Lunar City

by Samantha Cross

  From the rooftop, I had a perfect viewing of their showdown in the center of the road, and unfortunately, the view let me see just how much Paul was decimating Max. My heart practically jumped into my throat when I realized he was being thrown around like a ragdoll by Paul. Max was giving it everything he had, charging at him full speed and clawing at his flesh, but Paul’s size was just too much for him to handle.

  Paul backhanded Max with his thick, muscular arm, which was enough to lift Max right off the ground and toss him fifty feet away. He stood on both hind legs, waiting for Max to recover and come back at him, and poor Max just shook his head to loosen the debris from the streets out of his long hair, and then got back to his feet. Paul was enjoying the power trip.

  But that all ended the moment Brinly arrived, slowing creeping up from behind.

  Her rear was raised in the air, her tail straighter than an arrow, and her chest and upper body were so low to the ground, they were nearly touching the pavement as she waited for him to notice her. She roared a low, ferocious growl, dominate and violent sounding enough that it pulled Paul away from Max. He cautiously turned his frame around and faced Brinly, and the two stared each other down, teeth bare, brow narrowed, both ready to pounce at any second.

  Paul had no human features, but somehow, I could still tell he was both perplexed and amused that Brinly was coming after him. It wasn’t something he expected out of her, and I’m not sure if he was more impressed or irritated.

  Both were daring the other to be the first to make a move, and the longer they stood there, anxiously waiting, the louder and more vicious their howling and growling became.

  A gunshot rang and a bullet grazed Paul’s shoulder, sending him into a fit of rage. He howled at the top of his lungs and was only silenced when Brinly jumped at him, tackling him down the ground and gnawing at his chest and arms. He overpowered her, rolling onto her body and pinning her to the ground as he snapped at her skin. But Brinly fought back, pushing her front paws into his chest to keep his jaw away from her face and his teeth from breaking flesh. Their strength was so evenly matched, they reached a stalemate, merely chomping at the air around each other’s faces.

  Whether it was because he knew they were getting nowhere, or because she had managed to shove him off, Paul flung away from Brinly and landed delicately on the pavement with the ease of a falling feather.

  The two were yet again staring each other down.

  That was when a reenergized Max came flying onto Paul’s back like he had been propelled from a trampoline. Paul’s senses were sharper than Max’s, but the presence of Brinly in her animalistic form, no doubt, was distracting to him, allowing Max to take advantage of that one weak moment.

  Paul reached his arms back to pull Max off of his shoulders, but Max’s teeth were clamped down tight. He wasn’t budging. Paul continued trying to pry him off, dragging his claws across the skin of Max’s arms and shoulder blades and tearing viciously. Max was crying out, but his hold on Paul never stopped, only weakened.

  With Max still on top of him, Brinly speared Paul with her own body, jamming herself into his abdomen and using her full strength to crash him into the outside wall of a building. Max hopped off in order to save himself the pain of the collision, and once Paul crashed, there was an outline of his beastly shape against the bricks. He was disoriented from the impact to his head, but he shook it off and let out a menacing roar.

  Brinly and Max jumped on him at the same time, each latching onto one of Paul’s arms, making it harder for him to fight back. Brinly had her entire body wrapped around his right forearm, just tearing away at his wrist like it were a snack. Paul’s mouth dropped open, clearly pained, and then lifted his arm with her still attached and winded it back like he was swinging a baseball bat, and then launched her twenty or more feet away from him. He quickly did the same to Max, tossing him in the same direction, so he collided directly into Brinly. The two fumbled on the ground together, each trying to get out of the other’s way.

  It was a moment of escape for Paul. He hopped onto a parked vehicle and then leapt off of it onto the rooftop of a nearby building. He was clearly taking more damage from these two than he had anticipated and needed a breather so he could come up with a new strategy.

  I held my breath as I watched from my own rooftop, praying he wouldn’t think to come my way. Lincoln was weak as he hobbled toward me, trying not to collapse as he took up the empty space beside me at the ledge.

  “I’m going down there,” I professed.

  He turned to me and stared like I had lost my mind. “This isn’t your fight, Cora. You go down there and you die.”

  “I’ve survived so far, haven’t I? I know how to use a gun, and Lyle could use some backup.”

  “You’re not going down there without me.”

  My voice deepened as I said, “Yes, I am. You can try to stop me all you want, but you’ll only be hurting yourself.” I took off for the fire escape and Lincoln didn’t chase after me. He knew in his frail condition that he was better off letting me go.

  Truth was, Lincoln was completely in the right; I had no business going down there and I could get myself hurt, but standing by and watching was making me go mad. Even if I handed Lyle ammunition and nothing more, I’d at least feel like I was contributing.

  I jumped onto the fire escape and felt the entire thing shift and then bang into the outside bricks of the building, nearly knocking me on my ass. It had managed to grow even less sturdy since I climbed up it, and the strange thing was that it wouldn’t stop shaking. The ground was legitimately quaking beneath my feet like an earth tremor. I quickly realized the cause of this was Paul, Brinly, and Max fighting. That’s how big and heavy they were.

  I spotted Lyle a few stories down, crouching behind a flipped car with his gun in hand. He wasn’t firing, he was just sitting there. I ran down the fire escape as quickly as I could and powered my way toward him, throwing myself down on the ground like I was escaping a grenade.

  Lyle’s back rested against the car as his rifle was between his legs, and when he saw me sit down beside him his eyes grew electric with worry. “Cora, what are you doing? You should have stayed on the rooftop where it’s safe.”

  “I couldn’t stand by and do nothing,” I explained.

  “There’s nothing you can do. There’s barely anything I can do, for that matter.” He eyed his gun and popped out a magazine clip from the gun and threw it to the ground. “I’m all out,” he groaned.

  “That’s…not good.”

  “No,” he replied, scoffing. “Just lay low and stay beside me, okay? You’ll be all right.”

  I knew he was merely saying whatever he could think of to keep me calm so I didn’t lose my shit, but I wasn’t going to stop him. My own boyfriend and friend were beasts fighting some kind of roided-out super werewolf, and I needed all the comfort I could get.

  We ducked down further behind the turned vehicle and decided it was best to try to remain undetected until the coast was clear. Paul was completely out of sight while Max and Brinly searched the area, their noses low to the ground trying to sniff him out as they sneaked around corners cautiously and quietly. I looked to all the rooftops and saw no sign of him. For as big as he was, he was great at hiding.

  It became eerily quiet. Now Brinly and Max were even missing.

  “What’s happening?” I whispered to Lyle softly.

  Suddenly, my world violently shifted, as I felt the flipped vehicle I was leaned against lift into the air like it grew wings. I could see a pair of claws gripping onto the sides right before it was launched right over Lyle and I. Once it floated passed us, there was nothing standing between us and Paul.

  Up close, he appeared even larger and more deranged. His skin was black and bumpy, like cold tar and the wild mane of hair that framed his face was soiled with blood and debris. He looked mangled and rabid.

  Lyle went for his gun, but quickly realized he was out of ammo, and Paul seemed to snicker at this rev
elation. Paul came for me, and Lyle threw his entire body over mine as a protective shield. He was literally going to die protecting me.

  I closed my eyes beneath Lyle, and as I was ready to feel the pain of Paul’s claws piercing into us, I heard the sound of him whaling. Max saw him coming after us and tackled him into a street light. The entire pole snapped in two and the light bulb shattered when the top half collapsed to the cement. Brinly joined them, stepping on Paul’s head and smashing his face into the pile of broken glass while Max slashed at his chest. This double team effort barely lasted before Paul popped up, knocking Brinly right over, and then turning and taking a bite right out of Max’s shoulder.

  “No!” I screamed.

  Max staggered back and whimpered as the blood poured from him like a river.

  The sight of his son in agony threw Lyle into a fit of rage. He retrieved his gun from the ground and charged at Paul, using the now empty weapon as a club, bashing it into the back of his skull. The hit hardly registered, and Paul grabbed a hold of Lyle by the collar of his shirt and slowly lifted him into the air, drawing him closer and closer to his translucent eyes as his jaw dropped and his teeth protruded.

  He was going to bite him.

  He was going to bite him.

  Max was still on the ground, bleeding, and Brinly was knocked for a loop.

  Shit, shit, shit.

  I did all I could think of to stop it by picking a rock up from off the ground and throwing it right into Paul’s eye. Paul’s one hand dropped from Lyle’s collar and pressed his fingers onto his eye socket. His vision must have gone blurry because he thrashed around for a moment and then discarded Lyle by throwing him into a parked vehicle. Lyle hit the car hard and was knocked unconscious.

  I was now the cause of Paul’s rage and I knew I was screwed.

  Brinly got back to her feet and fought Paul away from me. The two locked hands and went into a scuffle. She pushed and pushed and pushed Paul as far as she could go, trying to back him toward a bleeding Max. Max was on the ground, but as soon as Paul got close enough, he wrapped his paws around his ankle and bit into him.

  As hard as they were going, I knew this scenario wasn’t going to last. Brinly just wasn’t experienced enough in this form and Max was bleeding out, all the while Paul had a fight in him that was unending. I knew how this was going to end, and I could feel my body begin to shake.

  But then something strange happened.

  In my left ear I heard a sharp, high pitched like whistle, and as it drew closer I realized that it was an animal howl. A werewolf howl, to be exact. There was another one approaching, and I could hear the pitter-patter of its feet as it dashed down the empty streets, claws digging into the pavement, it snarling and growling and grunting as it ran.

  It was small, light brown with a white streak of fur down the center of its face, and had intoxicating amber eyes. Its speed was absolutely astonishing as I watched it turn the corners around abandoned buildings and never once slow down, leaping over cars with such ease it was like it was weightless. It felt young.

  Was it Lincoln? No, it couldn’t be. This werewolf had too much energy and Lincoln was half passed out.

  I became mortified at the thought that this was someone from Paul’s clique coming to even the playing field. One more wolf and Max and Brinly were done for.

  But to my surprise, the werewolf ran right passed me. It was charging toward Paul!

  A vicious snarl erupted from its throat as it climbed onto Paul’s shoulders and sunk its teeth into Paul’s body. The bite was so hard, I could actually hear the snapping of his skin as the beast’s jaw wrapped around his neck. The first bite was the loudest, but the second was the deadliest, as its fangs tore a hole right in the center of Paul’s throat, creating a sprinkler of blood that sprayed all over the pavement.

  The help from this anonymous werewolf sent a surge of energy through Max, who crawled up his body and locked his feet together around Paul’s knee, coiling him like a snake as he chowed down on him.

  Paul looked paralyzed as he wobbled on two feet, trying to figure out how he was going to get the three of them off. He was losing momentum and he was losing it quickly.

  Brinly slid off his body and stood in front of Paul as the others tore him to bits. I didn’t understand what she was doing, and wondered if they were having some kind of telepathic conversation. She got real close to him, leaned in, pressed her mouth to his chest and jerked her head back and forth manically. From where I was standing, I couldn’t make out what was happening, and in a peculiar way it looked as though she were kissing his body passionately. Only Paul was screaming, and this scream didn’t sound animalistic at all, it sounded flat out human.

  Suddenly, Paul’s body slouched and the screaming ended. When Brinly yanked her head back, her mouth was covered in a shade of blood so dark it looked black, and pressed between her teeth was glistening, squirting hunk of meat. His heart.

  She spit it onto the ground as Paul collapsed. With her raven locks of hair shining with the moistness of his blood, she threw her head back and let out a triumphant howl.

  Paul was dead.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  The town looked like a tornado had run through it. Every car parked in the road, every street light and sign—all ripped apart and thrown about. Paul had wreaked havoc on this city and it showed.

  After Paul’s heart was torn right from his chest, I waited as Brinly and Max returned to their true form and got dressed, and then Lincoln met up with us.

  Lyle, Brinly, Lincoln, Max, and myself were all recuperating, huddled together where the action had taken place. Lyle’s head had a pretty gnarly looking goose egg, but he was okay, Lincoln was regaining strength, and Max’s bite was slowly healing, thanks to his lycanthropy. The only permanent damage was everything that had been done to us emotionally.

  But we were thankful to be alive.

  We were all so spent that none of us even seen our mysterious werewolf friend leave. They just appeared like some kind of warrior angel and then merely walked away without a thanks. Had we not been so overwhelmed, one of us would have found out who it was.

  Max held me close to his chest, his arms wrapped around me so, so tight as we swayed like there was music playing. I was so happy he was safe and alive, and breathing in the fresh scent of his clothing was like one more arm around me.

  “You all right?” he asked as he kissed the top of my head.

  “No,” I responded honestly. “I thought we were all done for.”

  “Well, you were wrong. No one is going to hurt you again, I promise you.”

  I believed him. Why was it so easy to believe him?

  “Guys.” It was Lincoln speaking to us from afar. He limped his way toward us, but his focus was on something behind us and much higher. Both Max and I turned and lifted our gaze a few stories up, and it’s when we spotted a figure standing on the rooftop of an apartment building. It was the werewolf that had aided Brinly and Max, and it was simply watching us from above.

  “Who was that?” Lincoln asked before I could utter the words.

  “It’s her,” Max replied, looking solely at me.

  “Her?” I asked. Suddenly it clicked, and a tiny gush of air escaped my mouth in a gasp. “Dana?” I asked again. It was Dana?

  I promptly looked to her as she stood on the ledge of the building, confidently posed on all fours, her brown locks of hair gently moving against the wind as her yellow eyes gazed down upon us. She wasn’t attacking us, and by the stoic expression on her face I could tell she didn’t want to.

  “Why isn’t she attacking us?” I inquired.

  “Because of Brinly,” Lincoln explained. “She’s her queen now.”

  Brinly bowed her head, ashamed, and sadness practically oozed from her pores. The burden of the throne had fallen onto her, and while I knew she would be a great leader, I also knew she wasn’t remotely fine with the manner in which she inherited the position.

  Dana threw her he
ad back, looked to the black sky, and let out one long wail. Her howl was so sharp it pierced through the atmosphere like a needle, echoing down the empty streets until it was carried away toward the lake. After she was done, she lingered only for a moment before turning around, and I watched her tail wiggle and wag as she hopped from one building to the next before disappearing into the darkness.

  Maybe Lincoln was right and she didn’t fight us because of who Brinly was, but deep down, I wanted to believe it was more than that. I wanted to believe Dana had found the strength not to hurt us because it’s what she wanted.

  Lyle approached with his empty gun in hand, saying, “I know we got rid of the deadliest, but it is still a full moon and it’s not the best idea for us to be standing out in the open like this. We need a vehicle.”

  “Take mine,” I said. “It’s in the garage. The keys should be in there.”

  “Which one is yours?”

  “The one that sticks out like a sore thumb. Believe me, you won’t miss it.”

  He had no clue what I was talking about, but he played along, anyway, at first looking uncertain, but choosing to walk away.

  He had only walked two steps when Max stopped him. “Dad,” he called, and Lyle’s body froze, like hearing his son call him that was something he had missed so much. He slowly turned and faced Max, and I could see Max was struggling to get something off his chest. He licked his lips, sighed, and his eyes danced around like he was internally arguing with himself.

  “Yes, son?” Lyle asked.

  Max stared at his father long and hard, and then quite plainly said, “Thanks.” It was the simplest of words, but the weight behind it was enough to put a smile on Lyle’s face.

  “You don’t have to thank me,” Lyle told him. “I’m your father. I’m always going to have your back.” He then walked away.

  With that, the tension that had existed between them seemed to thin. There was so much going on between those two, some of which I would never understand, and I wasn’t a fool to think everything had been resolved, but it did feel like it was on its way.