My Hockey Alpha

Nina

Somehow, I managed to fall asleep for a couple of hours that night. Those few hours of sleep were fraught with nightmares, but at least I slept. When I woke up the next morning, I knew what I needed to do.

I couldn’t mention any of this to Enzo or Luke, because I knew that I wouldn’t get a truthful response. All of the clues were pointing to them; they had done something horrible to that man who drugged me.

Even though that man was a terrible person who only wanted to hurt me that night, it didn’t mean that I wanted anyone to be killed!

It was around eight o’clock in the morning when I climbed out of bed and started packing. I would need a change of warm clothes, granola bars, a flashlight, a sleeping bag… Anything that would be useful for camping.

I was going to go camping in the forest outside of Newburgh and investigate this murder myself.

But I couldn’t go alone. Not only would it be dangerous, but it would also be too suspicious if I just took off to go camping by myself over the weekend in the exact place that Enzo and Luke had likely killed the businessman from the club.

I had to convince Lori and Jessica to go with me.

When I walked out into the living room dressed in a flannel, sweater, jeans, and hiking boots with my backpack slung over my shoulder and my sleeping bag in my hand, Jessica and Lori both gave me a puzzled look.

“Uh… want a waffle, Wilderwoman?”

Lori said, holding up a plate of waffles that actually looked tantalizing

“Sure,” I said, dropping my stuff on the floor and walking over to the kitchen. I took a waffle and smothered it in butter and syrup while my friends ate in silence, still staring at me.

“You going camping or something?” Jessica asked.

“I was planning on it,” I replied, trying my best to sound nonchalant. “You guys should come.”

Lori and Jessica looked at each other, then at me.

right now?” Lori said with a

“I mean, you guys can take your time getting ready. There’s no major rush. I just wanna get out

of a sudden?” Jessica asked. “You never struck me as such

me camping all the time growing up,” I replied, which was true. Many of my childhood summers had been spent visiting national parks, exploring the wilderness, and getting bitten by mosquitoes. I actually really enjoyed being out in nature, but eventually my dad started having heart problems and couldn’t risk being out in the middle of nowhere for days on end with no hospital in sight, so we stopped going. Then I started college as a

Lori looked at each other again, then

the

I could use

knew it would be safe for me and my friends. They wouldn’t hurt me or the people who were close to me. But if it wasn’t Enzo and Luke who killed the man, and

be putting my

to before I met K, when I was doing research on werewolves. It may have just been an old wives’ tale, but the general consensus that I found on cryptozoology forums — even those that were mostly

get ready?” I asked, shoving the last bite of waffle

to the key hook by the

plate in the sink and grabbed Lori’s keys, leaving my

gun shop just outside of town. It wasn’t the most reputable place, but that was exactly what I needed; I didn’t have any permits to carry a gun, I didn’t have a lot of money, and I didn’t need someone to question why I wanted a shotgun and

bell on the shop

adjusted from the bright sun, I heard the gruff voice of an older woman who

“Mornin’, hun,” she said.

She was short and stocky, with gray hair pulled up into a neat

I said, sheepishly approaching the counter. “I’m

bein’ a gun shop and all,” she said with

now that I had no clue what I was doing. It seemed that the

asked,

looking around

like you, clearly

she wasn’t going to sell me a gun and to get the hell out

and that’s easy to reload,” she said, turning and walking over to the display behind the counter. I relaxed my shoulders and let out a quiet sigh of relief as she scratched her chin and walked