Series 2 Episode 2
"Abscond"
Dreading the night ahead, Freddie had heard a lot about full moons. All kinds of myths and legends. The amount of werewolf television shows and films he had binged on Netflix over the years was mad. He had even heard about Dylan’s first full moon just the month before, and how he stupidly risked Jono’s family’s lives even by being around them.
Now, it was his turn. Dylan and Jono were both with him in Drew’s bunker. He didn’t want Drew anywhere near him after hearing Dylan’s story. Pain may make you human, but that headset with nails digging into the skill sounded like a new level of unpleasant. He trusted Dylan’s approach more, although he had no idea what to expect that night.
Dylan and Jono faced him, with the former holding a pair of handcuffs and the latter clasping some chains. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on.
He got into position against the wall, laying down a couple of cushions he had brought. Dylan advised him to make himself comfortable and make the night as pleasant as possible. It didn’t stop him stressing though. The chains were tough, and the handcuffs did their job properly, but he was terrified of himself. What would he become?
Despite his worries though, Freddie’s night actually went without hitch. He was almost bored, even. It was approaching midnight. Dylan and Jono were sat at the other end of the room, keeping their distance and sensibly staying near the exit.
Freddie felt himself changing. He couldn’t quite describe it, it was like nothing he had experienced before, but it was like the wolf inside was breaking out of its holding cell and shoving the human Freddie inside instead. Dylan had harped on about anchors, but who did Freddie have? His best friend turned out to be a murderer and he could hardly look George in the eye when he was keeping this huge damn secret.
By midnight, Freddie had gone and the wolf reigned supreme. The strong chains snapped like a ruler, and the handcuffs may as well have been made of string. Dylan and Jono scarpered out of the room, but that didn’t stop wolf Freddie attempting to break the door down. It was metallic and heavy, and a werewolf had no chance of getting through a door lined with mountain ash regardless, but it lacked logic.
The lasting damage on Freddie was a far more pressing issue than anything physical though. He could easily have hurt someone without that metallic door. He hated that he was capable of something like that, and he had no way to stop it.
Now, it was his turn. Dylan and Jono were both with him in Drew’s bunker. He didn’t want Drew anywhere near him after hearing Dylan’s story. Pain may make you human, but that headset with nails digging into the skill sounded like a new level of unpleasant. He trusted Dylan’s approach more, although he had no idea what to expect that night.
Dylan and Jono faced him, with the former holding a pair of handcuffs and the latter clasping some chains. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on.
He got into position against the wall, laying down a couple of cushions he had brought. Dylan advised him to make himself comfortable and make the night as pleasant as possible. It didn’t stop him stressing though. The chains were tough, and the handcuffs did their job properly, but he was terrified of himself. What would he become?
Despite his worries though, Freddie’s night actually went without hitch. He was almost bored, even. It was approaching midnight. Dylan and Jono were sat at the other end of the room, keeping their distance and sensibly staying near the exit.
Freddie felt himself changing. He couldn’t quite describe it, it was like nothing he had experienced before, but it was like the wolf inside was breaking out of its holding cell and shoving the human Freddie inside instead. Dylan had harped on about anchors, but who did Freddie have? His best friend turned out to be a murderer and he could hardly look George in the eye when he was keeping this huge damn secret.
By midnight, Freddie had gone and the wolf reigned supreme. The strong chains snapped like a ruler, and the handcuffs may as well have been made of string. Dylan and Jono scarpered out of the room, but that didn’t stop wolf Freddie attempting to break the door down. It was metallic and heavy, and a werewolf had no chance of getting through a door lined with mountain ash regardless, but it lacked logic.
The lasting damage on Freddie was a far more pressing issue than anything physical though. He could easily have hurt someone without that metallic door. He hated that he was capable of something like that, and he had no way to stop it.
Unable to shake Oli, Shania and Clara from his mind, Dylan’s walk home was much less calm than usual. He found walking very therapeutic normally, especially with one earphone in, listening to the playlist Jono religiously updated for him each Friday. Seriously, that guy has a seriously good taste in music. His favourite discoveries that week were “Hooked” by Why Don’t We and “Almost Love” by Sabrina Carpenter – two brilliantly catchy pop tracks to Dylan’s ears. Their beats set a solid walking pace too, and the five members of Why Don’t We were all such good lookers.
However, they didn’t do too good a job at clearing his mind that afternoon. What did Josh’s pack want? He was sure to find out before long, but he wasn’t sure whether to approach them first or wait for them to make the first move. Both options had their pros and cons.
Dylan decided there was no use worrying now though. It was unlikely they would approach him before school the next day, so all he had to do was enjoy what he called his “mom time.” Caroline would be waiting for him as always when he got home, with a cup of tea and a packet of ready salted crisps. The scent of the tea graced his nostrils as soon as he opened the front door. His house just permanently smelt of tea actually. Dylan assumed his natural smell must be of tea as a result.
“Hi honey, your mug is on the table, I’ll be there soon,” Caroline called out from the kitchen.
“Hi mom, thanks,” Dylan called back. He never lost his manners when speaking to his mum. He collapsed down on the sofa, thrilled to finally be resting his legs. The TV was already on, with some strange-looking reality show playing. He never admitted it, but he totally enjoyed those trashy reality shows. He couldn’t ruin the tiny amount of street cred that he had left.
He took a sip of tea; just the right temperature. Nice and strong too – he hated milky tea. This was the life, and Dylan wished he had more moments to spend like this with his mum. Caroline walked in with a pack of biscuits. Rich teas, perfect for dunking in tea.
“Change the channel if you like,” Caroline allowed, sitting herself next to Dylan. She gave him personal space but wasn’t out of cuddling distance.
“It’s alright, I don’t mind,” Dylan was engrossed, but as an expert at not showing it.
“No Jono today?” Caroline noted.
“He had some homework to do,” Dylan lied. He was actually going to keep an eye on Freddie for the night, but he didn’t fancy explaining the werewolf situation to her. In fact, he preferred not to think about it.
“Nothing’s the matter, is it?” Caroline queried. Mums were an expert at sussing things out. Nothing got past her.
“No, I’m fine,” Dylan smiled, taking another sip of tea, “This is gorgeous.” Perfect chance to change the subject.
“I’ve had years of practice,” Caroline laughed. As she spoke, Dylan’s phone buzzed. New text from Jono.
“Freddie’s gone.”
Dylan’s bubble was burst. The relaxation and comfort had vanished in exchange for immediate panic, and the only thought in Dylan’s mind was oh shit.
Instantly feeling so much better, Freddie was delighted when he woke up. He had slept for what must have been a few hours at least. Even though he still felt weak and exhausted, he was thinking a whole lot more coherently than before. As much as possible anyway, considering he had just woken up. His senses started returning to him, as slow as usual whenever he woke up. He really was not a morning person.
He noticed the whirring of a car engine, humming away. He looked around. Sure enough, he was in a car. Huh? He fell asleep in the treehouse, and this certainly wasn’t Jono’s car. It was bigger and more spacious than that.
“Jono?” he called out, hoping for a reassuring response from him to explain what was going on.
“Oh, you’re awake,” came a familiar voice in response. Normally, he would be delighted to hear somebody he recognised in this situation, but this was setting off all sorts of alarm bells. It was his worst nightmare coming true.
“Long time no see,” Josh continued, taking a quick look back from the driver’s seat. Freddie gulped, horrified.
“So, he’s into you for sure?” Yasmin interrogated. She had gone back to Lily’s after school, hoping for a private word following her chat with Drew.
“I think so, he was totally frosty at first but he livened up,” Lily informed. She really did seem to be on a high, it was nice to see.
“And the fact he’s part of Josh’s pack…” Yasmin broached the subject.
“I’m not stupid. If he does anything bad, I’ll cut him out. I don’t need Dylan or Jono dictating who I can and can’t date,” Lily argued. It was a fair point. Oli hadn’t shown any signs of trouble yet. Perhaps they were jumping the gun.
“Look, I wanted to mention,” Yasmin changed the subject, hoping to calm Lily down, “The Bestiary. It was a mistake. We should have left it alone.”
“What?” Lily was taken aback, “I thought you wanted to know what you are?”
“I do, but I think we’ve opened a can of worms,” Yasmin explained, “Drew knows. He’s not bothered about you taking it, he’s more concerned about who could have seen it.”
“Most people won’t have batted an eyelid though?” Lily tried to understand.
“Not if they’re in-the-know,” Yasmin added.
“You mean hunters?” Lily realised.
“They’re still in Crystalshaw, they just think all the werewolves left. If they see that book, we expose ourselves to every one of them,” Yasmin justified. Lily was taking it all in, trying to process it.
Before they could say anything further, Lily’s bedroom door burst open.
“Freddie’s gone,” Jono announced, sounding extremely flustered.
Arriving at Jono’s, clicking the gates open with his fob, Dylan was the last to arrive. He saw Yasmin was there before him, which was a surprise considering it took him less time to walk than it took her to drive. It wasn’t that important anyway, she was probably out already. There was a much more pressing issue at hand.
“What’s going on?” Dylan questioned, deciding that small talk and pleasantries weren’t necessary nor appropriate.
“I got home and saw Freddie wasn’t in the treehouse. I did a scout around the house, I called his phone, but nothing,” Jono explained.
“Have you checked the footage?” Dylan queried.
“I loaded it onto my laptop just now,” Lily answered, “Well, Yasmin did.” Lily was always useless at computers beyond Instagram and Facebook.
“And?” Dylan impatiently wondered.
“Somebody moved him,” Yasmin chimed in, “They were wearing a hoodie and a mask, there was no way to identify them.”
“Damn,” Dylan cursed. He was hoping for some kind of giveaway. He leapt up to the treehouse to have a scout around and look for any potential clues. Just the crumpled duvet and the cosy beanbags were left from Freddie’s makeshift bed. There was no sign that anyone else had been there.
Then, in the corner of his eye, he noticed the clue he needed. The CCTV camera positioned outside the gates. Maybe they caught something.
“Do you have access to the CCTV?” Dylan yelled back down.
“Yeah, it’s on my dad’s laptop,” Jono replied, “But how did they get through the gates?”
“We might just find out,” Dylan considered, jumping back down. Any clue would help at this point, as nothing else made sense.
Freddie’s heart was beating like never before. It was resembling the thudding bassline of the many EDM tracks he enjoyed. What was Josh doing back? What did he want? Kidnapping him was hardly the best of starts.
“I’m sorry it had to be like this. I wouldn’t even get close to you otherwise,” Josh explained.
“You could have tried a text message like anyone else,” Freddie scolded. He was too scared to sit up and face Josh, but the car doors were locked. There was no avoiding him.
“I know it’s hard to believe, but I don’t want to cause trouble. I wanted to patch things up,” Jono pleaded.
“Fat chance,” Freddie retorted. It all felt exceedingly convenient that he wanted to make amends now he was an outcast.
“And to warn you,” Josh continued, “They’re here. My so-called pack.”
“They’re at the school, we’ve seen them,” Freddie replied.
“Trying to fit in. It’s part of their plan,” Josh explained.
“Their plan? You know what it is?” Freddie was still holding Josh at arm’s length, but if he had any information, he wanted to know it.
“They’ve been here for months, they found me after Dylan threatened me. They took me and kept me as their pet,” Josh detailed, “They squeezed everything I knew about you from me.”
“You’re a traitor,” Freddie called him out. He wasn’t surprised though.
“I did what I had to do to survive,” Josh defiantly replied.
“What do they want then?” Freddie demanded. That was what he wanted to know more than anything else.
“You guys,” Josh replied, “That was what I had to do, recruit a larger pack. Except I failed. You refused me.”
“Can hardly think why,” Freddie remarked. He’d fallen for Josh’s act before, he wasn’t about to do it again.
“You might hate me, but I’m doing you a favour. They’re dangerous, and none of you are safe. I’m not expecting you to believe me, but I’m doing what I can,” Josh justified.
“What do you get out of this?” Freddie enquired, trying to suss Josh out. He never did anything without a personal gain.
“You think I want them to succeed?” Josh questioned back. He was making a fair argument, after all they had done to him, although some parts still didn’t add up. Time to probe deeper.
“How did you escape? You said you were their pet,” Freddie was keen to know.
“They are staying at a bunker underground, not too far from Drew’s,” Josh revealed, “I planned my escape for this evening. I want to get away from here.”
“And take me with you,” Freddie realised. The pieces began to slot together.
“We could start again, you know,” Josh pleaded, “I’m not the alpha anymore. I want to prove myself to you.”
“You killed innocent people. That’s not the Josh I became friends with,” Freddie reminded, “What about George? All my friends?”
“You’ll make new ones, we can be besties like before,” Josh turned around to beg.
However, he stupidly stopped focusing on the road. Freddie yelled something even he couldn’t make out as he saw the car veering off the road and into the Crystalshaw forest. Josh panicked, desperately trying to regain control of the wheel, but it was too late. The car was hurtling through the forest. There was no clear path, and Josh was dodging all of the trees, until…CRASH! The car slammed into the trunk of a tree, branches shattering the window screen in an instant…
“What exactly are you looking for?” Steve asked. Dylan and Jono were watching the CCTV camera positioned in front of the gate from Steve’s desktop computer in his office. Jono felt embarrassed that his dad was there, especially as he was perfectly capable of using the software.
“Err,” Jono stalled, “I’m expecting a delivery of a few CDs, I wanted to see if they attempted delivery before I got home.” A good lie. He had learnt a lot about white lies from Lily. It was finally paying off.
“Alright. Make sure you log off when you’re done,” Steve said before leaving. Phew. Jono was worried that his dad would see something he didn’t want him to.
Now it was just he and Dylan. The temptation when they were alone was too much, but it was almost Dylan’s birthday. He had to save himself for a great present.
“You told that lie without flinching,” Dylan noted.
“I’ve become my own worst enemy. Don’t pretend you’re not enjoying it,” Jono teased. Unfortunately, though, flirting was low on the agenda. Jono clicked the fast-forward button on the CCTV software, flicking through the footage to find something useful.
“Alright, two-thirty-two, this is when it happened according to the webcam,” Jono narrated.
“What’s that?” Dylan pointed at the screen. Jono instantly paused. Sure enough, a car had pulled up. Dylan typed the registration plate into the notes section of his phone – far more efficient than one of the many post-it notes his dad had on his desk. Jono then pressed play once again to see if the culprit revealed themselves. In clear view, a masked figure stepped out of the car and pounced over the gate, as if it were a tiny hurdle.
“A werewolf,” Dylan identified. Jono gulped. Was it one of Josh’s pack? Or someone they didn’t know?
“We have to get to Sheriff Taylor,” Jono decided.
“Drew hasn’t answered yet, I think we should wait,” Dylan suggested. He had been trying to get in touch with Drew ever since he arrived. Jono hadn’t called him initially as he still didn’t trust him. Plus, he was a complete tool.
“Dyl, we have to speak to the Sheriff. Wherever that car is, Freddie is almost certainly in it, and the Sheriff can track it,” Jono argued. He knew Dylan wanted to debate, Jono could see it. For whatever reason, he still trusted Drew. However, Jono surely couldn’t have lost that argument. Not when he used the pet name “Dyl.”
“Alright,” Dylan agreed, “Let’s go.”
Waiting outside, Lily had asked Yasmin to hang back momentarily with her. What Yasmin was saying, before Jono burst in, took her by complete surprise. She hadn’t even thought about other hunters around in Crystalshaw. Drew had mentioned them, but in true Drew style, he had only said what was absolutely necessary to know in the moment. She really wished he was more engaging.
“Do you think any of them have seen us with the book?” Lily vaguely asked.
“I don’t know,” Yasmin thankfully understood, “We don’t even know who the hunters were, or what they’re doing now.”
“Probably taking arms thanks to me,” Lily reflected. She would never forgive herself if she were to blame.
“You weren’t to know. We do need more answers though. We gotta find Drew,” Yasmin offered. Lily nodded, taking out her phone to notify Jono.
“Dylan’s been calling him all night, let’s hope the hunters haven’t gotten to him already,” Lily feared. She tried not to show it, but she worried a lot, and the fact that she may have been the root of the problem was just too much.
Awakening with a banging headache, Freddie was very disorientated. It was like the feeling he regretfully knew from when he attended that soccer kid’s party and drank too much booze underage. He had no idea where he was the next morning – it turned out that he’d spent the night on Josh’s sofa.
Josh. That was it. Where was he? What had happened? He tried sitting up, but he realised he was stuck. Oh no. Panic set into motion as Freddie tried desperately to wriggle free. He was still in Josh’s car, but there was no sign of him.
Freddie took a sniff – Dylan had attempted to teach him about scents but it was yet another werewolf skill that eluded him. He decided it must be worth a try though.
Nope, no scent. Just nature, gasoline and flames. Oh dear.
He looked behind him – a fire was raging, caused by the crash. It hadn’t spread to the gasoline in the car yet, but it was surely only a matter of time. It was a ticking time bomb, and Freddie may as well have been glued to it.
Daunting as always, the sheriff station towered over Dylan. He never liked having to visit – it wasn’t anything to do with Sheriff Taylor, who had more-or-less watched him grow up; it was more to do with how the sheriff station was synonymous with something bad happening. Nobody went to the station to report that someone told a funny joke. Dylan wished they did, though. The world needed more positivity.
As they approached the door, Dylan was surprised as he almost bumped into Caroline. He was confused and very concerned to see her at the station.
“Mom, what are you doing here? Are you okay?” Dylan asked quickly.
“I’m fine sweetie, I finished work early so came to say hi to Sheriff Taylor. What’s up with you?” Caroline sounded just as concerned.
“Freddie’s gone missing, we’ve got evidence to help find him,” Dylan replied. It felt nice telling her the truth this time – that was all he knew for definite. No added werewolf craziness. Yet.
“Oh sweetie, I hope he turns up soon. Anyway, I have a hot date with a cup of tea and my bed, I’ll see you tonight, don’t stay out too late.” She pecked his cheek with a kiss and left before Dylan had a chance to reply. She didn’t seem herself – she was in more of a rush than usual.
“Come on,” Jono nagged, leading the way into the station. Dylan followed him into the lobby area. Sheriff Taylor was stood at the desk with a deputy, collecting some paperwork. He tucked the back of his shirt in – unusually sloppy for him.
“Oh, I lose one Drummond and gain another. How can I help you boys?” Sheriff Taylor was all-smiles as he saw the boys approach.
“Hi Sheriff,” Dylan took the lead, “Freddie Ruben. He’s gone missing again, and we think he’s been kidnapped.”
“I’ll get an APB out to look for him, you got any evidence?” the Sheriff asked. Dylan loved that he didn’t question the validity of Dylan’s claim. He trusted him, hence the APB being promised before any request for proof. The evidence was only so he could operate to the best of his ability within the confines of the law. If only teachers were so understanding.
“Sure,” Dylan replied, handing over his phone. He had loaded both the webcam footage and CCTV snippet onto his phone ready. He watched as the Sheriff viewed the footage with open eyes.
“Let’s track that registration plate,” the Sheriff decided.
Arriving above the bunker, Yasmin wasn’t even sure if her idea would work. None of them knew where Drew lived, so they had to summon him to the bunker. From her previous experience, he never seemed to be that far away.
“Shall we let ourselves in?” Lily questioned. She was impatient, and Yasmin shared her sentiment.
“I can’t see the harm,” Yasmin’s logical brain decided. The others had all grown to trust Yasmin’s mind, but it wasn’t without added pressure. Lily opened the hatch and climbed down the ladder first, much more bravely than Yasmin. Together, they reached the bunker door just metres away from the ladder. Lily reached her hand out for the rusted doorknob and yanked it down.
Immediately, as the door jolted open with a creak, an alarm began to sound. It was loud and ear-piercing, so Yasmin’s reflexes told her to cover her ears instantly.
“What is that?” Lily yelled. Yasmin couldn’t hear her, but she managed to lip-read pretty well. The sound then came to an abrupt end. It was such a relief on Yasmin’s ears. She had never considered how much she loved silence before.
Lily made eye contact with her. They were both as confused as each other. They stepped cautiously through the doorway, into the bunker, and there they saw Drew at the opposite end of the room.
“Thieves. They get everywhere,” he spoke sinisterly. A shiver went down Yasmin’s spine as she saw him shrouded in the darkness amongst the dim lighting.
The wait for Sheriff Taylor to load up the vehicle information was too much for Dylan. The Sheriff was hoping to find their culprit in the registration information, where their name should be listed.
“Oh god,” Dylan reacted as the page spring up. He read the information and his eyes were immediately drawn to the name of the owner – Joshua Rayner. Even the sight of his name was awful. Dylan thought he had seen the last of Josh. Obviously not.
“We’ve got a location,” a deputy announced, “It looks like it’s gone off-road into the forest.”
“Let’s go,” the Sheriff commanded, “Boys, stay here.” Dylan rolled his eyes. Of course, he had to miss out on the action. He just had to pray Freddie wasn’t losing control.
He glanced at Jono, expecting him to look similarly bored, but he had a devilish glint in his eyes.
“What?” Dylan was confused.
“Why are we still sat here?” Jono posed.
“We can’t go, the Sheriff told us to stay,” Dylan sensibly replied. He sounded too sensible, much like Yasmin, but he didn’t want to get on the wrong side of Sheriff Taylor.
“Oh come on, when did you get so boring?” Jono teased. Dylan couldn’t lie – he did want to be in with the action.
“You’re a bad influence, Jonathan,” Dylan flirted. He only ever used Jono’s full name when being flirty. It sounds too sexy to resist. Jono held out a hand for Dylan to grab, and they ran off to the car, ready for action.
No matter how much he struggled, Freddie just couldn’t wriggle free. He had yelled for help, but nobody was around. Why would they be? He was in the middle of the forest as night was approaching. It could be ages until he was found, and he didn’t have time. Where the heck had Josh gone? Was he hurt? The driver’s seat was empty. Maybe this was his plan all along. He had played a blinder if so.
“Freddie?” he heard Josh call out. Phew! He was still there after all.
“I’m here,” Freddie croaked. Josh popped up at the window and tried to yank the door open. The window had shattered, so he could hear Josh clearly.
“Can you get out?” Josh wondered. He was being strangely helpful.
“No, I’m stuck. You have to stop the fire spreading. The gasoline is leaking,” Freddie explained. That was the most important thing on his mind. He could hold in the car for a while longer without the fire. It was going to catch on any second now and he would be singed.
“How can I stop that?” Josh flustered. Freddie had never seen him look so scared. It was unusual.
“There’s a bottle of water in the front. I spotted it earlier. It could extinguish it,” Freddie suggested. Josh instantly climbed through the passenger window and over the tree branches that now populated the car. Freddie then heard Josh yell in frustration.
“It’s empty, it must have tipped out during the crash,” Josh replied, harshly flinging the bottle out of the window in. He manoeuvred himself back to try and face Freddie. It was difficult with the branches closing up his route, but he managed to accomplish it.
“Your legs are trapped,” Josh told him, “The chair is in the way. I could try and shift it.”
“Get yourself out, don’t kill yourself too,” Freddie ordered. If he was going to die, he didn’t want to drag someone with him.
“I thought you’d have wanted me to die,” Josh responded.
“You know me better than that,” Freddie teased the possibility of an apology. He hadn’t made his mind up on Josh’s repentance yet, but it wasn’t the time for discussion. It was time for action.
Josh tugged on the passenger chair. He had an advantage that no human had – extra strength. Even without a pack, a werewolf was still much stronger than an average human. The bolts began to come undone, and Freddie felt less weight pressing against his legs. However, he felt the car shake slightly, which made him more anxious.
“Shit, I think it’s moving. Hurry!” Freddie ordered, very worried about the safety of them both.
“Almost there, can you move?” Josh queried.
“A little, one more push,” Freddie directed. The car vaulted backwards slightly again. His heart was beating faster than ever. It had exceeded EDM levels and was now at heavy metal.
Josh heaved, not caring about the cuts and bruises he was getting from the branches. He was going to heal anyway, so it wasn’t like it mattered to him. A few slashes to the skin in exchange for their lives felt reasonable anyway.
The car inched backwards again, and Freddie braced himself while tugging at his own legs repeatedly. It was touch-and-go for them both.
Approaching Drew, Lily was furious. He had just tormented her eardrums with a pointless alarm. Now she had a headache. Was he just trying to make some douche-y point? She would love to prod his brain to understand him further.
“The Bestiary,” Lily began, “What is it?” Drew stepped out of the shadows. He could be terrifying when he wanted to be.
“Not yours for starters,” Drew remarked. Lily sighed. That was the last of their problems, but if he wanted to be petty, he could knock himself out.
“I’m so sorry you decided not to use it to help us,” Lily gave as good as she got. She noticed Yasmin roll her eyes at just how petty she was being in return. It highlighted how different they were in reality. Yasmin used logic and facts. Lily preferred to react in the moment, and she owned it, too.
“All you had to do was ask,” Drew noted. Lily found it ironic when he distanced himself from the rest of the group as much as he could, preferring to hang with his basketball mates instead, leaving them no chance to ask any questions. He only seemed to particularly care for Dylan.
“And we’re doing that now,” Yasmin interjected, “What is it? Why are the hunters so obsessed with it?”
“Is it not obvious?” Drew rudely answered, “It has a record of every supernatural creature to have existed, what hunter wouldn’t want that?”
“Who made it?” Lily enquired.
“A family of hunters in California, it’s been passed down through the generations,” Drew detailed.
“They moved here?” Yasmin assumed, “Is that who the hunters now are?”
“No, they recruited others and the book got duplicated. Gerard Argent, specifically. He came to Crystalshaw once a few years ago with his son Chris, but there were already others here too,” Drew detailed.
“A family of hunters. They sound nasty,” Lily commended. The idea of hunters at all made her skin crawl, but a family passing it down? How horrible.
“They’re a bit of a legend,” Drew answered, “My point is, it’s their book. They might want it back, but at the very least, having it in our possession would identify us in an instant. Including you, Yasmin.”
“Me?” Yasmin was taken aback. Lily was getting frustrated. Drew obviously knew more than he was letting on.
“You know what she is, don’t you?” Lily called him out. It was time for the secrets to end.
“Pass me the book,” Drew commanded. Lily begrudgingly opened her bag and chucked the Bestiary book towards him. Drew flicked towards the end and held up a page to them both.
“A beta’s scratch can’t transform you completely, and it’s rare it’ll have any effect at all. You’re still human, with a little extra,” Drew explained.
“A nix,” Yasmin read aloud from the book. Lily was amazed as she saw a sketch of a boy with long flowing hair and water spouting out of his mouth. Yasmin looked horrified, and Lily knew she would feel the same if she were her.
Speeding along the rather empty roads of Crystalshaw, Jono wasn’t stopping for anything. He knew that ignoring the Sheriff’s commands wasn’t always a good idea, but in this circumstance, he stood by his actions. What if Freddie and Josh were both transformed? It would expose their entire secret to the whole of Crystalshaw. Despite Dylan’s good will for the Sheriff, he knew deep down that he agreed too. A speeding ticket would be worth it.
“How far now?” Dylan asked keenly.
“A couple of minutes, we’re almost there,” Jono notified. He certainly hoped they were going in the right direction; all he had to go off was his own memory of the location on the tracking software.
As he focused on the road, he almost swerved when a huge bang filled his eardrums. He parked the car and saw a huge cloud of smoke and flames fill the air in the nearby forest. Worry instantly filled his mind as he feared for Freddie’s safety.
However, they didn’t do too good a job at clearing his mind that afternoon. What did Josh’s pack want? He was sure to find out before long, but he wasn’t sure whether to approach them first or wait for them to make the first move. Both options had their pros and cons.
Dylan decided there was no use worrying now though. It was unlikely they would approach him before school the next day, so all he had to do was enjoy what he called his “mom time.” Caroline would be waiting for him as always when he got home, with a cup of tea and a packet of ready salted crisps. The scent of the tea graced his nostrils as soon as he opened the front door. His house just permanently smelt of tea actually. Dylan assumed his natural smell must be of tea as a result.
“Hi honey, your mug is on the table, I’ll be there soon,” Caroline called out from the kitchen.
“Hi mom, thanks,” Dylan called back. He never lost his manners when speaking to his mum. He collapsed down on the sofa, thrilled to finally be resting his legs. The TV was already on, with some strange-looking reality show playing. He never admitted it, but he totally enjoyed those trashy reality shows. He couldn’t ruin the tiny amount of street cred that he had left.
He took a sip of tea; just the right temperature. Nice and strong too – he hated milky tea. This was the life, and Dylan wished he had more moments to spend like this with his mum. Caroline walked in with a pack of biscuits. Rich teas, perfect for dunking in tea.
“Change the channel if you like,” Caroline allowed, sitting herself next to Dylan. She gave him personal space but wasn’t out of cuddling distance.
“It’s alright, I don’t mind,” Dylan was engrossed, but as an expert at not showing it.
“No Jono today?” Caroline noted.
“He had some homework to do,” Dylan lied. He was actually going to keep an eye on Freddie for the night, but he didn’t fancy explaining the werewolf situation to her. In fact, he preferred not to think about it.
“Nothing’s the matter, is it?” Caroline queried. Mums were an expert at sussing things out. Nothing got past her.
“No, I’m fine,” Dylan smiled, taking another sip of tea, “This is gorgeous.” Perfect chance to change the subject.
“I’ve had years of practice,” Caroline laughed. As she spoke, Dylan’s phone buzzed. New text from Jono.
“Freddie’s gone.”
Dylan’s bubble was burst. The relaxation and comfort had vanished in exchange for immediate panic, and the only thought in Dylan’s mind was oh shit.
Instantly feeling so much better, Freddie was delighted when he woke up. He had slept for what must have been a few hours at least. Even though he still felt weak and exhausted, he was thinking a whole lot more coherently than before. As much as possible anyway, considering he had just woken up. His senses started returning to him, as slow as usual whenever he woke up. He really was not a morning person.
He noticed the whirring of a car engine, humming away. He looked around. Sure enough, he was in a car. Huh? He fell asleep in the treehouse, and this certainly wasn’t Jono’s car. It was bigger and more spacious than that.
“Jono?” he called out, hoping for a reassuring response from him to explain what was going on.
“Oh, you’re awake,” came a familiar voice in response. Normally, he would be delighted to hear somebody he recognised in this situation, but this was setting off all sorts of alarm bells. It was his worst nightmare coming true.
“Long time no see,” Josh continued, taking a quick look back from the driver’s seat. Freddie gulped, horrified.
“So, he’s into you for sure?” Yasmin interrogated. She had gone back to Lily’s after school, hoping for a private word following her chat with Drew.
“I think so, he was totally frosty at first but he livened up,” Lily informed. She really did seem to be on a high, it was nice to see.
“And the fact he’s part of Josh’s pack…” Yasmin broached the subject.
“I’m not stupid. If he does anything bad, I’ll cut him out. I don’t need Dylan or Jono dictating who I can and can’t date,” Lily argued. It was a fair point. Oli hadn’t shown any signs of trouble yet. Perhaps they were jumping the gun.
“Look, I wanted to mention,” Yasmin changed the subject, hoping to calm Lily down, “The Bestiary. It was a mistake. We should have left it alone.”
“What?” Lily was taken aback, “I thought you wanted to know what you are?”
“I do, but I think we’ve opened a can of worms,” Yasmin explained, “Drew knows. He’s not bothered about you taking it, he’s more concerned about who could have seen it.”
“Most people won’t have batted an eyelid though?” Lily tried to understand.
“Not if they’re in-the-know,” Yasmin added.
“You mean hunters?” Lily realised.
“They’re still in Crystalshaw, they just think all the werewolves left. If they see that book, we expose ourselves to every one of them,” Yasmin justified. Lily was taking it all in, trying to process it.
Before they could say anything further, Lily’s bedroom door burst open.
“Freddie’s gone,” Jono announced, sounding extremely flustered.
Arriving at Jono’s, clicking the gates open with his fob, Dylan was the last to arrive. He saw Yasmin was there before him, which was a surprise considering it took him less time to walk than it took her to drive. It wasn’t that important anyway, she was probably out already. There was a much more pressing issue at hand.
“What’s going on?” Dylan questioned, deciding that small talk and pleasantries weren’t necessary nor appropriate.
“I got home and saw Freddie wasn’t in the treehouse. I did a scout around the house, I called his phone, but nothing,” Jono explained.
“Have you checked the footage?” Dylan queried.
“I loaded it onto my laptop just now,” Lily answered, “Well, Yasmin did.” Lily was always useless at computers beyond Instagram and Facebook.
“And?” Dylan impatiently wondered.
“Somebody moved him,” Yasmin chimed in, “They were wearing a hoodie and a mask, there was no way to identify them.”
“Damn,” Dylan cursed. He was hoping for some kind of giveaway. He leapt up to the treehouse to have a scout around and look for any potential clues. Just the crumpled duvet and the cosy beanbags were left from Freddie’s makeshift bed. There was no sign that anyone else had been there.
Then, in the corner of his eye, he noticed the clue he needed. The CCTV camera positioned outside the gates. Maybe they caught something.
“Do you have access to the CCTV?” Dylan yelled back down.
“Yeah, it’s on my dad’s laptop,” Jono replied, “But how did they get through the gates?”
“We might just find out,” Dylan considered, jumping back down. Any clue would help at this point, as nothing else made sense.
Freddie’s heart was beating like never before. It was resembling the thudding bassline of the many EDM tracks he enjoyed. What was Josh doing back? What did he want? Kidnapping him was hardly the best of starts.
“I’m sorry it had to be like this. I wouldn’t even get close to you otherwise,” Josh explained.
“You could have tried a text message like anyone else,” Freddie scolded. He was too scared to sit up and face Josh, but the car doors were locked. There was no avoiding him.
“I know it’s hard to believe, but I don’t want to cause trouble. I wanted to patch things up,” Jono pleaded.
“Fat chance,” Freddie retorted. It all felt exceedingly convenient that he wanted to make amends now he was an outcast.
“And to warn you,” Josh continued, “They’re here. My so-called pack.”
“They’re at the school, we’ve seen them,” Freddie replied.
“Trying to fit in. It’s part of their plan,” Josh explained.
“Their plan? You know what it is?” Freddie was still holding Josh at arm’s length, but if he had any information, he wanted to know it.
“They’ve been here for months, they found me after Dylan threatened me. They took me and kept me as their pet,” Josh detailed, “They squeezed everything I knew about you from me.”
“You’re a traitor,” Freddie called him out. He wasn’t surprised though.
“I did what I had to do to survive,” Josh defiantly replied.
“What do they want then?” Freddie demanded. That was what he wanted to know more than anything else.
“You guys,” Josh replied, “That was what I had to do, recruit a larger pack. Except I failed. You refused me.”
“Can hardly think why,” Freddie remarked. He’d fallen for Josh’s act before, he wasn’t about to do it again.
“You might hate me, but I’m doing you a favour. They’re dangerous, and none of you are safe. I’m not expecting you to believe me, but I’m doing what I can,” Josh justified.
“What do you get out of this?” Freddie enquired, trying to suss Josh out. He never did anything without a personal gain.
“You think I want them to succeed?” Josh questioned back. He was making a fair argument, after all they had done to him, although some parts still didn’t add up. Time to probe deeper.
“How did you escape? You said you were their pet,” Freddie was keen to know.
“They are staying at a bunker underground, not too far from Drew’s,” Josh revealed, “I planned my escape for this evening. I want to get away from here.”
“And take me with you,” Freddie realised. The pieces began to slot together.
“We could start again, you know,” Josh pleaded, “I’m not the alpha anymore. I want to prove myself to you.”
“You killed innocent people. That’s not the Josh I became friends with,” Freddie reminded, “What about George? All my friends?”
“You’ll make new ones, we can be besties like before,” Josh turned around to beg.
However, he stupidly stopped focusing on the road. Freddie yelled something even he couldn’t make out as he saw the car veering off the road and into the Crystalshaw forest. Josh panicked, desperately trying to regain control of the wheel, but it was too late. The car was hurtling through the forest. There was no clear path, and Josh was dodging all of the trees, until…CRASH! The car slammed into the trunk of a tree, branches shattering the window screen in an instant…
“What exactly are you looking for?” Steve asked. Dylan and Jono were watching the CCTV camera positioned in front of the gate from Steve’s desktop computer in his office. Jono felt embarrassed that his dad was there, especially as he was perfectly capable of using the software.
“Err,” Jono stalled, “I’m expecting a delivery of a few CDs, I wanted to see if they attempted delivery before I got home.” A good lie. He had learnt a lot about white lies from Lily. It was finally paying off.
“Alright. Make sure you log off when you’re done,” Steve said before leaving. Phew. Jono was worried that his dad would see something he didn’t want him to.
Now it was just he and Dylan. The temptation when they were alone was too much, but it was almost Dylan’s birthday. He had to save himself for a great present.
“You told that lie without flinching,” Dylan noted.
“I’ve become my own worst enemy. Don’t pretend you’re not enjoying it,” Jono teased. Unfortunately, though, flirting was low on the agenda. Jono clicked the fast-forward button on the CCTV software, flicking through the footage to find something useful.
“Alright, two-thirty-two, this is when it happened according to the webcam,” Jono narrated.
“What’s that?” Dylan pointed at the screen. Jono instantly paused. Sure enough, a car had pulled up. Dylan typed the registration plate into the notes section of his phone – far more efficient than one of the many post-it notes his dad had on his desk. Jono then pressed play once again to see if the culprit revealed themselves. In clear view, a masked figure stepped out of the car and pounced over the gate, as if it were a tiny hurdle.
“A werewolf,” Dylan identified. Jono gulped. Was it one of Josh’s pack? Or someone they didn’t know?
“We have to get to Sheriff Taylor,” Jono decided.
“Drew hasn’t answered yet, I think we should wait,” Dylan suggested. He had been trying to get in touch with Drew ever since he arrived. Jono hadn’t called him initially as he still didn’t trust him. Plus, he was a complete tool.
“Dyl, we have to speak to the Sheriff. Wherever that car is, Freddie is almost certainly in it, and the Sheriff can track it,” Jono argued. He knew Dylan wanted to debate, Jono could see it. For whatever reason, he still trusted Drew. However, Jono surely couldn’t have lost that argument. Not when he used the pet name “Dyl.”
“Alright,” Dylan agreed, “Let’s go.”
Waiting outside, Lily had asked Yasmin to hang back momentarily with her. What Yasmin was saying, before Jono burst in, took her by complete surprise. She hadn’t even thought about other hunters around in Crystalshaw. Drew had mentioned them, but in true Drew style, he had only said what was absolutely necessary to know in the moment. She really wished he was more engaging.
“Do you think any of them have seen us with the book?” Lily vaguely asked.
“I don’t know,” Yasmin thankfully understood, “We don’t even know who the hunters were, or what they’re doing now.”
“Probably taking arms thanks to me,” Lily reflected. She would never forgive herself if she were to blame.
“You weren’t to know. We do need more answers though. We gotta find Drew,” Yasmin offered. Lily nodded, taking out her phone to notify Jono.
“Dylan’s been calling him all night, let’s hope the hunters haven’t gotten to him already,” Lily feared. She tried not to show it, but she worried a lot, and the fact that she may have been the root of the problem was just too much.
Awakening with a banging headache, Freddie was very disorientated. It was like the feeling he regretfully knew from when he attended that soccer kid’s party and drank too much booze underage. He had no idea where he was the next morning – it turned out that he’d spent the night on Josh’s sofa.
Josh. That was it. Where was he? What had happened? He tried sitting up, but he realised he was stuck. Oh no. Panic set into motion as Freddie tried desperately to wriggle free. He was still in Josh’s car, but there was no sign of him.
Freddie took a sniff – Dylan had attempted to teach him about scents but it was yet another werewolf skill that eluded him. He decided it must be worth a try though.
Nope, no scent. Just nature, gasoline and flames. Oh dear.
He looked behind him – a fire was raging, caused by the crash. It hadn’t spread to the gasoline in the car yet, but it was surely only a matter of time. It was a ticking time bomb, and Freddie may as well have been glued to it.
Daunting as always, the sheriff station towered over Dylan. He never liked having to visit – it wasn’t anything to do with Sheriff Taylor, who had more-or-less watched him grow up; it was more to do with how the sheriff station was synonymous with something bad happening. Nobody went to the station to report that someone told a funny joke. Dylan wished they did, though. The world needed more positivity.
As they approached the door, Dylan was surprised as he almost bumped into Caroline. He was confused and very concerned to see her at the station.
“Mom, what are you doing here? Are you okay?” Dylan asked quickly.
“I’m fine sweetie, I finished work early so came to say hi to Sheriff Taylor. What’s up with you?” Caroline sounded just as concerned.
“Freddie’s gone missing, we’ve got evidence to help find him,” Dylan replied. It felt nice telling her the truth this time – that was all he knew for definite. No added werewolf craziness. Yet.
“Oh sweetie, I hope he turns up soon. Anyway, I have a hot date with a cup of tea and my bed, I’ll see you tonight, don’t stay out too late.” She pecked his cheek with a kiss and left before Dylan had a chance to reply. She didn’t seem herself – she was in more of a rush than usual.
“Come on,” Jono nagged, leading the way into the station. Dylan followed him into the lobby area. Sheriff Taylor was stood at the desk with a deputy, collecting some paperwork. He tucked the back of his shirt in – unusually sloppy for him.
“Oh, I lose one Drummond and gain another. How can I help you boys?” Sheriff Taylor was all-smiles as he saw the boys approach.
“Hi Sheriff,” Dylan took the lead, “Freddie Ruben. He’s gone missing again, and we think he’s been kidnapped.”
“I’ll get an APB out to look for him, you got any evidence?” the Sheriff asked. Dylan loved that he didn’t question the validity of Dylan’s claim. He trusted him, hence the APB being promised before any request for proof. The evidence was only so he could operate to the best of his ability within the confines of the law. If only teachers were so understanding.
“Sure,” Dylan replied, handing over his phone. He had loaded both the webcam footage and CCTV snippet onto his phone ready. He watched as the Sheriff viewed the footage with open eyes.
“Let’s track that registration plate,” the Sheriff decided.
Arriving above the bunker, Yasmin wasn’t even sure if her idea would work. None of them knew where Drew lived, so they had to summon him to the bunker. From her previous experience, he never seemed to be that far away.
“Shall we let ourselves in?” Lily questioned. She was impatient, and Yasmin shared her sentiment.
“I can’t see the harm,” Yasmin’s logical brain decided. The others had all grown to trust Yasmin’s mind, but it wasn’t without added pressure. Lily opened the hatch and climbed down the ladder first, much more bravely than Yasmin. Together, they reached the bunker door just metres away from the ladder. Lily reached her hand out for the rusted doorknob and yanked it down.
Immediately, as the door jolted open with a creak, an alarm began to sound. It was loud and ear-piercing, so Yasmin’s reflexes told her to cover her ears instantly.
“What is that?” Lily yelled. Yasmin couldn’t hear her, but she managed to lip-read pretty well. The sound then came to an abrupt end. It was such a relief on Yasmin’s ears. She had never considered how much she loved silence before.
Lily made eye contact with her. They were both as confused as each other. They stepped cautiously through the doorway, into the bunker, and there they saw Drew at the opposite end of the room.
“Thieves. They get everywhere,” he spoke sinisterly. A shiver went down Yasmin’s spine as she saw him shrouded in the darkness amongst the dim lighting.
The wait for Sheriff Taylor to load up the vehicle information was too much for Dylan. The Sheriff was hoping to find their culprit in the registration information, where their name should be listed.
“Oh god,” Dylan reacted as the page spring up. He read the information and his eyes were immediately drawn to the name of the owner – Joshua Rayner. Even the sight of his name was awful. Dylan thought he had seen the last of Josh. Obviously not.
“We’ve got a location,” a deputy announced, “It looks like it’s gone off-road into the forest.”
“Let’s go,” the Sheriff commanded, “Boys, stay here.” Dylan rolled his eyes. Of course, he had to miss out on the action. He just had to pray Freddie wasn’t losing control.
He glanced at Jono, expecting him to look similarly bored, but he had a devilish glint in his eyes.
“What?” Dylan was confused.
“Why are we still sat here?” Jono posed.
“We can’t go, the Sheriff told us to stay,” Dylan sensibly replied. He sounded too sensible, much like Yasmin, but he didn’t want to get on the wrong side of Sheriff Taylor.
“Oh come on, when did you get so boring?” Jono teased. Dylan couldn’t lie – he did want to be in with the action.
“You’re a bad influence, Jonathan,” Dylan flirted. He only ever used Jono’s full name when being flirty. It sounds too sexy to resist. Jono held out a hand for Dylan to grab, and they ran off to the car, ready for action.
No matter how much he struggled, Freddie just couldn’t wriggle free. He had yelled for help, but nobody was around. Why would they be? He was in the middle of the forest as night was approaching. It could be ages until he was found, and he didn’t have time. Where the heck had Josh gone? Was he hurt? The driver’s seat was empty. Maybe this was his plan all along. He had played a blinder if so.
“Freddie?” he heard Josh call out. Phew! He was still there after all.
“I’m here,” Freddie croaked. Josh popped up at the window and tried to yank the door open. The window had shattered, so he could hear Josh clearly.
“Can you get out?” Josh wondered. He was being strangely helpful.
“No, I’m stuck. You have to stop the fire spreading. The gasoline is leaking,” Freddie explained. That was the most important thing on his mind. He could hold in the car for a while longer without the fire. It was going to catch on any second now and he would be singed.
“How can I stop that?” Josh flustered. Freddie had never seen him look so scared. It was unusual.
“There’s a bottle of water in the front. I spotted it earlier. It could extinguish it,” Freddie suggested. Josh instantly climbed through the passenger window and over the tree branches that now populated the car. Freddie then heard Josh yell in frustration.
“It’s empty, it must have tipped out during the crash,” Josh replied, harshly flinging the bottle out of the window in. He manoeuvred himself back to try and face Freddie. It was difficult with the branches closing up his route, but he managed to accomplish it.
“Your legs are trapped,” Josh told him, “The chair is in the way. I could try and shift it.”
“Get yourself out, don’t kill yourself too,” Freddie ordered. If he was going to die, he didn’t want to drag someone with him.
“I thought you’d have wanted me to die,” Josh responded.
“You know me better than that,” Freddie teased the possibility of an apology. He hadn’t made his mind up on Josh’s repentance yet, but it wasn’t the time for discussion. It was time for action.
Josh tugged on the passenger chair. He had an advantage that no human had – extra strength. Even without a pack, a werewolf was still much stronger than an average human. The bolts began to come undone, and Freddie felt less weight pressing against his legs. However, he felt the car shake slightly, which made him more anxious.
“Shit, I think it’s moving. Hurry!” Freddie ordered, very worried about the safety of them both.
“Almost there, can you move?” Josh queried.
“A little, one more push,” Freddie directed. The car vaulted backwards slightly again. His heart was beating faster than ever. It had exceeded EDM levels and was now at heavy metal.
Josh heaved, not caring about the cuts and bruises he was getting from the branches. He was going to heal anyway, so it wasn’t like it mattered to him. A few slashes to the skin in exchange for their lives felt reasonable anyway.
The car inched backwards again, and Freddie braced himself while tugging at his own legs repeatedly. It was touch-and-go for them both.
Approaching Drew, Lily was furious. He had just tormented her eardrums with a pointless alarm. Now she had a headache. Was he just trying to make some douche-y point? She would love to prod his brain to understand him further.
“The Bestiary,” Lily began, “What is it?” Drew stepped out of the shadows. He could be terrifying when he wanted to be.
“Not yours for starters,” Drew remarked. Lily sighed. That was the last of their problems, but if he wanted to be petty, he could knock himself out.
“I’m so sorry you decided not to use it to help us,” Lily gave as good as she got. She noticed Yasmin roll her eyes at just how petty she was being in return. It highlighted how different they were in reality. Yasmin used logic and facts. Lily preferred to react in the moment, and she owned it, too.
“All you had to do was ask,” Drew noted. Lily found it ironic when he distanced himself from the rest of the group as much as he could, preferring to hang with his basketball mates instead, leaving them no chance to ask any questions. He only seemed to particularly care for Dylan.
“And we’re doing that now,” Yasmin interjected, “What is it? Why are the hunters so obsessed with it?”
“Is it not obvious?” Drew rudely answered, “It has a record of every supernatural creature to have existed, what hunter wouldn’t want that?”
“Who made it?” Lily enquired.
“A family of hunters in California, it’s been passed down through the generations,” Drew detailed.
“They moved here?” Yasmin assumed, “Is that who the hunters now are?”
“No, they recruited others and the book got duplicated. Gerard Argent, specifically. He came to Crystalshaw once a few years ago with his son Chris, but there were already others here too,” Drew detailed.
“A family of hunters. They sound nasty,” Lily commended. The idea of hunters at all made her skin crawl, but a family passing it down? How horrible.
“They’re a bit of a legend,” Drew answered, “My point is, it’s their book. They might want it back, but at the very least, having it in our possession would identify us in an instant. Including you, Yasmin.”
“Me?” Yasmin was taken aback. Lily was getting frustrated. Drew obviously knew more than he was letting on.
“You know what she is, don’t you?” Lily called him out. It was time for the secrets to end.
“Pass me the book,” Drew commanded. Lily begrudgingly opened her bag and chucked the Bestiary book towards him. Drew flicked towards the end and held up a page to them both.
“A beta’s scratch can’t transform you completely, and it’s rare it’ll have any effect at all. You’re still human, with a little extra,” Drew explained.
“A nix,” Yasmin read aloud from the book. Lily was amazed as she saw a sketch of a boy with long flowing hair and water spouting out of his mouth. Yasmin looked horrified, and Lily knew she would feel the same if she were her.
Speeding along the rather empty roads of Crystalshaw, Jono wasn’t stopping for anything. He knew that ignoring the Sheriff’s commands wasn’t always a good idea, but in this circumstance, he stood by his actions. What if Freddie and Josh were both transformed? It would expose their entire secret to the whole of Crystalshaw. Despite Dylan’s good will for the Sheriff, he knew deep down that he agreed too. A speeding ticket would be worth it.
“How far now?” Dylan asked keenly.
“A couple of minutes, we’re almost there,” Jono notified. He certainly hoped they were going in the right direction; all he had to go off was his own memory of the location on the tracking software.
As he focused on the road, he almost swerved when a huge bang filled his eardrums. He parked the car and saw a huge cloud of smoke and flames fill the air in the nearby forest. Worry instantly filled his mind as he feared for Freddie’s safety.