by P. A Ross
The shape barked and growled at Cyrus and stood in between him and me. I could see from Cyrus's face that he was not going to move. Even he dare not take on a werewolf on a full moon. Max had returned just in time.
Within moments, Thorn, Cassius and Rip had run down to join us. Thorn loomed over Cyrus. "This isn't going to end well for you. If you aren't going to join us properly, then you are against us and I don't have time to fight another enemy."
"Don't be rash, Thorn. You need everyone on your side. But we also need proper leadership," Cyrus said.
As they were talking, Max started to transform back into a human. The fur on his body receded, and his face began to turn back to normal, but he didn't revert all the way before he started speaking, his voice growling at us. "Shut up and listen, they are coming for us. It's a trap. We have to run."
Chapter Eighteen
"Who's coming?" Rip asked.
"Who else. The Turned, the Hunters and two werewolves. They know we're here, and they're coming in large numbers. We can't possibly win."
"Everyone head back to the cabin. We have weapons in the wood store. We have some swords and a couple of guns," Thorn said.
We sprinted back. Cyrus jumped up and followed us. Now didn't seem the time to settle internal disputes. First of all, we had to survive the attacking Turned and Hunter Army. Max also said there were two werewolves with them. It had to be Giles and Norris.
We reached the cabin and Thorn ran to the firewood storehouse and ripped off the door. Cassius and Rip ran behind and grabbed the swords as she passed them out. Rip hesitated for a moment as Cyrus outstretched his hand. He glared at him for a moment before reluctantly slapping the hilt of the sword into his hand. "We will settle this later. Now the survival of the Dragans is more important," Rip said.
"Whatever," Cyrus said and swung around to prepare for the Turned.
I waited for a sword to be placed into my hands, but Thorn came out and gave me a gun and then handed me a needle box. I wedged the gun in the back of my jeans and put the needle box in my front pocket.
"It's you they are after. You must get far away from us. We will do our best to distract them for as long as possible. If they catch up with you, then use the needle and take the formula. Once you transform into a Dragan, you might as well come back and help us, but only take it if absolutely necessary. I would prefer to save these needles for when we attack them."
"I'm not leaving you. We fight side-by-side," I said.
"No," Thorn screamed back at me and pushed me away. "Without you, we have no chance of winning this war. If they get you, they will perform more experiments looking for the secrets of the DNA transformation. If they find these secrets, then the war is lost and you will be dead. You must go," Thorn shouted and then headed back to where the army was advancing. Max led the way and had transformed back into a full werewolf.
"V, please do as Thorn asks. We will do our best to hold them off. I suspect the two werewolves are hunting for you. Be prepared to fight them," Rip said and slapped me on my arm, and then chased after Thorn.
"Take care, V. You did well in your fight against Cyrus. I believe in you, now run as fast as you can," Cassius said and headed into battle.
In the distance, a wide fan of the Turned army sprinted through the trees. They were carrying swords and guns. At the back of the Turned, I could just make out the figures of two werewolves sniffing the air. I wanted to join the fight. I could take the needle and then run headlong into battle. But Thorn had asked me to run. I would do as I was told for once. I suspected I would end up facing Giles and Norris, which meant at least I was taking them away from Thorn, Rip and Cassius.
I darted through the trees away from the crackling gunfire, clashing of swords against swords, and the cries of the first Turned been slaughtered.
I headed up the hills, hoping the high ground may give me a defensive advantage. Down below, Thorn was slashing away, dispatching two Turned to dust. Max was bounding forward, tearing a Turned in half and then slashing another one to pieces. Rip was moving with precision and controlled speed. He finally got the chance to use the full power of his abilities, using the techniques he had learnt. Cassius waded in, punching one Turned down, cutting through another at the same time. But there was no Cyrus. I guessed he had already escaped.
My team were fighting well, littering the forest in the dust of vampires, but many more awaited their chance to fight. There was no way they could continue forever. They would have to break and run eventually or be destroyed. Meanwhile, Norris and Giles were moving through the Turned, ready to fight.
I put my head down and ran up the hill, knowing full well the wind was blowing down the mountain, sending my scent down to them. I kept turning back as I climbed, watching to see if they took the bait and left my friends alone.
Eventually, one of the wolf's noses lifted into the air as it caught the scent. It barked at the other wolf and ran up the hill towards me.
The plan had worked, but now I would have to fight them both. I ran off in the opposite direction along the hill, hoping to get some distance from the main battle. Once they caught my scent, they could follow it no matter where I went. As I ran, I peered around and saw the wolves bounding up the hill, following the invisible trail I left behind.
Rip and Max were right, the werewolves' top speed was much faster than mine, and it didn't take long for them to hunt me down. I had to pick a place to make a stand.
I pulled the gun out of the back of my trousers and hid behind a tree and caught my breath. I glanced around the side of the trunk as the wolves raced in. I jumped out from the tree and fired a couple of shots at the biggest wolf, Norris. He quickly dived to the side, the bullets blowing up the leaves as they impacted the earth.
Giles skidded to a halt and then ran around the back of a tree. I had to face him. The gunshots bought me some time. I placed the gun in the back of my jeans, pulled out the needle from the box and stabbed it into my neck. I sunk the plunger in and felt the vampire formula burning into my body. My veins burned red as the formula hitched a ride within my blood stream. The drug seeped inward infecting every part of my body. My brains pressed against the side of my skull, and my vision blurred around the edges. My bones twisted into new shapes and sizes. The formula soaked into my muscles and sparked the fibres to strengthen. My forearms and biceps bulged out and chest muscles spasmed. The formula performed a full circuit and smashed into my heart, and as per usual, my heartbeat quickened until it could take no more. I crashed to the floor with my hands out in front, and my heart ceased. I toppled over onto my back and seconds of blankness swept over me. Every time I had to die for the full transformation to take place; every time the gateway opened to the bright light and familiar voices.
I jolted back to life, my senses on fire, and I heard the paws of the wolf padding around the trees, growling and then sniffing the air. I jumped onto my feet and pulled the gun out the back of my jeans and aimed. Giles, in wolf form, barked at me and snarled with saliva dripping from his jaws and the fur on his back rising up.
"Good to see you, old friend" I said and fired the gun.
He may have been my friend, but I had to protect myself. He was already darting out of the way as I fired. He twisted away, and from the other side, Norris bounded up and knocked me over, spilling the gun from my hand. The wolf picked up the firearm in its jaws and ran off with it.
I jumped back onto my feet, and Giles circled around me.
He pushed himself onto his hind legs, and the transformation retreated enough to speak in a deep growling voice. "No more running. You face me now and answer for your betrayal."
"I told you I was sorry. I should never have walked away that day at the school gates. I did go to get help, the caretaker and your mum. It was us that stopped you being taken by the gang."
"I understand that. You did the right thing. But I'm talking about your betrayal afterwards. You ignored me and allowed the gang to harass me until I couldn't carry on. You t
hrew me onto the fire just to protect yourself."
"My dad told me to do that. He said there was no point in both of us getting into trouble. But you're right, I should have ignored him. It was the wrong thing to do. There is no need for us to fight. You should be on my side not his," I said and looked over to Norris who was partly transformed back into a human.
Norris growled at me. "Ignore him, Giles. I'm the one who protected you after what happened. I am the one who gave you this power to fight back. He never came to look for you after what happened. Never came to look for you with his new vampire powers. Too busy enjoying his life with that woman. He cares nothing for you. Kill him."
"You can't hide from me forever, Jon. You can't beat me tonight either, it's a full moon. It is you that is on the wrong side. The Dragans are evil. They created the Turned to fuel their wars. They were born from black magic."
"Did they tell you that they also created werewolves? That means you are born from the same evil. These people only chose you to get at me. They are not your friends."
"Maybe, but they have given me power and a chance to protect myself and my family. All I need to do is kill you. And I will do so with pleasure. Now fight," he shouted and dropped back to all fours. His face changed back to that of a wolf and arms reverted back to legs. The fur on his body grew back covering him in a thick grey coat. To the side, Norris stayed in his semi-human form, ready to ensure I couldn't run from the fight.
Giles barked to get my attention. He sprinted and dived at me with claws out and jaws snapping at my face. I bolted to the side in time to miss the front claws, but his back legs kicked out and cut across my forearm, ripping through my coat.
He had taken me by surprise. I needed time and circled around to stop him from getting another full-frontal attack. I tried to remember my training with Rip and Max. I remembered the purple sphere of magic that I had used to great effect before. I felt it glowing within me, with my full transformation making it easy to connect into.
Giles leaped at me again. I released the magic into my limbs and spun out of the way, scooped down and pulled up a handful of loose dirt. I twisted back to face Giles, who launched at me again. I threw the dirt in his face, but he moved with such speed that he dived through it. His claws ripped my arms again, cutting me, blood pouring out. I was unable to stop it due to the wolf's DNA embedded within. I focused my magic on healing the wound, preventing the blood loss as much as possible.
I couldn't just play defence against him. I had to hit back with my own weapons if I was going to stop him. He circled around a few more times, and I visualised my own moves on the next attack. He dived for my legs, trying to bite my shins and take me off my feet. I somersaulted over his snapping jaws. The claws on my hands flicked out and scraped down his back. I landed and his grey fur coat was lined with blood.
I spun back around, claws at the ready. Giles yelled with pain, twisted around and charged again. He jumped up and dived for my throat. This time I dropped down, holding my claws up as Giles leaped over me and they ripped into his stomach. He hit the forest floor, screaming in pain, the blood dripping onto the leaves.
He rolled around on his back and then licked at his stomach. He then stopped and eyed me, his eyes burning red, snarling through his blood coated jaws. He strained his head up and howled at the moon and then pulled himself back up.
He stalked around with his head low to the ground and his front paws coiled under him ready to spring. He constantly growled and snarled, eyes burning red and fur stood on end. Blood was dripping onto the ground beneath him, and I knew the longer he bled, the greater my chances of winning, but also the greater the chances of him dying.
He charged back at me and then checked to the side, sending me diving in the wrong direction as he jumped back again, and then hit me full-on with his head into my chest. We crashed to the dirt and rolled over one another, his paws trying to scratch my face as my hands held him at arm's length. The blood from his stomach was dripping onto me, his jaws snapping into my face. I shook my head side to side to avoid the sharp canines. He tried to pull in his back claws to gut me.
I coiled my legs up to block his claws, and kneed him in the gut a few times, into the wounds I'd already created. It was enough for him to loosen his attack, and I threw him off to the side. I followed up as he crashed over and rolled in the dirt. I jumped on to his back and latched my arm around his throat, squeezed and tipped myself back. I held him steady in the choke hold, his claws and jaws unable to reach me. I pushed the claws on my free hand against his throat. His legs were kicking and scraping at the ground, trying to get a grip. His front claws thrashed about, and his head shook from side to side.
I placed my claws against his throat, knowing I only had to dig in, slicing him open to stop him once and for all.
"I'm truly sorry, Giles. But it appears one of us has to die."
"Stop," Norris shouted and pointed the gun at me.
"Why? You are going to shoot me anyway. I might as well finish him off first."
"If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't need a gun. Powers greater than me have decided only he can fight you. If he cannot win, then I am to let you go free without stopping you. For whatever reason, you may leave. If the choice were mine, I would transform back into my wolf form and rip your throat out. You may have beaten Giles, but he's an inexperienced pup. But I see you have received some training since our last encounter. Enough to beat a werewolf at a full moon. But you would have no such luck against me."
What he said was true. Having just sparred against Max, I knew how powerful a werewolf could be at the height of its powers. I decided it was worth the risk of trying to walk away. And I was relieved I wouldn't have to kill Giles. Though I was sure Giles would come for me again one day, once fully healed. At least it might buy some time to convince him we could still be friends.
"Okay, just throw that gun away. And I will get up and leave him. I take it you can help him survive."
Norris threw the gun to the floor. "They will find us soon enough, and they have medical supplies to counteract the Dragan poison from your bites and claws."
I lowered Giles to the floor. He was panting heavily, and blood was still trailing out of his stomach. He bled too much to turn around and attack. The wrestling in my arms had only contributed to further blood loss. I was concerned he would bleed to death on the floor and maybe I would do him a greater service to kill him outright. But it wasn't my decision, Norris had his instructions.
I stood up slowly, keeping my eyes on Norris the whole time. I glanced behind me and slowly backed away once I saw the escape route was clear.
"Just keep walking before I change my mind. But one day, you and I will get to find out who's the best."
"I think I have one or two friends who would want to meet you first. By the way that other werewolf you fought before in the warehouse, his name is Max. I'm pretty sure he'd like a rematch first. Until then, take care of my best friend."
I turned away and sprinted through the woods, occasionally looking around to check that Norris wasn't coming for me.
Through the trees, I saw that he had bent over Giles's wolf form. I slowed my pace, nursing my arm and listened out to what Norris was saying.
"You useless, pup. You're supposed to kill him. I'm not allowed to do it. You're such a disappointment."
I looked back at Norris and stepped around the trees to get a better view. Norris's fist was raised up and then swung down. Giles whimpered. The fist rose up and then down again a couple more times and each time Giles yelped.
"I'm supposed to save you. Then train you back up again and go after him again. But if you can't even beat him on a full moon, then you will never beat him. You will never break his spirit."
A faint voice replied. "I'm sorry, I will try harder. He was much better than before. I didn't know what to do."
I jumped up a tree and shimmied up its branches to try and get a better look. Giles had transformed back into human form, with claw mar
ks down his back and front.
Norris stood back up and then stamped down on Giles's stomach. Giles screamed and blood spurted out of his mouth.
"You useless, worthless pup. They will be here any minute to save you. But, if you died now, that idiot Jon would be upset. That may be enough to break his spirit. Then I would get to fight him instead. I would rip his body to pieces and present it to his stupid werewolf friend." Norris punched Giles a few more times and stamped on him, and Giles cried out in pain.
I froze to the spot, transported back to the front gates of the school when I walked away and left Giles to the gang of bullies. This time it was different. This time I knew for sure that he would die, but this time I could also die if I faced Norris. If I hadn't walked away from those gates, we may never have arrived at this point.
In the opposite direction lay Thorn and friends, I could help them battle the Turned and find a way to escape. Plus Giles had tried to kill me. No sane person would expect me to do anything else but walk away and leave him to the wrath of Norris.
Chapter Nineteen
Giles screamed again, and a flash of a fist pummelled down into him. I jumped down from the tree and looked towards where Thorn and my friends were fighting, and then back to the sounds of Giles being beaten to death. I had to rejoin the fight as soon as possible, but which fight.
Giles screamed again and the clash of swords echoed up the mountain. I twisted the clock face on my GPS watch and pressed the button to set off the tracker. I sucked in the air and visualised the purple magic exploding into my muscles. I dashed through the trees, zigzagging past the trunks and leaping the rocks. I dropped my shoulder down for impact. I hit Norris square on the chest, and he was catapulted off his feet into a tree trunk. The tree cracked and branches rained down on his dazed body.
