Jeramy squirmed in his seat, “Come on Phil, there is no reason to go this far.” He has done nothing but whine ever since he got into the car and I was getting sick of it.

I would’ve rolled my eyes, but I was driving. “Normally I would agree, but he keeps forgetting to bring it with him and I am sick of waiting for it.” I pulled up to the thing with the keypad that opens the gate to the complex, “he had it for over a week already and I need it back.”

“Yeah but going directly to his apartment to get it seems a little much.”

I punch in the code to the terminal, “no I should have gone back earlier to get it instead of leaving it up to him to remember.” As I pushed in the last digit, the keypad made a chime sound as the gate slowly opened up. I drive though the complex looking for Austin’s building.

“Phil, Austin said he would bring it tomorrow and--”

“Look Jeramy, I am just sick of waiting. He has had my switch controller for over a week now and I want it back.” as well pull up the the building, I see Austin’s car parked right in front of it, “see and he is here. We’ll just go up, talk to him, pick up my controller, then leave.” I pulled into the first parking spot I could find and headed up to his apartment.

Jeramy followed after me, “okay so why are you dragging me with you?”

“Because I want back-up when I get it. If we get into a fight, I am counting on you to intervene.”

“You are expecting way too much from me Phil.”

We ascend the stairs up to the third floor. The Door to Austin’s apartment immediately to the left of us. I knock on the door.

No response.

I knock on it again.

No response. I repeat the process a few more times and just keep getting a similar result.

“That's weird, he should be here.”

“Maybe that wasn't his car we saw,” Jeramy answered.

I shook my head, “no that was his car, I memorized the license plate.” I pulled out my phone and checked my messages. Earlier I sent him a text that I was on my way to get the controller. He looked like he didn’t even read it. “Now this is really odd.”

“What is?”

“It doesn't seem like he saw my text either. Now I’m concerned about him.” he was never too far away from his phone and he usually looks at his phone over the smallest notifications. The fact he hadn’t noticed a text for over an hour is odd. I grabbed the handle but the door was locked. “That's not good,” I pulled out my tools and crouched down in front of the door until I was eye level with the lock.

“What are you doing Phil?”

“I’m going to pick the lock.” I insert the tips of the tools and get to work.

“Why do you carry lockpick tools with you?”

“Because the guy that is meant to open and close the store is always late and inconvenience me and my other coworkers. Since the big boss doesn't want to hand the keys to someone else, I learned to pick the lock myself.” I slowly twist the lock into the unlock position, “done.” I turn the knob and push open the door.

“That was fast.”

“Not the first time i did this to Austin’s door.” I pocket my tools and enter the apartment.

Austin’s apartment was very small. Besides a living room, which was connected to the kitchen, there was only one bathroom and bedroom. Besides furniture, the living room was empty. “He is not here. Jeramy you check the bathroom, I’ll take the bedroom.`` I walked up to the bedroom door and opened it up.

What I saw froze me. Something was in there and it sure as hell wasn't Austin. Laying on Austin’s bed. It was huge and covered in fur. It looked at me with its piercing eyes.

In a moment of fright I slam the door close.

“What’s wrong?” Jeramy asked.

“Something is in there.” my heart was going a mile a minute. “It was big and furry and--”

Jeramy gasps, “a puppy.” his eyes lit up as he shoved me out of the way, “i want to see the puppy.”

“Wait Jeramy don’t.”

He opened the doors and squealed, “Oh My God it's a big pupper.” Jeremy walks over to the things and starts petting it, “hello giant pupper. how are you? How are you?”

The thing rolls onto his back making noises that a dog would make if being played with. Looking at it now, it just looks like some sort of wolf dog with some black fur and wearing some kind of shirt.

I never seen Jeramy act like this before. He must really like animals. On shit AUstin. I immediately scanned the room but I didn't see Austin anywhere in the bedroom. He must be in the bathroom then.

I rush to the bathroom. Nobody was in there. I pulled the certain to the tub but it was just as empty as the bathroom and living room. 

This is so weird. I was certain that was his car I saw. Even the door was locked. I walk back into the living room. I hear the sounds of Jeramy playing with the dog. Did Austin step out before we arrived? No, that would explain why he didn’t see my text yet. I scratch my temple. It might be possible that he just received a lot of texts and mine just got pushed down. I pull out my phone and pull up Austin’s number. I press the call button and hold the phone to my ear.

I hear the tell-tale sounds of Austin’s phone ringing next to me. I turn to the sounds and see his gym bag on the counter. I reach in the bag and pull out his phone. I end my call and put the phone back on the counter. Why is the phone in this bag? Was he planning to go to the gym? I decided to be nosy and look in the bag. Inside of the bag was some clothes and laying on top of them was, “my controller.” i pull it out, “okay so why is my controller in a gym bag?”

Jeremy spoke up, “so you found your controller Phil?”

“Yeah, in a gym bag.” I put the controller in my pocket and continued to snoop. A second later, I found his wallet. His wallet is in here too?

 It was then I found Austins’ keyring in the bag. I could tell it was AUstins because of the anime characters hanging off it. Okay so this is strange. Cell phones and wallets are one thing, but why his keys as well?

A thought came to me. If the keys were in the bag, how was the door locked? As far as i knew, Austin did not have any duplicate keys made for his apartment, meaning that the door can only be locked from the inside.

“Hey Phil?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you have any idea what AUstin calls his dog?”

“No, I didn't even know he had a dog.” As I said that I slowly processed what I said, “ wait, Austin never said anything about a dog or was watching one. So where did it  come from?”

I can feel the gears in my head turning but something isn’t clicking for me. Where the hell was Austin? His apartment is empty except for a dog. He has a bag with clothes, wallet, phone, keys, and my controller. But if his keys were in the bag how was the door locked? The only way to lock the door without a key was from the inside and the only one here is the dog and that would be impossible, unless the dog knows how to lock doors. Something flashed in my head. Wait. wait wait wait. 

I go into the bedroom and see Jeremy cuddling with the wolf dog on the bed. It was still wearing the shirt we found it in. now that i got a chance to look at it, i recognized it instantly. It was AUstin’s shirt. The same one i saw him wearing earlier today with that anime character on it, “oh my god!”

Jeremy and the wolf dog were both startled, “what what's wrong?”

“AUstin is a wolf dog!” i blurted out, “he somehow changed into a dog.”

“What? come on Phil, that's not funny.”

“No but think about it, the door was locked when we got here.” I held up the keys I found, “i found these in the bag on the counter, so the door could have only been locked from the inside. The dog was the only thing here, so he must be Austin.”

Jeremy was flustered, “Maybe the dog locked him out while he was away.”

“No that's impossible. A dog cannot lock doors, Jeremy. You have to turn a knob to release the deadbolt. A dog cannot do that.” I turned to the dog, who was looking away from me. “You had your fun, now fess up Austin.”

Jeremy stood up to me, “Phil, this isn’t Austin. Its just a dog.”

“Jeremy, think back, did Austin even say something about a dog at all beforehand? Has he talked about getting a dog or watching one?” I sounded exasperated. “This dog literally showed up in a locked apartment with Austin nowhere in sight.”

“But people can’t turn into dogs Phil. how would he turn into a dog anyway? You are--”

We both stopped when we heard the front door open. From the bedroom I saw a latino man enter the apartment. Our eyes met and he pointed at me, “who the fuck are you?”

“Who the fuck are you?” I fired back, “What are you doing in Austin’s apartment?”

“That's my Question. How did you get in here?”

“I am asking the questions here. Now answer me, who are you?” Both me and the man glared at each other from across the apartment, not moving an inch.

Behind me Jeremy piped up, “Phil stop it.” he moved past me and got in between me and the man, “i am so sorry. We are friends of Austin. I am Jeremy and this here is Philup, but everyone calls him Phil.”

“I see,” the latino man relaxes a bit but not entirely, “i am a friend of Austin too. You can call me Rod. now tell me why you are here?” what a rude guy.

“Oh, we were here to pick some up that Austin borrowed. We saw his car out front but he didn’t answer the door at all and kind of feared the worst.”

Rod scoffs at us, “and the thought he was asleep didn’t occur to you?”

“It is half past 7, who sleeps that early?” i say, “anyway the door was locked so I had to pick the lock to get in and--”

“You admitted to breaking in.”

“Let me finish, asshole. When we got here, we couldn’t find him anywhere except for this strange dog.” 

Almost on quie, the wolfdog shoves himself past me into the living room and goes up to Rod. the second he saw the wolfdog, Rod’s face soften and he crouches down, “hey there boy, have you been a good boy? Not causing trouble, are you?” Rod pets the wolfdogs face in a playful manner.

Jeremy spoke up first, “aw, so it was your dog?” he pets the hindquarters, “so what is his name?”

“Jungo,” he continues petting, “sometimes I have Austin watch him since my hours are kind of hectic because of my job. I had thought i would be out all night but turns out it was just a scheduling error, so i came back to pick him up.”

“Aw that's so sweet of Austin to do that. I wish he told me sooner so I can help take care of this pupper.” 

Rod’s body tensed up, “oh, well, Jungo is kind of slow to trust strangers. It took a while to just get him warmed up to Austin enough to even stay at his place for a while. Besides, sometimes these happen at the last minute so he probably didn’t tell you beforehand.”

While they were petting the wolfdog, I was just standing behind Jeremy. What Rod was saying didn’t sit well with me, “so ‘Jungo’ here doesn't like strangers huh? Funny with how he acted around us when we got here. He didn’t seem like the type that didn’t like strangers.”

He paused for a second, “Oh, i guess you are good with dogs then.”

Or it can mean you are full of shit. “Anyway, it seems Austin isn’t here for some reason. Kind of irresponsible don’t you think?”

“He might have stepped out for a moment to do an errand.”

“Without his car or keys? Not to mention the phone and wallet.”

Rod stood up, looking ready for a fight, “how do you know that?”

“Because i found them here. Speaking of the door, remember when I said it was locked, how did you plan to get it?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Simple. A normal person would have knocked first before entering a house, and I don't recall hearing one before you entered.”

“That's because I heard you two in here!”

“Bullshit! If you did, why were you surprised that we were here? You know something and I want answers.”

Jeramy stood between us, “Phil stop it. Just calm down. First you call the dog Austin and now you are grilling his neighbour. Maybe you should calm down and-”

Rod laughs, “what you think my dog is Austin? Not only did you break in, you probably did some crack before getting here.” he reaches into his pocket, “that is it, i am calling the police unless you leave now.”

I tried to get over to Rod but Jeremy stopped me, “Phil calm down. Lets just leave you got your controller already.”

“Oh now you are stealing, I am calling the police now.” Just as he was about to bring his finger to the screen, the wolfdog tackled Rod into the wall. Rod hits the wall with a thud, not enough to hurt him but it was enough to stop him from calling the police. 

We all stared at the wolfdog and that is when we saw something happen. The dog started to change. It got bigger, his front paws started to get bigger and arms thicker. His front paws turned into a noticeable hand with human-like arms. The wolfdog brings one of its newly formed fingers to his mouth, pulling it back before putting it back onto its mouth.

Rod looked shocked as we were, “what are you sure?” Wait, can Rod understand him?

The wolfdog thing just nodded before it started to shrink back into the form we found it in. Both Jeremy and I didn't say anything, still in shock about what we saw. 

Rod stands up, “oh so now you are quiet.”

I spoke up, “WHat the fuck just happened?”

Rod sighs, looking defeated. He pockets his phone, “remember when you called the dog Austin. You are partially right. Austin is a werewolf. This dog is Austin.”

My brain stopped. I can’t believe what i just heard. Werewolves shouldn’t exist. This isn’t some urban fantasy story, this is real life. But how else can we explain what I just saw. Dogs don’t just grow and shrink in size at will. Though another thought entered my mind,  “Wait how long has he been a werewolf?”

“That I can’t tell you. I don’t know if he was a naturally born one or if he was changed via magic, i was just told to pick him up tonight.”

“Pick him up? Why do you need to pick Austin up? Can’t he change back like he did just now?”

“On nights of full moons, it is easy to turn into wolves, not so easy to turn back. We were told ahead of time that AUstin will be turning into a wolf and would need a ride tonight.”

I tilt my head, “a ride? Where are you taking him?”

Rod crosses his arms, “i can’t tell you that.”

I scowl at him, “Why not?”

“Because I would be putting other people at risk. Hell just the fact you two know is a big enough problem as it is.”

“Why, did we break some sort of masquerade or something?”

“Yes.” the way Rod said it was very cold.

It was then at this point it finally dawned on me what exactly i did. People in fiction don’t make a masquerade for shits and giggles, they do it for a reason. And they do extreme methods to keep it safe, such as brainwashing and even killing. Just because I was impatient, I just put a gun to my head. “Oh fuck we are so dead.”

Jeremy finally spoke up, “wait wait, we are sorry this happened, is there anything we can do?”

“It's over Jeremy, we're about to be killed or brainwashed to keep the masquerade a secret. Our lives are over.” i walk over to the couch and just flops on it, “just do it. Put a bullet in my head and get it over with.”

No one spoke for a moment. “Is this normal for him?” Rod asked.

“I can’t say. So what is going to happen to us?”

“Well, under normal situations, I would have to notify both the Pack and the Hunters about this. From there, both groups will do background checks and interviews. From there they will decide what to do with you. During that time, you will be heavily monitored so that we can be certain you won’t leak out any info. So I am going to have your full names now for the report.”

I hear the tapping of claws on the floor and Austin’s cold nose on my cheek. I lazely pet his head, “guess this would be the last time we see each other then. Didn’t think it would be like this.”

I hear someone move over to the couch, “if you keep your mouths shut, nothing will change. Austin will still live here and you will still be friends. Relocation is a last resort and for the record, brainwashing and killing is also a last resort.”

“So we are safe?” Jeremy asked.

“If you play your cards right, yes” Rod answered. “As long as you are limited on the whole thing  and don’t look too heavily into things, both groups will leave you alone.” 

I feel a bit happier, knowing that my life isn’t in danger at least. I wouldn’t last long in some action packed modern fantasy story. Running from agents or werewolves doesn't sound possible for me.

That is when Jeremy said something that shocked me,“Well what if i want to be involved?” 

When he said that, I turned to him, “what are you talking about?”

“Well, I always wished that werewolves were real and now that they are, I want to know more.”

I couldn’t believe him. He learned that werewolves are real and he wants to learn more about them. What if he dives too deeply and can’t come back? As a friend I should stop him, but i figured Rod will turn him down first.

Rod sighs, “if you are certain, be my guest.”

When I heard that, I bolted up from the couch, “Jeremy, think about it, do you really want to get involved?”

“Yes,” he answered in a tone that he only used whenever he was serious about something.

I was flabbergasted and can only say, “But why?”

Jeremy pointed at Austin, “I want to date a werewolf.”

I just facepalm. He would risk getting stuck in that life to chase tail, literally. I had enough. “You know what, you are an adult. You are free to do whatever you want. I’m not going to press the issue, myself. Austain is a werewolf and that is all I am ever going to know, nothing else.”

Rod nodded his head, “if that is your choice, so be it. As long as you don’t talk, you don’t need to know anything else.” Rod goes to the bag on the counter and starts to put things I pulled out back into it. “Clothes, phone, wallet, and keys. This is everything.” He picks up the bag and slung it over his shoulders, “if you want to really get involved, just follow my car and I’ll take you to the camp.”

Jeremy turned to Rod, “I don’t have a car. I came here with Phil in his car and he doesn't want to get involved.”

“Then borrows Austin’s car,” Rod hands the keys to Jeremy, “you know how to drive right?”

“I know how to.”

“Good, I need to go to a few more places first and pick up some other wolves for the night.”

Jeremy's eyes lit up, “can i help?”

“No, you are not trained and these are regulars of mine. Just stay in the car and follow me.” Rod turns to me, “are you planning to stay here? I have to lock up after i leave.”

I shook my head, “no, no. i’m leaving.” I look at Austin again, “tomorrow, we are going to talk okay, do not forget.” Austin gives a nod and I leave the apartment.

As i walk down the stars, i feel for the controller one more time, realizing i won’t be in the mood for games tonight.