Silent World

by Natalie Warren

  "My friends are going to be so jealous when they find out I've had such a good time with a guy as hot as you!" she giggled.

  "How about we just keep it between us?" he suggested in a sweet tone. "That way you can see me again. Your school doesn't like outsiders."

  She blinked. "How do you know?"

  Jason ignored her and kissed her again, clearly making her forget about getting an answer. "I didn't catch your name."

  "Taylah," she replied and released her hands from Jason's, reaching forward and tickling his stomach. Tingles of pleasure coursed through him and despite his ways, he couldn't keep back the temptation to have sex with her before he took her home. "What's your name?"

  "Jason," he told her as she found her way under his shirt and traced her fingers across his torso. He was fighting with himself not to take her there and then but when she moved her hands up, he gave in.

  She bit back a yelp as he took her by the waist and turned her, gently pressing her against the tree and kissing her fiercely. She responded immediately and tugged at his shirt. He broke away from her for a moment to pull it off himself and toss it to the ground. Leaning in again, he pressed soft kisses against her neck and listened to her moan with pleasure. He kissed her jaw and then her lips again, rushing to take her blouse off and push it down her arms, leaving her in a white see-through singlet in which he noticed she didn't have a bra. He let his eyes close as Taylah made her own move and gently bit his neck before brushing kisses down along his chest.

  He grabbed her waist and lifted her up. She instinctively wrapped her legs around him and they locked lips again. Jason wanted to take it further, but he flinched as a raindrop hit his nose. He glanced up as thunder rumbled across the sky and more droplets of rain fell. Taylah shivered from the cold, despite Jason's body heat.

  "Come on," he said and put her back on her feet, grabbing her hand. "Not much further now."

  They ran ahead and the rain was pouring down by the time they reached Jason's home. He pushed the doors open and led Taylah inside. She looked stunned as she followed him deeper into the building and they stopped when they reached the middle; the biggest room in the house with doors leading to separate hallways and the staircase at the front.

  "You live here?" she breathed, looking around.

  "I sure do," he nodded.

  "Jason!" they both looked up as a man descended the steps, his pale face standing out among all the black he wore. "It's nice of you to bless us with company. You look like you had a good time with all the lipstick on your face." Jason laughed and wiped as much as he could off with his arm.

  "Who's that?" Taylah asked, trying to wrap her arms around her breasts to cover herself.

  "You could say he's like my dad," Jason shrugged.

  Taylah shrieked as Jason was suddenly tackled from behind. The green-eyed boy wrestled with his attacker and kicked them away, quickly jumping into a defensive crouch. He grinned when he saw his older brother crouching a few feet away, laughing.

  "Too slow, puppy," Boulder jeered.

  "Better than an old dog!" Jason shot back and they lunged at each other again.

  They wrestled with all their strength and Jason snarled when his brother caught him in a headlock. "I know why you're so slow now!" Boulder muttered. "You're too busy having sex with all the human sluts you bring here instead of training with me anymore."

  "Hey, I haven't had sex with any of them!" Jason snorted and reached down, grabbing Boulder's leg and pulling it up. The older man fell backwards and Jason broke free. When Boulder tried to attack him again, Jason maneuvered around him and jumped up behind him, sitting on his brother's shoulders and wrapping his legs around Boulder's neck. "How's that for too slow?"

  "Getting better," Boulder coughed, struggling to breathe. "But try this on for size."

  Jason quickly looked around at the rest of their company that emerged from the shadows of the room. The vampires that controlled the house. He snapped back to his current situation as Boulder grabbed his legs. "Oh, shit!" he mumbled and Boulder threw his little brother over his head, tossing him halfway across the room. Jason rolled twice before he stopped himself and sat up, rubbing his head. "Ow."

  "Jason?" Taylah spoke up.

  He looked over his shoulder at her and felt confused for a moment, suddenly remembering why she was there. "I almost forgot about you," he said rudely and got back to his feet.

  "What's going on here?" she asked, looking around cautiously at all the people filling into the room. Fear came off her in waves and Jason tried not to laugh at her.

  He didn't get the chance to answer as someone else tackled him face-first into the floor. He grumbled as a weight sat on his back and he slowly lifted his head to look over his shoulder. "Hey, Speed."

  Speed waved at him childishly and reached his hand forward, petting Jason on the head. The green-eyed boy smiled and soaked in the attention for a few moments. "Jason's a good puppy," Speed commented.

  "You've had your sugars, haven't you?" Jason asked and Speed nodded.

  "Jason, you're being rude to our guest," the first man said and Jason rolled onto his side, knocking Speed off of him. He got back up and face the man who spoke.

  "Sorry, Evan- Boss," he corrected himself. He turned back to Taylah and saw Boulder beside her, looking her up and down.

  "She smells like a treat," he smiled and Taylah shied away from him.

  "Well she definitely knows how to make a puppy happy," Jason joked and walked over, swinging his arm over Taylah's shoulder.

  She quivered with fear. "Can you please tell me what's going on?" she whispered.

  "Silly girl," Boulder grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. "Didn't your parents ever teach you about 'Stranger Danger'?"

  "What are you talking about?" she asked, even her voice shaking as her fear scent grew more powerful. "Was this… all a trick?"

  "Does she have to die?" Speed whined. "She's pretty!"

  "Oh, shut up!" Evan growled at the kid. Speed childishly glared up at him and stuck his tongue out, which still contained grains of cocaine on his taste buds. "If you'd like to come with us, dear, we'll show you to the last room."

  "Last room?" she repeated.

  "The last room you'll ever see," Boulder laughed and Jason stepped back, letting his brother grab her by the legs and toss her over his shoulder. She whimpered quietly and Jason followed them into the other chamber, scrunching up his nose at the stench of rotting flesh. Evan and the other vampires that would be involved entered the room and Boulder dumped Taylah on the floor.

  "Jason, do your job," Evan smiled. "Unlike others, you never spill precious blood." Boulder snorted at him but said nothing.

  Taylah sat up and Jason saw her eyes turn glassy as he approached her. He crouched down beside her and she tried to crawl away but she yelped as he grabbed a handful of her hair, holding her in place. He brushed the hair away from her throat and bent down, gently kissing her neck.

  "I'm really sorry about this," he muttered. "For what it's worth, you're a great kisser." She looked like she tried to form some sort of smile and failed as her lips trembled. He caught her hazel gaze and was prepared to change his form and bite her neck… But he couldn't move.

  "Jason, hurry up," Evan growled. "Some of us are waiting."

  Taylah watched him as he couldn't look away from her. He felt trapped. Isolated. His mind suddenly went blank as Taylah stopped shaking. Her eyes pierced into him, like she could see into his very soul and he tried to shake free of it. What are you going to do? Her eyes seemed to speak to him.

  It was his job to kill her, he told himself. He grew up as a killer and he had murdered hundreds of people in the past since he and his brother were adopted by the vampires; his family. It was what he was born to do… wasn't it?

  "Kill her!" Evan roared.

  A string inside of Jason suddenly snapped and he narrowed his eyes. "No," he whispered and released his hold on Taylah, getting to his feet and backing away. "I won'
t."

  "What?!" Evan snarled and Jason blinked down at Taylah, engulfed by her eyes. He wasn't sure what these feelings were, but he felt… grateful. He felt as though a part of him had been saved. "I order you too!"

  "I'm sorry," the green-eyed boy shook his head. "I don't want to." All those years of killing, he thought, and suddenly he couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't bring himself to take another human life. It was wrong to kill this way. Everything he grew up believing, was wrong.

  "Boulder!" the leader of the coven snapped. Jason shut his eyes as Boulder burst out of his skin and lunged. He heard the blood squirt everywhere and he opened his eyes again, seeing Taylah hanging dead from his brother's massive jaws.

  Boulder dropped the girls' body and blood dripped from his teeth. "What's the matter, brother?" he asked in their werewolf language. "Don't tell me you've developed a soft spot for human girls?"

  Jason didn't respond and he turned around, walking out of the room with his gut churning sickeningly. Evan tried calling him back but he ignored the head vampire. With one quick bark of an order, Jason stopped in the middle of the room, glaring at the vampires that surrounded him.

  He spun on his heels as he sensed movement behind him but he choked on his breath as Evan seized him by the throat. "What was that?!" he hissed.

  "I changed my mind," Jason spluttered, trying to catch his breath from the crushing hold. "I can't do this anymore."

  Evan pushed him back into the circle and sneered. "His stomach can't handle it anymore," the vampires broke out into laughter but were silenced when Evan raised his hand. "Well, Jason. It seems you don't have a choice. We raised you to kill, and for as long as you're here with us, you will kill."

  Jason looked over to his brother, back in human form, and saw the worry in Boulder's eyes. "Then I'll leave," he declared. "And I won't come back."

  The room broke into laughter again. "Where will you go?" Evan asked. "You won't survive without us."

  "As long as I don't have to take human lives, I don't care," Jason muttered and saw Speed looking concerned. The little vampire boy backed away to the edge of the room.

  "I'm deeply sorry to say this, Jason, but we can't just let you go," the head vampire scowled. "You're the best we have, and if you insist on trying to leave, you will share the same fate as your dead girlfriend in the other room."

  "I'm not staying here," Jason said firmly.

  Evan bowed his head. "Very well. You leave me no choice." With the flick of his hand, the vampires advanced.

  Jason was smothered by them and he howled as their teeth met his skin. They clawed at him and he tried to wrestle with them, knowing they were going to kill him. He growled and let his other form take over. He threw them all away and burst out of his skin, standing up to his full height as a werewolf and letting out a loud snarl.

  Boulder roared at him and Jason turned to his brother. Evan motioned with his hand for the vampires to wait and Boulder glared up at Jason. "Change your mind, brother!" he growled. "You'll never make it out there."

  "Come with me," Jason growled back. "This is not the life we should be living! If our parents were still alive then they wouldn't want us here. We can leave!"

  "No," Boulder shook his head. "I like the life we live now. Please stay so they won't have to kill you."

  Jason snorted. "Fine, if you don't want to come then you can stay here with them! I'm still leaving."

  With that, Jason took his chance and leapt clear of the vampires, making a dash for the front door. Evan shouted something that Jason didn't catch but he yelped when something barreled into him. He turned his body to shake off his attacker and felt his heart twist painfully with betrayal as Boulder lunged for his throat.

  He couldn't stay and fight, Jason thought. He had to escape now before it was too late! He rolled onto his back and took a vicious swipe, raking his claws across Boulder's face. While his older brother was distracted, Jason used his back legs to kick the bigger werewolf away. He shot back to his paws and raced away, barging straight through the door and out into the stormy world. He had to blink rain from his eyes but he ran as fast as he could when he heard the howls of pursuit from his brother.

  Jason knew he could outrun Boulder easily because he was still a pup, but he didn't doubt his brother. He felt sadness overwhelm him as he told himself he was leaving his kin behind, but if Boulder wanted to keep murdering people, he could. Jason didn't want to do it anymore!

  He ran and ran until his legs started to burn and his breath was catching in his throat. He had never had to run so fast in his life! He reached the border in no time but was suddenly tackled again. Boulder had caught up.

  He quickly rolled over and winced as his brother bit his shoulder. He scored his claws across Boulder's stomach and the older werewolf jumped back. Jason tried to run again but Boulder swung his paw and thumped it against Jason's head. The younger boy's world spun and he howled when his brother's teeth met the back of his neck.

  Jason rose up to his full height, surging backwards and crushing Boulder between him and a tree behind him. Jason was released and he dashed forward, changing back to his human form when he realized where he was. He stepped backwards, watching as Boulder remained at the tree line, glaring at him.

  Blood dripped from Jason's wounds and the pain was almost unbearable. He turned and stumbled forward, the rain half-blinding him. He felt drained of his energy and he shook his head to clear it, his vision blurring up from the strike to his head.

  His legs gave way and he crumpled to the muddy ground in front of a door of the school he had once kidnapped humans from. He knew there were more werewolves inside that would love to tear him to shreds, but he wasn't able to move.

  He heard a growl from Boulder but the door in front of him opened. He turned his head to look up, hoping it wasn't a human that would scream when they saw his wounds healing. He heard a growl from the two people in the doorway and one of them crouched in front of him. He took note of her and found that he recognized her. She had attacked him one night as he was waiting for one of his victims. The coven had gone hungry that night when she had sent him running her. From his memory, he remembered her name as Eliza.

  "You're brave to show up here," she said quietly.

  "I know," he could barely find his voice.

  Eliza looked up when she spotted Boulder and she growled. "Your friend is waiting for you."

  Jason shook his head as best he could. "He's going to kill me."

  The girl was quiet for a few moments and she looked up at her companion. "Storm, go get the headmaster."

  "What?!" Jason knew this boy too. Storm had attempted to kill him but wasn't strong enough for the task.

  "Do it!" Eliza snapped. Storm growled and disappeared into the building. She turned back to Jason. "Why did you come here?"

  He breathed deeply, his vision blurring up once more. "I have nowhere to go," he mumbled. "I can't… I can't do it anymore."

  She seemed to believe his words and he heard her snarl. She gently touched Jason's face and he slipped into unconsciousness, hearing a loud bark before everything went black.

  When he awoke, rain no longer pelted against his bare skin. He felt no breeze on his face and he forced his eyes open. He sat up quickly and looked around, panic fluttering in his chest. Where was he?

  He was in a room. He took note of the couch he was sitting on and a little table sat close to him with another door that led off into another room. It didn't look anything like the vampire house…

  The door suddenly opened and he jumped to his feet, taking a step back and preparing to take on the intruder. Instead, the newcomer laughed.

  "Take it easy, pup," it was Eliza. "You won't be harmed unless you attack first."

  He breathed. "Where am I?"

  "Inside White Grass Academy," she answered and he looked at what she held in her hands. He remained frozen to the spot as she walked over to him and placed the small pile of clothes on the couch. "You've never been
inside before."

  He shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry for everything I've done," he mumbled.

  "It's not me you have to apologize to," she snorted. "Get dressed. I have to take you to see the headmaster."

  She walked a little further away and turned her back to him. He didn't move for a few moments but obeyed and changed into the new clothes he had been given; black jeans and a plain white singlet shirt.

  "How long was I passed out?" he asked.

  "All night," Eliza replied.

  "My brother?"

  "I sent him home with his tail between his legs," she turned around when he took a few steps forward and she looked him up and down.