MJF's Stories

The Crystalshaw elderly people’s home felt like the land that time forgot. Freddie had been there before, to visit George at his previous place of work, and it felt the same every time. Completely lacking in cheer and good vibes. It wasn’t his favourite place to be.

This time, though, Freddie was keeping his eyes on Jeremy. He was sandwiched between himself and George, and so far, he had taken the news about Margaret’s whereabouts well. However, Freddie also knew Jeremy’s upbringing hadn’t been so easy. Margaret seemed to be the one positive element, but that wasn’t saying much.

“Ready?” Freddie checked.

“Yeah,” Jeremy replied nervously. Together, the trio strolled inside the grand, depressing building. Thankfully, Freddie felt a cosier atmosphere inside. Everybody inside, whether it be staff or residents, was always super kind. That wasn’t something Freddie ever forgot.

“George, long time no see,” a lady approached. She must have been a member of staff, dressed smartly in a grey suit with her hair pinned back, and was obviously much too young to be a resident, “How’s London?”

“Yeah, great, thank you,” George smiled. It was no shock to see just how popular George was with his former colleagues, “Just a few more months left now.”

“Lovely. What brings you back here, sweetie?” the lady enquired.

“I was wondering if we could speak to Mrs. Gardner, please?” George requested politely.

“Of course, you know where she is. She always talks about you, she’ll be thrilled,” the lady replied enthusiastically.

“Thank you,” George smiled. He led Freddie and Jeremy to the old lift; Freddie was low-key amazed it was even still running. It had been on its last legs for years.

“Get you, eye candy,” Freddie teased as George pressed the third-floor button.

“Shut up,” George laughed. Ding! The lift had arrived and they were miraculously still in one piece. George knew exactly where to go from there so Freddie followed closely. He continued to check on Jeremy every couple of minutes – whatever he was feeling, he was hiding it well.

Room 310. George knocked gently before pressing down on the door handle.

“Mrs. Gardner?” George called out.

“Well I never, that’s a voice I wasn’t expecting to hear,” Mrs. Gardner replied, “Welcome back George, my dear.”

“Nice to see you Mrs. G,” George smiled, greeting her with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. The first thing Freddie noticed about her was her kind smile, instantly calming any worries he had, “I’ve brought a couple of people with me, if that’s okay. This is my brother, Freddie, and…”

“Jeremy,” she instantly identified, “You’re out. How can you be here?” The Lunar Sanctum will find you.”

“Hello,” Jeremy simply smiled at her. He looked so happy to be with her again, “Dad’s dead, Margaret. I’m free. I’ve met Sammi, and her pack is keeping me safe.”

“But we need your help,” Freddie added, “The Sanctum is still out there.”

“You’d better sit down. I’ll tell you all I know,” Margaret replied confidently. Freddie was all-ears – family was on the line.

Slowly stirring, Dylan was immediately concerned. He wasn’t waking up in bed. He saw the crystal blue sky towering above him, and the treetops leaning over as if they were inspecting him. Why was he here? Dylan rolled from his left side to his right, spotting Jono by his side, still asleep.

Then he remembered. Oscar. The Lunar Sanctum. Dylan instantly began to panic. The Sanctum had taken Oscar. This was really bad news.

“Jono,” Dylan nudged gently yet with urgency.

“What’s up?” Jono slurred before realising where he was, “Oh shit, where’s Oscar?”

“They took him, remember? The Sanctum,” Dylan explained.

“Oh god. Where did they go?” Jono stood up in a panic, carefully adjusting his balance.

“We’ve both been spark out, your guess is as good as mine,” Dylan reminded, “What do we do, Jon?”

“We stay calm,” Jono took control, immediately knowing the best way to put Dylan’s mind at ease, “We need to use our brains, or we’ll never find him. Let’s think, what do we know about the Lunar Sanctum? Pool our knowledge.”

“Not much,” Dylan replied, defeated. He was right, though. They still knew so little about the Lunar Sanctum. The USB evidence was revealing, but what was the reason?

“We know they’re targeting werewolves,” Jono started off. It may have been obvious, but every detail was vital.

“And they know about our pack. They’re targeting us, specifically,” Dylan added, “Why didn’t they take me? They had me right there.”

“They want us to find them,” Jono realised, “They want all of us there.”

“And they know we’ll go. We can’t leave Oscar,” Dylan insisted. They had him exactly where they wanted him, and it was uncomfortable, “What do I do?”

“We,” Jono corrected, “You’re not on your own. You’ll never be on your own again.” Dylan’s heart felt so warm. Jono knew what to say at just the right moment. Dylan wished he had that skill.

“I don’t know how I got by without you,” Dylan smiled.

“I bet Jeremy helped. It’s that Chadwick charm,” Jono laughed, “Come on, let’s round everyone up. We’ve pooled our knowledge, now let’s pool our resources.”

“’Pool’ now sounds strange,” Dylan observed, “Treehouse?”

“No,” Jono corrected, “Lakehouse. New centre of operations.” Dylan nodded. He knew the treehouse wasn’t the easiest place for Jono to visit. Now he had to make sure he kept a cool head, because the pack needed him. A pack that included Oscar.

Feeling relieved, Lily was pleased Jono was on the way to the lakehouse. She still felt shaken from Monroe and Jamal – they were a terrifying duo, and they didn’t seem remotely bothered about the anxiety they caused Nolan. Though they were werewolf hunters, it was a human who was the most scared of them. Something had clearly gone wrong with their branding.

Nonetheless, they all knew how real the threat of hunters was. Lily remembered facing them before, and it terrified her. Hunters typically were ruthless, and in a war between werewolves and hunters, nobody won. If Drew had taught her anything, it was that.

From the back door of the lakehouse, Lily watched Liam consoling Nolan at the dock. He was shaken up, and in Lily’s opinion, for no good reason. Monroe didn’t seem stupid. She couldn’t have expected Nolan to agree to her deal. All she wanted to do was put the frighteners on him. It was plain cruel.

“He’ll be okay,” Alex reassured. Naturally, he hadn’t left her side.

“I wish we could say that for sure,” Lily sighed.

“He will,” Sammi insisted, “Dylan’s coming. He always knows what to do.”

“The last time Dylan had an idea, he almost died,” Lily felt pessimistic. She trusted Dylan more than anyone, but she was wary of history repeating itself.

“Then do better this time,” Sindy piped up, “Look, I know I’m quite new to this, but it’s obvious. You know what went wrong last time, so don’t let it happen twice. You have a second chance with Dylan. Don’t fuck it up.”

Lily was impressed. Sindy was an incredible pep-talker, and she was right. This time, they had to do better.

“Where’s the fire?” Yasmin came rushing around the back of the lakehouse, bringing Josh, Brett and Johnny with her.

“No idea, Dylan and Jono haven’t arrived yet,” Lily replied, “But I think shit’s about to get real.”

“You can say that again,” Jono commented, joining the crowd with Dylan, “Is everyone here?”

“Freddie and Jeremy aren’t,” Sammi quickly pointed out, “Neither of them has responded to my texts in a while.”

“We can’t wait. We’ll catch them up,” Dylan took the lead, “The Sanctum’s taken Oscar, and they’re waiting for us to rescue him.”

“They have Misha too,” Lily added, “She’s not a hunter, she’s bait.”

“Where are they? We can’t rescue them if we don’t know where they are,” Brett reminded.

“Probably in more than one place. Two mission. Divide and conquer,” Yasmin thought.

“And we have the basilisk on the loose,” Jono added.

“Um, about that,” Josh piped up, “Problem solved. Sort of.”

“What? What happened?” Dylan was confused.

“It was dying already,” Yasmin explained, “He was a product of the scientists. His body couldn’t cope. He died.”

“Shit,” Dylan looked saddened. Even the death of a creature that dangerous made him feel sad. He was admirably empathetic.

“So, we split up?” Brett suggested, “Oscar and Misha. We can do this, can’t we?”

“Together,” Dylan nodded, “Ed’s been tracking the staff. He’s sent me the most commonly visited locations.”

“What are we waiting for?” Lily was keen to get going. This situation felt like ripping a plaster off – it was best to get it over and done with as quickly as possible.

As he waited for Margaret to begin sharing her story, Freddie glanced around at her apartment. It was undeniably pretty and well-decorated, with pictures and ornaments documenting an eventful life. In one of the photos, Freddie noticed a younger Margaret cradling a young baby. Whether it was Jeremy or not, Freddie didn’t know, but he was keen to learn a lot more about exactly who she was.

“You’ve grown up into such a handsome young man,” Margaret beamed proudly, her hands caressing Jeremy’s cheeks.

“I’ve missed you,” Jeremy replied, looking just as proudly back at her, “Things weren’t the same after you left. Dad went crazy.”

“Your father had a habit of making his presence known in ways that were less than desirable,” Margaret explained, “His methods were brutal, but he felt they were justified to prove his status. I always tried to convince him otherwise.”

“He was going to kill my friends,” Jeremy nodded regretfully. Freddie flashed back to that night in the warehouse. He would never forget that. The situation David put them in was horrific. Josh being seconds away from killing Yasmin at his request. It was unforgiveable.

“Yet here you are,” Margaret smiled, “How did you win?”

“Explosion,” Freddie answered, “Of the abandoned Lunar Sanctum warehouse.”

“That warehouse used to be a hive of activity. The Lunar Sanctum would capture supernatural creatures and keep them there, to experiment on,” Margaret explained.

“But why? This is what nobody knows. What’s the point of the experiments?” Freddie asked the big question.

“We never found out, but David tried. In fact, he tried sabotaging their work before you were born, Jeremy. They caught him, and as a punishment, he was ordered to kill one of his unborn twins,” Margaret detailed. The gaps in the story were finally making some sense.

“Enter you,” George noted.

“I had known David for many years, before either of us knew what the other was,” Margaret continued.

“You’re a werewolf too?” George was gobsmacked, as if he’d missed a gigantic detail.

“Banshee,” Margaret corrected, “We made a good team, but David lost control after he separated you from your family, Jeremy. He got tangled up in the lies and found it hard to live a double life. He started acting brutally even towards his own pack, who ended up dead, or if they were lucky, hundreds of miles away.”

“Okay, so how do we stop the Lunar Sanctum?” Freddie questioned. This was his priority. This couldn’t go on.

“I don’t know, but I wish you the best of luck. Future generations will owe you everything if you take the Sanctum down,” Margaret encouraged. Freddie felt worried. He had little confidence, but now they had more knowledge. They had to use it to win.

Though Yasmin was no stranger to studying late after school, it always felt strange to be there as it was getting dark. What felt even stranger still was that her days at school were numbered. High school had flown by and the next chapter of her life was approaching: college. She felt both excited and nervous; studying medicine wasn’t going to be easy, but it was what she wanted, and if all went to plan, she’d have the pack nearby at all times too. It was a team experience.

By her side, Yasmin had Liam and Josh. Two werewolves, keeping a close eye on their senses, while Nolan, Sammi and Sindy followed behind. Quite what Yasmin was expecting to find, she didn’t know. Oscar? Misha? The Lunar Sanctum? Perhaps it was a dead end? Yasmin needed to be prepared for anything, but it was difficult to get ready for so many scenarios.

“Ed said they only emerged outside of school hours,” Josh mentioned.

“So they’re hiding through the school day,” Sammi added.

“The days of bunking lessons,” Liam chuckled.

“I know right? I don’t think I attended a single chemistry lesson in sophomore year,” Sindy reminisced.

“Missing lessons? I don’t even have time to think about doing that if I want to graduate,” Josh sighed.

“You’ll manage it,” Yasmin found herself encouraging him like a reflex. Like she’d subconsciously forgiven him.

“Hold up,” Liam paused, holding his finger up to request silence.

“What?” Sindy impatiently hissed.

“Downstairs. Yelling,” Liam replied.

“Basement, come on,” Yasmin motivated.

“Death,” Sindy said, bleakly and bluntly. The boys and Sammi were already on their way, not hearing what Sindy had said, but Yasmin paused. Sindy had frozen to the spot. She was having a vision.

“Sindy, come on,” Yasmin encouraged, holding her hand out.

“Someone’s going to die,” Sindy warned.

“Not if we can help it. Let’s go,” Yasmin tried to stay calm. She understood visions better than anyone else. They were in the same boat.

Sindy grabbed Yasmin’s hand, snapping out of the vision. Instantly, it felt like a lightning bolt had struck them both. Yasmin felt zapped of all her energy, collapsing to the floor. Something had connected them, but Yasmin’s eyes forced themselves shut before she could figure out what.

The idea of running into Leadsom again terrified Dylan. All he could picture was that lab room that doubled as his cell. Leadsom’s smug face as he introduced himself. The fury on his face when Dylan escaped in the Sanctum’s car. He was a beacon of hatred, and Dylan wasn’t ashamed to admit he was terrified of him.

Despite that, he was leading his friends to what could have been his new centre of operations. The Lunar Sanctum was still active, and Dylan knew he was their target, but if they thought he was going down without a fight, they were very much mistaken.

“Where are we?” Brett wondered as they approached an abandoned warehouse. Dylan forgot that he wouldn’t have recognised it, but it was depressingly familiar to him, Jono and Lily.

“The former hub of Crystalshaw’s most famous hunter,” Jono made it sound oddly exciting.

“Yasmin’s dad, right?” Alex guessed.

“He learnt from the best,” Lily joked about Alex’s top werewolf knowledge.

“Not to rain on your parade, but this almost feels too obvious,” Brett sighed.

“That’s the point. They want us to find them, remember?” Dylan replied. That was what made him the most nervous. They were expected, and were walking straight into the trap the Sanctum had laid for them. It was on them to switch the power in their favour.

“Won’t lie, I can see why this place is so terrifying. It’s giving me the creeps,” Johnny commented as Dylan heaved the wooden boards covering the fire exit out of the way. Inside, the warehouse was just as Dylan remembered. Jono flicked the dim lights on, revealing the empty, beige corridors. Dylan instantly thought back to Forsyth’s reign of terror. That same warehouse was the place he had become an alpha, too. It had a lot of significance, both good and bad.

Dylan led the way to the basement, where Mr. Forsyth used to hide anything werewolf-related. The closer he got to the central room, the louder the mumbling voices got. Familiar voices. One of which was embedded in Dylan’s nightmares. Leadsom.

Pausing outside the closed door, Dylan took a deep breath. He needed every ounce of courage to be able to do this.

“I’m here,” Jono reminded, clasping his hand, “You’re not alone this time.” It was just the support Dylan needed. With the support of Jono and his pack behind him, Dylan charged through the door. Ahead was only Leadsom at the far end of the room. Who was he talking to?

“Ah, Dylan, welcome to our new home,” Leadsom smirked, obviously planning his words carefully, “I’d say it’s a surprise, but I think we both know it’s not. Your new beta’s been keeping me company.”

Two thuds sounded behind Dylan. Spinning round, he saw Alex and Brett collapsed on the floor, at the feet of a feral Oscar in full wolf form. He’d sliced their throats on Leadsom’s command, his animal instincts in full flow.

“No,” Lily immediately leapt to Alex’s aide, Johnny following her lead to help Brett, “Stop the bleeding.” Johnny did as instructed, applying pressure to the wound.

“What do you want?” Dylan furiously questioned Leadsom.

“Your co-operation, as you know. None of this is new to you, Dylan,” Leadsom explained.

“The answer is no, it always was,” Dylan yelled. He couldn’t have made his feelings any clearer.

Rapidly, Oscar gripped onto Jono, his claws primed against his neck. The terrified look on Jono’s face said it all – nobody had been more glowing about Oscar, but now, he was scared.

“I know your lover can heal, unlike the two boys on the floor,” Leadsom threatened, “So how about a deeper incision?” Dylan was horrified. He had no idea what to do.

The school basement was a place Sammi had never dared to venture before. She had presumed it wasn’t very exciting anyway – it was bound to be full of storage boxes and stationery supplies. She wasn’t wrong, either. Cardboard boxes lined the walls of the dimly lit basement. At least there was a clear pathway through, towards another storeroom at the far end.

Liam had taken charge, keeping Nolan close by for protection. Sammi thought they were such a cute couple, having seem them up close at the Chadwick house. Of course, she thought it best to conceal Liam’s werewolf identity from Uncle Steve and Aunt Helen. No matter how often Sammi name dropped Jono or Lily, they still stood firm in their ignorance. Sammi only felt disappointed – she couldn’t imagine doing that to her future kids.

Thankfully, Sammi had Josh by her side. She trusted him fully, because he had been there for her at the moments when it mattered most. Freddie had always spoken so highly of Josh too – they had been friends for a long time after all, and they clearly knew each other inside out. No wonder sharing a room was so easy for them.

Freddie. Sammi still hadn’t heard from him. It was her natural instinct to worry, even when there weren’t so many threats lurking around Crystalshaw. The lack of contact from both him and Jeremy was fair reason for concern.

“The land that teachers forgot,” Josh commented, swiping a thick layer of dust off a cardboard box with his finger.

“Ssh,” Liam called back. Sammi paused. Even she could hear the voices ahead. They had to be extremely careful not to be caught out.

“That’s her,” Nolan worried, “Monroe.”

“Come on, we’ve got this. Calm and collected,” Sammi motivated. She wasn’t just trying to spur the group on, but herself too. Monroe was darn scary.

“Time for a diversion,” Josh decided, “Liam, fancy a jog?” Nolan looked at him nervously, not wanting to be left alone.

“I got you,” Sammi smiled at him. Nolan gave an approving nod to Liam, who passed it on to Josh. A plan was coming together.

“Hold on,” Sammi paused, “Where are Yasmin and Sindy? I thought they were behind us.”

“We’ll take a look. Just focus on helping Misha,” Josh decided. Sammi nodded. They had a job to do. Josh opened the door to the storage room at the end of the basement, looking around inside, while Sammi and Nolan took shelter behind the stationery boxes.

“Oh shit,” he exclaimed. Josh’s acting skills were on point. Rapidly, he and Liam dashed back out towards the staircase. Jamal followed them in hot pursuit, firmly clutching a gun in each hand. Monroe followed immediately after, acting noticeably more casual. Nolan shot Sammi a terrified look. This could go wrong in so many ways.

“Now,” Sammi gave the command, still keeping her voice low. She and Nolan filtered into the storeroom to see Misha tied to a chair, her arms and legs both secured with ropes and her mouth taped shut, “Untie her, quickly.”

“Thank you,” Misha breathed a sigh of relief as Sammi carefully removed the tape.

“Come on,” Sammi released the tough ropes on her wrists, while Nolan had worked his magic on those around her ankles, “Let’s go.”

“Not so fast,” a terrifying voice came from the doorway. Monroe. She had caught them red-handed. Now they were screwed.

Bolt upright, Yasmin was disorientated. She quickly examined her surroundings. The last thing she remembered was being at school, but the harsh lighting was far too bright to be the mundane corridors. What had happened? When did she move?

Worryingly, the new location was eerily familiar. It was the scientists’ laboratory in the hospital basement. Thankfully, Sindy was still by her side – that was some level of comfort.

That was it. Yasmin remembered. Sindy had a vision. She had frozen still. Yasmin touched her hand. That was the last thing they did, but it only asked more questions. Why did a mere touch cause them to black out?

“Where are we?” Sindy slurred, waking up as well.

“The hospital. The basement,” Yasmin replied.

“We were at the school,” Sindy was baffled. Neither of them knew what to do.

“I know. There must be a reason we’re here,” Yasmin thought. Everything had a logical explanation, even in the supernatural world.

Suddenly, a man appeared ahead of them. A young man, who wasn’t there before. Yasmin recognised him, but this was impossible. How could Marcus have been there?

“Who are you?” Sindy queried. She hadn’t met him before, but clearly, he had been able to channel them. It was slowly slotting into place.

“Marcus,” Yasmin replied, “The basilisk. But you’re dead?”

“Yes,” Marcus confirmed, “But I can help. You both share a connection, but it’s not complete. You need one more.”

“One more what?” Sindy was becoming more and more confused.

“Harbinger of death,” Yasmin figured it out. It made perfect sense to her. She and Sindy were completely different, but they shared one aspect of their powers. They were both linked to the dead, “We’re still at the school. This isn’t real.”

“It can be. I want to help. Find the third, and take out the Sanctum,” Marcus explained.

“Where? We don’t know another,” Yasmin asked. Her only thought was Lydia, who was too far away when the battle was happening in real time.

“You’ll find them. Wake up, you haven’t got much time,” Marcus encouraged.

Yasmin jolted awake. She was back in the school corridor, as if nothing had happened. Marcus had gone. They were on their own.

“Where now?” Sindy desperately questioned.

“No idea,” Yasmin replied, sighing, “But maybe if we start walking, Marcus will guide us.” It was a long shot, but it was Yasmin’s best idea. This could be the only way to save their friends.

Jono had felt a rollercoaster of emotions over Oscar in the few months they had known each other, but one he didn’t expect to experience was fear. Sadly, that was his overriding feeling as Oscar stood with his claws to Jono’s neck, ready to slice upon command.

The months of keeping Oscar firmly away from anything werewolf related felt somewhat pointless. It hadn’t benefited him in any way, and now he was an out of control beta being manipulated by someone who knew exactly which buttons to press. Oscar didn’t deserve this, and Jono felt like he had let him down.

“What do you say, Dylan?” Leadsom probed further. Jono caught the concerned look in Dylan’s eyes. He didn’t know what to do. Jono knew nothing scared him more than the thought of being locked up in that horrible facility again, but at the same time, Jono’s life was in the balance. Jono needed to help him out. If anyone could get through to Oscar, it was him.

“Oscar, I know you’re in there, listen to me,” Jono began, “Remember our date? Remember we were so awkward with each other that we could barely even talk? I know things didn’t work out in the end, but I had so much fun that night, because of you. When you shared your stories with me. When you opened up about the friend you lost. Remember how you felt.”

“Stop it,” Leadsom commanded, “Oscar, do it, now.” Oscar didn’t listen, though. He released his grip on Jono. His plan had worked, but Leadsom wasn’t giving up. He pulled out a gun, aiming it at all three of them. Jono was scared, because he knew he wasn’t too scared to use it.

“Final chance boys,” Leadsom offered.

“Go to hell,” Dylan affirmed, much to Jono’s relief.

“You need us,” Johnny called out, still using his hand to stop Brett bleeding, “You won’t shoot.”

“Did I do that?” Oscar was horrified at the sight of Alex and Brett’s injuries.

“Don’t think about it,” Jono diverted his attention, “Getting out is the priority, okay?” Oscar nodded. He understood.

“You think?” Leadsom smugly replied to Johnny, priming the gun.

“Everybody out!” a new voice burst into the room. Jono recognised her from the Sanctum. It was Nurse Carver. Rapidly, Jono pulled both Dylan and Oscar out, while Johnny carried Brett and Lily assisted Alex. They needed to hide – neither of them would be able to get very far.

“Thank you. Again,” Dylan called out to Nurse Carver as they ran side-by-side.

“Thank me when you’re out,” Nurse Carver replied. This wasn’t over yet.

Matching eyes with Monroe, Sammi wasn’t backing down. In fact, it only riled her up further. She wasn’t going down without a fight, and nor were her friends. Nobody deserved to be hunted for who they were.

Sammi gently linked hands with Nolan. She knew this was his worst nightmare, but she couldn’t allow him to think he was on his own. They were in there together, and it was Sammi’s job to ensure they got out together too.

“It’s a shame you’re so resistant to the cause,” Monroe paced back and forth, never leaving the door unlocked, “We could be allies, on the same side.”

“Never,” Sammi affirmed. She could never betray her friends nor her family.

“It’s okay, your precious friends will come back. Josh and lover boy Liam. He’s so sweet, isn’t he, Nolan?” Monroe goaded. Nolan didn’t reply, but he was squeezing Sammi’s hand tightly. That was his way of communicating, “Where are the others? Your alpha, Dylan. We’ve not been formally introduced yet, though I found him just after biting the new beta. Caught in the act, shall we say? I assume he’s gone to find Oscar now. What about the nix?”

“Good question,” Sammi muttered under her breath. She didn’t know the answer to that – Yasmin and Sindy still hadn’t been found.

“Two harbingers of death,” Monroe kept talking, “How depressing. How… interesting.” Sammi was confused. She was talking as if she knew something. Something nobody else knew.

“What about them?” Sammi took her chance. She wanted answers.

“There are many rumours about harbingers of death, and the power of three,” Monroe explained, “Two cannot become three.” Monroe dashed off, as if she had found something more important. That wasn’t a relief to Sammi, though. This spelt bad news.

“Come on,” she said to Nolan and Misha, “We need to follow her.”

Sammi led the way, pursuing Monroe out into the car park. She had vanished, though. They’d lost her. On the other hand, approaching from the far end of the car park were Freddie, Jeremy and George; one saving grace was that they were safe.

“Where were you?” Sammi furiously interrogated, “Did you see her? Monroe?”

“Long story, and no,” Freddie replied, “What’s going on?”

“Also a long story,” Sammi answered. Explaining would take too long. She needed to find her friends.

“Get down,” Jeremy commanded, looking behind. Just as Sammi ducked, a bullet swerved, narrowly passing over Freddie’s head. Turning around, she saw Jamal, priming a gun in each hand.

“I don’t think so,” Freddie bared his fangs, ready to fight. Before Jamal could react, both guns were on the floor and Freddie had pinned him to the ground. Jamal was showing remarkable strength, though. He was fighting back, gaining the upper hand. He’d flipped Freddie over while reaching for a gun, strangling him with the other hand.

Thinking fast, Sammi grabbed the gun, taking a stand. She didn’t want to use it, but he was killing Freddie. He was going to kill him.

BANG!