Cursed

by Brent Miller

  Without hesitation, Garrick pushed through the gate, then kicked the front door down. By the time a hunter stood in his way, his claws were already fully grown, and he was aware he was running out of time. The adrenaline only served to speed up the transformation. Using the enhanced reflexes to his advantage, Garrick sidestepped as the hunter slashed at him with the knife, then he drew his claws across the hunter's neck, and the man dropped to the ground, hands pressed over the wound.

  Three more stepped into the room, and Garrick’s arms twitched. He caught an arrow flying toward his head and snapped it in half. Another arrow soared to him, and he ducked, so it hit one fellow hunter. That left two more of them, standing directly in front of him.

  He ran at them and drove his fist into one of their chests, holding nothing back. The man flew across the room and shattered his skull as it collided with the wall. The other drew a gun and shot Garrick’s arm. He howled in pain, but the bullet was quick to force itself out of his skin.

  Anger burning in his eyes, Garrick stepped toward the hunter. He grabbed the man’s arm and hit the back of his elbow, snapping the bone and forcing him to drop the gun to the floor. Moving his hands to the hunter’s head, Garrick quickly broke his neck. The third hunter, still bleeding with an arrow in his chest, was simply watching the spectacle with wide, fearful eyes. Garrick froze for a second, torn. Part of him wanted to kill the hunter, but he was a defeated foe, and anger would help no one. Garrick scowled as he turned away and moved toward the basement, kicking open the door and dashing down the stairs. Brooke was chained to a post cemented into the ground, and a man was leaning against the wall near her, holding a large silver sword.

  “Glad one of you could make it,” the man taunted. By the way this hunter held himself, Garrick assumed he was higher up the chain of command than Darren himself. “Now we will have one fewer to hunt over the next month.”

  Unable to hear any other sounds in the house, Garrick assumed Darren and the others he saw earlier had taken back to the streets – searching for other wolves or other people to torture for information. It was clear he wasn’t going to be able to protect everyone just by showing up at that house. Garrick had never been more thankful that his mom worked nights, because they wouldn’t attack her at the station, but he’d still have to find a way to warn Tyler.

  Garrick couldn’t force out any words. He just snarled, and the man laughed as he raised the sword to cut through Brook’s waist. Brooke didn’t have any wolf-like characteristics, which confirmed the hunter was using a silver blade. Silver would halt her transformation temporarily, and this hunter seemed to know exactly how long he had to wait between cuts. This wasn’t the first time he’d tortured a wolf for answers, but Garrick was going to ensure it would be the last. Sickened by his very existence, Garrick dove straight at the hunter. The hunter stepped back, easily dodging the blow, and then swung the sword in one fluid motion, leaving a deep cut in Garrick’s arm.

  Blood poured out of his arm, and, based on his experience with silver, it wasn’t going to go away too soon. He felt his strength slowly fade – but it didn’t disappear. Instead of rushing in again, Garrick breathed, realizing he had to be calm. It was just another fight, he couldn’t think about what was happening to Brooke. If he let the anger rule him, he’d make more stupid decisions. The hunter stepped in with another swipe, and Garrick dodged. Using the recoil as an opening, he dove forward, slamming his fist into the man’s gut and knocking him backward.

  Garrick stepped forward but carefully stayed out of the reach of the sword as the hunter stood. Though blood still poured from his wound, he could feel his healing process start as his fangs grew, and his strength began to return.

  The hunter attacked again, but Garrick was able to counter the strike. He ducked under the sword and caught the man’s arm. Bringing his shoulder up into his elbow, Garrick broke the hunter’s arm and the sword clattered to the floor. Preparing to finish off the hunter, Garrick raised his claws, but an arrow penetrated his back before he had time to react. Two more arrows within another second hit the back of his knees, dropping him. Turning his head, he saw one more hunter he didn’t recognize from the group he’d seen earlier. It was becoming clear that they’d reached out for help outside the family.

  The scraping of metal filled the room as the other hunter struggled to his feet and lifted the sword in his non-dominant arm. Garrick turned his head back and saw that the hunter had already gotten to his feet, and he had the sword raised above Garrick’s head.

  A growl caught all of their attention and a wolf with golden eyes stood in the doorway. Cailean dove at the hunter wielding the crossbow, tearing him apart within a second. Hayden, also a wolf, of course, was next to bound down the stairs. She rammed into the hunter, knocking off his balance and forcing him to drop the sword again. Then, she stood between him and Garrick, growling.

  Aldric, still a man, strode down the stairs next. Much like Garrick, he was half transformed, but he still had some sense of humanity. Other than a slight limp, Aldric didn’t seem to be experiencing much pain as he fought the transformation. Given that he knew Aldric’s wolf had been pushing for freedom since before any of the others, Garrick was impressed once again at his alpha’s strength. Confidently, Aldric walked up to the hunter on the ground and stepped on his temple, crushing the bone and killing him instantly.

  Hayden licked Garrick’s wounded arm as he pulled the arrows out of his back with the other one. The silver was wearing off, so his arm was healing, and the wounds on his back closed almost instantaneously. Focused on the task at hand, Garrick forced himself to fight the change, but it was getting increasingly difficult. Touching Brooke’s shackles was agonizing, so he pulled back, defeated. Aldric used every ounce of strength he had to break one, so Garrick followed his lead and tugged at the other – and Brooke dropped to the ground. Within a minute of being freed from the silver, she was fully transformed. Garrick wobbled to the stairs, painfully fighting the change. Planning to lock the door, he slowly ascended. Locking themselves in a hunter’s house was risky, but he couldn’t allow all of them, himself included, to escape into the town.

  As he climbed, he dug his fingernails into his flesh. The pain from the fight hadn’t stopped his change, but he hadn’t wanted it to. Staggering up the stairs, he caressed the scar on his arm. This would be the perfect time for Tyler’s idea to work.

  When he arrived at the door, he reached out to close it – but he was too late. Cailean bolted past him, knocking him onto his knees. Brooke shot out next, and even Hayden raced to the streets. Hoping for advice, Garrick looked back at Aldric, but could barely talk. The two of them chased after the others. They all stood on the street, and Garrick fumbled after them, hoping to get them to go somewhere safe.

  “Elliott,” Aldric managed to say. He was on all fours, unable to look up, and Garrick could see that he was losing to the beast. Garrick knew he himself couldn’t fight the transformation much longer either. “I was wrong. I told you it was pointless, that isn’t true. I thought you were weak, but you aren’t.”

  Garrick didn’t know where he was going, but he hoped he had time to get there. Hearing Aldric admit that he was wrong was nice, but it didn’t seem urgent at that moment. He just wanted his alpha to tell him what their solution was going to be.

  The other three wolves circled around them, waiting for them to finish their transformation. They all looked impatient as Garrick and Aldric struggled to remain human. It had been at least ten minutes since Hayden and Cailean had changed, and the wolves clearly wanted to run with their pack.

  “You’re stronger than I am,” Aldric told Garrick. “You can hold this off longer than any of us. I can’t keep doing this, but you can. You need to run – get to the woods. They’ll follow you.”

  “Can’t I lead them back to the basement?” Garrick asked. While he appreciated Aldric’s confidence, he was already succumbing to the beast, and there was no way he could make it through multiple blocks of the c
ity without losing himself. Aldric’s basement was much closer, and there was at least a slight chance Garrick could make it that far.

  “No, they won’t follow you to a cage. They’ll follow you to somewhere familiar.” He paused for a moment. “We all will. You’re the only hope to protect this town, Elliott.”

  Garrick wanted to ask more questions, but the wolf finally overpowered Aldric. Within a few seconds, he was fully in his wolf form. Garrick turned and started running, but he collapsed after two steps.

  He clenched his teeth and balled his hands – his claws drawing blood from his palms. Intending to harm himself enough to fight the change, Garrick bit his lip as well. He felt the pain, but it was diminished – a fraction of what he’d expect – and he could feel himself healing even as the wounds were being inflicted. The pain wasn’t strong enough to fight the wolf.

  When he closed his eyes, images of the little girl the wolf had seen in town flashed through his mind. Had he not been scared away, he may have hurt her. Now, if he didn’t stop it, there would be five of them running free. Reminding himself of the importance that he prevent that, Garrick tried to think of a way for him to guide them away. All he had to do was control himself for long enough to get them all into the woods.

  He tried picturing the wolf in his mind. He imagined himself reaching out for the scar on the creature’s leg – a scar which exactly matched his own. Nothing was working, though. The wolf tore him apart from the inside, and he couldn’t fight it any longer.

  “I’m sorry, Aldric,” he cried. “I’m sorry.”

  The second apology wasn’t for Aldric. It was for whoever got hurt that night because of him. Anyone that the hunters got to along with anyone that he and the other wolves got to.

  He let go, feeling the tidal wave of the wolf’s power rush over him.

  Garrick heard a scream. At first, he thought it was coming from his head – from the night only one month ago that had haunted every dream since. As the scream drew on, though, he realized that it was different. It was the material for a new nightmare – another child, scared and alone, screaming for help.

  That gave Garrick the last burst of adrenaline that he needed to continue his fight against the wolf for a bit longer. Shoving the beast back down he stood and ran, but he collapsed only a few feet away. It was too late. Even as he fought it with all of his strength, he could feel the wolf overpowering him. Garrick watched as the four others circled around the child, devoid of hope for escape. The last shred of his humanity was slipping from his grasp, and he could feel the peculiar sensation of his eyes shifting, taking on a blue hue. If he gave up, he was going to help his pack murder that innocent child.

  “No!” He grunted, more to himself than anyone else. Screaming on the inside, he willed himself not to change. On the outside, all he could muster were a few weak, barely audible words. “No!”

  But he knew it wouldn’t help.

  Although he knew there was nothing left for him to do, he stumbled to the others. The animalistic side of him was too powerful, and the world darkened as his human side lost its vision. When he blacked out, he had no idea where he’d go, but he knew that child would die.

  He felt the bone in his arms shatter. Brooke prepared to take the first leap and pounce at the child, and all Garrick could do was watch in horror. Garrick bit down and summoned every ounce of strength he had left, and then a bit more. He struggled to his feet.

  Garrick’s arms were healing already, but they didn’t look how he thought they would. They had healed to human arms, not those of a wolf. Brooke pounced, and Garrick grabbed her hind leg, turned, and slammed her to the ground. Panting, he stood tall as his ribs cracked.

  “Stop!” He tried to yell, but it was a broken plea. Suddenly, he was overwhelmed with emotions. It wasn’t just the self-pity and guilt anymore, there was also rage. Mostly, it was fear of what was to come. Channeling everything he had, as if he truly believed it would make any difference in what was happening, he forced the word out again.

  “Stop,” he growled; his voice guttural and barely able to be described as human, but audible. It was a shout. His arms finally started to change shape slightly, as his shoulders expanded to accommodate the new form he was taking. At maximum, he had a minute before he lost control entirely, but he had to use it for what he could. Stepping into the center of the circle, he stood between the child and Aldric.

  Hayden and Cailean traced the circle until they were back at Aldric’s side. All of them seemed angry at Garrick for standing in the way of their hunt. Brooke lay on the ground a few feet behind her pack, giving her wounds time to heal before she got up. Garrick turned to face the child, who screamed in fear upon the sight of Garrick’s half-human face.

  “Go,” he instructed, attempting to sound as friendly as possible but only succeeding in producing a scratchy and unrecognizable sound. The kid turned and sprinted toward his front door. The other wolves moved forward to pursue him, but Garrick growled deep within his throat, and they backed down.

  Garrick held his ground, staring directly into the eyes of Aldric. Staring down his alpha.

  Brooke got up, limping with the first step, but walking normally quickly after, and stood next to Cailean. Glaring at Garrick, she growled. Garrick tried to speak, he tried to reason, but he could feel the other side vying for control, and he was losing his ability to produce words. He was already too close to being lost to the beast. Instead, he just growled again.

  He growled more forcefully than he knew possible, not just for him, but for any creature. The ground underneath him shook. Cailean stared angrily for a moment, but he backed down. Brooke whimpered and shifted backward with him. Hayden was unusually quiet. She didn’t growl back, but she didn’t back down either. Instead, she cautiously stepped forward, and he closely watched her graceful walk.

  A mixture of terror and agony caused his heart to race as Hayden reached his leg. If she fought to defend her alpha, either he’d have to hurt her, or she’d hurt him and destroy any hope he had of stopping the wolves. He just stood tall, fighting through the pain as he forced himself to appear powerful.

  Hayden turned, standing at Garrick’s side. Facing the other wolves, she snarled.

  Garrick allowed himself a glance to make sure that the kid was alright. He was already on his porch, opening the doors, tears streaming down his face. Garrick could feel the stares of the people watching through the windows and hear the faint noises as some of them called the police – and others animal control. Their conversations, the hushed whispers through closed doors down the street, were all audible to him. Not only could he hear them – but he could also understand them. Not well, but he could process them much better than he would be able to when fully changed.

  Matching Aldric’s glare, Garrick growled again. Finally, to assert his dominance, Aldric pounced. Garrick stepped to the side and used Aldric’s momentum to toss him aside. With each passing minute, Garrick’s strength depleted, and he couldn’t use as much of it to fight himself. Mid-transformation, he stood a foot taller than usual, and every muscle in his body bulged out. Though he stood like a man, he had the claws, fangs, and eyes of a wolf.

  Garrick couldn’t help but wonder if this was what everyone meant to be in control of the wolf. As if two brains were attempting to crowd themselves in one skull, Garrick’s head pounded painfully. If this was what he’d been trying to learn to do, he simply wanted to forget it after that night. After he made sure they were safe.

  Aldric took a swipe at Garrick, digging his claws into Garrick’s leg. Garrick dropped to his knees. Hayden bit at Aldric, but he was quick. In a flash, he dug his claws deep into her side, and she dropped to the ground with a whimper. Although everything in him wanted to help, Garrick had trouble standing; not solely due to the wound, which was already closing, but because wolves didn’t stand on two legs, and that was by far the dominant side of him. Wavering on his feet, he managed to rise, but Aldric was swift to jump at him, ready to bite. Garrick k
icked the wolf in the stomach, sending him flying down the street. Climbing to his feet, he charged at Garrick again, but Garrick ducked down and cut deep into Aldric’s front leg.

  The wolf slid a few feet past Garrick. As he skidded to a stop and turned, he left claw marks in the asphalt. Hayden stood, but she collapsed again. Determined, she rose to her feet and stepped toward Garrick. He didn’t know how much human was left in her, if any, or if she’d understand any communication he attempted with her, but he had to try. Trying to tell her to stand down, he held his hand out, palm facing her. In response to either him or the pain, she backed away and dropped to the ground again.

  Garrick dodged another attack, realizing that he was a much more effective fighter when he had at least a small part of his human mind left to work with. He dove to the side and rolled, again avoiding Aldric’s blows. Garrick didn’t want this fight for supremacy; he just wanted to make sure the boy and the other citizens of his hometown were safe. If the only way to do that was to fight Aldric, then that’s what he would do.

  The pain was starting to fade as if the wolf had stopped fighting him and turned its attention to Aldric. Without it distracting him, his thoughts became less foggy, and his mind raced with plans on how to lead the other wolves somewhere they couldn’t cause harm.

  Garrick sidestepped a bite from Aldric, and he kicked the wolf in the nose, pushing it to the ground. While the wolf was on its side, Garrick scratched its stomach, drawing blood from a deep wound. In retaliation, Aldric bit Garrick’s leg and pulled his head back, dragging Garrick to the floor. He kicked frantically with his other foot until one kick connected with Aldric’s nose, causing the wolf to release its grip on him. With every attack that Aldric landed, Garrick could feel his own wolf pushing itself to the surface. It wanted to be free – to fight back. The feeling, though, was unlike anything he’d felt. It was almost as if it were asking Garrick for more control, rather than taking it from him. The only thing left giving Garrick strength was the knowledge of what would happen when he gave the wolf what it wanted. Despite his body’s protesting, he stood and kicked Aldric again.