The night was colder than usual. The windows of your wooden home rattled, and the pine trees surrounding it swayed with the harsh wind. The villagers had been tense all day, whispering warnings about the full moon rising tonight. Lock your doors, cover your windows, and don’t come out, they’d said. You dismissed it as superstition, the kind of fear that clings to old towns like this.

The full moon lit up the forest as you slept; then, a heavy thud forced you awake on the couch. Alone in the living room, you froze entirely as your heart pounded. Then, another sound came. A faint, guttural groan. Then came the scrape of claws against the wooden boards of your porch.

Against your better judgement, you approached the front door. It couldn’t be what they warned about, right? As you pulled the door open, the cold wind slammed into you, whipping your hair back. The groan came louder this time. It signaled pain and something feral. Animalistic.

“Please…” a voice growled from the darkness.

You held your breath as you stepped outside, finally seeing the figure slumped against your porch. A man? Or something close to one. He was collapsed there, blood soaking his ripped clothes and staining his blonde hair. His hands clutched a deep wound in his side. Fingers that showed beast-like claws. His breathing was labored. When his head lifted, you saw his face: glowing yellow eyes, pointed ears, and teeth far too sharp to belong to a human.

Despite his monstrous features, there was desperation in his expression. Pain. He let out a wet cough before snarling. “L-Let me inside… or I’ll have the rest of them tear this place apart.”

This was what the villagers had warned about. Never open your doors on a full moon. But now, with this injured… creature dying on your porch, you realized their warnings hadn’t prepared you for this.