Series 5 Episode 5
"Attack"
Glancing out of the window, George was terrified of what he saw. Guarding the front entrance of the nursing home was Jake, and he was more than prepared for an attack. In his hand was a large shotgun, and George knew already from Lily’s injury that he wasn’t afraid to use it.
He couldn’t deny that he felt scared. It didn’t take a genius to realise who they were after. George was the only one who worked at the nursing home who they knew had a guaranteed link to the supernatural. He was bait for Freddie.
“Is everything okay, George?” Mrs. Gardner queried, “You’ve been stood there for twenty minutes.”
“Sorry Mrs. Gardner, I’m good, thank you,” George replied.
“Don’t worry about them outside. They don’t want you. They want your friends,” Mrs. Gardner encouraged. George paused for a moment. How did she know any of that? She hadn’t moved from her chair since his shift started.
“I don’t know what you mean,” George swore blind.
“I think you do,” Mrs. Gardner knowingly responded.
“How do you know?” George sat keenly on the sofa next to her. He had so many questions.
“I can tell you later. All you need to know is that your friends are in trouble, and if you don’t be careful, they will die,” Mrs. Gardner explained.
George tried to process it. Freddie was almost definitely on his way, despite George’s strict instructions not to come. He was about to walk straight into the trap.
He couldn’t deny that he felt scared. It didn’t take a genius to realise who they were after. George was the only one who worked at the nursing home who they knew had a guaranteed link to the supernatural. He was bait for Freddie.
“Is everything okay, George?” Mrs. Gardner queried, “You’ve been stood there for twenty minutes.”
“Sorry Mrs. Gardner, I’m good, thank you,” George replied.
“Don’t worry about them outside. They don’t want you. They want your friends,” Mrs. Gardner encouraged. George paused for a moment. How did she know any of that? She hadn’t moved from her chair since his shift started.
“I don’t know what you mean,” George swore blind.
“I think you do,” Mrs. Gardner knowingly responded.
“How do you know?” George sat keenly on the sofa next to her. He had so many questions.
“I can tell you later. All you need to know is that your friends are in trouble, and if you don’t be careful, they will die,” Mrs. Gardner explained.
George tried to process it. Freddie was almost definitely on his way, despite George’s strict instructions not to come. He was about to walk straight into the trap.
Taking deep breaths outside the basement door, Dylan was getting stressed. George was in danger, and the safest way to get to him was through the basement. The problem was the current occupant: Noah, or the kanima in his current form. Dylan hadn’t come face-to-face with the kanima before, but it looked terrifying.
It was undeniably strong, too. The way it ripped those restraints off – proven methods of keeping werewolves safe during a full moon – was insane.
“I’m going outside,” Freddie impulsively decided.
“No,” Dylan firmly replied, “You’ll get yourself killed, then lead them to us. It’s too dangerous.”
“What other solution is there?” Freddie yelled. He was emotionally stressed. Dylan wasn’t taking it personally, but he wished he could do more to help.
“We could take it on,” Josh offered, “Hold it off while you open the door.”
“Him, not it. He’s still Noah,” Monty clarified.
“And he’s trying to kill us,” Jono reminded.
“We could try,” Dylan thought aloud, “But Monty’s right. He is still Noah, and we need to remember that.”
“Maybe I can help?” Yasmin interjected from the top of the staircase.
“All hands on deck,” Dylan smiled. Now he had to hope their plan worked.
Almost asleep at his desk, Ed was drowning in paperwork. Agent McCall was sat opposite, scrutinising everything in front of him. Ed knew it wasn’t so much the paperwork that he was interested in, though. The CCTV footage from the hotel spoke volumes. Agent McCall had had an anonymous top-off about malpractice, and this was the evidence he needed to conduct a full-on investigation.
Of course, Ed knew who committed the crime – the Fenrirs and Diego had been dealt with as officially as possible. The problem stemmed from the crime scene and potential contamination of evidence. Jono and Josh crept into the hotel without any deputies noticing and nothing was done about it. Ed knew why, but Agent McCall wouldn’t believe his reasons.
“The report is up to scratch,” Agent McCall broke the awkward silence, “But I fail to see how any of your deputies could miss two teenagers entering and contaminating a crime scene.”
“Okay, so I haven’t heard from Dylan or Josh all evening, they should be home by now, have they texted you?” Caroline interrupted, bursting into the office. She stopped immediately when she gazed upon McCall.
“Agent McCall, this is my better half,” Ed begrudgingly introduced.
“Caroline Drummond,” she smiled as charmingly as always.
“Sheriff,” a deputy interrupted; the latest in a delightful series of distractions to avoid talking to McCall, “911 call from the nursing home.”
“If you’ll excuse me,” Ed fake smiled at McCall as he stood from his desk, escorting Caroline out. Ed checked his phone as he left the room. No new notifications.
“Admit it, you’re worried too, it’s not just me going crazy,” Caroline spoke quietly.
“Do you think this is related? I mean, George works at the nursing home,” Ed thought.
“I’d bet money on it,” Caroline responded. She worried all the time about Dylan and Josh, but she also thought things out more than anyone else.
“I’m on my way,” Ed replied, “I’d let you come, but with him in there…”
“It’s okay. I’ll just conveniently arrive later to visit my non-existent aunt who lives there,” Caroline smiled devilishly, Ed wasn’t going to stop protecting Dylan and Josh the way he needed to. He just had to be a little sneakier.
Cautiously pushing the basement door open, Freddie glanced around. No sign of the kanima. Perfect. Dylan, Josh and Yasmin followed regardless. There was surely no way it could have made it out. The escape door looked untouched. The kanima was hiding. It could have been behind any given one of the boxes in there, just waiting to attack.
Freddie crept slowly towards the escape door. He kept alert at all times, but there was still no sign. He reached the door and began tugging on it. No matter how forceful he was, it refused to move.
Swish!
Something crept past behind them.
“Ready?” Dylan asked, keeping his voice low.
“As I’ll ever be,” Yasmin replied nervously.
Then it showed itself. The kanima hissed vehemently. Freddie heard sounds of kicking and punching immediately after as he continued to try and budge the door. It must have been locked, but there was no keyhole. All he saw was a fancy-looking circular panel with five tiny rectangular slots.
Claw-sized.
Freddie figured it out. It was a lock designed for werewolves only. He exposed his right-hand claws. They slotted into one hole each and Freddie twisted the panel.
Click! Access was granted, much to Freddie’s relief. He pulled the door open with little force, and turned around to see Yasmin send a gigantic tide of water into the kanima, slamming it against the wall.
“Come on!” Freddie encouraged. Josh joined him at the door as the kanima jumped back, slashing Yasmin’s skin while it stared at Dylan. It wanted a werewolf.
“Go,” Dylan ordered. Against his better judgement, Freddie pushed the door shut again, losing the only source of light. Josh immediately got his phone torch out.
“No signal,” Josh observed.
“Do you think they’ll be okay?” Freddie worried.
“They’ll have to be. Come on, let’s go,” Freddie ordered.
Watching Yasmin collapse to the floor, Dylan knew he was on his own. They had succeeded in getting Freddie and Josh through the door, but the kanima had him cornered. He was running out of energy. Yasmin was paralysed, and his only source of help was upstairs.
Dylan looked eye-to-eye with the kanima. He could still see Noah there, deep behind the eyes. He was apparently still his beta, but the kanima wasn’t in control. Whoever was controlling it really hated Dylan.
The main door opened. Instantly, a gigantic roar sounded. A familiar roar to Dylan’s ears. He could identify Drew miles off. The kanima looked up at Drew. A new target. Drew lunged for it and pinned it against the wall.
“Get out,” Drew commanded. Dylan didn’t need to be asked twice. He sprinted for the door as Drew let go. Drew picked Yasmin up and Dylan shoved the door shut.
“How did that get in?” Drew queried.
“We let it in. It’s Noah,” Dylan responded.
“I guess that explains his uneventful full moons,” Drew realised.
“I’m scared, Drew,” Dylan admitted, “Someone is controlling Noah, and that’s bad. Mega bad. I don’t know how to save him.”
“As long as he’s alive, all is good,” Drew reminded, “It gives us time to think of something.”
“At least Freddie and Josh made it through,” Dylan breathed a sigh of relief.
It didn’t take a werewolf’s hearing to notice the racket coming from downstairs, so Jono was paying close attention. As long as there was noise, it meant Dylan was alive and fighting.
However, it had all gone quiet. Either they had succeeded, or the kanima had won. Jono felt terrified to find out the answer. Dylan was getting quite good at fighting and he trusted in him, but nothing was a given.
“He’ll be okay,” Lily consoled.
“Is it that obvious?” Jono marvelled at Lily’s perception skills.
“I feel the same,” Lily worried, “What if they hurt George?”
“They don’t want him,” Jono reminded.
“We don’t know that for sure,” Lily debated, “Jake is a live wire. He could do anything.”
“They also know George is their way to get to Freddie,” Jono thought. They were targeting family. If they harmed a single one of them, they surely knew it would ruin any chance they had of finding the pack.
The pitter-patter up the steps sounded. Jono immediately looked up, as if it were a reflex. Much to his relief, Dylan bounded up the stairs, followed by Drew carrying Yasmin confidently in his arms.
“Is she okay?” Lily immediately queried.
“I’m good,” Yasmin replied, “Gotta love being paralysed.”
“Are you okay? Did it work?” Jono asked Dylan, his worries turned up to eleven.
“Yes it did, and yes I am,” Dylan smiled. Jono pulled him in for a hug. He was so relieved. Never did he want to let Dylan go ever again.
“Don’t get too comfortable,” Allyn mentioned. Flashlights shone into the room. People were outside.
“Lights out,” Sierra commanded. Jono flicked the switch on the lamp next to him, and suddenly, the natural moonlight was all they had to see each other. Jono’s relief turned to horror quickly. They weren’t safe yet.
Josh couldn’t disguise it – he was scared. He felt like he was in a horror movie. Dim lighting, a dingy tunnel with claustrophobic brick walls closing him in, and no map or signage anywhere. To say they were going in blind would be an understatement.
Freddie led the way forward, his adrenaline overpowering his fear. Josh understood – he had fought so hard for a family, so if Dylan needed him, he’d do everything in his power to help. They had only been walking for a few minutes so far, but it felt like longer.
They continued down the same tunnel, not even a slight turn or shift in direction yet.
“We must be under the forest,” Freddie thought.
“We could be anywhere by now,” Josh was feeling pessimistic, “How do you know we’re going the right way?”
“Sierra said they go all over Crystalshaw. This has to be the right way,” Freddie confidently responded.
“You believe a word she says? I don’t trust her for a second,” Josh replied. After everything that happened with Diego, Josh wasn’t willing to be so trusting again.
“If you have any better suggestions, I’d like to hear them,” Freddie hit back, “She has helped more than you.”
“I can let you go on your own if you really want that,” Josh knew that Freddie was just lashing out, but they had a job to do. He needed to stay focused when Freddie lost his cool.
“I’m sorry,” Freddie realised himself, stopping at a junction of the tunnels, “I’m scared for him.”
“I know, and I want him alive just as much as you,” Josh responded gently, “Which way?”
“How would I know?” Freddie replied, baffled.
“Because I trust your instinct. I think we all know how terrible mine is,” Josh joked. Freddie paused for a moment, considering his options.
“Left,” Freddie said with determination. Josh was going to ensure George’s safety. At any cost.
Joining Allyn back at the front door, Drew kept guard using his wolf eyes. He could focus on more than the average human eye, and that had to be his advantage now. There weren’t only werewolves in the cottage after all; Yasmin didn’t have the same powers as the rest, Jono was entirely human, and who knew what Lily could do?
At least he had Allyn by his side. Though she was a werecoyote, she had the same abilities as him. He already knew she was strong and always ready to fight. Exactly the kind of person he needed on his team.
“Stand by for attack,” Sierra commanded.
“Attack?” Dylan sounded appalled, “We’re not attacking.”
“We can’t just hide, they’re in our territory,” Sierra reasoned.
“Why not? They aren’t attacking yet,” Dylan defended.
Drew recognised both arguments. Sierra represented him when he had to fend for himself. Nobody else mattered beyond his own safety. Dylan was him now, though. He had helped him to see a better way forward. One without attacks or abrasiveness. So far, he had been all the better for it.
“If we attack, we give ourselves away,” Drew reasoned, “They don’t know we’re here. Let’s see if this abandoned cottage is as good a cover story as you think.”
Sierra seemed to understand their point of view. Allyn gave him an approving nod. Perhaps this pack was less solid than he first thought?
“They’re going away,” Monty observed as the torchlights moved away from the windows.
“Stay down,” Allyn instructed, “It could be a ploy.”
Drew felt on edge. He glanced over to Dylan. He looked stressed. Whether the stress was about Sierra or the potential hunters outside was another question, but Drew assumed a bit of both.
BANG! BANG!
The kanima was trying to get out, and making a damn load of noise, too. The torches swung back round to the cottage. Dylan’s eyes glowed their deep, powerful red colour. Now Drew knew it was time to fight.
Creeping downstairs, George was unsure what he would be greeted with in the lobby area. He had to check things out for sure. When he left Mrs. Gardner’s room, he saw Jake still outside, and he had no company with him. However, George knew for sure that he wouldn’t be alone. He approached Dylan at school with a group of people, surely if he was planning to be as brazen as this, he wouldn’t have come alone.
Hoping to spot a familiar face somewhere around, George was having no luck. Nobody was in sight – perhaps they were taking cover somewhere? There was surely a reasonable explanation. Peering out into the lobby, all George could see was Jake outside the front door.
Somebody tapped George’s shoulder. He jumped out of his skin – instantly examining who it was.
“Hey,” an enthusiastic Nathan greeted. Nathan was somebody from George’s year at school. Nobody he knew particularly well, but a familiar face all the same.
“Hi,” a startled George replied, “What are you doing here?”
“Visiting my grandpa, he’s one of the residents,” Nathan responded, “I came to speak to a member of staff, but I couldn’t find one.”
“Okay, whatever you need, I will get it for you, but I need you to go back upstairs. There’s a gunman outside,” George informed, conscious that even their whispers could cause disturbance.
“No there isn’t,” Nathan confusingly replied. Just as George was about to question his baffling statement, he heard a spine-tingling voice from behind.
“Hi George, I’m Jake. I think we need to talk.”
Freddie was starting to lose confidence in himself. The tunnels were seemingly never-ending, and though he was trying to visualise where they were above ground, it was becoming difficult. All he knew was that they had been travelling in the rough direction of the nursing home in relation to the cottage. Freddie trusted himself with directions, and Josh had his back, but he wished he was able to better track George’s scent. Being underground made it difficult to detect.
“Darn these walls are thick,” Josh commented, knocking on the bricks that surrounded them closely. That would explain the lack of outside scents.
“Makes this the perfect hiding place,” Freddie considered, “I wonder if anyone else knows about it.”
“Sierra seemed pretty reluctant to even tell us,” Josh noted. He was right. She had been exceptionally stingy with the information she disclosed, and she wasn’t exactly dishing out detailed maps.
“Dylan trusts her, and he was the only one who sussed Diego out,” Freddie reminded.
“True,” Josh acknowledged, “I trust the rest of her pack more than Sierra herself.” Freddie couldn’t argue with that. Monty, Allyn and Kamilah had been so much more helpful. Freddie felt like he could depend on them for sure. They reached a hatch in the ceiling. The first one they had seen so far in the tunnel.
“I’m going to get my bearings,” Freddie decided.
“Be careful, you don’t know what’s up there,” Josh warned. Freddie nodded. He climbed up the accompanying vertical ladder and heaved open the hatch, a few centimetres at a time.
Warily, Freddie peered over the edge. Much to his relief, it was on a pathway next to a completely quiet road. The night sky made it difficult to figure out his location specifically, but Freddie had back-up power – his wolf eyes.
“We’re close, about five minutes away,” Freddie recognised the sights of the road. It was one street along from his home. He was so close to George. He wasn’t giving up.
The front door to the cottage opened, and Dylan was prepared to fight. It was always a final option for him – he knew it wasn’t even the route he wanted to take. Talking it out was better, but he had tried that with Dami already. The outcome was him getting beaten up, so Dylan wasn’t prepared to be nice any longer.
Dami stood in the doorway, eye-to-eye with Dylan. He growled at her, warning her away. The wolf had taken over, and it wasn’t taking any prisoners.
“Get down,” Dylan warned Jono. His number one priority was to keep him safe. He couldn’t allow him to get caught in the crossfire. Now with Drew by his side, Dylan had never been more ready.
“Get them,” Dami gave the order, Other hunters emerged from either side of their commander. They were from school, Dylan recognised them though he didn’t know their names, and they looked highly inexperienced.
However, each of them carried a shotgun. Dylan’s biggest fear was being shot. Werewolves weren’t immortal and a bullet could be lethal.
As soon as they came into view, Drew lunged for the hunter in front of him, immediately grabbing the gun and snapping it effortlessly and cleanly in half. Following his lead, Dylan did the same. He jumped onto the girl in front of him, the gun sliding across the floor. Yasmin grabbed it and chucked it to Drew, who broke it the same way.
Dylan looked at the girl below him. She looked horrified. She had no idea what she had walked into. Dylan got up – he wasn’t the monster they thought he was and it was important that he proved that. However, just as he did, she grabbed his hands and wrapped some uncomfortable handcuffs tightly around his wrists.
“The rest of you, don’t come near us,” Dami commanded, taking a gun out herself. Sierra growled angrily, like she was ready to attack.
“Do what she says,” Dylan encouraged.
“No,” Jono stood up for Dylan. He walked in front of Sierra, “If you want to get to him, you’ll need to go through me first.”
Dami primed the gun. Dylan gulped.
“Stand down, lover boy,” Dami ordered.
“No,” Jono stood his ground, “Let him go.”
Dami’s finger was about to pull the trigger. Dylan could smell the determination on her. He had to intervene, in the only way he could. Hands still restrained, Dylan leaned forward, baring his fangs. Without a second thought, he sunk his fangs into Dami’s arm like quicksand.
Dami dropped the gun, yelling out in pain. Dylan looked to his right, feeling relief. That relief turned to horror in an instant. It was too late. Jono collapsed to the floor. Blood was spilling out of his chest. The bullet had still been fired.
“Get him out,” Dami wasn’t giving up. Her voice was less strong than before as she tried to counteract the pain. The girl shoved Dylan out. He struggled and struggled. No luck. He had to get back to Jono. He couldn’t leave him alone.
He couldn’t control himself. The flood barriers opened. His eyes wept an endless stream of tears. His heart was breaking.
Looking nervously down the barrel of Jake’s shotgun, George was feeling on edge. There was nobody around to keep him safe, so he had to help himself in the only way he could – through words.
“You don’t want to do this,” George spoke as confidently as he possibly could in the situation.
“How would you know?” Jake hit back.
“I wasn’t talking to you,” George replied, turning to face Nathan, “Do you know anything about what you’re facing?”
“I know it shouldn’t exist,” Nathan responded.
“Who decides that? Who gets to play god?” George reasoned. He could almost see the cogs spinning in Nathan’s head. He was seriously contemplating George’s words.
“Why are you protecting them? We don’t want you, you’re not a problem,” Jake tried to justify himself.
“Because I know my brother,” George explained. He heard the clunky basement steps squeaking. Footsteps getting nearer. He had to keep Jake’s attention, because those footsteps surely meant one thing, “Sure, he’s probably about to walk right into your trap, but he’ll get his ass back out again. That’s who he is. That’s why I trust Freddie.”
The basement door swung open. Freddie and Josh were both immediately ready to fight, fully shifted. Jake tried to prime his gun, but his hands were quivering. Nathan ducked for cover, proving just how afraid and unprepared he was.
Freddie lunged for Jake, wrestling over the gun. George felt very concerned and he took cover with Josh – one wrong move and it could fire in any direction.
BANG!
George’s body shook in fear as a bullet fired up at the ceiling. Freddie used this distraction to his advantage, snatching the gun from Jake’s hand and throwing it to Josh.
“Get down on the ground,” Ed commanded, appearing from the entrance holding his own gun to Jake. Josh flung Nathan out into the lobby too, exposing him so he couldn’t get away.
George breathed a sigh of relief. Caroline rushed in, wrapping her arms instantly around Josh while Ed arrested Jake and Nathan. George looked to Freddie. He was so relieved to see him.
“Thanks bro,” George smiled, embracing him in a warm hug.
“I couldn’t leave you to die. You owe me twenty bucks,” Freddie joked.
“Where’s Dylan?” Caroline frantically wondered.
“He’s taking cover,” Freddie replied.
“Dami’s not here either,” George observed. They weren’t out of the woods yet.
“Text from Drew,” Josh announced, “We need to get to the hospital. Now.” George felt a shiver run through his boy. Something bad had happened, and he was scared to find out more.
Watching Jono be carried through the hospital on a stretcher, staining the white sheets he was laying on with thick, red blood that continued to trickle out of his stomach, Lily had never felt more anxious. Her little brother was clinging onto life, like his fingertips were the only thing stopping him from a fatal fall off a cliff. He didn’t deserve it – he was sticking up for the person he loved more than anyone else in the world. Dami had shot him in cold blood, and now she had taken Dylan hostage.
Lily thought she would have been the biggest problem that night, but once again, she hadn’t felt any urge to shift. None of that mattered now anyway. She watched as Jono got wheeled into theatre. No matter how hard Lily tried to be strong for Jono, she couldn’t resist her tears. She was picturing the worst possible scenario. Having to tell their parents the whole story. Losing her biggest rock.
No, it wouldn’t end that way. It would have been too painful. At least she had Yasmin by her side, and Kamilah too. Kamilah had done her best to stop the bleeding, but the wound was too deep. Things didn’t look good.
It was undeniably strong, too. The way it ripped those restraints off – proven methods of keeping werewolves safe during a full moon – was insane.
“I’m going outside,” Freddie impulsively decided.
“No,” Dylan firmly replied, “You’ll get yourself killed, then lead them to us. It’s too dangerous.”
“What other solution is there?” Freddie yelled. He was emotionally stressed. Dylan wasn’t taking it personally, but he wished he could do more to help.
“We could take it on,” Josh offered, “Hold it off while you open the door.”
“Him, not it. He’s still Noah,” Monty clarified.
“And he’s trying to kill us,” Jono reminded.
“We could try,” Dylan thought aloud, “But Monty’s right. He is still Noah, and we need to remember that.”
“Maybe I can help?” Yasmin interjected from the top of the staircase.
“All hands on deck,” Dylan smiled. Now he had to hope their plan worked.
Almost asleep at his desk, Ed was drowning in paperwork. Agent McCall was sat opposite, scrutinising everything in front of him. Ed knew it wasn’t so much the paperwork that he was interested in, though. The CCTV footage from the hotel spoke volumes. Agent McCall had had an anonymous top-off about malpractice, and this was the evidence he needed to conduct a full-on investigation.
Of course, Ed knew who committed the crime – the Fenrirs and Diego had been dealt with as officially as possible. The problem stemmed from the crime scene and potential contamination of evidence. Jono and Josh crept into the hotel without any deputies noticing and nothing was done about it. Ed knew why, but Agent McCall wouldn’t believe his reasons.
“The report is up to scratch,” Agent McCall broke the awkward silence, “But I fail to see how any of your deputies could miss two teenagers entering and contaminating a crime scene.”
“Okay, so I haven’t heard from Dylan or Josh all evening, they should be home by now, have they texted you?” Caroline interrupted, bursting into the office. She stopped immediately when she gazed upon McCall.
“Agent McCall, this is my better half,” Ed begrudgingly introduced.
“Caroline Drummond,” she smiled as charmingly as always.
“Sheriff,” a deputy interrupted; the latest in a delightful series of distractions to avoid talking to McCall, “911 call from the nursing home.”
“If you’ll excuse me,” Ed fake smiled at McCall as he stood from his desk, escorting Caroline out. Ed checked his phone as he left the room. No new notifications.
“Admit it, you’re worried too, it’s not just me going crazy,” Caroline spoke quietly.
“Do you think this is related? I mean, George works at the nursing home,” Ed thought.
“I’d bet money on it,” Caroline responded. She worried all the time about Dylan and Josh, but she also thought things out more than anyone else.
“I’m on my way,” Ed replied, “I’d let you come, but with him in there…”
“It’s okay. I’ll just conveniently arrive later to visit my non-existent aunt who lives there,” Caroline smiled devilishly, Ed wasn’t going to stop protecting Dylan and Josh the way he needed to. He just had to be a little sneakier.
Cautiously pushing the basement door open, Freddie glanced around. No sign of the kanima. Perfect. Dylan, Josh and Yasmin followed regardless. There was surely no way it could have made it out. The escape door looked untouched. The kanima was hiding. It could have been behind any given one of the boxes in there, just waiting to attack.
Freddie crept slowly towards the escape door. He kept alert at all times, but there was still no sign. He reached the door and began tugging on it. No matter how forceful he was, it refused to move.
Swish!
Something crept past behind them.
“Ready?” Dylan asked, keeping his voice low.
“As I’ll ever be,” Yasmin replied nervously.
Then it showed itself. The kanima hissed vehemently. Freddie heard sounds of kicking and punching immediately after as he continued to try and budge the door. It must have been locked, but there was no keyhole. All he saw was a fancy-looking circular panel with five tiny rectangular slots.
Claw-sized.
Freddie figured it out. It was a lock designed for werewolves only. He exposed his right-hand claws. They slotted into one hole each and Freddie twisted the panel.
Click! Access was granted, much to Freddie’s relief. He pulled the door open with little force, and turned around to see Yasmin send a gigantic tide of water into the kanima, slamming it against the wall.
“Come on!” Freddie encouraged. Josh joined him at the door as the kanima jumped back, slashing Yasmin’s skin while it stared at Dylan. It wanted a werewolf.
“Go,” Dylan ordered. Against his better judgement, Freddie pushed the door shut again, losing the only source of light. Josh immediately got his phone torch out.
“No signal,” Josh observed.
“Do you think they’ll be okay?” Freddie worried.
“They’ll have to be. Come on, let’s go,” Freddie ordered.
Watching Yasmin collapse to the floor, Dylan knew he was on his own. They had succeeded in getting Freddie and Josh through the door, but the kanima had him cornered. He was running out of energy. Yasmin was paralysed, and his only source of help was upstairs.
Dylan looked eye-to-eye with the kanima. He could still see Noah there, deep behind the eyes. He was apparently still his beta, but the kanima wasn’t in control. Whoever was controlling it really hated Dylan.
The main door opened. Instantly, a gigantic roar sounded. A familiar roar to Dylan’s ears. He could identify Drew miles off. The kanima looked up at Drew. A new target. Drew lunged for it and pinned it against the wall.
“Get out,” Drew commanded. Dylan didn’t need to be asked twice. He sprinted for the door as Drew let go. Drew picked Yasmin up and Dylan shoved the door shut.
“How did that get in?” Drew queried.
“We let it in. It’s Noah,” Dylan responded.
“I guess that explains his uneventful full moons,” Drew realised.
“I’m scared, Drew,” Dylan admitted, “Someone is controlling Noah, and that’s bad. Mega bad. I don’t know how to save him.”
“As long as he’s alive, all is good,” Drew reminded, “It gives us time to think of something.”
“At least Freddie and Josh made it through,” Dylan breathed a sigh of relief.
It didn’t take a werewolf’s hearing to notice the racket coming from downstairs, so Jono was paying close attention. As long as there was noise, it meant Dylan was alive and fighting.
However, it had all gone quiet. Either they had succeeded, or the kanima had won. Jono felt terrified to find out the answer. Dylan was getting quite good at fighting and he trusted in him, but nothing was a given.
“He’ll be okay,” Lily consoled.
“Is it that obvious?” Jono marvelled at Lily’s perception skills.
“I feel the same,” Lily worried, “What if they hurt George?”
“They don’t want him,” Jono reminded.
“We don’t know that for sure,” Lily debated, “Jake is a live wire. He could do anything.”
“They also know George is their way to get to Freddie,” Jono thought. They were targeting family. If they harmed a single one of them, they surely knew it would ruin any chance they had of finding the pack.
The pitter-patter up the steps sounded. Jono immediately looked up, as if it were a reflex. Much to his relief, Dylan bounded up the stairs, followed by Drew carrying Yasmin confidently in his arms.
“Is she okay?” Lily immediately queried.
“I’m good,” Yasmin replied, “Gotta love being paralysed.”
“Are you okay? Did it work?” Jono asked Dylan, his worries turned up to eleven.
“Yes it did, and yes I am,” Dylan smiled. Jono pulled him in for a hug. He was so relieved. Never did he want to let Dylan go ever again.
“Don’t get too comfortable,” Allyn mentioned. Flashlights shone into the room. People were outside.
“Lights out,” Sierra commanded. Jono flicked the switch on the lamp next to him, and suddenly, the natural moonlight was all they had to see each other. Jono’s relief turned to horror quickly. They weren’t safe yet.
Josh couldn’t disguise it – he was scared. He felt like he was in a horror movie. Dim lighting, a dingy tunnel with claustrophobic brick walls closing him in, and no map or signage anywhere. To say they were going in blind would be an understatement.
Freddie led the way forward, his adrenaline overpowering his fear. Josh understood – he had fought so hard for a family, so if Dylan needed him, he’d do everything in his power to help. They had only been walking for a few minutes so far, but it felt like longer.
They continued down the same tunnel, not even a slight turn or shift in direction yet.
“We must be under the forest,” Freddie thought.
“We could be anywhere by now,” Josh was feeling pessimistic, “How do you know we’re going the right way?”
“Sierra said they go all over Crystalshaw. This has to be the right way,” Freddie confidently responded.
“You believe a word she says? I don’t trust her for a second,” Josh replied. After everything that happened with Diego, Josh wasn’t willing to be so trusting again.
“If you have any better suggestions, I’d like to hear them,” Freddie hit back, “She has helped more than you.”
“I can let you go on your own if you really want that,” Josh knew that Freddie was just lashing out, but they had a job to do. He needed to stay focused when Freddie lost his cool.
“I’m sorry,” Freddie realised himself, stopping at a junction of the tunnels, “I’m scared for him.”
“I know, and I want him alive just as much as you,” Josh responded gently, “Which way?”
“How would I know?” Freddie replied, baffled.
“Because I trust your instinct. I think we all know how terrible mine is,” Josh joked. Freddie paused for a moment, considering his options.
“Left,” Freddie said with determination. Josh was going to ensure George’s safety. At any cost.
Joining Allyn back at the front door, Drew kept guard using his wolf eyes. He could focus on more than the average human eye, and that had to be his advantage now. There weren’t only werewolves in the cottage after all; Yasmin didn’t have the same powers as the rest, Jono was entirely human, and who knew what Lily could do?
At least he had Allyn by his side. Though she was a werecoyote, she had the same abilities as him. He already knew she was strong and always ready to fight. Exactly the kind of person he needed on his team.
“Stand by for attack,” Sierra commanded.
“Attack?” Dylan sounded appalled, “We’re not attacking.”
“We can’t just hide, they’re in our territory,” Sierra reasoned.
“Why not? They aren’t attacking yet,” Dylan defended.
Drew recognised both arguments. Sierra represented him when he had to fend for himself. Nobody else mattered beyond his own safety. Dylan was him now, though. He had helped him to see a better way forward. One without attacks or abrasiveness. So far, he had been all the better for it.
“If we attack, we give ourselves away,” Drew reasoned, “They don’t know we’re here. Let’s see if this abandoned cottage is as good a cover story as you think.”
Sierra seemed to understand their point of view. Allyn gave him an approving nod. Perhaps this pack was less solid than he first thought?
“They’re going away,” Monty observed as the torchlights moved away from the windows.
“Stay down,” Allyn instructed, “It could be a ploy.”
Drew felt on edge. He glanced over to Dylan. He looked stressed. Whether the stress was about Sierra or the potential hunters outside was another question, but Drew assumed a bit of both.
BANG! BANG!
The kanima was trying to get out, and making a damn load of noise, too. The torches swung back round to the cottage. Dylan’s eyes glowed their deep, powerful red colour. Now Drew knew it was time to fight.
Creeping downstairs, George was unsure what he would be greeted with in the lobby area. He had to check things out for sure. When he left Mrs. Gardner’s room, he saw Jake still outside, and he had no company with him. However, George knew for sure that he wouldn’t be alone. He approached Dylan at school with a group of people, surely if he was planning to be as brazen as this, he wouldn’t have come alone.
Hoping to spot a familiar face somewhere around, George was having no luck. Nobody was in sight – perhaps they were taking cover somewhere? There was surely a reasonable explanation. Peering out into the lobby, all George could see was Jake outside the front door.
Somebody tapped George’s shoulder. He jumped out of his skin – instantly examining who it was.
“Hey,” an enthusiastic Nathan greeted. Nathan was somebody from George’s year at school. Nobody he knew particularly well, but a familiar face all the same.
“Hi,” a startled George replied, “What are you doing here?”
“Visiting my grandpa, he’s one of the residents,” Nathan responded, “I came to speak to a member of staff, but I couldn’t find one.”
“Okay, whatever you need, I will get it for you, but I need you to go back upstairs. There’s a gunman outside,” George informed, conscious that even their whispers could cause disturbance.
“No there isn’t,” Nathan confusingly replied. Just as George was about to question his baffling statement, he heard a spine-tingling voice from behind.
“Hi George, I’m Jake. I think we need to talk.”
Freddie was starting to lose confidence in himself. The tunnels were seemingly never-ending, and though he was trying to visualise where they were above ground, it was becoming difficult. All he knew was that they had been travelling in the rough direction of the nursing home in relation to the cottage. Freddie trusted himself with directions, and Josh had his back, but he wished he was able to better track George’s scent. Being underground made it difficult to detect.
“Darn these walls are thick,” Josh commented, knocking on the bricks that surrounded them closely. That would explain the lack of outside scents.
“Makes this the perfect hiding place,” Freddie considered, “I wonder if anyone else knows about it.”
“Sierra seemed pretty reluctant to even tell us,” Josh noted. He was right. She had been exceptionally stingy with the information she disclosed, and she wasn’t exactly dishing out detailed maps.
“Dylan trusts her, and he was the only one who sussed Diego out,” Freddie reminded.
“True,” Josh acknowledged, “I trust the rest of her pack more than Sierra herself.” Freddie couldn’t argue with that. Monty, Allyn and Kamilah had been so much more helpful. Freddie felt like he could depend on them for sure. They reached a hatch in the ceiling. The first one they had seen so far in the tunnel.
“I’m going to get my bearings,” Freddie decided.
“Be careful, you don’t know what’s up there,” Josh warned. Freddie nodded. He climbed up the accompanying vertical ladder and heaved open the hatch, a few centimetres at a time.
Warily, Freddie peered over the edge. Much to his relief, it was on a pathway next to a completely quiet road. The night sky made it difficult to figure out his location specifically, but Freddie had back-up power – his wolf eyes.
“We’re close, about five minutes away,” Freddie recognised the sights of the road. It was one street along from his home. He was so close to George. He wasn’t giving up.
The front door to the cottage opened, and Dylan was prepared to fight. It was always a final option for him – he knew it wasn’t even the route he wanted to take. Talking it out was better, but he had tried that with Dami already. The outcome was him getting beaten up, so Dylan wasn’t prepared to be nice any longer.
Dami stood in the doorway, eye-to-eye with Dylan. He growled at her, warning her away. The wolf had taken over, and it wasn’t taking any prisoners.
“Get down,” Dylan warned Jono. His number one priority was to keep him safe. He couldn’t allow him to get caught in the crossfire. Now with Drew by his side, Dylan had never been more ready.
“Get them,” Dami gave the order, Other hunters emerged from either side of their commander. They were from school, Dylan recognised them though he didn’t know their names, and they looked highly inexperienced.
However, each of them carried a shotgun. Dylan’s biggest fear was being shot. Werewolves weren’t immortal and a bullet could be lethal.
As soon as they came into view, Drew lunged for the hunter in front of him, immediately grabbing the gun and snapping it effortlessly and cleanly in half. Following his lead, Dylan did the same. He jumped onto the girl in front of him, the gun sliding across the floor. Yasmin grabbed it and chucked it to Drew, who broke it the same way.
Dylan looked at the girl below him. She looked horrified. She had no idea what she had walked into. Dylan got up – he wasn’t the monster they thought he was and it was important that he proved that. However, just as he did, she grabbed his hands and wrapped some uncomfortable handcuffs tightly around his wrists.
“The rest of you, don’t come near us,” Dami commanded, taking a gun out herself. Sierra growled angrily, like she was ready to attack.
“Do what she says,” Dylan encouraged.
“No,” Jono stood up for Dylan. He walked in front of Sierra, “If you want to get to him, you’ll need to go through me first.”
Dami primed the gun. Dylan gulped.
“Stand down, lover boy,” Dami ordered.
“No,” Jono stood his ground, “Let him go.”
Dami’s finger was about to pull the trigger. Dylan could smell the determination on her. He had to intervene, in the only way he could. Hands still restrained, Dylan leaned forward, baring his fangs. Without a second thought, he sunk his fangs into Dami’s arm like quicksand.
Dami dropped the gun, yelling out in pain. Dylan looked to his right, feeling relief. That relief turned to horror in an instant. It was too late. Jono collapsed to the floor. Blood was spilling out of his chest. The bullet had still been fired.
“Get him out,” Dami wasn’t giving up. Her voice was less strong than before as she tried to counteract the pain. The girl shoved Dylan out. He struggled and struggled. No luck. He had to get back to Jono. He couldn’t leave him alone.
He couldn’t control himself. The flood barriers opened. His eyes wept an endless stream of tears. His heart was breaking.
Looking nervously down the barrel of Jake’s shotgun, George was feeling on edge. There was nobody around to keep him safe, so he had to help himself in the only way he could – through words.
“You don’t want to do this,” George spoke as confidently as he possibly could in the situation.
“How would you know?” Jake hit back.
“I wasn’t talking to you,” George replied, turning to face Nathan, “Do you know anything about what you’re facing?”
“I know it shouldn’t exist,” Nathan responded.
“Who decides that? Who gets to play god?” George reasoned. He could almost see the cogs spinning in Nathan’s head. He was seriously contemplating George’s words.
“Why are you protecting them? We don’t want you, you’re not a problem,” Jake tried to justify himself.
“Because I know my brother,” George explained. He heard the clunky basement steps squeaking. Footsteps getting nearer. He had to keep Jake’s attention, because those footsteps surely meant one thing, “Sure, he’s probably about to walk right into your trap, but he’ll get his ass back out again. That’s who he is. That’s why I trust Freddie.”
The basement door swung open. Freddie and Josh were both immediately ready to fight, fully shifted. Jake tried to prime his gun, but his hands were quivering. Nathan ducked for cover, proving just how afraid and unprepared he was.
Freddie lunged for Jake, wrestling over the gun. George felt very concerned and he took cover with Josh – one wrong move and it could fire in any direction.
BANG!
George’s body shook in fear as a bullet fired up at the ceiling. Freddie used this distraction to his advantage, snatching the gun from Jake’s hand and throwing it to Josh.
“Get down on the ground,” Ed commanded, appearing from the entrance holding his own gun to Jake. Josh flung Nathan out into the lobby too, exposing him so he couldn’t get away.
George breathed a sigh of relief. Caroline rushed in, wrapping her arms instantly around Josh while Ed arrested Jake and Nathan. George looked to Freddie. He was so relieved to see him.
“Thanks bro,” George smiled, embracing him in a warm hug.
“I couldn’t leave you to die. You owe me twenty bucks,” Freddie joked.
“Where’s Dylan?” Caroline frantically wondered.
“He’s taking cover,” Freddie replied.
“Dami’s not here either,” George observed. They weren’t out of the woods yet.
“Text from Drew,” Josh announced, “We need to get to the hospital. Now.” George felt a shiver run through his boy. Something bad had happened, and he was scared to find out more.
Watching Jono be carried through the hospital on a stretcher, staining the white sheets he was laying on with thick, red blood that continued to trickle out of his stomach, Lily had never felt more anxious. Her little brother was clinging onto life, like his fingertips were the only thing stopping him from a fatal fall off a cliff. He didn’t deserve it – he was sticking up for the person he loved more than anyone else in the world. Dami had shot him in cold blood, and now she had taken Dylan hostage.
Lily thought she would have been the biggest problem that night, but once again, she hadn’t felt any urge to shift. None of that mattered now anyway. She watched as Jono got wheeled into theatre. No matter how hard Lily tried to be strong for Jono, she couldn’t resist her tears. She was picturing the worst possible scenario. Having to tell their parents the whole story. Losing her biggest rock.
No, it wouldn’t end that way. It would have been too painful. At least she had Yasmin by her side, and Kamilah too. Kamilah had done her best to stop the bleeding, but the wound was too deep. Things didn’t look good.