Where was I? That was the first thing I said when I came around. I was in my bedroom, in my bed, surrounded by my family, Cassie and Eric. "He's coming around," Eric said calmly. It took a while, but when I finally readjusted my eyes, I could see that he was a wreck. His hat was practically destroyed, his clothes and skin were covered in scratch marks and blood. But no bite marks. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Try to stay down," Mom said, when I tried to get up. "You took quite a beating last night." "Wait," I muttered. "How did I get here?" "The swamp hermit found you and Cassie when Eric got tackled by that animal," Dad said. "He took you and Cassie home while Eric shot the animal." "He did?" I asked. Eric nodded. "We cleaned the bite wound on your shoulder," Dad continued. "It was pretty big. And they matched the bite marks on that deer corpse from last night." "Werewolf…Will…" I tried to say, but Eric placed a finger on his lips. "But…" "I don't care if it was a werewolf or a rabid coyote," Mom cried. "Just as long as it's gone!" Dad shook his head. "Look everyone," he said. "We've been through this. We know it was some kind of wolf that attacked you last night. But there's no evidence that suggests that it's a werewolf." "Except what I saw," whimpered Emily. She was clearly freaked out after what happened.

"It's a shame what happened to Will though," Eric blabbed. Everyone's heads bowed. "Yeah," said Dad. "I contacted the police after what happened. Will's house was a wreck. Like no one was there for months. They couldn't find anything." "Anyway," concluded Mom. "It's over." "And I know one thing," said Dad, opening the door to my room. "I was wrong about Wolf. With my apologies." Wolf came trotting in and leaped into my bed, licking my face. "Thanks guys," I said, stopping Wolf from licking me to death. Life was good. Mom, Dad and Emily left the room to let me recover, but Eric and Cassie stayed a while. "So," I said to Eric, concerned. "What did you do with Will?" He waved his hat like a fan. "Buried him," he said. "In the peat bog. I don't think anyone will ever think that a werewolf mummy will eventually be there." I lowered my head. "By the way," he continued. "I think we may have to keep this 'Will being a werewolf thing' to ourselves. I mean, who's going to believe us?" Neither Cassie nor I didn't like it, but it was for the best.

That all happened over a month ago. Since then, Wolf and I have a wonderful time exploring Fever Swamp. It's become sort of like a second home to us. Sometimes we let Cassie join us, even though she's always on the lookout for werewolves. I really wish she'd drop the subject. Eric didn't change one bit. He still wears that old hat and sometimes his singing brightens the mood. However, whenever we go exploring in the swamp with him, he always gives me that look. Narrowed eyes with a suspicious frown. He's been giving me that look ever since Will bit me. Cassie gives me suspicious looks too, but not as mean as his. In fact, I think she's gotten a lot more comfortable around me.

Grady opened the window to his bedroom window and dropped to the ground, staring at the full moon. It was the first full moon this month. Full moons always reminded us of Will. We'll never forgot him. He changed our lives. Grady placed his hands around his mouth and let out a long, joyful howl as he started to change. Fur began to grow from him, a tail began to grow, his snout began to expand and his fangs slid out from his now dark lips. I was right, when a werewolf bites you, it passes on the curse to you. However, I heard that he wasn't upset. In fact, he told me he's a lot happier. With Will gone, Fever Swamp "belongs to him" now. There's Wolf waiting for him now. I can see him pacing back and forth in the yard, eager for some nighttime exploring with Grady. I watched as he finished changing and headed for the swamp with Wolf at his side. Enjoy exploring Fever Swamp, Grady and Wolf. And happy hunting.

R.L. Stine's epilogue: I hope you enjoyed that story, and I hope you weren't too scared. And remember: there's no such thing as a werewolf. Time for me to say goodbye. Have a scary night, everyone.