Nightly Howls

by Madeline Blake

  His grip tightens on my arm. "Well, forget about that." He shakes his head anxiously, "how are you feeling? You look absolutely terrible."

  "Thanks," I grin, looking up at him briefly with a mischievous expression. "I appreciate that."

  "You know that's not what I meant." Nico sighs, making me laugh.

  "Yeah, yeah, I know. I just have a headache, that's all."

  "It must be pretty bad for you to be groaning like that." He leans in, and gently presses his forehead to mine.

  "W-what are you doing?!" I ask him nervously, leaning back subconsciously. I can see him grin out of the corner of my eye. He's enjoying putting me on edge, which is a clear indicator that he is back to normal.

  "Yes, what have you guys been doing?" A new, deep voice echoes throughout the area, and we both jump. Turning towards the source, we both see Jake, who is staring at us suggestively. His smirk makes me blush.

  "How the crap..." I mutter, looking around quickly to see if any of the others came with him. If it was Yi, I'd understand, but I should have been able to notice Jake as he snuck up on us. "Sneaky devil."

  Jake raises an eyebrow at me, unable to hide a broad grin as he catches my words. I realize, all too late, that my statement probably just made things worse.

  "Checking her temperature," Nico replies nonchalantly, adapting quickly to the shock of his sudden presence. I marvel at the way he can change his attitude so quickly.

  "No, I don't mean now... I mean the last several hours you guys have been out here together." He winks and leans on a nearby tree, in a perfect display of reticence that only makes me more nervous.

  "Nothing, Jake... drop it." Nico says, standing up slowly and then extending his hand towards mine. I look at Jake and then take Nico's hand, letting him pull me up. I don't even care about the impression we are probably giving off right now.

  "Well, I'm glad that you guys had an entertaining evening," Jake says so flippantly that I wonder at its authenticity. "But we need to talk. As a group. It's been almost two days and we haven't decided on anything yet, which wouldn't be a problem except we left almost all of our food on the coast."

  As I stand up, I mull over his words. He's right in that we need to make a decision quickly. When Nico first disappeared from the group about two hours after the attack ended, I went after him with the intention bringing him back to camp. We had set up about a mile from the ocean, afraid to go any closer and risk another ambush. I was healed by then, but Griffin and Wes were more severely injured and still needed some extra care. After they finally recovered, we were planning on voting on what our new strategy or game plan should be. If you can even call it that.

  Another bout of pain causes me to unintentionally lose all strength in my legs, Nico rushing towards me to support my body in an immediate response. Jake stares at me, wide-eyed, as I grimace at the pins and needles stabbing at my consciousness.

  "What's wrong with her?" He asks worriedly, taking a step forward to place his hand on my head. Nico brushes his hand away so quickly that it almost looks like a blur, his eyes narrowing slightly.

  "I already did that," he grunted, to which Jake smiles and laughs mischievously.

  "Okay, Tarzan. Don't be so on guard." I laugh in spite of myself at the comparison, and Nico's face turns a light shade of red, which is a pretty rare expression for him. I find myself enjoying it.

  "Let's not start the Disney references," he mutters, and his face eventually regains his normal coloring as we start walking. The forest is as silent as we are, which only makes it more difficult for me to start a conversation.

  "Sorry about making you come look for us," I finally apologize, and Jake nods in acknowledgment.

  "It's okay. To be honest, no one was really bothered about your no-show. I was just curious about what could possibly be more interesting to occupy your attention than us on a beautiful night like this."

  I roll my eyes at him, and then tilt my head upwards to see the same, plain gray horizon that greeted me last time I bothered to look. "You wish," I say absent-mindedly, watching the clouds swirl together and move endlessly.

  "Who knows what that means?" Jake replies, shooting me another Cheshire Cat grin. I almost mention that to him, but then remember that it's a Disney reference. Sort of.

  We keep walking in silence, my hand burning as Nico continues to lock mine within his own. At first I didn't even notice, but now I couldn't ignore it if I tried. At the same time, I don't even want to ignore it. I want to immerse myself in the feeling of his warmth in any way that I can.

  Even the thought feels like a new, chewy candy. Although unfamiliar and strangely flavored, I can't stop myself from eating it.

  It isn't too long before we reach the camp, but honestly, between my throbbing headache and Nico's overt gesture of possessiveness, it felt like an eternity. Nico's vulnerability seems to have completely dissipated, leaving his insufferable confidence that I can't bring myself to hate.

  "Nico," I whisper in his ear, "you can let go now." Standing right behind our makeshift shelter, I hurriedly attempt to shake away his arm.

  "You wish." His grip tightens, leaving me more embarrassed and nervous. In any minute they are going to see us, and assume things that don't need to be assumed.

  I embarrassedly look away, trying to mentally prepare myself for their reaction. Surprisingly, I feel Nico's hand leave my own after a few seconds, and I glance up at him in confusion.

  "I was kidding, Ella." He smiles widely, with a hint of sadness entering his features. This one glance reminds me of the past several hours, and catches me by surprise. "Don't be so serious." He starts walking towards Wes, the new space beside me sending a chill throughout my body.

  As he leaves, the warmth leaves with him, and goosebumps erupt on my left arm.

  "So you're back," Danae says, coming towards me with another one of those stupidly suggestive smiles that I have grown to hate. I've seen way too many of them in a short time period.

  "Yeah I am, and ready to roll-" I grip my head suddenly as the same pain is amplified. "Well... actually, maybe not."

  "What's going on?" She asks, reaching for my forehead. This time I am the one to back away, tired of people trying to get my temperature. I think I can safely say by now that doing so will lead to no good.

  "I'm fine. I think it might be a migraine." I turn and sit on a broken log. "It's just the first one I've had in a while so it just caught me off guard."

  "What in the world could have caused your migraine?" Danae asks, to which I just shake my head. There is no way of knowing something like that as a definite.

  "I did have a strange dream earlier," I say softly, thinking deeply. When I focus, I can almost hear it in my head... the muffled cries, and the painful words that were so scattered and unrecognizable that I couldn't distinguish anything from it. Maybe it's just my gut, but something tells me that this dream was important, maybe more so than anything else I had experienced so far.

  "A vision?" Danae asks casually, and my head snaps up immediately. Her glance is inquisitive, but satisfying her curiosity is the least of my worries. What I have experienced today could be an indicator of another life in this barren world, or even what I can't dare to hope for...

  "Guys." I stand up immediately on the tree trunk, calling everyone's attention. The headache retreats slowly as I make up my mind, and hopefully begin to change everyone else's. They come towards me, Griffin and Wes dragging their feet and the others yawning with boredom. "We need to talk," I say firmly, my voice stronger than I expected it to be.

  "Finally," Jake says exasperatedly, "I've been waiting for this."

  I ignore him, waiting for the others to get closer. Nico and I make eye contact more than once, and he grins broadly in an awkward manner that makes it seem like he's trying to encourage a little child.

  "Do you remember when I said I was having visions... that I've seen this place before?" I begin, to which several of them nodded vigorously. Jake and Wes, on the other
hand, are staring at me blankly.

  "You know where we are?" Wes asks, his eyes narrowed. "I think it's time to fill us in."

  "We'll have time for that later," I dismiss his question easily, still too focused on my current train of thought to be distracted. "I'm sure we will both have several stories to tell. But here is the basic gist—things are different here, as I'm sure you have figured out. We aren't exactly living in a physical world."

  "What the..." Jake says in protest, "how can you say that this isn't a physical world?!"

  Without responding, I concentrate on producing a single dagger. I can feel his gaze on me as it materializes and measuredly throw it into the ground beside my feet. It leaves an indent, and no further explanation is necessary.

  "Either my power has changed, or the world has changed. Which seems more likely to you?" I ask him, stepping down from the broken log to touch the dagger. It is fading gradually, but still feels real and dangerous in my hand.

  There is silence for the next few seconds as Jake and Wes absorb the new information. I feel a bit bad for them since they have to adjust so quickly, but there isn't too much I can do to make it any easier.

  "Well, anyways, I don't remember much of my recent dream, but I still can remember a crying person that seemed to be at the center of it. I don't know who the voice belonged to, but it stands to reason given the context of my other visions that it relates to something within this world, and could have big implications. If this truly was a connection to another life within this world, I think we need to pursue it. Especially since we have nothing else to do."

  "But how do you know that what you heard was a person?" Griffin asks, obviously confused by my statement, "and how do you suggest we go about doing that?"

  "I don't, to be honest, although it sounded a lot like one. You're just going to have to trust me on this, especially since we don't have many options. And as for plans, I think we should do exactly the same as what we were doing beforehand."

  The others stare at me, incredulous, and I almost laugh out loud. Something about their mouths hanging wide open is just so amusing and unsettling at the same time.

  "I mean, like what we were originally doing, which was heading towards the castle. It feels like the source of everything that is going on is located over there, and it could be our ticket out of here."

  Everyone looks up in the direction of the castle, its first spiraling tower barely peeking over the tops of the trees. In our journey to the coast, we forgot how close we were getting to the main source of our curiosity, but now it looms before us as a deathly reminder that we don't have the answers.

  Wes's hand clenches tightly as he turns back to meet my gaze. "I don't want to go back there," he states firmly, "Jake and I already traveled to the gate yesterday."

  I look at him in surprise, but keep quiet as Wes unsteadily continues. His eyes start to dart back and forth as his countenance crumbles at the mentioning of the castle. "I originally woke up in this world near the castle to begin with, although not close enough to be in any danger. Every time I tried to go to sleep or rest, I would continue to hear whispers that were seemingly talking to me, as if unseen creatures were trying to hold a conversation. The murmurs scared me, and eventually I had to leave to go find some food. I moved towards the coast, and bumped into Jake, who had been resting out in the open sand by those weird fruit plants. We stayed together for a while, but then decided to look for you guys. I thought maybe the whispers might have been an indicator of where you guys were, so I suggested that we go explore that area again. That... was a mistake."

  He stops, and for such a long period of time that I feel compelled to try and probe him to continue. However, Jake steps in after noticing my impatience and realizing that Wes isn't going to speak. "At first I thought he was crazy when he told me about the whispers but when we later went to the castle I could definitely hear them as well. It felt like they were swirling around me, choking me with its intensity. Surrounding the castle was a large gate, and there was also a grand entryway that was unlocked and devoid of any guards. I thought that the lack of protection was a sure indication of abandonment, and we went closer to the gate. However, when we almost reached the arch, the whispers intensified into screams and I could barely hear myself think or talk. Several trees surrounding the area began to glow a deep, pulsating red. It was probably the scariest thing I have ever experienced."

  "Were they... Shifters?" Yi asks him slowly, his face drained of color. "The same ones that we saw earlier?"

  "Yes, pretty much." Jake nods solemnly. "It almost seemed like they were expecting us, with the way they immediately began to chase after us. Originally they were surrounding us completely, but we managed to tear through them and run into the forest. But they were hot on our trail, and by the time we were close to the coast several of them were gaining on us. One of them grabbed Wes and ripped at his back before he could react, and for some reason the wound weakened him, almost like there was poison in the Shifter's attack. I sent him ahead of me while I finished up, or so I thought, the Shifters, and he eventually landed at the beach, where you guys were. And then tons more appeared and I had to run too."

  "Wow..." Nico says, his hand gently brushing against Wes's shoulder once to get him out of his moment of shock. Wes literally shakes at the sudden touch, and then snaps his head towards Nico while glaring at him.

  "Well, the moral of the story is, don't go to the castle. Bad things will happen," Jake says, and the casually starts walking towards the small, dying fire. Most of the others leave as well, probably sensing that the discussion must be over. I can hear them talking about the castle, with most of the conversation being negative in tone. Everyone seems to agree with Jake in being cautious, and I can't help myself from feeling alone after that realization.

  I sit down on the broken log again, and try to think about the next step that we should take from here.

  I feel a presence beside me, and Nico's deep voice slips in like honey through my concentration. "I know what you're thinking," he whispers. His hand slips around to my waist and rubs my lower back in circular motions, an action that I am very familiar with for some reason. I feel memories emerging from the chasm, at the very edge of remembrance.

  "What am I thinking?" I ask him, turning to face him. His bright green eyes are glowing as he looks back at me, his face full of confidence.

  "You're thinking that we should go anyways."

  My eyes open wide as Nico smugly stares into my face. He's right. To me, the Shifters' presence is only a further indication that there is something. If there's a guard, there's something being guarded.

  "I do think we should go," I confess to him, bringing my hands to my cheeks in frustration. "But I don't know how to convince the others. Wes especially seems shaken up about the possibility."

  "You know, Ella, you're a pretty persuasive person. It shouldn't be that hard, especially for you." He smirks, and I resist the urge to slap that silly grin off of his face. He has to be kidding me. I'm the least persuasive person alive, and he knows it.

  "Well, I'll leave it to you then, mister leader," I say mockingly, standing up and taking a low bow. I make sure to keep eye contact with him, letting him know that I'm willing to play the same games.

  "What are you going to give me if I take care of it?" He winks, and the smile instantly drops from my face. While inwardly melting into a puddle on the ground, I sit back down on the log.

  "I mean, this is in your own best interests as well," I reply gruffly. I know that he was probably kidding, but I can't help but try to hide the embarrassment I feel.

  "I didn't know leading our entire group into a Shifter's den was in my best interest," Nico laughs, and gently punches me in the shoulder. Now I know for sure that he's playing with me, but this time I don't really have any comeback. In just about every way you look at it, going to the castle doesn't make logical sense. It could easily lead to our deaths. Wes and Jake already established that the castle is heavil
y guarded, and that the castle was probably abandoned of any real people. But I really feel like this is the right thing for us to do at this point. Wasting away in this world does not really seem like an attractive option after the amount of time I have squandered by deliberating endlessly over what to do and what not to do.

  And then I decide to use the trump card. Feeling guilty for my new strategy but not having an alternative, I stand up and call out to the others.

  "What does Asher mean to you?!" Anger flares up within me as I say these words, not for the others' response but for Asher himself. I picture his face, bent in laughter, and the fierce emotions multiply.

  As for Nico, his expression completely changes from one of mirth to a wholly hostile expression. His icy demeanor does not seem to be directed at me, but the overall frustration frightens me more than anything else.

  I try to ignore him as I continue. "Asher may be... d-dead right now. He could be taking one of his last breaths. But the fact that the Shifters took his body should strike within us the desire to fight! Not only for our own guilt and revenge, but for him, and the very idea of what he means to us. Not only did these enemies wound us, but they took one of our own. Our pride has been shattered and our confidence has been destroyed. But one thing we must remember throughout this time of grief is that we do have the power to defeat our enemies! We shouldn't run away from situations that seem improbable when our purpose is higher than that! And even if Asher is looking down from us from above right now, I am sure he would say the same. We owe it to Asher... we owe it to him to find our way home so that we can make true meaning of our lives. Or else... he died for nothing."

  Tears start to drip down my face, and I condemn myself for bringing up the harshness of the true reality when it might just be the last thing we needed. I turn my face and Nico is there, his face devoid of emotion as he looks back at me. He probably feels like I just ripped off the band-aid, and I can't feel any guiltier for it.

  "What a load of BS," Jake finally mutters, stepping forward so that he's in front of me. "We'll be walking straight into our deaths, and then Asher truly would be dead for nothing."