Chapter 3
“This is ridiculous,” Zeek said. “Your brother has been gone for, like, an hour.” He stood up and walked to the other side of the overpass.
“Yeah, what’s taking so long, anyway?” Nelson asked.
Jack didn’t answer. He just shrugged. The new boy, Caleb, still sat next to him on the curb. He bit his fingernails and bounced his knee up and down.
“Are you nervous about something?” Jack asked him.
Caleb shook his head and smiled. “Nah,” he said. “Just hungry. And I’m excited. I love full moons, don’t you?”
Jack watched his friends a few yards away. He wished they hadn’t left him sitting there with this weirdo. “Um, I guess,” he said. “I never thought about it before. Are you superstitious or something?”
“Nah, nothing like that,” Caleb said. “They just really bring out the animal in me.” Then he smiled and went back to biting his nails.
“I’m going to see what my friends are doing,” Jack said. He got up and walked over to Zeek and Nelson. “Zeek,” Jack said, “is your cell phone getting any service?”
Zeek shook his head. “I just tried,” he said. “Nothing. What is taking your stupid brother so long?”
“I don’t know,” Jack said. “But I wish he’d hurry. This guy Caleb is giving me the creeps.”
The three boys looked over their shoulders at Caleb. He stood up and waved, then started to pull off his shirt.
“What is he doing now?” Nelson whispered to his friends.
Zeek pointed at the horizon. “The moon is just about up,” he said.
Jack whistled. “Wow, it’s huge,” he said. The full moon came up from the earth like a giant dinner plate, glowing big and bright.
“Hey,” Jack called to Caleb, “the moon’s out now.”
There was no reply. Caleb was nowhere to be seen. The three boys turned around, looking for the new boy. As they did, a huge figure leaped across the overpass.
The figure landed in front of them, its big hairy feet slapping the pavement. It opened its long snout, showing long, sharp teeth and fangs.
Then it roared.