Moon Bound - PART I & II - (Book 1 in the Original ROYAL HOWLERS Duology) ✔

F O R T Y - S I X ~ Because of You

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Mr. Perez shot up from where he was lying down, his eyes wide as he became frantic. He called out to his wife and children, looking around for his family's familiar faces.

He woke up in a cold sweat; feeling how soaked his shirt was. But it didn't cool the heat of panic on the back of his neck and on his face. 

All Mr. Perez could remember was the monster in the living room! The wild hair! The glowing---the glowing eyes! It was huge! Never had he seen a monster so huge! Never seen a monster ever!

With his wits still unnerved, Mr. Perez looked down at where he was; realizing it was one of the guest bedrooms on the first floor. It was rarely used and quite dark with the dim lighting. Perhaps that's why it wasn't used very often.

Mr. Perez shoved the blankets off him; figuring the hefty blankets added to his soaked clothing. He still had his shoes on, he noticed, and then looked behind him to the empty spot of where he slept. 

There was a small indent of someone having laid next to him. The pillow was lopsided and the sheets had been shoved aside as he'd done just now. 

Mr. Perez stood up, closing his eyes and bracing a hand to his forehead from the lightheaded feeling. Perhaps he got up too fast. 

"Franny?" he whispered out in the darkly lit room. His brown eyes wandered but there was no one else in the room but him.

The door had been left ajar. Just enough to see the sliver of light peering from the hallway. 

Mr. Perez hesitated, wondering if he should just stay here. But the thought of Franny and the kids wandering about with the monster was what pushed Mr. Perez towards the door. 

He opened it, just enough to peek his head out. The hallway lights were on and Mr. Perez looked down one side of the hall then the other. From a distance, he could hear clattering and echoed voices; though he couldn't hear what was being said.

The man stepped out, shutting the door quietly. His steps towards the front of the house were slow and cautious. Every few steps Mr. Perez would stop to listen to where the voices were. 

As he moved along, Mr. Perez's mind wandered back to the nightmare he had. That was the only explanation he had for what he saw. Perhaps he'd drank too much with the Hemmingways' visit and his mind came up with that horrifying scenario. Yes. Yes, that had to be it.

At the end of the hall was the staircase. Mr. Perez had arrived to the front of the house and now looked around the space for any indication there were others here. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary. 

With a quick glance at his watch, Mr. Perez wondered how long he'd slept. He remembered the Hemmingways being here until around one. After that... he couldn't really remember how he fell asleep for the next seven hours.

The clattering pulled his attention again. The father frowning at the closed swinging door which led to the kitchen. Laughter was muffled. 

Mr. Perez figured he'd had too much to drink and Franny was still entertaining their guests. Which was odd since the Hemmingways usually had errands to run by this time of the day. 

"Franny?" Mr. Perez groaned, rubbing his forehead as he walked to the kitchen. He pushed open the door, looking up to see a number of faces. All of them staring back at him with wide eyes and silent. 

Mr. Perez's eyes widened once he saw the young man with red hair. The younger was seated on a stool with a plate of food and his fork halfway to his mouth.