Monthly Bonus Content #1— 'On a Moonlit Night…' (Farah version) (Patreon)

The chill not only coats my clothes in a damp layer of cold but seems to penetrate all the way down into my bones. I tug my knees into my chest as my teeth clack together, hoping wiggling my toes in my boots will be enough to stop them getting frostbite.

“Why is it I always get sent out here to do this stuff when they others get to stay tucked up in the warm room at the Warehouse doing research?” I huff.

Farah smiles over at me. “At least you’re not alone.” Her slow spreading smile alights a fire in me that helps stave off the October bleakness.

The tent we’re in does little to protect us from the weather, though it’s at least a still, calm night with no rain. But even the moon is staying home tonight, too cold for it to venture out and provide a little light. All we have to go by are a few weak stars and a dim torch.

Farah shuffles closer and tugs a blanket up around my shivering form, her arms tugging me close. “Any better?”

“Much,” I reply, sinking into her embrace and enjoying our combined warmth. I breathe her in, chuckling a little.

“What?” she asks.

I shrug. “You smell different.”

She arches her head to look at me. “I do?”

“You smell like campfires and autumn mornings,” I state, drawing in the wonderfully crisp scent of her again. “Not like usual.”

“I’m not sure if I should be worried about the fact I obviously smell enough that you know my scent, or that you smell me enough to know it,” she comments with a grin.

I nudge her playfully before settling back into our embrace.

“I walked through the Square before coming here. They had a big bonfire going, which would explain it, I guess.” She then cocks a brow at me, the grin turning into a smirk. “Wanna find out if I taste like autumn too?”

I chuckle but lean in eagerly. Her lips sink against mine, a slight chill to them that I warm by running my tongue across them, drawing a moan from her.

A flash of shadow has us flinching apart.

I whip my head around as another dark figure darts past the outside of the tent. “Did you see that?”

“Nope,” she replies, but the way her wide eyes stare unflinching at where the shadow was makes me think otherwise.

A rustle sends a strike of tension to claw up my spine, the claws digging deeper as a rumble of a growl follows it.

I grasp Farah tighter against me. “You know, I’m pretty sure this is how most horror movies start.”

“Wait,” she says, looking at me with a sudden mischief playing in her eyes. “Does that make us the loved-up camping couple the monster stalks?”

“Before thoroughly ripping them apart? Yeah, I guess so,” I drawl.

She sighs and clicks her tongue. “So much for romance.”

“We can try for romance if we manage to make it out of this alive.” I nudge myself a bit forward to grab up the torch, beginning to push myself up before she grabs my arm and tugs me down again.

“Where are you going?!” she exclaims.

“To check it out,” I state. “It might be what we’ve been sent out here to find.”

“Alone?” Her voice wheezes from her.

I stifle a laugh. “Are you offering to back me up?”

She sucks in a breath and holds up her hands. “Ok, ok. We’ll go together.”

I nod, taking the hand she offers out to me. We then head out into the depths of the forest that seems to have been swallowed by the night.

As soon as our boots touch the dirt, a mournful whine rings about the trees.

My throat dries, sweat creating cold lines down my neck as Farah grips my hand tighter.

“We got this, babe,” she whispers.

I nod, moving with her to follow the source of the noise. The bush ahead quakes, as though quivering with warning, but we force ourselves on.

Three short, sharp chuffs of noise come from behind it, each one sending a beat of fear to stifle my breath.

I glance to Farah, who nods her readiness, and I reach out and grasp the branches.

Before I pull it back, a flash of grey bounds past us, crashing into our legs and making us topple back.

The wind shoots from my lungs at the collision.

But my wake up is a little more slobbery than expected as I force my eyes open to find a very hairy grey and black dog licking kisses all across my face.

I sigh and flop back against the mud, my limbs heavy from the rush of adrenaline, clearer breaths easing my tight lungs. “So you’re our big bad?”

The dog tilts its head at me with a whine before plopping its fluffy butt down beside me.

“Jeez man,” Farah blurts out, slapping a hand to her chest as she sits up. “You could have told us you were out here.”

The dog looks at her through large eyes, apparently communicating something I can’t understand.

“Yeah, we’ll get you home safe,” Farah says, pushing herself up and moving to help me onto my feet.

After looking at the dog’s tag, we find out the house isn’t that far, so we head in that direction with the canine in tow, bounding on ahead of us. I slip my hand into Farah’s, letting out a laugh at the hilarity of it all.

The next morning, my amusement fades to nausea when I find our tent ripped into smithereens. Nothing remains but the torch dying with weak flashes as it lays strewn amongst the ripped fate of our sleeping bags.

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I think these Spooky scenarios are probably gonna be super long ones, sorry! My imagination just went off on its own with them! :D

(Just a reminder that I'm still away, but will be back next Wednesday!)