Series 5 Episode 3
"Paralysis"
Following Allyn through the forest, Drew was desperate to find out where they were going. He knew their bunker was empty now, so they were going somewhere new. For Allyn to take him and Josh there in the first place, it must have meant that she trusted them, to an extent at least.
However, obviously not enough to inform Drew of their change of address. It frustrated Drew; he understood why they would need secrecy, and ultimately they barely knew each other, but why did Allyn keep saving his life? It annoyed him that he couldn’t return the favour.
Moving towards the edge of the forest, a small getaway came into view. A relatively compact cottage, which looked deserted from the outside, was their destination.
“In here,” Allyn directed, shoving the weak-looking front door open. They both heaved the paralysed Josh inside and onto the settee in the first room. Inside it was surprisingly decorated. The furnishings were old fashioned but looked cute.
Drew didn’t have much of a chance to take in the sights, though. He immediately checked on Josh.
“Can you move anything?” Drew queried.
“My eyelids,” Josh answered.
“Kamilah!” Allyn yelled for help.
“Do you know what did this?” Drew interrogated.
“No, but we’re trying to figure it out,” Allyn notified, “We’ve never seen anything like it before.”
“We better hurry up, he’s no good to us like that,” Drew urged. He was genuinely worried for Josh. He prayed Kamilah would be able to work her magic on Josh, because otherwise, they were out of options.
However, obviously not enough to inform Drew of their change of address. It frustrated Drew; he understood why they would need secrecy, and ultimately they barely knew each other, but why did Allyn keep saving his life? It annoyed him that he couldn’t return the favour.
Moving towards the edge of the forest, a small getaway came into view. A relatively compact cottage, which looked deserted from the outside, was their destination.
“In here,” Allyn directed, shoving the weak-looking front door open. They both heaved the paralysed Josh inside and onto the settee in the first room. Inside it was surprisingly decorated. The furnishings were old fashioned but looked cute.
Drew didn’t have much of a chance to take in the sights, though. He immediately checked on Josh.
“Can you move anything?” Drew queried.
“My eyelids,” Josh answered.
“Kamilah!” Allyn yelled for help.
“Do you know what did this?” Drew interrogated.
“No, but we’re trying to figure it out,” Allyn notified, “We’ve never seen anything like it before.”
“We better hurry up, he’s no good to us like that,” Drew urged. He was genuinely worried for Josh. He prayed Kamilah would be able to work her magic on Josh, because otherwise, they were out of options.
Bursting through Dylan’s front door, he and Jono were helping an injured Lily into the kitchen. Confusingly, Lily was refusing to go to the hospital. She had a bullet in her thigh, and though she could heal, it wasn’t going to happen without the bullet being removed.
This meant that it had to get removed at home, and Dylan was more than a little scared about what that meant. Though his mum spent a crazy amount of time and effort making the kitchen clean and tidy, it was not a sterile environment. Also, neither Dylan nor Jono were medical experts. There were so many risks involved.
“You can get it out, just do it, now,” Lily commanded.
“Lil, we really should go to the hospital,” Jono encouraged.
“They’ll see how fast I heal, we can’t,” Lily reasoned. Dylan knew there had to be a better way.
“What’s going on down here?” Caroline walked in, just dressed for work. She looked horrified when she spotted Lily bleeding out on the dining table, “We need to get her to hospital. Now.”
“No,” Lily affirmed.
“I’m not taking no for an answer, let’s go,” Caroline commanded. Dylan was relieved. He was so relieved to have back-up. Jono helped Lily back up and out towards the car, much to her disapproval.
“What’s happened?” Caroline asked Dylan.
“Long story. She got shot, these people, they kidnapped her,” Dylan explained.
“Who?” Caroline probed.
“Hunters,” Lily called out, “New hunters.”
“What came up?” Yasmin queried. She was extremely keen – the forensic results from both dead bodies had come in. She and Freddie were both at the sheriff station to find out more from Ed.
“It’s classified,” Ed firmly answered, much to Yasmin’s frustration, “And you’ve got school. I’m surprised your teachers even know your names with how little you’re there.”
“This is important. What happened 500 years ago in the Second World War isn’t,” Freddie argued.
“Seventy-five years ago,” Yasmin corrected, “But I get your point.”
“It’s a nice try, but you still need to go to school. I’d be a rubbish sheriff if I didn’t tell you to beat it,” Ed responded firmly.
“And you’d be a rubbish human if you let everyone die because we didn’t help,” Yasmin reasoned. She wasn’t backing down. Ed sighed.
“Report is on my desk, but it doesn’t leave this building, got it?” Ed commanded.
“Got it,” Yasmin noted, leading Freddie into Ed’s office and closing the door behind them.
Yasmin sat in Ed’s chair, feeling the power of the Sheriff’s desk, and picked up the file in front of her. Forensic photos of both bodies were all over the pages as she flicked through – they didn’t get any easier to look at. Yasmin closely inspected the annotations.
“What does it say?” a keen Freddie enquired.
“It’s inconclusive, it says the injuries were caused by claw marks, but bigger claws than any known animal,” Yasmin read. It was very intriguing. Even a werewolf’s claws were barely different to those of a regular wolf, “Oh hold on, look at this.” Yasmin held the sheet towards Freddie so he could read it for himself.
“An unknown clear substance was found on the neck wounds of both victims,” Freddie read.
“If the forensics can’t figure it out,” Yasmin thought aloud.
“Then it’s something new,” Freddie realised.
“And it’s using it to help it kill,” Yasmin added, “We have to get a sample.”
Feeling locked-in, Josh was uncomfortable. He couldn’t move anything from his neck downwards. It was jarring and he felt scared; would his body be able to heal? Surely it would, but werewolves were not immortal. Perhaps he would be paralysed forever? What a terrifying prospect.
“Hey Josh, I’m Kamilah,” a pretty woman in her twenties moved into view. Her slightly tanned skin glistened in the sunlight creeping in. She was a werewolf too – Josh could identify one from miles off.
“Can you help me?” Josh desperately asked.
“I can try. Tell me, can you feel this?” Kamilah instructed. Josh instantly felt a sharp pain on his lower arm, as if his skin were being sliced.
“Yeah,” Josh winced, “I darn well felt that.”
“Okay, he should be fine, his body is still functioning inside and I’d be surprised if he wasn’t back to normal soon,” Kamilah reported.
“Anything you can do to help his recovery?” Drew wondered.
“It’ll be painful, but yes. Josh, are you okay with that?” Kamilah enquired.
“Do it,” Josh requested. He would do anything to be back to his usual self. Instantly, he felt a horrible cracking sensation on his wrist: the sound bones breaking. “What the hell was that for?”
“It triggers the healing process,” Kamilah responded, “You agreed to it.”
Josh couldn’t argue. It wasn’t his first broken bone, and it surely wasn’t going to be his last. Just as Kamilah thought though, it was beginning to work. He managed to wiggle his toes. Finally, progress.
“Josh, I’m going to roll you over, don’t be concerned,” Kamilah explained. Josh felt like a roll of carpet. He nodded, realising he had little say in the matter, accepting it as his body was shifted onto his back.
“What is it?” Josh wondered. He hated being the last to know, especially regarding himself.
“This wound on your neck,” Kamilah noticed. Josh couldn’t forget it – it stung like hell, “There’s a liquid on it.”
“Is it water?” Drew queried. The sound of a hand being slapped followed.
“Don’t touch it, idiot,” Allyn warned.
“It’s thicker than water. If I’m not mistaken,” Kamilah wondered, “Then this is the secret weapon.”
Waiting anxiously for news on Lily at the hospital, Jono felt nervous and he couldn’t focus. He was fidgeting on the uncomfortable waiting room seat, changing position constantly. He couldn’t settle. Lily physically seemed okay, but she was getting anxious about so much.
It didn’t help that neither she, Jono, nor anyone else knew the effect of the wolf blood in her system still. She hadn’t changed during the full moons, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t possibly shift. Maybe she was part-werewolf? If so, she would have no control, much like Dylan and Freddie when they were bitten. Out of control werewolves could do scary things, too.
“She’s going to be okay, she’ll be out of surgery soon,” Caroline encouraged. She was sat on his left, with Dylan to the right.
“She’s not been okay for a long time,” Jono reminded.
“She said they were hunters,” Dylan thought aloud. He sounded just as worried.
“They’re amateurs,” Jono realised, “It was a scared boy with a shotgun. Hardly Yasmin’s dad.”
“That’s no better. Jake had no idea what he was doing, and he still caused this,” Dylan reasoned.
“I don’t get it, why would you even hunt werewolves?” Caroline thought, “That’s inhumane.”
“There used to be loads of hunters here, in Crystalshaw,” Dylan informed, “They killed Drew’s parents.”
“I thought you said Drew wasn’t a born werewolf, he got bitten, just like you?” Caroline inquired.
“Exactly,” Dylan responded, “They were collateral damage in a war that nobody knew was happening.”
“And that’s happening again?” Caroline sounded terrified.
“Not yet, but maybe soon. Dami is pretty convincing,” Jono thought, “She’s captain of the debate team at school.”
“Maybe we can appeal to her then?” Dylan considered, “Leave it with me. I’ll catch her at school.”
“I’m coming,” Jono decided. He needed to be of use somewhere. Sitting around was benefiting nobody.
“No, you need to be here when Lily is out of surgery,” Dylan encouraged. Jono knew he was right, though he felt helpless. He slumped back into the rock-solid chair. Back to the tedious waiting.
Yasmin really hated the morgue. Being surrounded by death was unsettling, and she was linked closely enough with death as it was. Predicting and finding bodies was far from enjoyable, and the voices she could hear in her head were unavoidable. She rarely spoke about them – Yasmin wasn’t stupid after all. Saying she hears voices would make her sound crazy even to her closest friends.
Now she was back at the morgue, ready to investigate. There were loads of drawers all around the room, alongside an operating table in the middle. Yasmin felt awful for what she was about to do – these bodies had been mauled enough already, without her and Freddie involving themselves. However, it was a necessary evil.
“Which one?” Yasmin queried.
“This one,” Freddie identified, using his sense of smell to track the mystery serum. Freddie heaved open the drawer, the disfigured body of the first victim laying with a plastic sheet shrouding it. Tentatively, Yasmin peeled it back. The stench of the rotting corpse immediately hit her in the face. It was foul in every single way.
“Are we really doing this?” a tentative Freddie queried, as if he were looking for a way out.
“We have to,” Yasmin justified. She had to know that she was doing this for the right reasons, so she had convinced herself in her mind a thousand times over already, “Let’s just get this over with.”
Together, she and Freddie rolled the body onto its back. It was disgusting to touch, and Yasmin hated every second.
“Quick, take the swab,” Freddie hurried. Yasmin shared his sense of urgency. If they were caught, it would have been pretty damn impossible to explain.
Yasmin took a quick sample on a swab from the victim’s neck. A clear, gel-like substance was clearly dropping from the neck wound. She put it back inside the test tube and stashed it away in her pocket.
“Done, let’s get this locked back up,” Yasmin decided. She and Freddie quickly shoved the draw shut again. Whoosh! Something brushed by in the corner of her eye. Something fast, too fast to make out, “Did you see that?”
“You saw it too?” Freddie responded, “I thought I was hallucinating. I was kinda hoping I was, too.” Whoosh! It went by again. The hairs on the back of Yasmin’s neck stood to attention. She felt terrified.
“Let’s get out of here,” Yasmin decided. She began sprinting towards the door, not waiting for Freddie’s agreement, but quickly skidded to a halt. Facing her directly was the sight of a scaled, anthropomorphic lizard-type creature, unlike anything Yasmin had ever seen before. It blocked the exit fully. They were cornered.
Rushing through school, Dylan had arrived just in time for third period. His attendance was showing signs of improvement in the final week of sophomore year before summer, but it wasn’t enough. He knew that he was on the school’s radar, but little did they know what he was up to instead. Unlike most kids that bunked school, he wasn’t shagging anybody or dealing drugs. Somehow though, he wasn’t sure that the Téras or Fenrirs would go down well as excuses.
Dylan slipped into maths class; it was the first lesson with his new teacher, replacing Mr. Larsen.
“Okay class, settle down. I need to see calculators on desks or you’ll be making a pretty awful first impression,” the teacher began, not yet introducing herself. She was young and very pretty, which meant something when even Dylan noticed.
Begrudgingly, he pulled his equipment out of his bag. His mind was not ready for class, especially seeing the starter questions for the algebra unit on the whiteboard.
“Volunteers to the board,” the teacher called out, “Dami, thank you. One more please.” Dylan was impressed and slightly terrified that she knew their names already – she was on the ball. Dylan looked at the questions. He hadn’t the foggiest how to get the answer. However, this could be his chance for a quiet chat with Dami. Against his better judgement, Dylan raised his hand, “Dylan, thank you.”
Cautiously, Dylan approached the board. One look at the equation told him he couldn’t solve it; Yasmin had done wonders for his maths ability outside of school, but she wasn’t a miracle worker.
“What’s the deal?” Dylan whispered, interrogating Dami. It hadn’t been long since they caught eyes at Jake’s house.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dami played dumb.
“Your psycho buddy shot my friend. My boyfriend’s sister. Don’t try it,” Dylan was firm. He had no idea what he was writing on the board as he spoke, but he had to make it look like he was working.
“And you think I wanted that?” Dami hit back, “I was trying to stop Jake. I didn’t want to hurt her.”
“You wanted something though, right?” Dylan identified, “I mean, Jake isn’t smart enough to come up with a plan like that.”
“We were targeted in the forest on the last night of summer. Something that was obviously not human pounced on us. We could have died,” Dami justified.
“Let us help,” Dylan begged.
“You’re not human ether though, are you? That’s just wrong,” Dami bluntly stated, before heading back to her seat.
“Alright, thank you both,” the teacher resumed. Dylan sighed. He wasn’t giving up on Dami after that. He had way more fight left in him. “Before we mark their answers, I’m Miss Altavilla. I’ll be taking your math classes this year. I have high expectations of you all and expect your full focus in my lessons. Nobody falls behind.”
She glanced to Dylan. Message received, loud and clear. As if he needed more pressure.
Delighted to see a familiar face again, Lily was over the moon to have Jono visiting her. Hospital rooms were the loneliest places to be, but the same four walls felt a little less claustrophobic when she had company.
“Hello stranger,” Jono smiled as he entered the room, “How’s the patient?”
“I’m okay, ready for a jog,” Lily joked. Jono was one of the few people she felt comfortable enough to joke with, and he always laughed with her.
“I’ve called George, he’s on his way, so are mom and dad,” Jono explained.
“I’ve healed already,” Lily informed, changing the subject suddenly.
“Woah, that is…awesomely fast,” Jono sounded amazed. After all, he had seen Dylan healing before. This was especially fast, particularly for a wound as severe as one caused by a bullet.
“What if they start asking questions though?” Lily worried. It was her greatest concern. Healing so fast was not normal.
“You can leave, we’ll get you out without anybody seeing,” Jono thought.
“I’m scared, Jono,” Lily confessed. She felt tears gathering in her eyes, clouding her vision. She still didn’t know what she was, and it scared her. The werewolf blood could heal her body, but not her mind.
“It’s okay,” Jono hugged her tightly. For a moment, it felt like all of her worries had vanished. Jono had such a calming influence.
CRASH!
Lily heard sounds coming from outside.
“Did you hear that?” Lily asked Jono, who didn’t even flinch.
“Hear what?” Jono confusingly wondered.
“Look outside,” Lily ordered. Jono shrugged and casually walked to the door. It definitely sounded like fighting outside. Jono peeped out, still as casual and nonchalant as ever.
“Nobody’s there,” Jono informed. Lily was baffled. She could still hear the fight going on, and it was so loud. It had to be just outside. Then she realised – maybe it was a bit further away.
“Downstairs. Let’s go,” Lily followed her intuition. There was no way that she could be wrong.
Relief. Drew was over the moon to see Josh up and moving again. It was his own stupid stunt that had got him into that predicament in the first place, but it had worked out for the best.
Finally, he was reunited with Allyn. It felt amazing to see her again, in a way that Drew couldn’t describe. He was so used to caring only for himself; even being part of a pack was a new experience. This felt more special, though.
He sat on the window ledge, peering out of the little cottage aimlessly, examining the forest in front. It all looked so tranquil to the naked eye.
“Earth to Drew,” Allyn interrupted his train of thought, clicking her fingers in front of his eyeline.
“Sorry, I was miles away,” Drew replied. Allyn propped herself up on the ledge alongside him.
“I’m sorry too. For vanishing. It’s complicated,” Allyn tried to justify.
“I was worried,” Drew admitted for potentially the first time in his entire life.
“About me? You’re a softie, who knew?” Allyn smiled, “Nobody is meant to know where we are. It’s our pack code.”
“I’ve never heard of a werewolf code. That’s what the hunters claimed to have,” Drew recalled the early days of the hunters in Crystalshaw, before things got complicated and out of hand.
“That’s exactly it. The only way to survive was to play them at their own game,” Allyn explained, “It’s how we stayed safe.”
“So, you hid from me,” Drew realised.
“You and your friends. We helped you, but we weren’t sure we could trust you,” Allyn justified.
“Can I prove it to you?” Drew questioned.
“It’s not me you need to convince, it’s Sierra. She’s our alpha, and as good a parent as I’ve ever had,” Allyn divulged.
“Do I get to meet this Sierra?” Drew wondered. He had met the rest of the pack after all.
“Maybe if you hang around,” Allyn smiled devilishly. Drew was feeling an unusual sensation in his stomach. Maybe this was what butterflies felt like?
Shoving the operating table towards the creature, Freddie was in full protection mode. The creature looked like a mad scientist had bred a human and a lizard. It was strong too; the table seemed to be pushing up on Freddie and Yasmin rather than the other way around. That was some sheer force.
It swiped its claws towards Freddie, who ducked just in time, but it swung them again, swiping his neck. Immediately, Freddie collapsed to the floor. His legs couldn’t move. In fact, none of him could move. He was paralysed, and beginning to panic. Freddie was a sitting duck for what the creature was about to do.
It leapt up onto the operating table, its lengthy, swirling tail destroying the room.
“Freddie!” he heard Lily shout from the doorway. What the hell was she doing there? He could hear two heartbeats – Jono was there too, it was his scent.
“Lily, get out,” Yasmin ordered from next to Freddie.
The creature seemed distracted by the noise, but Freddie remained its target. For whatever reason, it seemed uninterested in Yasmin. Now he couldn’t fend for himself, and time was running out. Bracing himself, Freddie closed his eyes.
Thwack!
The creature growled and grunted. He opened his eyes again, optimistically. Lily was kicking its ass, much to Freddie’s relief.
“Hey, you,” Yasmin yelled. The creature’s eyes shot in her direction. Freddie watched as a huge, powerful gust of water shot out of Yasmin’s hands and whacked the creature onto the floor. He had never seen her use her powers like that before, and he wasn’t sure how she knew either. He was relieved, though, because the creature scuttled off, defeated.
“What was that?” Freddie wondered.
“Our killer,” Yasmin helped lift him up and lay him down on the table, with help from Jono.
“I don’t get it. How did you know where to find us?” Freddie asked Lily.
“I heard you from upstairs,” Lily replied.
“You’ve got wolf hearing,” Jono realised.
“You saved my ass. All of you. Thanks,” Freddie smiled, still unable to move. At least he didn’t become the next body in one of those containers.
The bench at lunchtime was weirdly empty. Dylan had never seen it like that, and it felt odd to be the only one of his friends at school. Not that he wasn’t well used to his own company, of course. He quite liked being alone with his thoughts. Watching the world go by around him was surprisingly calming. Besides, his social battery was wearing down. There was only so much conversation he could handle.
“Hey,” Noah sat down opposite, ruining his perfect tranquillity. He looked sweaty and exhausted, as if he had been running.
“Everything okay?” Dylan could easily make time for Noah. He was his beta after all, not that he had seen Noah shift even once since the Nemeton.
“Err, yeah,” Noah seemed disorientated.
“Just had training or something?” Dylan wondered.
“Nope,” Noah responded. He looked just as confused as Dylan. Maybe it was better to drop the subject entirely.
“I guess I need to give you a heads-up,” Dylan thought, “You know Dami and Jake? They’re asking too many questions. They know about werewolves, and they don’t like it.”
“So what? Who’s going to believe them?” Noah queried.
“They kidnapped Lily. Jake shot her,” Dylan informed, “She’s okay, but we’ve seen this before. Yasmin’s dad was a werewolf hunter, and there are more out there.”
“You said they had all gone?” Noah began to look terrified.
“More or less. Their leader is out of the picture but some of them must still live here. We just need to keep Dami and Jake away from that knowledge,” Dylan reasoned.
“No time like the present,” Noah remarked, gesturing behind Dylan.
Dylan looked around cautiously. Jake and Dami were pacing confidently towards them. Dylan began to feel nervous. What did they want? It surely can’t have been good after his chat with Dami earlier that day.
“What’s up?” Dylan put on a brave face as they reached the bench. They had three others with them – students that Dylan had seen before but never spoken to. None of them looked in the mood for polite conversation.
“We were wondering if you’d be up for a little experiment,” Jake spoke.
“We’ve got to get to class,” Noah interjected, starting to escort Dylan away. Dylan felt his arm being yanked back, though.
Immediately, a punch went flying into his face. It was harsh and merciless, Dylan’s face throbbing like mad instantly.
“What are you doing?” Dylan yelled out. He felt horrid. He wanted to crawl into bed and shut himself away. Tears were already forming in his eyes.
“Is the alpha too scared?” Dami taunted, “What’s to worry about? You’ll heal.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dylan denied all knowledge.
One of the lads gave Dylan a kick in the stomach. He felt winded and weak, collapsing to the floor helplessly. A series of kicks followed, ruthlessly beating Dylan. The wolf wanted to fight back. He was the alpha. He could have wiped the floor with these assholes, but that would only make things worse. He took the beatings.
“What the hell is going on?” a loud, authoritative voice intervened.
Dylan looked up. Light filled the once-shadowy circle of people surrounding him as they dissipated. Dylan saw Miss Altavilla in front of him. Saving him. She gave him a hand back up. Dylan felt a throbbing sensation all over his body.
Unsurprisingly, Jake, Dami and their gang had scarpered, but Dylan was okay with that for now. He felt a tear slip into a wound on his lip, making it sting even more.
“Are you okay? Can you stand?” Miss Altavilla queried.
“I’m okay,” Dylan nodded, with Noah helping him stand. Miss Altavilla looked directly into his eyes. Showing her trust, she glared her own eyes. A bright, shining red. Dylan glared his back. Alphas united.
Filing away his final bit of paperwork, Ed was almost complete in ensuring the sheriff station was suitable for inspection. He had assured the deputies that it was routine and nothing to worry about, but he was trying to save face. Ed had been sheriff long enough to know that these visits from the FBI were not random, and always came with an ulterior motive.
Quite what the motive was, Ed wasn’t sure, but he knew darn well that he hadn’t been the most rule-abiding sheriff in recent times. Dylan was his step-son, and he loved him like he was his own. However, the FBI wouldn’t care for excuses, and they certainly wouldn’t understand a supernatural explanation.
Knock knock. Deputy Ferrell opened the office door. Ed was greeted by a tall, authoritative man with dark hair and an immediate presence.
“Good morning, Sheriff Taylor,” Ed introduced himself, holding his hand out for a polite handshake.
“Agent McCall,” he introduced in return, “Can we speak in your office please, Sheriff?”
“Of course,” Ed politely replied. Immediately, he didn’t feel at ease around Agent McCall. Something told him this wasn’t going to go well.
This meant that it had to get removed at home, and Dylan was more than a little scared about what that meant. Though his mum spent a crazy amount of time and effort making the kitchen clean and tidy, it was not a sterile environment. Also, neither Dylan nor Jono were medical experts. There were so many risks involved.
“You can get it out, just do it, now,” Lily commanded.
“Lil, we really should go to the hospital,” Jono encouraged.
“They’ll see how fast I heal, we can’t,” Lily reasoned. Dylan knew there had to be a better way.
“What’s going on down here?” Caroline walked in, just dressed for work. She looked horrified when she spotted Lily bleeding out on the dining table, “We need to get her to hospital. Now.”
“No,” Lily affirmed.
“I’m not taking no for an answer, let’s go,” Caroline commanded. Dylan was relieved. He was so relieved to have back-up. Jono helped Lily back up and out towards the car, much to her disapproval.
“What’s happened?” Caroline asked Dylan.
“Long story. She got shot, these people, they kidnapped her,” Dylan explained.
“Who?” Caroline probed.
“Hunters,” Lily called out, “New hunters.”
“What came up?” Yasmin queried. She was extremely keen – the forensic results from both dead bodies had come in. She and Freddie were both at the sheriff station to find out more from Ed.
“It’s classified,” Ed firmly answered, much to Yasmin’s frustration, “And you’ve got school. I’m surprised your teachers even know your names with how little you’re there.”
“This is important. What happened 500 years ago in the Second World War isn’t,” Freddie argued.
“Seventy-five years ago,” Yasmin corrected, “But I get your point.”
“It’s a nice try, but you still need to go to school. I’d be a rubbish sheriff if I didn’t tell you to beat it,” Ed responded firmly.
“And you’d be a rubbish human if you let everyone die because we didn’t help,” Yasmin reasoned. She wasn’t backing down. Ed sighed.
“Report is on my desk, but it doesn’t leave this building, got it?” Ed commanded.
“Got it,” Yasmin noted, leading Freddie into Ed’s office and closing the door behind them.
Yasmin sat in Ed’s chair, feeling the power of the Sheriff’s desk, and picked up the file in front of her. Forensic photos of both bodies were all over the pages as she flicked through – they didn’t get any easier to look at. Yasmin closely inspected the annotations.
“What does it say?” a keen Freddie enquired.
“It’s inconclusive, it says the injuries were caused by claw marks, but bigger claws than any known animal,” Yasmin read. It was very intriguing. Even a werewolf’s claws were barely different to those of a regular wolf, “Oh hold on, look at this.” Yasmin held the sheet towards Freddie so he could read it for himself.
“An unknown clear substance was found on the neck wounds of both victims,” Freddie read.
“If the forensics can’t figure it out,” Yasmin thought aloud.
“Then it’s something new,” Freddie realised.
“And it’s using it to help it kill,” Yasmin added, “We have to get a sample.”
Feeling locked-in, Josh was uncomfortable. He couldn’t move anything from his neck downwards. It was jarring and he felt scared; would his body be able to heal? Surely it would, but werewolves were not immortal. Perhaps he would be paralysed forever? What a terrifying prospect.
“Hey Josh, I’m Kamilah,” a pretty woman in her twenties moved into view. Her slightly tanned skin glistened in the sunlight creeping in. She was a werewolf too – Josh could identify one from miles off.
“Can you help me?” Josh desperately asked.
“I can try. Tell me, can you feel this?” Kamilah instructed. Josh instantly felt a sharp pain on his lower arm, as if his skin were being sliced.
“Yeah,” Josh winced, “I darn well felt that.”
“Okay, he should be fine, his body is still functioning inside and I’d be surprised if he wasn’t back to normal soon,” Kamilah reported.
“Anything you can do to help his recovery?” Drew wondered.
“It’ll be painful, but yes. Josh, are you okay with that?” Kamilah enquired.
“Do it,” Josh requested. He would do anything to be back to his usual self. Instantly, he felt a horrible cracking sensation on his wrist: the sound bones breaking. “What the hell was that for?”
“It triggers the healing process,” Kamilah responded, “You agreed to it.”
Josh couldn’t argue. It wasn’t his first broken bone, and it surely wasn’t going to be his last. Just as Kamilah thought though, it was beginning to work. He managed to wiggle his toes. Finally, progress.
“Josh, I’m going to roll you over, don’t be concerned,” Kamilah explained. Josh felt like a roll of carpet. He nodded, realising he had little say in the matter, accepting it as his body was shifted onto his back.
“What is it?” Josh wondered. He hated being the last to know, especially regarding himself.
“This wound on your neck,” Kamilah noticed. Josh couldn’t forget it – it stung like hell, “There’s a liquid on it.”
“Is it water?” Drew queried. The sound of a hand being slapped followed.
“Don’t touch it, idiot,” Allyn warned.
“It’s thicker than water. If I’m not mistaken,” Kamilah wondered, “Then this is the secret weapon.”
Waiting anxiously for news on Lily at the hospital, Jono felt nervous and he couldn’t focus. He was fidgeting on the uncomfortable waiting room seat, changing position constantly. He couldn’t settle. Lily physically seemed okay, but she was getting anxious about so much.
It didn’t help that neither she, Jono, nor anyone else knew the effect of the wolf blood in her system still. She hadn’t changed during the full moons, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t possibly shift. Maybe she was part-werewolf? If so, she would have no control, much like Dylan and Freddie when they were bitten. Out of control werewolves could do scary things, too.
“She’s going to be okay, she’ll be out of surgery soon,” Caroline encouraged. She was sat on his left, with Dylan to the right.
“She’s not been okay for a long time,” Jono reminded.
“She said they were hunters,” Dylan thought aloud. He sounded just as worried.
“They’re amateurs,” Jono realised, “It was a scared boy with a shotgun. Hardly Yasmin’s dad.”
“That’s no better. Jake had no idea what he was doing, and he still caused this,” Dylan reasoned.
“I don’t get it, why would you even hunt werewolves?” Caroline thought, “That’s inhumane.”
“There used to be loads of hunters here, in Crystalshaw,” Dylan informed, “They killed Drew’s parents.”
“I thought you said Drew wasn’t a born werewolf, he got bitten, just like you?” Caroline inquired.
“Exactly,” Dylan responded, “They were collateral damage in a war that nobody knew was happening.”
“And that’s happening again?” Caroline sounded terrified.
“Not yet, but maybe soon. Dami is pretty convincing,” Jono thought, “She’s captain of the debate team at school.”
“Maybe we can appeal to her then?” Dylan considered, “Leave it with me. I’ll catch her at school.”
“I’m coming,” Jono decided. He needed to be of use somewhere. Sitting around was benefiting nobody.
“No, you need to be here when Lily is out of surgery,” Dylan encouraged. Jono knew he was right, though he felt helpless. He slumped back into the rock-solid chair. Back to the tedious waiting.
Yasmin really hated the morgue. Being surrounded by death was unsettling, and she was linked closely enough with death as it was. Predicting and finding bodies was far from enjoyable, and the voices she could hear in her head were unavoidable. She rarely spoke about them – Yasmin wasn’t stupid after all. Saying she hears voices would make her sound crazy even to her closest friends.
Now she was back at the morgue, ready to investigate. There were loads of drawers all around the room, alongside an operating table in the middle. Yasmin felt awful for what she was about to do – these bodies had been mauled enough already, without her and Freddie involving themselves. However, it was a necessary evil.
“Which one?” Yasmin queried.
“This one,” Freddie identified, using his sense of smell to track the mystery serum. Freddie heaved open the drawer, the disfigured body of the first victim laying with a plastic sheet shrouding it. Tentatively, Yasmin peeled it back. The stench of the rotting corpse immediately hit her in the face. It was foul in every single way.
“Are we really doing this?” a tentative Freddie queried, as if he were looking for a way out.
“We have to,” Yasmin justified. She had to know that she was doing this for the right reasons, so she had convinced herself in her mind a thousand times over already, “Let’s just get this over with.”
Together, she and Freddie rolled the body onto its back. It was disgusting to touch, and Yasmin hated every second.
“Quick, take the swab,” Freddie hurried. Yasmin shared his sense of urgency. If they were caught, it would have been pretty damn impossible to explain.
Yasmin took a quick sample on a swab from the victim’s neck. A clear, gel-like substance was clearly dropping from the neck wound. She put it back inside the test tube and stashed it away in her pocket.
“Done, let’s get this locked back up,” Yasmin decided. She and Freddie quickly shoved the draw shut again. Whoosh! Something brushed by in the corner of her eye. Something fast, too fast to make out, “Did you see that?”
“You saw it too?” Freddie responded, “I thought I was hallucinating. I was kinda hoping I was, too.” Whoosh! It went by again. The hairs on the back of Yasmin’s neck stood to attention. She felt terrified.
“Let’s get out of here,” Yasmin decided. She began sprinting towards the door, not waiting for Freddie’s agreement, but quickly skidded to a halt. Facing her directly was the sight of a scaled, anthropomorphic lizard-type creature, unlike anything Yasmin had ever seen before. It blocked the exit fully. They were cornered.
Rushing through school, Dylan had arrived just in time for third period. His attendance was showing signs of improvement in the final week of sophomore year before summer, but it wasn’t enough. He knew that he was on the school’s radar, but little did they know what he was up to instead. Unlike most kids that bunked school, he wasn’t shagging anybody or dealing drugs. Somehow though, he wasn’t sure that the Téras or Fenrirs would go down well as excuses.
Dylan slipped into maths class; it was the first lesson with his new teacher, replacing Mr. Larsen.
“Okay class, settle down. I need to see calculators on desks or you’ll be making a pretty awful first impression,” the teacher began, not yet introducing herself. She was young and very pretty, which meant something when even Dylan noticed.
Begrudgingly, he pulled his equipment out of his bag. His mind was not ready for class, especially seeing the starter questions for the algebra unit on the whiteboard.
“Volunteers to the board,” the teacher called out, “Dami, thank you. One more please.” Dylan was impressed and slightly terrified that she knew their names already – she was on the ball. Dylan looked at the questions. He hadn’t the foggiest how to get the answer. However, this could be his chance for a quiet chat with Dami. Against his better judgement, Dylan raised his hand, “Dylan, thank you.”
Cautiously, Dylan approached the board. One look at the equation told him he couldn’t solve it; Yasmin had done wonders for his maths ability outside of school, but she wasn’t a miracle worker.
“What’s the deal?” Dylan whispered, interrogating Dami. It hadn’t been long since they caught eyes at Jake’s house.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dami played dumb.
“Your psycho buddy shot my friend. My boyfriend’s sister. Don’t try it,” Dylan was firm. He had no idea what he was writing on the board as he spoke, but he had to make it look like he was working.
“And you think I wanted that?” Dami hit back, “I was trying to stop Jake. I didn’t want to hurt her.”
“You wanted something though, right?” Dylan identified, “I mean, Jake isn’t smart enough to come up with a plan like that.”
“We were targeted in the forest on the last night of summer. Something that was obviously not human pounced on us. We could have died,” Dami justified.
“Let us help,” Dylan begged.
“You’re not human ether though, are you? That’s just wrong,” Dami bluntly stated, before heading back to her seat.
“Alright, thank you both,” the teacher resumed. Dylan sighed. He wasn’t giving up on Dami after that. He had way more fight left in him. “Before we mark their answers, I’m Miss Altavilla. I’ll be taking your math classes this year. I have high expectations of you all and expect your full focus in my lessons. Nobody falls behind.”
She glanced to Dylan. Message received, loud and clear. As if he needed more pressure.
Delighted to see a familiar face again, Lily was over the moon to have Jono visiting her. Hospital rooms were the loneliest places to be, but the same four walls felt a little less claustrophobic when she had company.
“Hello stranger,” Jono smiled as he entered the room, “How’s the patient?”
“I’m okay, ready for a jog,” Lily joked. Jono was one of the few people she felt comfortable enough to joke with, and he always laughed with her.
“I’ve called George, he’s on his way, so are mom and dad,” Jono explained.
“I’ve healed already,” Lily informed, changing the subject suddenly.
“Woah, that is…awesomely fast,” Jono sounded amazed. After all, he had seen Dylan healing before. This was especially fast, particularly for a wound as severe as one caused by a bullet.
“What if they start asking questions though?” Lily worried. It was her greatest concern. Healing so fast was not normal.
“You can leave, we’ll get you out without anybody seeing,” Jono thought.
“I’m scared, Jono,” Lily confessed. She felt tears gathering in her eyes, clouding her vision. She still didn’t know what she was, and it scared her. The werewolf blood could heal her body, but not her mind.
“It’s okay,” Jono hugged her tightly. For a moment, it felt like all of her worries had vanished. Jono had such a calming influence.
CRASH!
Lily heard sounds coming from outside.
“Did you hear that?” Lily asked Jono, who didn’t even flinch.
“Hear what?” Jono confusingly wondered.
“Look outside,” Lily ordered. Jono shrugged and casually walked to the door. It definitely sounded like fighting outside. Jono peeped out, still as casual and nonchalant as ever.
“Nobody’s there,” Jono informed. Lily was baffled. She could still hear the fight going on, and it was so loud. It had to be just outside. Then she realised – maybe it was a bit further away.
“Downstairs. Let’s go,” Lily followed her intuition. There was no way that she could be wrong.
Relief. Drew was over the moon to see Josh up and moving again. It was his own stupid stunt that had got him into that predicament in the first place, but it had worked out for the best.
Finally, he was reunited with Allyn. It felt amazing to see her again, in a way that Drew couldn’t describe. He was so used to caring only for himself; even being part of a pack was a new experience. This felt more special, though.
He sat on the window ledge, peering out of the little cottage aimlessly, examining the forest in front. It all looked so tranquil to the naked eye.
“Earth to Drew,” Allyn interrupted his train of thought, clicking her fingers in front of his eyeline.
“Sorry, I was miles away,” Drew replied. Allyn propped herself up on the ledge alongside him.
“I’m sorry too. For vanishing. It’s complicated,” Allyn tried to justify.
“I was worried,” Drew admitted for potentially the first time in his entire life.
“About me? You’re a softie, who knew?” Allyn smiled, “Nobody is meant to know where we are. It’s our pack code.”
“I’ve never heard of a werewolf code. That’s what the hunters claimed to have,” Drew recalled the early days of the hunters in Crystalshaw, before things got complicated and out of hand.
“That’s exactly it. The only way to survive was to play them at their own game,” Allyn explained, “It’s how we stayed safe.”
“So, you hid from me,” Drew realised.
“You and your friends. We helped you, but we weren’t sure we could trust you,” Allyn justified.
“Can I prove it to you?” Drew questioned.
“It’s not me you need to convince, it’s Sierra. She’s our alpha, and as good a parent as I’ve ever had,” Allyn divulged.
“Do I get to meet this Sierra?” Drew wondered. He had met the rest of the pack after all.
“Maybe if you hang around,” Allyn smiled devilishly. Drew was feeling an unusual sensation in his stomach. Maybe this was what butterflies felt like?
Shoving the operating table towards the creature, Freddie was in full protection mode. The creature looked like a mad scientist had bred a human and a lizard. It was strong too; the table seemed to be pushing up on Freddie and Yasmin rather than the other way around. That was some sheer force.
It swiped its claws towards Freddie, who ducked just in time, but it swung them again, swiping his neck. Immediately, Freddie collapsed to the floor. His legs couldn’t move. In fact, none of him could move. He was paralysed, and beginning to panic. Freddie was a sitting duck for what the creature was about to do.
It leapt up onto the operating table, its lengthy, swirling tail destroying the room.
“Freddie!” he heard Lily shout from the doorway. What the hell was she doing there? He could hear two heartbeats – Jono was there too, it was his scent.
“Lily, get out,” Yasmin ordered from next to Freddie.
The creature seemed distracted by the noise, but Freddie remained its target. For whatever reason, it seemed uninterested in Yasmin. Now he couldn’t fend for himself, and time was running out. Bracing himself, Freddie closed his eyes.
Thwack!
The creature growled and grunted. He opened his eyes again, optimistically. Lily was kicking its ass, much to Freddie’s relief.
“Hey, you,” Yasmin yelled. The creature’s eyes shot in her direction. Freddie watched as a huge, powerful gust of water shot out of Yasmin’s hands and whacked the creature onto the floor. He had never seen her use her powers like that before, and he wasn’t sure how she knew either. He was relieved, though, because the creature scuttled off, defeated.
“What was that?” Freddie wondered.
“Our killer,” Yasmin helped lift him up and lay him down on the table, with help from Jono.
“I don’t get it. How did you know where to find us?” Freddie asked Lily.
“I heard you from upstairs,” Lily replied.
“You’ve got wolf hearing,” Jono realised.
“You saved my ass. All of you. Thanks,” Freddie smiled, still unable to move. At least he didn’t become the next body in one of those containers.
The bench at lunchtime was weirdly empty. Dylan had never seen it like that, and it felt odd to be the only one of his friends at school. Not that he wasn’t well used to his own company, of course. He quite liked being alone with his thoughts. Watching the world go by around him was surprisingly calming. Besides, his social battery was wearing down. There was only so much conversation he could handle.
“Hey,” Noah sat down opposite, ruining his perfect tranquillity. He looked sweaty and exhausted, as if he had been running.
“Everything okay?” Dylan could easily make time for Noah. He was his beta after all, not that he had seen Noah shift even once since the Nemeton.
“Err, yeah,” Noah seemed disorientated.
“Just had training or something?” Dylan wondered.
“Nope,” Noah responded. He looked just as confused as Dylan. Maybe it was better to drop the subject entirely.
“I guess I need to give you a heads-up,” Dylan thought, “You know Dami and Jake? They’re asking too many questions. They know about werewolves, and they don’t like it.”
“So what? Who’s going to believe them?” Noah queried.
“They kidnapped Lily. Jake shot her,” Dylan informed, “She’s okay, but we’ve seen this before. Yasmin’s dad was a werewolf hunter, and there are more out there.”
“You said they had all gone?” Noah began to look terrified.
“More or less. Their leader is out of the picture but some of them must still live here. We just need to keep Dami and Jake away from that knowledge,” Dylan reasoned.
“No time like the present,” Noah remarked, gesturing behind Dylan.
Dylan looked around cautiously. Jake and Dami were pacing confidently towards them. Dylan began to feel nervous. What did they want? It surely can’t have been good after his chat with Dami earlier that day.
“What’s up?” Dylan put on a brave face as they reached the bench. They had three others with them – students that Dylan had seen before but never spoken to. None of them looked in the mood for polite conversation.
“We were wondering if you’d be up for a little experiment,” Jake spoke.
“We’ve got to get to class,” Noah interjected, starting to escort Dylan away. Dylan felt his arm being yanked back, though.
Immediately, a punch went flying into his face. It was harsh and merciless, Dylan’s face throbbing like mad instantly.
“What are you doing?” Dylan yelled out. He felt horrid. He wanted to crawl into bed and shut himself away. Tears were already forming in his eyes.
“Is the alpha too scared?” Dami taunted, “What’s to worry about? You’ll heal.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dylan denied all knowledge.
One of the lads gave Dylan a kick in the stomach. He felt winded and weak, collapsing to the floor helplessly. A series of kicks followed, ruthlessly beating Dylan. The wolf wanted to fight back. He was the alpha. He could have wiped the floor with these assholes, but that would only make things worse. He took the beatings.
“What the hell is going on?” a loud, authoritative voice intervened.
Dylan looked up. Light filled the once-shadowy circle of people surrounding him as they dissipated. Dylan saw Miss Altavilla in front of him. Saving him. She gave him a hand back up. Dylan felt a throbbing sensation all over his body.
Unsurprisingly, Jake, Dami and their gang had scarpered, but Dylan was okay with that for now. He felt a tear slip into a wound on his lip, making it sting even more.
“Are you okay? Can you stand?” Miss Altavilla queried.
“I’m okay,” Dylan nodded, with Noah helping him stand. Miss Altavilla looked directly into his eyes. Showing her trust, she glared her own eyes. A bright, shining red. Dylan glared his back. Alphas united.
Filing away his final bit of paperwork, Ed was almost complete in ensuring the sheriff station was suitable for inspection. He had assured the deputies that it was routine and nothing to worry about, but he was trying to save face. Ed had been sheriff long enough to know that these visits from the FBI were not random, and always came with an ulterior motive.
Quite what the motive was, Ed wasn’t sure, but he knew darn well that he hadn’t been the most rule-abiding sheriff in recent times. Dylan was his step-son, and he loved him like he was his own. However, the FBI wouldn’t care for excuses, and they certainly wouldn’t understand a supernatural explanation.
Knock knock. Deputy Ferrell opened the office door. Ed was greeted by a tall, authoritative man with dark hair and an immediate presence.
“Good morning, Sheriff Taylor,” Ed introduced himself, holding his hand out for a polite handshake.
“Agent McCall,” he introduced in return, “Can we speak in your office please, Sheriff?”
“Of course,” Ed politely replied. Immediately, he didn’t feel at ease around Agent McCall. Something told him this wasn’t going to go well.