjusting his glasses. It gave him something to think about other than the bite wound in his chest. "Wolves are generally solitary creatures, and are certainly not prone to such violent behavior. As well, the beast that attacked me was far too massive to be a true wolf. I would estimate that it massed approximately 180 pounds."

"What?" Zack and Kimberly asked in unison.

"Wolves don't do this sort of thing, and that one was way too big," Trini translated absently. Looking up at the sky, she felt her blood run cold. "Oh no."

"What is it, Trini?" Jason stepped forward at the look on her face.

"The moon. It's full tonight," she whispered.

"No way, uh-uh, no how, there is no such thing as a werewolf!" Zack cried.

"I would have to concur with Zachary, such a thing is scientifically unfeasible," Billy agreed, but he looked pensive all the same. "However, conservation of mass during the transformation would explain the inordinately large size of my attacker."

"Look, werewolves or not, we have got to keep moving," Jason told them. "Wolves, even regular wolves, are smart, smart enough to attack us if we stay here. Now, there are a lot of hunting cabins in this vicinity. If we can find one, we can rest and maybe find a phone." Suddenly his eyes narrowed. "Shit, Billy, you've been hurt!"

"Apparently the wolf managed to remove a fairly significant portion of my substance," Billy shrugged. He figured he was in shock, because neither the idea nor the wound itself bothered him that much.

"Yeah, and he took a big chomp out of you too," Zack replied, slipping under Billy's shoulder. "We're gonna need to bandage that up."

"Not here," decided Jason. "We'll find a cabin and tend to him there." With Jason in the lead, Zack and Trini supporting Billy between them, and Kimberly bringing up the rear, the five moved off into the woods.

"Oh man, Billy," Zack complained. "You're losing blood."

"My condition is stable, Zachary," Billy said.

"Call me Zack," Zack told him. "If you say Zachary, it sounds like I'm in trouble."

"Where are we going?" Kimberly asked nervously, looking all about her. "We are just going farther and farther away from town."

"Those ... things stand between us and town," Jason said firmly.

"They were werewolves and you know it," Trini insisted.

Jason turned around, causing Zack and Trini to stop dead still. Billy stumbled, but managed to stay on his feet. "There is no such things as werewolves," Jason growled. "I would have thought that you of all people would know better."

"Were-animals have been in legends for years, Jason, and from every country in the world," Trini said. "And that thing was shaped like a man, but it was covered with fur like a wolf. Whatever you want to call it, it was a wolf man, and it's obviously hungry."

"Aw, geez," Kimberly said. "Remember that thing at the gate! It wasn't make-up! That was a werewolf too!"

"Then why didn't it kill us then?" Jason asked angrily.

"Because it wanted us to come in here and provide a good meal for a few of his friends," Kimberly snapped back.

"Okay, listen," Zack said. "If you all want to argue, then let's argue while we're walking."

"Zachary ... Zack is right," Billy said. "Stable targets would be greatly preferred over a moving one." Zack, Trini, and Billy began to move forward, slowly but steadily.

"Right," Jason said. "Sorry Kim."

"S'okay," Kimberly muttered, still looking about her nervously. "I'm just a little on-edge is all."

"I see lights!" Zack cried.

"Yeah!" Jason shouted happily, running a few feet ahead. "There's a cabin up ahead!"

"Electricity this far out in the boonies?" Kimberly asked.

"Electrical lines traverse all about Stone County," Billy said weakly.

"Whatever," Kimberly said. "If it has four walls and a roof, I'll be happy."

A deep, guttural growling suddenly sounded from behind them. Kimberly spun around in her tracks. A pair of amber eyes could be seen not too far from her, glowing in the light of the moon. "Noooo," she pleaded.

"Kimberly?" Zack asked over his shoulder.

Biting back the tears that desperately wanted to flow, she ran up to the others. A horrific, animalistic growl came from behind them and a pair of heavy feet thumped against the ground. "No!" Kimberly screamed, running forward. "Run you guys!"

Jason turned around to see a humanoid, covered entirely in fur but wearing clothing, running toward Kimberly. He ran past Zack, Billy, and Trini and stopped in the middle of their path, taking a defensive stance.

"No!" Trini shouted angrily. "Kimberly, you and Zack get Billy to the cabin, now."

"Trini," Kimberly said as she pressed tightly against them. "You can't-"

"Now," Trini reiterated in a tone that no one was willing to argue with. Trini took Billy's arm and draped it over Kimberly's shoulder. She then took her place beside Jason.

Jason jumped into the air and high-kicked the werewolf, sending it stumbling backwards. Trini whirled past Jason and planted a foot firmly in the wolf's abdomen, causing it to grunt in pain. "Duck!" Jason shouted. Trini looked over at him in time to see his foot swinging directly toward her. She dropped to the ground, and his foot sailed over her, hitting a second werewolf that had sneaked up behind her.

Trini jumped to her feet, and turning her back for only a brief moment, snap-kicked the first werewolf. Deciding it had its fill of the attack, it ran back into the darkness to wait for the next opportune moment to attack.

"Come on," Jason said, taking Trini's arm and pulling her along. "They're gone for now." Trini nodded in agreement, and they both ran after the others.

Zack pushed the cabin door aside. It was torn off of its bottom hinge and hung in the door frame haphazardly. "Come on," he said as Kimberly helped Billy hobble into the cabin.

"From the appearance of this domicile, I would have to conclude that a similar felonious assault occurred here," Billy said.

Kimberly looked at him fearfully as his words slowly registered in her brain. All of the windows were broken, furniture was overturned, and a few droplets of blood could be seen about the small cabin.

"If they've been here before," Zack said, "then they'll come back."

"It doesn't matter," Kimberly said. "They're already after us, and we have to get Billy fixed up."

Trini and Jason suddenly ran into the cabin. "We chased 'em off for now," Jason said.

"Oh man, I just had another thought," Trini said. "If those things are werewolves, and they sure look like it, then Billy is going to turn into one."

"What?" Kimberly asked in shock.

"There are cures," Trini said, "we just have to think of one. Just concentrate on getting his wound cleaned up first."

"Who has had first aid training?" Zack asked.

Billy weakly raised his hand. "I have, too," Kimberly said, "but it was a long time ago. But with Billy's help, we should be all right."

"Thyme!" Trini shouted suddenly. "Thyme can keep Billy from turning into a werewolf!"

"This is a hunting cabin," Zack protested. "Not likely to have thyme."

"Let's still look," Trini said as she walked to the back. "Maybe it isn't so much a hunting cabin as a get-away cabin."

Jason walked over to a nearby gun cabinet. "Or both?" he said. He kicked the glass out with his booted foot and pulled a double barrel shotgun out. After checking to see if it was loaded, he walked to the open door and announced, "I'll keep watch."

"All right," Billy," Kimberly said, helping him over to a nearby chair. "Take your shirt off and I'll fix you up."

"Oh, uhm, no. I think my self-esteem can survive this unscathed if I attend to my pectoral lacerations myself," Billy said nervously.

"Huh?"

"I think he means he doesn't want to take his shirt off," Trini said from the back of the cabin.

"Precisely," Billy said, starting to turn red.

"Billy," Kimberly said with an overly cute smile, "you don't have anything I haven't seen before. Besides, you can't bandage yourself up with just one arm. Now take your shirt off, or I'll do it for you."

"Okay," Billy said nervously. He reached his left hand up to his overalls and began to fumble with the hooks.

"Aw geez," Kimberly said. "Looks like I'll have to do it anyhow." She unhooked his overalls and helped him remove his blue T-shirt. "It's not too bad," she said, examining the wound. She got up to get a rag, and ran it under water from the sink.

"Found it!" Trini shouted happily. "They have thyme!"

Kimberly carefully cleaned up around his wound, causing Billy to shiver from the cold water. "Sorry," Kimberly said. "See, it's not bad at all. I'll tape this up with a clean rag, and you'll be fine."

Zack and Trini returned to their side with a sprig of dried thyme. "Here, Billy, eat this," Trini told him, handing him the herb. Billy looked at it in skepticism, but swallowed it without comment.

"Billy dude!" Zack shouted. "You're totally ripped!"

"I apologize profusely, Zachary, but I am unfamiliar with your suburban linguistics," Billy stammered.

"He says you're very muscular," Trini told him.

"He's right," Kimberly said as she placed a clean rag over Billy's wound. She smiled and said, "I just didn't want to say anything because you already looked red enough to burst."

Billy attempted a feeble smile, although his thoughts weren't exactly on the right course with Kimberly's hands on his chest. _She is just taping up my wound,_ Billy told himself. _That's it. Thank God I wore overalls or I would really be embarrassing myself_

"Well, I do engage in the recommended forty-five minutes of daily exercise for optimal health," Billy said nervously.

"You lift?" Zack asked.

"Pardon?"

"Weights? Do you lift weights?"

Billy nodded and said, "I own a standard set of weights. I ... lift ... in my garage."

"I didn't think I had ever seen you at Ernie's."

"I try not to be noticed." Billy reached for his T-shirt, and wincing, struggled back into it.

"Hey, you guys," Jason said. "C'm'ere for a sec."

Billy stood up and slowly pulled his overalls back up over his shoulders as he walked to the door with the others.

"What is it?" Zack asked.

"Listen," Jason said.

After a few minutes of eerie silence, dozens and dozen of wolf howls could be heard, drifting on the weak breeze.

"What are we going to do?" Kimberly asked, looking at Jason.

"I don't know," Jason said plainly.

"A barricade might be of some effectiveness, although perhaps not indefinitely," Billy mused. "If you and Zack were able to transfer the kitchen table, which I notice is extremely heavy, to block the door, it might provide us with at least temporary protection from our attackers." Billy carefully did not identify the attackers, not wishing to provoke another argument.

"Yeah, and when they come through the windows, we'll be sitting ducks," Zack pointed out.

"Maybe not," Jason replied. "The kitchen table is round. We can roll it out of the door if necessary, but it's so wide, whatever's out there won't be able to do the same, even if it's got hands. Zack, help me move it." The two boys began moving the table in front of the door while Trini helped Billy to a seat. Kimberly looked around the room, and then back at Trini.

"Trini, if these are werewolves, then the only way to kill them is a silver bullet, right?"

"Not necessarily. Decapitation, removal of the heart, or a wound with any silver weapon would kill a werewolf as well. Why?"

"Well, I don't intend to just sit around here and wait for whatever's out there, werewolves or not, to come in after us. And if they're werewolves, we should be prepared. I say we make ourselves some weapons."

"I like that idea," Jason agreed, coming up behind her. "Billy, do you think you could silver-plate a bullet?"

Billy thought for a moment. "I don't think so. However, I do not believe that a silver bullet will be necessary, at least, not for that shotgun. A close-range blast from that weapon will certainly cause decapitation or removal of the heart without any need for silver."

"What?" Jason asked.

"No, but you'll do fine with ordinary shells," Trini translated.

"Then I'll concentrate on finding ammo," Jason replied, returning to the gun cabinet.

"Jase, do you know how to use one of those things?" Zack asked hesitantly.

"I wouldn't be firing one if I didn't. My dad taught me to shoot a long time ago." Zack said nothing more, just joined Jason in looking for shells.

Billy suddenly realized that Kim was not looking at any of them. "Kimberly, what has so attracted your attention?" he inquired, following her gaze to the bow and arrow that hung on the wall.

"I used to shoot at camp, every year," she murmured, almost to herself. Crossing to where the large compound bow hung, she took it down, testing its pull. Billy could almost see the cords standing out in her arm as she pulled, but it came back effortlessly. "Billy, there are a lot of arrows here. Do you think you could make arrowheads out of silver?"

"I might be able to fabricate such," he answered slowly, "but silver is an extremely soft metal. It would likely penetrate flesh, but not bone."

"Doesn't matter," Trini responded. "It's poisonous to werewolves. If you so much as scratch one with silver, it gets very sick, and an arrow wound would likely kill one anyway."

"Then let's get to work," Kim said. "We can probably use the kitchen to melt down the silver."

While Billy and Trini worked on the silver arrowheads, Zack began cleaning out the refrigerator. "I don't know about anybody else," the young man announced, "but I'm starving, and Billy should certainly eat something. He's lost a lot of blood."

"I'm not certain that I feel entirely comfortable raiding the refrigerator," Billy protested half-heartedly. The food did look extremely appetizing, and he was well aware of what might happen if he didn't eat anything.

"Billy," Zack said, sounding more serious than usual, "I don't think they'll care. You need this, and we should all eat something. I have a feeling that this is going to be a long night."

Meanwhile, Kimberly headed to the door where Jason was still keeping watch. "Anything yet?" she asked quietly. He shook his head.

"No, but they're out there. Look, I'm sorry for what I said earlier."

She waved it away. "Don't bother. We're both just really scared. Jason, are we going to die?"

He looked at her for a long moment, and then shook his head. "No, Kim, we're not going to die. I promise you that."

"All of the vast amounts of knowledge I have obtained in my fifteen years of life deny the existence of werewolves," Billy said. He gingerly touched the wound on his chest and sighed.

"We've almost got one arrowhead silver-plated," Trini said happily. "I'm really sorry about your necklace, Kimberly."

"Won't do me much good if we die before dawn," Kimberly muttered, standing nervously at one of the windows.

"What exactly is our game plan, Jase?" Zack asked, walking over to the doorway where Jason stood behind the table-barricade.

"I guess load up with ammo, and as many silver arrows for Kim as her necklace will make, and run for safety," Jason said.

"We might have enough silver for two," Trini said.

"Then we'll have to rely on guns," Zack affirmed.

"We'll save the arrows for emergencies," Jason added. Kimberly nodded in agreement.

"It's already after midnight," Zack said. "I bet our parents are freaked out."

"Billy, you need to eat more than that," Kimberly urged.

"My stomach isn't exactly agreeing with me at the moment."

"That's because you've lost a lot of blood," she said. "You have to eat, and if you won't eat, then I'll make you."

"I will satisfy my body's needs tomorrow," Billy told her. "When we are safe."

"You'll need the energy tonight," Jason said. "We might have to run for miles."

"Ungh," Billy groaned. He felt more like throwing up than eating and feared that any food would just make him lose everything he had eaten that day.

Kimberly sighed and walked over to the refrigerator. "Stomach hurts, huh?" she asked. "Well, we're in luck. We have nice, cold fruit. What's your favor? Apples, or .... apples?"

"Apples," Billy requested.

Kimberly pulled a pair of apples out of the refrigerator's fruit and vegetable bin and walked over to Billy. "Cheers," she said, handing him one.

Billy moaned as he took the apple. "Run for miles?" he asked.

"Depends on how far out in the boonies we are," Jason said. "It's at least a mile back to the path through the Haunted Forest."

"We don't want to go that way," Trini said. "I suggest we go in the opposite direction. If they killed all of the actors, we don't want to be anywhere near the tour."

"But the Haunted Forest was already on the outskirts of Angel Grove," Kimberly said. "If we go straight, we'll have to walk until we get to Stone Canyon."

"I suggest a path circling around toward the west," Billy said.

"He's right," Trini said. "We walk away from the Haunted Tour but head in the general direction of the start. We should come out somewhere near the exit without having to go anywhere near the actual path."

"It's agreed then," Jason said. "As soon as Trini is finished with the arrows, we go."

"I'm almost done," she said, tipping the iron skillet on its side to pool the small quantity of molten silver. "This is harder than it looks."

"This apple is having the desired effect upon my digestive system," Billy murmured. "I no longer feel ... logy."

"Logy?" Kimberly asked.

"He doesn't feel like crap anymore," Trini clarified.

"Affirmative," Billy said. "Any spinach?"

"Eew," Kimberly said. "Spinach? You're the one who drinks spinach smoothies!"

"I knew I had seen you at Ernie's," Zack said.

"Trini, hurry with those arrowheads," Jason commanded. "Zack, get ready."

"What?" Zack asked.

"Get a gun for anybody who's comfortable with a gun, and get a load of shells for everybody else," Jason ordered.

"Jason, what's wrong?" Trini asked, thoroughly coating another arrowhead with the remaining silver.

"They're here for us," Jason answered coldly.

The howls sounded again, louder now. Zack immediately picked up a shotgun, while Trini helped Kimberly strap her bow to her back and Billy began to gather the ammunition.

"Heads up!" Zack yelled. "Here they come!"

What glass was left in the shattered windows immediately blew inwards as the werewolves jumped through them and into the cabin. Taking aim, Jason squeezed off a shot, obliterating most of the closest werewolf's chest. "Billy! Kim! Get that table out of our way!"

"Allow me," Kimberly grinned. Billy moved back, and she used her powerful legs to roll the table out of the door. Then she scooped up one of the remaining shotguns and helped Zack and Jason as they laid down cover fire. The five of them ran out the door, the werewolves in hot pursuit.

Sometime later, the howls were no longer as close, and the exhausted teens had slowed to a more sedate walk. "Where did you learn to shoot a shotgun?" Zack asked Kimberly in amazement.

"Aw, my dad taught both me and my older brother when we were kids," she replied, with a grin. "Hope a woman with gun skills doesn't frighten you, Zack."

"I find it very reassuring," Billy interjected. "The more guns, the better, and I am unable to shoot one."

"All right, considering who's armed, I'll lead the way, Trini, you stay behind me, Kim will take the middle, Billy behind her, and Zack'll bring up the rear. Any objections?" Jason asked. There were none, and they fell into order.

"Jason?" Trini asked quietly. "How come you're so calm and in charge?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. All my life, I've been put into the position of leader, and I guess I just naturally fell into it now. You don't think I'm too bossy, do you?"

"No, someone had to be in charge, and you're certainly doing a good job. It's just- it seems a little strange."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. It's like- this is how things were meant to be. I feel like we're being set up for something."

"You know, we make a pretty good team," Trini mused. "You lead, Billy's a genius, Kim has a lot of first aid training, and she's a pretty good fighter at that. Zack's a lot tougher than he usually seems, and I translate for Billy."

"Don't sell yourself short," Jason replied. "You've come up with some pretty good ideas tonight, and you're smart, too."

"Thanks," she smiled.

"Y'know, I'm really glad I got stuck on this walk with you guys," Zack mused as they walked along."

"Yeah?" Kimberly replied from her position in front of Billy. "Why is that?"

"Well, most of the people I call my friends would have freaked out and gotten us all turned into werewolf bait by now. But you guys, you're all keeping cool heads here. I mean, I think Angela is the greatest thing in the world and all, but if I'd brought her along and this had happened, she'd be completely out of her element."

"I'm not entirely certain that I am worthy of such complimentary terms," Billy began, then remembered who he was talking to. "I'm not sure I'm worth that much praise," he translated. "I'm scared out of my wits right now."

"Yeah, but Billy, you'll admit it," Kim answered. "A lot of guys I know would get all macho and try to protect the little woman," she snorted.

"Considering how good a shot you are, I think I'd rather have the "little woman" protect me," Zack joked. She smiled.

"Besides, being scared's not a bad thing," she went on. "Courage is about functioning, even when you're scared stiff."

Billy thought about that. "I've never believed in destiny," he said slowly. "However, does it seem to you as if tonight- had to happen?"

"Yeah, I felt that too," Zack replied. "As if it had to be here, had to be us."

"But not all of us," Kim said quietly. "Don't you feel it? As if there should be someone else?"

The other two nodded. They had both sensed it that evening, as if there was a hole in the party, waiting to be filled. The feeling unnerved them, and they talked no more about it for the rest of the trip.

"How are you guys holding up back there?" Trini asked.

"Acceptable," Billy answered.

"Not that I'm complaining, but where are the werewolves?" Zack asked.

"Yeah, it's like they've just given up," Kimberly agreed.

"They haven't given up," Trini said. "They're out there."

"They're hunting us," Jason said. A sudden howl came from their right. All five teens stopped dead still and turned in the direction of the sound. "Let's just keep walking, but stay alert," Jason said firmly.

Suddenly, werewolves were all about them, jumping from trees and running at them from all directions. Kimberly felt a furry body collide with her, knocking her to the ground.

Zack leapt to save her, but werewolf hit him in the right arm, using a heavy tree branch as a club. Jason turned to fire a shot, but a paw full of sharp claws scraped into his back, causing him to drop his weapon and give a bellow of pain.

"Kimberly!" Billy shouted. He launched himself at her attacker and wrapped his arms around the werewolf's shoulders. Pulling with all of his strength, he rolled the werewolf off of her body.

"NO!" Kimberly screamed angrily, planting her heel in the werewolf's face. With a hurt yelp, it scrambled away from Billy.

Zack dropped to the ground and attempted to pick his shotgun up with his right arm. His body immediately protested, and he dropped the gun with a grunt. The same werewolf with the tree limb jumped into his side, causing him to emit a pained scream.

Kimberly scooped up her shotgun, and still on the ground, fired at her assailant. A spray of black ichor blew out of the back of the wolf's head, effectively destroying it.

With an angry yell, Jason lurched his body forward and flipped his werewolf off of his back. He retrieved his weapon and fired, but the creature had already scrambled away.

Trini shouted a fierce hi-yaah, startling the werewolf attacking Zack both with her scream and kick. Kimberly fired in the general direction of Zack's wolf, but it had already retreated into the darkness of the forest.

"They have left this vicinity," Billy said, slowly clambering to his feet.

"They'll be back," Trini said.

"They haven't gone far, either," Jason muttered. The creatures could still be heard, running amongst the trees and making the occasional howl.

"Zack, you've been hurt," Kimberly said.

"My shoulder," Zack said. "I think it dislocated my shoulder."

"We have to pull it hard to get it back in place," Jason told him solemnly. "It won't hurt nearly as much afterwards as it does now."

"How do you know?" Trini asked.

"I've dislocated my shoulder in football," Jason told them. He looked about nervously, but with Kimberly standing with her shotgun ready, the werewolves weren't quite ready to ambush again. "And it hurt like hell until it was pulled back in place. It'll still hurt, but at least Zack will be able to walk without every move hurting."

"You know what to do?" Zack asked, fear plainly visible in his eyes.

"He's right," Kimberly said. "Trini, take my gun." Trini did as she was told, although she didn't look very comfortable with the weapon. "Zack, you have to relax, and look away. Billy, take his left hand." Billy did as he was told, although he had no idea why. "On three," Kimberly said. She took Zack's arm at the wrist, while Jason took the elbow. Kimberly gave Jason a look, and she said, "One..." Zack closed his eyes and waited nervously. "Two," she said, and gave Jason a quick nod. They both pulled hard. Zack screamed at the top of his lungs and squeezed Billy's hand hard. A sickening crack came from his shoulder as the bone moved back into position.

"Oh God!" Zack moaned, biting back an even louder cry. Tears flowed down his cheeks, and he still had such a hard grip on Billy's hand that the younger teen looked to be in pain as well. However, Billy still made no move to try and break free and just held onto Zack.

"Sorry Zack," Kimberly said, looking just as hurt as he was. "I know it hurt..."

"You need a sling," Jason said, stripping out of his windbreaker.

"Jason, your back," Billy whispered in a fearful voice. The werewolf had slashed through the windbreaker and his sweatshirt beneath. Several long gashes were visible in the red material, showing his flesh beneath, along with some bleeding scars.

"I'll be fine," he countered, quickly tying the sleeves together. He proceeded to wrap them around Zack's neck. Kimberly helped him lift his arm into the crude sling.

"You okay?" Jason asked.

He finally let go of Billy's hand and choked out, "Yeah. I think so."

"There's no way you'll be able to fire a gun now," Kimberly said. "Unless somebody brought a revolver."

"Actually," Billy said, pulling a small .38 out of the front pocket on his overalls, "I did."

"Good deal, Billy," Zack said, wiping the tears off of his cheeks with his left hand. He was obviously embarrassed that he had been reduced to tears and was trying to cover up as best he could.

".38 isn't going to take the head off of a werewolf," Trini said, "but if you hit the head, it might slow them down for a few seconds anyhow."

"Let's keep going," Kimberly said, taking her shotgun back from Trini. She quickly reloaded, not wanting to be unarmed for even a second.

"Right," Jason agreed. They fell back into formation, this time with Kimberly taking up the rear and Zack in the middle.

"Billy," Kimberly whispered up to him.

"Yes Kimberly?"

She reached up to him and gave his hand a firm squeeze. "Thank you."

"What time is it?" Zack asked suddenly from his position in the middle of the group.

"Um, four-thirty," Billy responded, squinting at his glow-in-the-dark watch face. "The sun should rise in two and a half hours, I believe."

"Think we can keep running that long? Or will we have to run longer?" Zack asked apprehensively.

"I don't think we'll have to run past daylight," Trini said slowly. "Werewolves are creatures of the night. They don't crumble up and blow into dust like vampires, but they will have a really hard time seeing. They'll probably shift back into humans once the sun comes up."

"I just thought of something," Kimberly mused. "How are we ever going to go on, knowing that someone- anyone- could be a werewolf?"

Jason shrugged, wincing as he pulled at the wounds on his back. "I'm more worried about the police. I mean, people are dead here. The cops are going to come into it somehow. We'd better cook up a good story to tell them."

"Wild animal attack," Zack volunteered, a small smile on his face. "Really big animals, but we didn't see them that well."

"And we don't remember all that much either," Trini added.

"That is the most likely story," Billy agreed. "Under such traumatic conditions, it is highly unlikely that we would remember more than bits and pieces anyway."

"All right, so that's- settled?" Jason suddenly broke off, listening. "Everybody get ready. I think they're coming at us again."

Instantly the woods were alive with werewolves. "Oh, sh-" Jason's exclamation was cut off as a large werewolf tackled him. The teens immediately began firing. Billy looked from Zack's shotgun in his hands to the creatures that were attacking him, and shrugged. Checking to see that none of his friends were in the line of fire, he aimed and pulled the trigger. The recoil nearly knocked him back on his rear, but he had the satisfaction of seeing a werewolf fall to the ground.

Trini was using a large branch as a club, protecting Kimberly's back as the other girl unloaded round after round into the approaching werewolves. Suddenly Trini heard a grunt, and turned just in time to see a werewolf knock Kimberly away, causing her to drop her gun. The other girl was quickly swallowed up in the melee, leaving Trini alone with the shotgun. With a silent prayer to whatever might be listening, Trini picked up the gun and shot it, much as Billy had done, with similar results.

Zack, meanwhile, was cursing his injured shoulder and trying to do as much damage to the werewolves as possible with his .38. Suddenly he looked around and frowned.

"Hey!" he cried. "Where's Jason and Kimberly?"

Jason and Kim had been swept away from the others by the press of furry bodies, and were now retreating down the trail as Jason kept their attackers away with the gun.

"It's almost like they're herding us somewhere," Kimberly mused. Suddenly they came out into a clearing, and Kim realized with a sinking sensation that she had been absolutely right.

Jason dispatched the last of the werewolves attacking him with the shotgun and turned to see what else was waiting. What he saw made his jaw drop and his blood run cold. Standing in the middle of the clearing, lit by the full moon shining above, was the biggest werewolf he had seen all night. Taking aim, he pulled the trigger.

"Shit," he cursed, dropping the gun. "I'm out of shells."

"What a shame," the creature in the middle of the clearing chuckled, causing Jason and Kimberly to draw a little closer at the menace in its voice. "Oh, yes, I can talk. After all, I am the master of those lesser wolves that you have met tonight."

"What do you want?" Jason asked, his voice as hard as steel.

"To hunt, of course. We are predators, after all. It is our way."

"Well, your "prey" has learned to fight back, pal," Kimberly called, with more bravado than she felt.

"So you have. But now you're out of bullets. Shall we end this little game? You against me, hand to claw. Unless you're afraid, of course," it chuckled.

"Doesn't look like I have much choice," Jason said grimly. The two began to circle while Kimberly looked on in apprehension.

_My bow!_ Kimberly thought happily. She reached over her shoulder, and realized with horror that her quiver with the two carefully made silver arrows was missing. "No!" she cried, before she even realized she had said it out loud. Fortunately for her, the only werewolf present was dealing with Jason. She turned to run back down the trail to find her quiver, sending up a very short request, but it was the most sincere prayer she had ever uttered. She ran frantically down the path, not wanting to be completely alone and without any means to defend herself for no longer than possible.

A werewolf jumped Zack, pushing him into a tree. He struggled to fight the beast off, but with only one arm, he was having no luck. He attempted to push the .38 against the werewolf's chest, hoping a close-range shot to the heart would destroy it, but the gun fell from his hand, despite every effort to hold onto it. Zack suddenly found himself staring the werewolf in the eyes, and the near-human like look in the amber orbs before him shocked him as nothing else that night had. A clawed hand was suddenly at his neck, and his only thought was that death was finally going to catch up with him.

Suddenly, the acrid smell of shot filled the air, and a boom echoed through his skull. He screamed in alarm, but then realized happily that he was still alive. The werewolf's body was limp, and dropped away, revealing Trini standing to the side. "I didn't hit you too, did I?" she asked panicked.

"No, you did great," Zack answered. He stumbled toward her, and suddenly his eyes went wide. "DUCK!!"

Trini, not hesitating for even a moment, did as she was told and dropped to the ground. Zack pivoted on his left leg and shot his right leg straight out with as much force as he could muster. A werewolf leapt at Trini, but sailed over her as she fell to the ground. Zack's foot struck it directly in the face, breaking its momentum and sending the creature to the side. Zack fell on his side, landing on his arm, and bellowing in agony.

A shriek of horror, mingled with pain, reached their ears. "Kimberly," Billy murmured in terror. He took one glance at Zack and Trini, and then darted in the direction of Kimberly's scream.

Kimberly's eyes scanned the faint trail frantically. Small limbs whipped against her face and upper body painfully, but she paid no heed to the minor nuisances. A sudden gunshot reached her ears, and she realized with a rush of relief that she was almost to the others. Suddenly, a sharp sensation streaked up her right calf. Screaming, she fell to the ground in a heap.

She rolled over onto her back to see a werewolf attached to her leg. It shot a glance up at her, and then bit into her flesh again. She screamed, this time in terror, and attempted to kick it off of her with her left foot. Kimberly realized with a start that she was still screaming, but despite her panic, knew she had to get the werewolf off of her before her leg was mangled beyond repair.

Her hand suddenly bumped against a fist-sized hard object. _A rock!_ She closed her hand around it and brought it down against the werewolf's skull. It yelped in pain, but rather than feel even the slightest compassion, she beat it again. The werewolf scampered a few feet away, whimpering in pain. Kimberly turned and attempted to get to her feet. As soon as her right foot touched the ground, a streak of white hot fire darted through her body. She stumbled back to the ground, landing full-out on her stomach. Glancing behind her, and seeing that the werewolf was still there, she forced herself to stumble along despite the intense agony she felt.

The werewolf growled angrily and jumped at her. Without even looking behind her, she knew that she was about to be tackled. A heavy body collided with her, knocking her flat on her face.

"Hey!" Billy shouted. The werewolf looked up at the teen in the path. Billy pointed the rifle in the werewolf's direction and fired. The butt of the rifle hit his stomach, prompting a grunt and a wave of nausea, but he held tight to the weapon and stayed on his feet.

Despite his unorthodox handling of the weapon, his aim was on target and the werewolf's chest imploded on impact. The unholy beast gurgled blood, and fell off of Kimberly. "Billy," Kimberly said hopefully.

"It's me," he said, immediately at her side. "Are you injured?"

"Uh huh," she whined. "My leg. God, Billy, it hurts. It chewed my leg up bad."

Billy tore her shredded pant leg off to the knee, not even once astounded that he tore through denim as thought it were no more than paper. Blood was flowing down Kimberly's calf, and despite the horrific tearing of her flesh, it wasn't broken. She was, though, bleeding heavily, and it didn't take him more than a moment to realize if it didn't stop, she would soon be so weak she couldn't make it till dawn.

"You'll be all right," he promised her. He unhooked his overalls and let the front drop to his waist. He yanked his blue t-shirt up, and hooking his fingers into the tear from his attack, tore down. A significant section of the blue cloth tore free. He quickly wrapped the cloth around her calf and tied it as tightly as he could manage. "That'll do for now," he told her, pulling his overalls back up to cover his exposed abdomen and chest.

"We have to find my quiver," Kimberly said. "I've lost it somewhere." A victorious howl suddenly filled the air. "Jason!" she cried.

Jason lay on the ground, looking up at the creature standing over him. The werewolf had proven itself to be even better than he was at hand-to-hand combat, and had wiped the forest floor with him. Now, too dazed even to move, Jason just stared at the werewolf as it gloated.

"You fight well, for a young human," the werewolf mused. "You would be a most useful addition to our pack. On the other hand, you and your friends did decimate it this evening. But, if they couldn't take five human youths, they probably deserved to be eradicated. What do you say, human? Care to become one of the pack?"

"No way," Jason croaked defiantly.

"Don't choose so hastily," the werewolf continued. "Think of what we offer. Freedom, strength! Imagine running through the woods at night, howling at the moon, hunting for your sustenance. You would be invulnerable to almost any wound. Who could stand against you? Who could resist you?"

"I'd rather die then spend the rest of my life hunting innocent people. Just kill me and get it over with," Jason shot back.

"Well, if that's what you really want," the werewolf chuckled. Raising one clawed paw, it prepared for a strike that would gut Jason from throat to belly.

Fwiz! A small sound, like a hiss of air, and the werewolf stopped. Jason, lying on the ground, saw an arrow buried in the raised arm. Looking back, he saw Kimberly and Billy, both looking extremely chewed up. Kimberly, however, was wearing a look of total determination on her face.

"Chew on this, fur face," she spat. Pulling back on the string, she released her second silver-tipped arrow. Her shot flew straight across the clearing and buried itself in the werewolf's heart.

Throwing back its head for a last plaintive howl, the creature collapsed to the ground. As the three teens watched in exhausted astonishment, the corpse slowly changed back into that of a human being, and then melted into nothingness.

They were silent for a long time, then Jason turned to Kimberly. "That leg looks pretty bad, Kim," he said quietly.

"Yeah, one of these guys tried to use me as a chew toy," she said airily, obviously not really thinking clearly. "Guess I'm gonna need to eat some thyme when I get home."

"Actually, I came prepared," Billy chuckled, pulling a sprig of thyme out of one of his overall pockets. "I thought something like this might occur."

"Billy, I could kiss you," Kimberly sighed, taking the plant from him and eating it. Jason chuckled at the blush that spread along the younger boy's face.

"Hey, Jase!" Zack called, as he and Trini made their way into the clearing. "We heard the fight, but we kind of had our hands full. Then all of a sudden, there weren't anymore werewolves. I guess we must have taken care of the entire pack."

"Looks like you got the leader," Trini noted. "I think it's finally over."

"Hey, look!" Kimberly pointed. "I think the sun's coming up!"

"Let's go home," Zack said. "My mom is probably freaked out. I was supposed to be home about six hours ago."

"Need a shoulder?" Billy offered to Kimberly.

"Yeah," she said, sliding an arm around Billy's waist. Billy put an arm around her shoulders and attempted to place the majority of her weight on him, rather than her shredded calf. Ordinarily, Billy would have been beet red and dying of embarrassment to have so much of his body in contact with Kimberly's, but he was tired and in pain.

Jason looked at his exhausted and injured friends and smiled. "Well, anybody remember where we parked?"

Sgt. Jerome Stone gasped. When the station had received ten or so calls about actors and teenagers not returning from the Haunted Forest Tour, he had been worried, but not unduly so. He had expected to find a big party, or perhaps some sort of disaster had cut the forest off from the rest of Angel Grove. He had not expected five teenagers to stagger out of the woods, looking as if they had just come through a war zone.

"What happened out here!" he asked, running towards them. The kids looked at each other.

"Wild animals, I think," Jason said, going along with the story that the five of them had come up with.

"Everybody's dead, oh God," Kimberly sobbed, leaning against Billy, who was supporting her. She did not have to work very hard to feign hysteria. She was exhausted, in pain, and about pushed to her limit.

"It would appear as if some large wild animal, such as a bear, attacked the actors in the Haunted Forest," Billy explained, holding Kimberly tightly.

"Something attacked us, but it was so dark, we just don't know what it was," Trini added.

Zack nodded. "We managed to beat it off with some tree branches, but it was so wild, I can't remember much of any of it."

Sgt. Stone looked from Kimberly, with her bandaged and mangled leg, to Billy, whose bandage was showing through the hole in his T-shirt, to Jason, covered in blood and what appeared to be some sort of black ooze, to Trini, with only a few scrapes and bruises, and finally to Zack, who had his arm in a makeshift sling. He sighed.

"Well, we can talk about this later. Right now, I think we'd better get you kids to the hospital. Guys! I need some help loading these kids into the ambulances."

The five were all loaded into one ambulance, flatly refusing to be split up. On the ride, Jason regarded the other four and grinned. "So, see you all in school on Monday?"

Monday, Billy walked into the school, trying his best to keep his attention focused firmly on his shoes. He could feel that he was the center of attention, probably due to the scrapes and bruises on his face. _Oh, well,_ he sighed to himself. _At least once they fade, things will go back to normal._ He wasn't so sure he liked that idea, though. In the forest, for the first time in his life, he hadn't felt like a nerd, like the perennial outsider. For a little while, he had seemed to have friends.

_Too good to last, I suppose._ Rounding the corner, he spotted his locker, and his jaw dropped in shock. Jason and Zack were joking around, although Jason was being careful not to jar Zack's shoulder, while Trini was watching them with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. Kimberly was leaning against his locker, filing her nails. Suddenly, she looked up and grinned.

"Billy!" she cried, limping over to him on her crutches. She gave him a light hug, which brought blood rushing to his cheeks. "We were wondering if you were going to show up today!"

"Well, I must confess that I was forced to evade the vigilant eye of my father to attend this morning," he admitted.

Jason, Zack, and Kim looked at him in confusion. "What?" they asked in unison.

"He said he had to sneak out past his dad," Trini translated with a smile.

"Affirmative. He seems to be under the impression that I was injured far more seriously than I actually was."

"He just worries about you, Billy," Kim told him. "My mom almost had a fit when I called her from the hospital."

"Oh, man, look at the time!" Zack gasped. "I'm gonna be late to English!"

"Wait a minute," Jason said, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "Who do you have for English?"

"Miss Appleby, first period," Zack replied.

"I have her then too," Jason informed him.

"Me too," added Trini.

"I attend that class myself," Billy agreed.

"Major weird," Kimberly mused. "What are the odds of all of us having the same first period class?"

"Or not remembering that we were all in it," Trini responded.

"Well, we didn't pay too much attention to each other before this," Jason replied. "But I have the feeling that that's going to change."

"Yeah, we're buds now," Zack laughed. "All of us." The five of them headed to English, laughing and talking as if they'd been friends forever.