??A Howl In The Night??
?(She’s Mine)?
?From Novel r0m@n�
?Chapter 14?
There is complete silence as they stare at my face, devoid of all emotions except fury.
“I think she’s serious,” Yi examines me.
“Yeah.”
“Take her!”
Ray races to join the pack, alert in his movements. “What are we waiting for?” he furiously asks, “we have to go!”
“Come on,” Xavier sighs, morphing into a wolf before my eyes. I climb onto his back, my breathing close to his ear. My heart pounds erratically, my eyes shut ti-ghtly as he starts to run throu-gh the wild un-derbrush towards our unknown destination.
I feel myself drowning in the comfort Xavier offers, especially his soft, glistening fur that rivals any luxurious rug in the world. It is a better experience than my be-d, for this fur is alive, the legs pounding beneath me as he carts me towards the scene of this mysterious attack. It strangely feels like I am tou-ching his ba-re skin, the fur a creamy color that matches it perfectly. Heat radiates from his skin to my hands, causing a blus-h to strangely rise to my cheeks.
The scenery around us changes from trees and dirt into manicured lawns and mediocre houses. My heart pounds even ha-rder as people emerge, reasons unknown. I can ba-rely get a glimpse at each of them before the next house comes into view, our speed increasing. Can they see us? Why are we traveling into the heart of society, where discovery is possible?
We zoom down roads into the big city a couple of miles away from the orphanage. Buildings climb towards the clouds, cars multi-plying beside us. However, we seem to avoid them, maneuvering around each vehicle at a blinding speed. I watch in amazement as all five werewolves delve into the sea of skyscr@p£rs, flashy cars, streetlights, and everything in between. In other words, the city.
Everything goes darker as activity dies, the ghetto area inching closer to us by the second. People smoking and drinking appear more often, many hanging out with lots of friends that are doing the same. The prosperous city facade rips away as we reach the outSk-irts, the true colors shining throu-gh.
We finally come to a sudden halt in front of a g@s station, the windows old and cracked. Screams and yells erupt from inside, the lights flashing. And of course the drun!ken, dazed public is ignoring the crisis, walking by with expressionless faces.
I slide off Xavier as he morphs back into a man. He produces from his pocket a black mask, sli-pping it over his eyes. The other werewolves morph also, following Xavier into the action after applying their own facial accessory.
I choke down the urge to laugh. As if anyone wouldn’t recognize them behind a paltry mask that doesn’t hide their unique hair color or bright eyes.
Xavier looks at me and mouths, “stay here.” He t©uçhes my shoulder then walks away with the others like he really expects me to obey him.
I run after them, hiding behind a broken-down truck as they enter throu-gh the glas-s doors. Reaching up, I step onto the back of it and gr-ab the broken window ledge, trying to look in. I g@sp as a truly horrifying sight meets my eyes.
Flurries of people are huddled into a clump of raw fear. Right behind the counter, a young, rather handsome teen with caramel skin rigidly stands at the cash register, holding money in his hand.
But what scares me the most is that a rather odd youth, slim and geeky looking, is holding a gun right next to the cashier. His whole form betrays that he is scared and shaking, and his clothes are r!pp£dand torn. However, it is his manner that alerts me to the truth.
His back looks exactly like my dad’s did when he was possessed by the Shifter.
The cashier shovels more cash into a large bag, although I know that is not what the Shifter wants. It wants death. Destruction. Pain, hurt, and loss.
I can spy it throu-gh the way he is holding the gun. He cannot hold back much longer. The Shifter will have its way.
Where’s Xavier and the rest of them? What are they doing?
The tension snaps, and the gun booms. I wince, looking away quic-kly. I don’t want to see blood, especially of the innocent.
Screams follow, and frenzied movement resumes inside the g@s station. I look back to see the crowd standing in utter shock, staring at the empty space where the terrorizer used to be. A hole is freshly created throu-gh the bag of money, narrowly missing the cashier. Obviously he was the target. I breathe a sigh of relief along with the cashier as I step down from the truck.
“Had enough peeping?” a decadent, alluring voice whispers into my ear, a hand firmly gr-abbing me by the w@!st. The air rushes by as the scene around me blurs, I becoming rather confused.
Xavier deposits me in a rou-gh, dark area, three walls surrounding me. The other werewolves st©p also, Ray carrying the attacker. “It wasn’t peeping,” I h0theadedly respond to Xavier as he crosses over to the boy, “just watching.”
“Did you see us?” Yi asks inquisitively. I shake my head, and they all grin.
“Our speed is just as good as always,” Jake laughs, “we haven’t gotten any slower these past twenty years like Yi said we were.”
“What?”
“When we reach our t©p speed, us and everything moving with us becomes unable to see by the human eye.”
I fall silent, watching the boy go into convulsions. He thrashes, agony inflicting upon him like a barbe-d wh!p. Xavier stands over him, examining him coldly. The boy turns his face my way, and I get a glance at his pair of eyes. His eyes…
Fiery red.
“Cover your eyes,” Xavier commands me, “this will be rather… um… dirty.” Wes gr-abs my arms, his movement solemn.
“What are you going to do to him?!” I nearly scream in alarm. I have never seen Xavier so… bloodthirsty.
“A Shifter cannot be vanquished without the killing of its host,” Jake says slowly.
Sadness overwhelms me like a tidal wave, encompas-sing my mind until nothing else is left. Not now. They can’t.
No.
“Let me see him!” I scream, my voice uncannily high.
“It’s not safe, Mona. It will be over soon,” Xavier tries to sooth me, but there is nothing left in my mind. I have to t©uçh him.
They will NOT kill a human in front of me.
“If you don’t let me,” I yank against my bondage, “then I will hate you for the rest of my life.” I make each word bite into his skin, rip into his heart. He freezes, his foot on the teen’s che-st. Resignedly, he backs up, fear amount.
“Hold him to the wall,” he orders, and the four race to do his bidding. The boy yaps, his eyes filled with fire, his actions meant to hurt. He is hefted against the brick, blood sli-pping out of a g@sh on his cheek down with his sweat onto his shi-t. I shrug off pure disgust, and edge closer.
A light drizzle begins, the darkness I had perceived earlier dawning upon us all. I reach him, standing only a few inches away from the boy fated to death. Sorrow rips throu-gh my heart, and I reach out with one tender f!nger…
As I make contact with his che-st, I am suddenly enveloped in voices. Strange sounds occu-py my thoughts, my mind. There is one overwhelming boom resounding, so loud and cold that it makes me shiver. KILL, it demands repeatedly, like the beating of a drum. My s-en-ses are overloaded with this one command.
However, a small voice, rippling with fear, pain, and hurt, begs to become dominant. It screams for help, like a wail in the fleeting night. It is horrible, invoking my de-epest compas-sion. The boy is still there, even though the Shifter has taken over. He is still fighting, still waging an internal war for his mind back. Hope floods throu-gh me, and with it, determination.
“Take him with us.” I take my hand off him, realizing suddenly that I had dropped to the ground. My head pounds with the scalding fear, the overbearing order that blocks out most else.
“What?!” Ray asks furiously, “we can’t!”
“What happened, Mona?” Xavier asks gently, coming by me. He ru-bs my back again, and this time it does nothing to ease the pain.
My breath comes in short g@sps as I stare at the ground, at the water now dancing towards the drain, flooding past my feet. In one sudden movement, I f0rç£ myself to meet their gaze, their questions.
“That boy is still alive,” I murmur, looking at my hand. It still tingles from when I t©uçhed him, shock resounding throu-ghout my b©dy. “We can save him.”
I know I can. If I am able to reach out a little bit more, I can purge him of the internal devil. Cleanse him, and most likely others.
Xavier gr-abs me in his arms as I slump, the blackness overcoming me like a blanket until all is lost.