Control

by James D. Horton

  FIREFIGHT

  Lily / Wolf

  ***Lily***

  I KEEP SEEING THE SKY AS WE ROLL OVER AND OVER, it is my one point of orientation as I struggle against her. “Luna!” I yell but it isn’t stopping her. I reach out to her beast again trying to stroke it gently, the equivalent of singing a soothing song to the monster inside. I whoof as we roll once more and land on my back with her on top of me, fist raised to smash my face. “Luna please!”

  She stops the fist inches from my face.

  “Lynx?” she says looking around. Her face is blood tear stained, her color is bad and she seems to have lost a lot of blood though I don’t see any wounds on her. “Where is she!” her voice is raw and heartbreaking as she scrambles off of me, rolling and leaping to her feet. She crouches in a warrior’s stance and with one fluid motion she pulls her bow over her shoulder knocking one of the few arrows left in her quiver after our roll down the street. She spins around, arrow ready to fly, her eyes wild. I feel it in her beast, a franticness that is ready to attack anything that moves.

  “Where is who?” I ask keeping my voice gentle as I continue to send out a soothing song to her beast. Slowly it starts to take hold; I feel the edge coming off of her. She shakes her head, lowering first the bow and then her head to stare at the ground. I see her draw in a useless breath, her chest and upper body shudders as she does so. She looks up at me, blinks, and her eyes are clear again, her face set and determined.

  “It does not matter,” she says at last. “Situation?” Just like that she is all business; there is no in-between with her.

  “Wolf is fighting but he’s not really there. We’ve taken down eight to ten of the guards so far but we have to stop the fire, there are hundreds of people trapped inside, they are all alive, scared and panicking, if we don’t get this under control in the next short bit they will begin jumping.”

  I state this as fact because I know it is, I can feel it in them, they are my people in my City. Luna looks down the street and I see her spot Wolf still fighting. I look down and while he is being effective, I am fairly sure he is not fighting the actual people running at him; those are just collateral damage to whatever it is he fights in his mind.

  “How do we get him back with us?” Luna asks.

  “Let me handle that, can you break the cap off that hydrant there?” I point to the corner of the block. “If we can channel the water towards the fire it might start helping.”

  Luna looks and with vampiric speed she is there in the blink of an eye, the cap turns in her hands like it is a simple jar lid and water begins spraying. I hear the sizzle of it hitting the fire but it makes no significant impact on the overall problem.

  I frown and put my attention on Wolf, hoping he will have a better idea. I reach out to his beast and feel it turn and lash out at me as I touch it and I freeze. The feel of his claws tearing through me locks my thoughts, I feel again the pain as they penetrate, digging in, everything hurts and there is no relief. I am looking down a tunnel similar to how it was the night he killed me; I feel detached from my body and the world around me. This is a memory, it’s not real. I pull myself back to the present to confront Wolf.

  I reach back out to his beast which turns fully on me with a roar but I meet it head on this time, engaging it like two wrestlers locking arms. I push against it and it pushes back, locked in place neither able to gain ground. It is in my face, albeit only mentally through my power, but the sensation is the same. Its hot breath blows against me, I feel as if it is slobbering on me with fangs that are nine inches long and razor sharp while I stand before it holding my own but just a girl. A girl who cares. I stare across the distance between our bodies, looking at Wolf who hasn’t stopped fighting whatever it is he sees. I stare at his tall form, his cowboy hat, the flaring duster outlined by the fire and all my unrequited feelings for him come to the forefront. He may not love me back but I love this man. The man, not the beast. I barely know the man, I know his beast better, but under that I see a man who is loyal, who will do anything to protect those he loves and I know that in his way he loves me. It may not be the love I want or even the love I need, but it is love. So I hit his beast full in the face with all of that feeling. All the love, all the pain of not being loved back, all the doubt I ball it up into a single bundle that I push down the monster’s throat, right past those nine inch fangs shoving it clear down its gullet and I hear it choking on it, feel it losing its grip so I push harder, behind that bundle I flow my love and my desire at him until it is an unrelenting tide of emotional desire, need, want, and affection sweeping over him without end. I know now there is no limit to my love. I’ve read the poets who say that love springs eternal, I always thought that was crap. Love doesn’t spring eternal, I create it. It comes from me and I give it freely, flowing it towards this man who needs it.

  Wolf staggers back which works in his favor as one of the final assailants swings at him and the stagger leads to that man whiffing through the air Wolf just vacated. I hear him growl, but his beast is tame now, I stroke the monster with soothing tones and a light touch, leaving Wolf to control himself. In seconds he finishes the man before him, then slowly he turns towards me. I see it in his eyes, it is complicated. I know he felt everything I just shoved down the throat of his beast, I’m not a fool. He stares for a moment and then he nods. I see him take in Luna’s work at the other end of the block, and then he turns to the fire hydrant at his end. He also pops the cap easily, sending the water spraying at the building. Again it barely affects the fire.

  I still feel them screaming inside, the smoke is going to kill them before the fire ever gets there. There has to be a way to save them, there has to be. I look down to Luna but she shakes her head. Behind her I see that tear in the sky and there are still creatures and people coming through, though they seem to have slowed. As I watch another soul is sucked out of the burning building and as it passes through the rift, the form of a woman crosses back this way. She looks down the street at me a moment, a red haired woman wearing a plaid skirt and a loose blouse, she looks at the building a moment then she moves away.

  I shake my head, I don’t have time to worry about that right now, I have to stop this fire or there will be no stopping the breach and Genosoa’s plan. Wolf arrives at my side and an instant later Luna is there as well.

  “We have to save them,” I insist. Desperation fills me, these people need me, I have to find a way, there has to be something we haven’t tried yet.

  Wolf shakes his head, “Too late.” Luna nods in agreement.

  “We can’t be too late! These people have no one else; I will not let them down!” Anger rises in me, the beast is one with it but I am in charge now, using it only as fuel.

  “Why?” Wolf says. “Genosoa’s plan isn’t a bad one. They are going to find us out sooner or later, this prevents that. You’ve never been hunted down and killed for what you are or watched your loved ones die.”

  I wheel on him in a hot flash. “I haven’t? You,” I strike him with my fist feeling the thud with satisfaction as I force him to lean back with my hit “have no idea what I’ve lost!”

  He frowns staring at me so I meet his gaze head on, there is no more looking away. I embrace what I am and what I’m going to do. “We are going to save these people somehow. You are going to help or by all that is in me and all that there is or ever was I will find a way to make you regret it!”

  Luna’s hand touches my shoulder, gently, with no animosity and so softly that it does not provoke but instead calms.

  “Lily,” she sighs. “Sister.”

  I look at her and she smiles.

  “We will help.”

  She includes Wolf whether he wants to or not, I know he will help, for her or for me, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that we save them. Some of them are dying even as we argue, there is no more time to waste on words it is time for action.

  “I know where they are, follow me, grab as many as you can and get them free.” />
  Luna arches an eyebrow at my words but nods her agreement, she understands the time for words is passed though I see she is filing questions away for later. Wolf just nods, letting me take the lead.

  “Be careful of the beast,” Luna says. “Fire is not its friend.”

  “I’ve got this, you all okay?”

  They each nod and that is that. I leap for the third story window right above us. I’ve lost many of these forgotten people already and I know I can’t save them all but I’m going to do my level damnedest. The window breaks easily though heat assaults me in waves. The hallway I land in is filled with smoke and I hear coughing and cries for help. I reach out with my new senses, using my ability to locate people. We may not need to breathe, but we use air for speaking which is now impossible. If not for the vampiric enhancement of sight, seeing itself would be impossible in this rolling smoke. I motion to a door holding up three fingers and Wolf nods breaking the door open. I continue on down the hall and motion at the next door, holding up one finger then moving on leaving that one to Luna. I come to another door, sensing there are six in there. I’m not sure how I’m going to get six people out, but I have to do my best. The door explodes under my simple kick. I walk in with smoke flowing out behind me. I hear the smallest cough from across the room and a whimper. I come to another door, I don’t want to kick this one in, I’m not sure how close to it they are on the other side so I try to open it, burning my hand on the knob. The demon spasms in fear and I understand what Luna said, but I channel its power to help me save these people. The door is jammed, something is against it and I hear a tiny wail so I put my shoulder to it, forcing the door open and something heavy slides across the cheap carpet behind it. Stepping in I see the inert form of a man against the door, passed out from the smoke and in the far corner a woman shields her children, one only months old, none of the others is more than five or six.

  Kneeling I check the man for a pulse; I find it, weak but there. I look from him to the woman and children. I try to speak but I can’t get any clean air, my lungs rebel at the inhaled smoke and I cough, my chest burns feeling like I inhaled an open flame. I drop to my hands and knees crawling over to the woman who is frantic, I try to communicate to her with hand signals but it’s not getting through to her. I grab her and she goes wild, attacking me with her nails, clawing at me like a rabid cat. I tap her on the side of her head trying to judge how much effort to use but not really sure, it does seem to knock her senseless if not out, so I toss her over a shoulder. In one hand I grab the two smallest children by their shirts, then I push blood to my leg muscles, moving with rapidity no human could hope to achieve. As I get back to the hallway and start to turn towards the window I came in from I see Luna has returned already and motion towards the room I’ve just left with three fingers. I also note that the stairs at the opposite end of the hallway have flames licking up the wall next to them. No matter how fast we go, I don’t know if we can save enough of them.

  I speed to the window without slowing down, leaping clear to the street below. I land and move to the side, setting my cargo down alongside the ones that Wolf and Luna have rescued. They are all alive, smoke damaged and needing medical attention but alive. I turn back to the building as an explosion rocks the night, instinctively I turn away protecting my eyes with an arm as glass from the first three stories explodes to rain out across the streets in a deadly rainfall.

  “Dammit!” I scream. “There are too many of them, we can’t save them! We need a better plan!” I look to Wolf and Luna, they are older than me and doesn’t that make them smarter than me? Someone has to have an idea!

  Wolf shrugs and Luna just shakes her head with regret.

  “Then let’s go, we have to try, there are hundreds more.”

  *** Wolf ***

  “No,” I argue looking at Lily. She is desperate; I can smell it rolling off of her even over the smells emanating from the burning building. We can’t go back into the fire, it is too dangerous, if the beast was to grab control of one of us while we were inside whoever lost control might never regain it. You don’t knowingly put the monster into a situation where it feels fear that’s just asking for trouble. Lily looks up at me only for an instant before she slaps me, she is getting faster I almost didn’t see that coming. I stare at her and she meets my gaze not looking away. Good girl, she is coming into her own. Pride wells up in me, I want to grab her and kiss her with the flames as a backdrop but she would hate me if I did.

  “We have to,” she says. “I don’t care what the reasons you have are, I don’t care what Genosoa is doing, I don’t care about any of that bullshit, those people have no one, no one and I was one of them. You saved me but who will save them? No one cares about them but damn it I do!” She turns leaping in an instant back into the fire. I look at Luna and scowl but she is no help, she just shakes her head and follows Lily’s lead.

  Landing in the smoke filled hallway I have to enhance my sight just to see Lily ahead. The flames are dancing up the stairs, licking at the ceiling like orange fingers reaching out, feeling their way like a blind man consuming as they stretch. Lily indicates a room holding up two fingers and I kick the door in with more force than necessary. Two teenagers, a boy and a girl, are passed out on the floor with drug paraphernalia on the table next to them. I stare at it then at them, they are a good sacrifice. I could walk away and leave them to their fate. If Genosoa can cast a spell powerful enough to protect the Silence it buys me time to find a way to save the rest. I can find the path to evolve; to save Luna, Lily, and Athene sacrifices have to be made.

  Lily seems to know who is alive though, I don’t know how her powers are manifesting, never seen or heard of anything like what she is displaying but she knows. How is she going to look at me if I let these two die? I can see her disapproving eyes staring into me and know she will walk away instead of me. She would leave me and never let me near her again. I don’t want that, I don’t want to lose her in my life even if I can’t have her completely, I need her light. I grab the two up with a growl, run to the hallway and leap from the window with flames dancing along the walls behind me. I land hard jarring my cargo but they don’t rouse. I toss them roughly down with the others that have been rescued so far.

  “Wolf!” Lily yells. “I’m going back up!” I grunt looking again at Luna for support but she just gives me a half smile again and shakes her head. Thanks, just what I need. Lily turns on her heel crouching to leap again I reach out and grab her shoulder spinning her back towards me.

  “No,” I growl.

  She springs to the attack, her first slamming into me. I just point up; flames are spouting out of the third story windows reaching out into the sky. Her eyes widen and I sense the fear in her beast even though she’s staying brave. She looks at me, her eyes red as she fights back tears, this is my survivor. She looks down the street at something, I glance that way but there is nothing there.

  “We have to save them, you don’t understand,” she speaks softly, it is hard to hear her over the roar of the fire and the screams of those trapped but not yet overcome with the smoke and flame. I look around, there has to be a better way, but nothing comes to mind. Vampires are not firefighters, we have nothing that can stop this. “The fourth floor, I can get there, can you?”

  I look up and judge the distance.

  “I can do it,” Luna insists and I look back and forth between the two of them, damn women are going to be the death of me yet.

  “Right,” I growl. I look over the buildings near us; the next one down has the remains of an escape ladder attached to the side, the lower half of which is missing. I point to it and both women nod as they see it. I run towards it then leap, grabbing the railing on the side and pulling myself over, I lower my head using my hat to protect my eyes as I burst through the glass window rolling with the impact. I come to my feet in a small apartment kitchen, staying low as I look around quickly. I hear one of the girls land on the escape and then Lily is beside me. She motio
ns into the next room holding up one finger so I go to the door which is hot to the touch. Stepping back I kick the door in and it explodes out at the same time fire blasts in towards me. I hear Lily scream just as my beast leaps scrabbling for control. Fear floods through me as flames enclose around me and I smell my own hair and flesh burning.

  “Wolf!” I hear her scream but I can’t see her, the flames are everywhere surrounding me so I run forward leaping up to come down in a roll. I come up against a cheap coffee table which tilts as I hit it spilling its contents across me. I look up and around, the room is in flames everywhere, even the walls are covered in a thin layer of fire like some new age wallpaper. Across the table I just knocked over lying on the couch is a form. I grab it with one hand and turn back to the kitchen I just vacated. I hear Lily screaming my name and then I hear Luna’s voice echoing hers. There is too much smoke to use my voice so I just run for them using the sound as a guide. It is only a handful of steps before I stand between them. The kitchen is filling with smoke, but no flames as of yet. I hand Luna the body, blinking my eyes as I try to clear my vision. Luna takes it and heads for the window, I turn back towards Lily and see her heading into the living area.

  “NO!” I yell stopping her in her tracks.

  “I have to!” she says turning to look at me her eyes wide. Her control over the beast is impressive but no matter how good she has become none of us can face this any longer. I see it in her eyes, the arguments, the need, but there is no time. The flames in the next room are rolling across the floor coming for us. I grab Lily and tuck her under my arm like a sack of potatoes then run for the broken window. The wall around it is glowing with an orange light; the flames are outside the wall as well now. I tuck her in as I leap through the window banging her on the wall as we pass through the tight space. She struggles against me but I push blood I’ve held in reserve, she is weakened not having held back as I did or she would be able to break free easily.