by R.A Cullison
A tall gloomy building came in view. Victor stopped and pointed. “That’s the Abbey. Are you sure that your friends are in there?” he asked
“I hope so; this is where we were supposed to go. This is where my daughter should be.” we galloped towards the building.
Victor stooped sudden, “Look footprints!” Victor pointed to ground. We dismounted and tied the horses to a rotten stump. He bent down, “they are fresh, maybe 2 hours old, if that.” I walked up to the huge wooden doors.
“Ready?” I asked him.
“I guess, more than I am ever going to be.” he pulled out his gun and checked his bullets, “yeah, lets go.” he went in first. I followed him close.
The door squeaked, we paused and looked around, “Sheesh, that’s loud enough to wake the dead.”
I looked at him and shook my head, “Don’t say that kind of stuff around here.”
He rolled his eyes and smiled, “don’t be a wimp.” we pushed the heavy door open just enough to get through.
The place smelled of dirt and decay, “Pew! This place smells of death. Its on everything in this place.” I looked over at him, “what?” I just shook my head. We continued on quietly not a word, “Tracks.” he said squatting down, “they leave north.” we followed fast. We came to an intersection, neither one of us knew which way to go. We stopped so he could study the tracks.
“Left, we go left,” he said pointing down a long corridor. We followed it for a while. We started to hear some growling. Victor stuck out his hand for me to stop, “hear that?” he whispered.
I shook my head and pressed myself close to the moldy walls.
“Be right back, don’t move!” he ordered. I just shook my head, Damn straight I wasn’t going to move, I don’t think my legs would let me anyways, I was too scared.
The growling got louder and still no Victor or anyone, I was alone. The closer the growling got the father I back up.
I felt a trembling under my feet, the next thing I knew I was falling. I landed on my side. It knocked the breath out of me and hurt like hell. I grabbed my side in pain,
“Ow! Shit!” I yelled. I then realized I was in a strange room. I pulled out my flashlight and scanned the walls.
There was nothing on the walls or ceiling besides the big hole I fell through. I shined the light on the floor and it was a grisly sight.
Bones and tattered clothes where spewed about. I knew that right at that moment I had to get the heck out of there. I walked around the room, pushing on the walls for a door or anything that could get me the hell out of here. I pressed on a piece of wall and it moved. I turned off the light, pressed my back to the wall and pushing with my legs I gave it all I had.
The wall gave and I was on my back looking up to the sky. I was in some sort of Atrium, I quickly stood up. The room was beautiful. The ceiling was a big glass colored dome, with most of the glass broken out of it. Vines grew up the once ivory wall and hints of marble peek through the moss on the floor. It didn’t take a lot of imagination to see how it use to look. I heard a noise behind me. I spun around two big shadows where coming my way. I searched frantically for a place to hide. I found an old broken fountain; I squeezed in behind it and waited for them to leave.
“We searched this whole building and no baby or Nora.” I heard a familiar voice.
“Relax Marcus, I am sure we will find her somewh…..” he stopped. I saw two shadows one on each side of me coming towards me, “Gotcha!” they jumped at me, “NORA!” they yelled surprised to see me.
“Marcus, Troy where is Dorsella and Matt?” I asked.
“Looking for you, Matt knew you would meet us here.” they helped me out, “I am here with a guy named Victor. Have you seen him?”
They looked at each other, “No. Come on we have to get you back to your worried man.” Marcus picked me up and ran me back to Matt.
“Oh Matt.” Troy said teasingly, “I found something of yours.”
“Leave me alone guys, ok?” he sounded depressed.
I felt bad, I jabbed my elbow in Marcus stomach.
“No! this is something you really want.” Marcus sat me down. Matt’s eyes got big as silver dollars.
“NORA!” he ran to me, scooped me up and we began kissing, “I thought you were…..” he stopped and tears fell. We kissed, hugged and it felt amazing to be in his arms. “Are you hurt?” he asked.
“No I actually need to speak to you alone.” he sat me down and we went into another part of the Abbey.
“Whats up?” he asked, holding my hand. I explained everything about Dorsella and who helped back in the cave. I also told him about Victor who was lost somewhere in the Abbey, “Dorsella is Noah’s Mom?” he was in shock, I think more than I was.
“We need to talk to her about it.” I said.
“Yeah, lets go.” he took my hand again and we went to talk to Dorsella.
We walked into the room where she was. One look at our faces and she knew we knew, “you know?”
I shook my head, “Yes, why didn’t you tell us?” I asked.
“Because you would have thought that I wasn’t going to destroy him or you might think I was evil.” she sat down a nearby rock, “who told you?”
“Wolfgang, back in the cave. He actually saved me, I think.” I looked over at Matt.
“Yes, Wolfgang always been a generous fellow.” she got the map and went to hand it to Matt, “I don’t blame you if you didn’t trust me anymore.”
Matt huffed, “I didn’t really to begin with.” I smacked his shoulder.
“I trust you.” Matt gave me a weird look, “Matt, if you knew the story, if you knew the whole thing or how Wolfgang told me.” I looked at her, “I understand.” she smiled at me.
“Thank you Nora. I will destroy him.” she clenched her fist to her side. Matt turned and started to leave, I could tell he was upset with me.
“Matt!” I called after him, “don’t leave!” he slammed the door behind him. I glanced back at Dorsella and went after Matt.
“Leave me alone, Nora!” he ordered me, “I can’t believe you trust them.” I spun him around.
“Matt I don’t mean to upset you, but we need them.” he glared down at me.
“No we don’t.” he jerked his arm from me, began to run down the hall and morphed into his werewolf form.
“Matt!” I called but it was useless he was gone. I stood there shaking my head thinking me and big mouth. I went back into the room with Dorsella.
“I’m sorry Nora, I didn’t mean to cause problems between you two.” she started walking to me.
“It’s not your fault it’s my big mouth.” I sat down on a wooden chair in the corner of the room. I decided to get a granola bar out of my bag and eat it. After the first bite, my stomach began to turn. I wrapped it back up and shoved it up back in my bag. Everyone in the room was looking at me.
“You ok?” Marcus asked, I shook my head and leaned against the wall.
“You must be tired, Troy go start a fire and retrieve Nora’s supplies we brought.” Troy bowed his head and left. My eyes began to feel heavy. I heard the door open, it was Matt. He was in human self. I smiled at him, he didn’t smile he motioned for me to come with him. I got up, grabbed my bag and followed him out.
“Matt, I am so sor…” he interrupted me.
“I want to be the one to apologize. I shouldn’t of left you because you were just being honest about your feelings.” he grabbed my hand, “I know you been through a lot along time, and I should be here protecting you not causing more stress.” I reached around, grabbed his waist and hugged him, he hugged me back.
“We need to concentrate on getting our daughter back.” I looked up at Matt and this time he was smiling.
“Yes.” we noticed it getting night, “Night! Lets go.” we went back into the room. Troy returned wit
h my stuff including my dagger and sleeping bag. He had the fire going, “Its night.” Matt announced to the room.
They were all dressed for battle; I was locked in a room with Matt. Under other circumstances, this would have ended up with us naked. Matt was in his wolf form and on guard. He hovered close to me. I was beginning to get really sleep. I crawled into the sleeping bag next to the fire and fell asleep.
“THEY’RE COMING!” someone yelled, waking me up out of a deep sleep. I looked at the door. I could hear fighting going on the other side. I unzipped the bag and crawled out. I ran for my backpack to get my dagger and clothes. I dressed quickly, tied the dagger around my waist and pulled out the gun that Victor gave me; it had silver bullets in it. I checked the chamber to see how many I had it was a full clip. I shoved it in my hoodie pocket. I was ready, well armed at least. If anything would come through that door that wasn’t one of vampires or Matt, I would faint. My heard was galloping in my chest, I felt like I was hyperventilating.
“Easy” I told myself. Then it got quiet, that’s when panic really sat in. I pushed myself into the corner as tight as I could get, “Matt I need you.” I told myself again.
The door handle moved slowly and it creaked open. I watched thinking to myself, ‘please let it be someone I know.’ A white werewolf poked its head in, sniffing the air. I pulled out my gun; my finger was on the trigger. Then another one was behind it, they looked nothing like Matt, they were scary looking.
Blood was matted into their fur and their faces where longer. I had the gun in my hand ready, even with shaky hands. I watched the huge monsters stalk inside. My heart was galloping away with me, I was surprised that they couldn’t hear it. They were right in front of me looking around. If they would just sniff they could catch my scent. The white one stuck it nose in the air sniffed, I knew it caught my sent. But it didn’t even do anything. Then I noticed the grey one looking right in my direction. I thought I was dead, and then in a flash, Marcus was behind them with swords.
His motions were quick and effortless it all happened in a blur. He sliced through them spraying blood everywhere. Blood splattered on the walls, floor and my face. I closed my eyes, I didn’t want to see the carnage anymore. I could still hear the slicing and gurgling from the monsters as they turned back into their human selves. I didn’t want to see a bunch of dead humans so I pressed my eyes tight together. I had my face buried into the corner.
“NORA!” Matt called out, “Keep your eyes closed.” I felt him pick me up and carry me. I heard the sound of the door squeaking shut. “Ok you can open them.” daylight, I blinked a few times.
“I…..I can’t feel my legs.” I was standing there shaking like a leaf.
“Its ok babe, we searched this whole floor, nothing here.” he began brushing my hair out of my face and wiping off the blood. “Marcus is going to run you to the next village.” I shook my head.
“NO! I want to find April.” it took all I had to say it with out sounding as if I was feeling, scared.
“No, I think you should get out of here and let us deal with it.” I shook my head, “Nora, I never wanted to order you or have you do something you don’t want to, but I am putting my foot down. Marcus is going to run you to the next village.” that snapped me out of the scared feeling into the are you kidding me feeling.
“No! I know you’re trying to protect me, but I am not going to have my husband and child risking their lives while I set back and do nothing.” He opened his mouth to say something, “I’ve made up my mind and that’s it.” I turned and stomped off.
I turned the corner and ran in to Victor, “Nora! Thank Goodness, I been lost in this place forever it seems. Are you ok?” he asked.
“Yeah, its ok, I found my husband and friends.” I turned around with Victor. Matt was still standing there. Victor must of knew what he was he automatically drew his gun, I jumped between them. “NO! That’s my husband!”
“Your husband.” he looked at me shocked, “Do you know what he is?” I looked at Matt.
“Yes, he is my husband, anything else isn’t important.” Matt was in his fighting stance, in his human form.
“Who is this Nora?” Matt asked.
“Victor, he is the one who made sure I got her safely.” Matt straightened up.
“Thank you for that.” Matt stretched out his hand. Victor looked at it as if it was a trick. They shook hands.
“Is he the father of your child?” Victor asked stunned.
“Of course.” I walked over to Matt and took his hand.
“Is the child half of what he is?” I shook my head.
“No Matt wasn’t that until I was already pregnant, so April is human.” I creased my eyebrows, “how did you know he was a.. ummm.”
“Werewolf, he bares the signs.” I looked Matt over.
“What signs?” I stepped back and studied him. Matt was giving me a funny look.
“This.” Victor pointed to his stomach, “Do you see that?” I squinted hard, then I seen it. It looked like a tribal sign.
“Yes, I never noticed that before.” I traced it, Matt flinched.
“Your giving me the chills, stop!” he grabbed my hand.
“That’s how Claira knew what you were, because it goes up to your face too.” I traced it on his face too, “wow, it’s beautiful.”
“It’s the mark of the werewolf.” he looked closely to Matt’s stomach, “yours are different then the others, yours are a different design, odd.” he went to touch him.
Matt grabbed his wrist, “touch me and I will break your hand.” Matt had a serious tone, he let his hand drop.
I touched Matt‘s bare chest, “Matt, please.” He looked down at me. Marcus came out and seen Victor.
“Victor?” they embraced in hug, “long time brother.” Matt and I looked at each other stunned.
“Brother?” I asked.
“Yes, not of blood, but he is a good friend. Dorsella will be happy to see you.” Marcus led him into the room. Marcus turned to me and smiled. “it’s ok to come in now,” he said looking at me.
“Shall we?” Matt held the door open for me. When we walked in Victor and Dorsella where hugging. I looked over at Matt, he wasn’t pleased.
“Something fishy is going on here.” he leaned over and whispered, this time I agreed.
“Victor, what brings you here?” Dorsella said finally breaking the embraces.
“I led Nora here.” they all looked at me.
