text: *Location: Southern California* “Forty bucks worth of gas at pump twelve.” I said to the teller. “That all?” The teller asked. I thought for a moment and said “And a pack of Marlboro, if you promise not to tell my wife.” “I don’t make many promises.” The teller said. “But that one, I can keep.” I should clarify where we were and what I was doing. My family and I (aka my wife Jade, our thirteen-year-old son Ricky, and our eight-year-old daughter Deven) were driving towards Anaheim to take the kids to Disneyland. Even though the sun was starting to set, we were nowhere near any places to crash that wouldn’t be roach motels, so we decided to just power through for another hour to get into Los Angeles County. We could’ve already been there, but Jade wanted to go through a more remote route to pass a “hidden gem” natural site out in the desert she heard about on Instagram. Anyway, our last stop that night was a Native American reservation to get enough gas to make it all the way to the city. “You know, it’s a full moon tonight.” The cashier commented as he got me my cigarettes. “Yeah, I heard.” I replied. “Things get weird around here whenever there’s a full moon.” He said. “There are myths of an old curse, a supernatural disease that white settlers passed onto our people generations ago. They say it manifests every full moon, and that our land isn’t safe until the sun rises. If I were you, I’d drive far tonight; if the myths are true, you may regret being here once it gets dark” He then scanned the cigarette pack and said “Your total is $48.56. Paying with cash or card?” \_\_\_\_\_\_ When I went back to the car and started filling up, my wife immediately noticed something was up. “You okay?” She asked from inside the SUV. “Yeah, I’m fine.” I said. “The teller was really weird, that’s all. Said there was some kinda curse around here on full moons.” “Calm down, tourist traps love to tell ghost stories to travelers.” Jade said. “It brings in money. Back in New Orleans, my sister and I couldn’t go to a single bar without being told about all the ghosts that were haunting the place.” “Yeah, that’s probably it.” I said as I waited for the car to fill. \_\_\_\_ After getting gas, we hit the road again. Unfortunately, about ten minutes or so after leaving the gas station, we got a flat tire and I had to pull over. “Aw fu...” I started to say, before remembering my kids were in the car. “Fudge. Aw, fudge.” I then said. The kids looked worried, but I said “Relax, we have a spare. It’ll be a bumpy ride, but it’ll get us into town.” As I started changing the tire, I heard some kind of growl, almost like a dog’s howl but much louder. I reached into the trunk, and rummaged through it to find something I was desperately hoping I never unpacked after our most recent family camping trip. “Oh thank God.” I said to myself after I found my bear spray. It wasn’t much, but I figured it would stop whatever animal was out there. I continued trying to repair the tire until I heard it again, but much closer. I got in the car, locked the doors, and rolled up the windows. “Jade, check to see if the 9MM is still in the glove box?” She opened it and said “It is.” “Good, keep it close.” I saw that the kids were scared, and said “Don’t worry. It sounds like there’s some kinda animal loose, but that’s all. If we just stay in the car and...” Moments later, we felt something crash into the side. Then, there was a horrible sound of metal being scratched. And then, it jumped onto the hood. I shined my phone flashlight at it, and what I saw horrified me. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I was not expecting the monster I made eye contact with. It had a human-like torso but had the face and paws of a wolf. It roared when I shined a light on it, and then used one of its paws to smash through the window. Before it could enter the car, I shot it with bear spray. It retreated in pain, and Jade fired a shot that grazed its shoulder. The monster then fell off the hood, and ran off. “What the Hell was that?” Jade asked. “Shit, I don’t know.” I said. “But we’re getting out of here.” I got out of the car, lowered the car jack, and quickly tried to reattach the new tire. However, when I heard the monster growl again, I simply got back in the car, and decided to take a chance on a car with only three functional tires. I turned the car around, and slammed on the pedal to get us back to the reservation. Sure their hotels would be crap, but at least we’d be safe from that thing. “Jade, we gotta call the police.” I said. “I’ve been trying.” She said. “But I’m not getting any signal.” Just as I thought we were getting away, the car stalled. “Oh no.” I said. I popped the hood, and used my phone as a flashlight. “The battery terminals are damaged.” I said. “That thing must have ruined them when he jumped onto the car.” “What are we gonna do?” Jade asked. “I don’t know, I really don’t.” I said. I thought for a moment and said “We’ll continue on foot. Hopefully someone will spot us.” \_\_\_\_\_\_\_ We walked for over an hour in the dark, sticking close to the road in case anyone was there to see us. Unfortunately, there were none, it appears we were alone that night. And then, we heard a familiar noise. “Shit.” I muttered when I heard the monster’s roar. “KIDS, GET BEHIND YOUR MOTHER AND ME!” I ordered. Jade had the gun, and I had the bear spray. We were both out of our depth, but never underestimate two parents trying to keep their kids safe. “IT’S COMING!” I shouted when I heard the beast running towards us. Jade fired two shots, but both missed. I then shined my flashlight at it, and saw that the light alone was enough to keep it at bay. “JADE, IT HATES LIGHT!” I shouted. Once we had it on the run, Jade fired another shot (one that grazed its stomach), and I hit it with another round of pepper spray to the face. Jade tried one last time to shoot it, but missed again. I then grabbed the gun, ran up to the beast, and hit it in the face. Unfortunately, the beast retaliated by slashing my chest. At first, it seemed like all hope may have been lost, until a car came approaching with its high beams on. The monster was so frightened by the light that it just ran off. When the car got closer, I could see that it was a Tribal Police cruiser. “You folks alright?” He asked. “We need help.” I said. “We were attacked by...a bear.” "A bear? Okay." The officer said, but I get the sense that he knew I was lying. "I'll radio for help, once we get you to the rez we can get you to the urgent care." \_\_\_\_\_\_ We spent the night in a crappy motel across the street from a casino. First thing in the morning, we called for a ride to bring us into the city. While we were waiting for our driver, I realized that I lost the pack of cigarettes I bought the day before, so I went back to the gas station to buy another. Believe me, I needed a smoke break more than ever. I walked right into the gas station and said “Another pack of Marlboro please.” “Welcome back.” the cashier said as he turned to grab a pack. “You look like you had a rough night.” “You do too.” I said, as a joke at first. But as I approached the counter, I could see that he looked worse than I did. He had a black eye, almost like he was hit in the face. And I could see some kind of bandage underneath his shirt, around his shoulder, right in the area where Jade shot the beast. At first I couldn’t believe it, but I also could see what looked like blood underneath his fingernails. He clearly caught onto what I was thinking, and said “Like I said, strange things happen in these parts when there’s a full moon. Don't say I didn't warn you. Your total is $8.56.