by Stead, Nick
Even in human form, I was still faster than any mortal. Lady Sarah let me set the pace and ran effortlessly beside me, graceful and agile as only we paranormal predators could be. Within minutes we had covered enough distance to be safely out of range of the group of would-be hunters – the mortals and their guns at any rate. I still had much to learn about the supernatural world I’d been dragged into and I could only guess at the rules of witchcraft. Were there any limitations on spells over a distance? If it were as easy as chanting an incantation to strike down enemies anywhere on the planet then they would have surely killed us already, wouldn’t they? So I had to assume there was some kind of a range on witchcraft as well, but what that range was perhaps only the witches and warlocks themselves knew. From the look of determination on Lady Sarah’s face, I guessed she didn’t plan on stopping until we’d put a few hundred miles between us and the spellcaster. It looked like we would be spending the remainder of the night on the run.
“Wait,” I growled, coming to a stop and scenting the air. “Don’t you smell that?”
Lady Sarah lifted her own nose to the wind and a snarl twisted her features. “Fire.”
“Over there,” I pointed. The unmistakable scent of smoke was thick and unpleasant to my sensitive nose, and as we watched, the faint glow of flames could be seen creeping through the darkness. “Coincidence?”
“We cannot take that chance. If it is the work of witchcraft it could be our undoing. Come, this way.”
“Wait,” I repeated. “There’s another group of Slayers closing in. It’s a trap; they want us to keep running so they can catch us between the fire and their guns.”
“Then we must keep going towards the flames and hope we can outrun the blaze before it spreads too far round.”
“Fuck that, we need to fight our way out!”
“If we stand and fight we will die,” she argued.
“And since when has running into a trap ever been a good idea? If we keep going they’ll kill us. If we fight we have a chance to escape, and at least if we do die we can take some of them down with us. What are you so afraid of?”
She bared her fangs again. “I fear nothing. But I have not survived all these centuries by being reckless.”
“Fine, you keep running. I’m staying to face them.”
Without waiting for any further response, I let my anger rise again, my blood boiling as it coursed through my veins. There was a savage joy at the feral power surging through my body, all vestiges of human weakness falling prey to the might of the wolfish features taking hold. But there was no time to take it all the way to full wolf, so I chose to fight in the hybrid form I’d been trapped in by mistake one cold December night, but had since grown to enjoy.
Where not so long ago there’d been horror at the excruciating sensation of my body becoming monstrous, I now embraced the agony of my face stretching out into a muzzle, teeth blunt and pathetic growing into natural weapons to rip and tear the flesh from my enemies. The sound of the approaching Slayers was suddenly sharper as my ears became pointed and slithered up to the top of my head, their scent stronger to my superior canine nose. The smell of the smoke was almost unbearable and somewhere within my mind I felt the wolf’s instinctive response to flee. But my rage was stronger than the wolf’s fear, and as ever my bloodlust rose with it, bringing the overwhelming need to hunt and kill. My hunger also intensified and with an excited howl I bounded forward to meet the Slayers in battle once more.
I ran on all fours, despite my body remaining mostly humanoid. My spine had extended and grown into a tail, my hands were now clawed, and I’d let my fur burst forth from my skin, forming my pelt which resembled that of a natural timber wolf. But that was as far as I took the change for the coming battle. There was as much fun to be had in fighting in this hybrid form as there was when fully wolf, and it meant I could swipe with my clawed hands like a cat as well as savaging with my fangs.
The Slayers were quick to react once I leapt into view, opening fire in an attempt to stop me. Two came dangerously close to hitting their mark, one bullet nicking my ear and the other thudding into my chest, just missing my heart. The pain was enough to rival that of the transformation, my ear stinging and gushing blood, my chest throbbing. I let it fuel the rage and kept going, not even slowing when another bullet passed clean through my left bicep or when a fourth grazed my right shoulder blade. Then I was on the first of the humans and all he could do was scream as his gun clicked empty.
My fangs sank into his throat, ripping it out in a spray of blood and gore. I left him dying and turned to face a woman just as she was about to shoot through my skull. At point blank range I would never have stood a chance. But I was too fast for her, ducking so quickly she couldn’t track my movement and grabbing her leg with my bloodied muzzle.
Fresh blood oozed out as my jaws clamped down, staining my fangs and matting my fur. The world reduced to a red haze that centred round the frantically beating heart of my prey and the crimson fluid pumping from her ruined calf. More bullets flew through the darkness as I pulled the woman’s leg out from under her, sending her falling to the ground. I paid them little heed. My attention was solely on the prey whimpering at my feet as she tried to pull herself away from my bestial fury. She didn’t get far. Claws ripped into her chest, parting flesh and bone and laying her organs bare.
I lowered my snout to the feast I’d unlocked. There was a primal ecstasy at the feel of her heart beating between my fangs, my tongue bathed in her blood, so rich and juicy. With a jerk of my head, I ripped it free of its tubes, more blood splattering my body and the earth around us, and gushing into the cavity I’d created. The organ grew still in my mouth, bringing a dark pleasure. And so another life ended. I gulped my prize down and considered going back for more.
Bloodlust overrode the hunger for flesh, and I rose to take another victim. It was then I realised Lady Sarah had entered the fray – probably the only reason I was still alive. I’d been so intent on my kill, the other Slayers could have easily put a bullet in my brain while I’d been distracted. But the vampire had kept them busy for me.
I ripped into a second woman while Lady Sarah kept the rest engaged, rising again to see one of the Slayers standing apart from the rest. He was older than most of the recruits I’d come across, grizzled and scarred like a soldier who’d seen too much of battle, his eyes the cold grey of winter skies. It seemed he too believed in ‘tactical retreat’. But there was no sense of panic like most other Slayers I’d encountered when I’d driven them to flee. No, he merely backed away slowly, keeping his gun trained on me but saving his bullets. I snarled and took a step forward, meaning to end his life as brutally as the other three I’d killed. A hand grabbed my arm and pulled me back.
Fresh rage crashed over me and I roared, turning on whoever dared keep me from my kill. Lady Sarah’s eyes met my own, cold fury pushing against angry flames. The ice won. For all the power the curse granted me, it was still not the equal of the vampiric power Lady Sarah wielded.
“Control yourself! The other group are catching up. If we give the warlock chance to reel off an incantation we’re both doomed. Let him go.”
I roared again but did as I was told, turning my attention back to the body lying at my feet. Both bloodlust and rage began to drain away, back into the abyss where once my soul had been, before the curse had robbed me of it. My anger and my need to kill seemed to be all that were left to me, poor replacements though they were. Only when I embraced them did I feel truly alive.
“Nick, there is no time! Take your full wolf form now, but hurry. We must make haste before the warlock has chance to ensnare either of us in a spell.”
Feeding seemed like a much more valuable use of the time we had, but without my rage to fuel me I became aware of the pain from my bullet wounds. I’d been bleeding heavily and I suddenly felt the weakness brought on by loss of blood. Hungry as I was, the transformation would heal the damage and it would allow us to cover more ground once I
’d recovered my strength and could run swifter as a full wolf. Feeding would have to wait.
I let the change take hold again. New flesh formed and wounds closed, forcing out the bullet lodged in my chest and bringing new strength. It fell to the ground with a metallic clatter, no more than a small lump of bloodied metal. Yet if it had hit a few more millimetres to the left, it would have been the end of me. Maybe I was growing too reckless, but that thought brought me no shame – indulging the bloodlust had felt too good.
The initial feeling of strength faded as the transformation completed, only to be replaced by a wave of weariness and renewed hunger. I wrestled with my instincts, the scent of all the fresh meat overpowering. It was only the vampire’s presence that kept me in check. I knew she intended to teach me greater self-control over the coming months, just as soon as we succeeded in losing the Slayers for any considerable length of time. Until then I was going to have to struggle with my urges as best I could.
Beside me, Lady Sarah also took her wolf form, although the transformation was so very different from my own. Where my kind are cursed and the change is a brutal, painful affair, she (and presumably other vampires who possessed the same ability) made it graceful, like shadows melding together. It was too quick for a mortal eye to follow – one form simply merged into the other, and in the blink of an eye a beautiful she-wolf stood before me, holding her old fashioned black dress in her jaws. My transformation was always smoother when I willed it, rather than being forced into one form or the other by the rise and fall of the full moon, but it was still awkward when compared with the shapeshift Lady Sarah could perform.
Minutes later we slunk away, moving swifter and quieter than any natural predator. I pushed my lupine body to its limits, doing my best to ignore the hunger and the weariness. It was going to be a long night.
CHAPTER TWO
New Challenges
Daybreak was only a couple of hours away when we slowed and began searching for shelter. We’d reached an urban sprawl, the heart of which lay nearby. The fields had given way to endless rows of houses and buildings, and we were forced to skulk in the shadows. Lady Sarah took the opportunity to return to her human shape, though I sensed her frustration.
At the speeds we could move, we made hard targets to hit. If we’d kept running flat out we could potentially have passed through the city unharmed, even if we had crossed paths with any more Slayers. But if we were to find somewhere safe to spend the daylight hours we would have to slow eventually, and the last thing we wanted was to alert any Slayers in this new area to our presence. So proceeding with caution was the safer option in our current surroundings, as painful as it may be.
The scent of prey carried on the breeze. We followed it to a quiet side street where a small dog cowered under a row of bushes, shaking and whimpering. My stomach rumbled and I lunged for the kill.
A blur of movement and a rush of air passed by my snout and the dog was gone. Growling, I rounded on Lady Sarah. She already had the animal to her mouth, a thin line of crimson trickling from her lips as she guzzled its blood. Her eyes fixed on mine and all sense of friendship shrivelled and died. There was only the ferocity of a predator defending her kill now.
I snarled again, resisting the temptation to try and wrestle it from her. The beat of another animal’s heart was the distraction I needed and I turned away, cocking an ear in the direction of the sound. Something thudded to the pavement a moment later and I looked back to find the dog in a dried heap at my paws.
“Eat and return to your own human form,” Lady Sarah said. All traces of her predatory side had vanished, her face an impassive mask of unearthly beauty once more. “There should be enough meat on that dog to support another transformation, then you will have to manage until tomorrow night. It is not safe for you to hunt anything else.”
I didn’t like taking orders but hunger drove me to bite into the carcass. The meat went down with little enthusiasm. I already tired of living off the vampire’s kills, far from appetising once she’d drained them of blood.
Nearby footsteps set us both on edge. As one, our heads turned towards the noise, trying to determine if it was a threat. The person didn’t seem to be heading our way, and the footfalls faded again after a moment.
Lady Sarah looked back at me. “Hurry. Eat what you can and transform. I do not want you losing control around the humans here.”
I knew it made sense. Spending too much time as a wolf also meant risking what little humanity I had left, even if it was a form more suited to this new lifestyle. But I wasn’t going to accept her instructions without argument.
“Don’t hunt?” I growled, once I was human again. “What if they set another trap for us tomorrow night – how am I meant to carry on running and fighting if I can’t feed?”
“If they send more soldiers we will find a way to deal with it when the time comes, but there is no sense advertising our presence and inviting trouble when we may yet go unnoticed.”
“And what will you do in two nights’ time when the moon turns full? You can’t expect me not to answer its call to hunt.”
“We will find a way to manage the full moon as safely as possible, but until it completely robs you of your control you must fight the hunger. Our survival depends on it.”
That was easy for her to say. I couldn’t imagine the dog satisfying her appetite either, but she’d soon be dead to the world and free of her hunger for the day once the sun rose. She wasn’t going to have to suffer the feeling of an empty stomach for hours on end. “This is such bullshit. I can sense more prey round here. Can’t I make another quick kill while we look for shelter from the sun?”
She shook her head. “It is not safe. Come.”
I had little option but to follow. This was the closest we’d been to civilisation since leaving my hometown, and she whispered more words of advice as we crept through the streets.
“I have already explained to you my reasons for keeping to the countryside where we can. Being among humans will always carry more dangers, but when the need does arise you should choose which settlement to enter with care.”
“Hang on,” I said, curiosity helping to beat back the anger. “If it’s so dangerous then how come you chose to shelter in that cemetery, right in the middle of town?”
A flash of irritation passed through her eyes. “That is a story for another night. Pay attention, please. These lessons might very well save your life.”
A sigh escaped my lips but I held my tongue this time. She was trying to help, after all.
“As I was saying. The nearest settlement might not always be the safest. Small towns or villages have less Slayers patrolling the streets, but visit somewhere too small and you could potentially be detected quicker.”
She paused, throwing an arm out in front of me to make sure I stopped as well. The smash of breaking glass sounded a moment later.
“Larger towns and cities offer more places to hide,” she continued, starting forward again. “A city which sees numerous strangers passing through and where the people barely know their neighbours will always be the safest place for hiding in plain sight. Just be careful of security cameras.”
Shards of glass crunched under her foot – the remains of one such camera, destroyed by her telekinesis.
Most of her lessons had been little more than common sense. I’d never have thought about these things on my own though. In fact, if it weren’t for Lady Sarah, I would probably have given in to the desire for human comforts and found a room to stay in, stealing the money and new clothes from the corpses of my victims. I wouldn’t have lasted two minutes without the vampire’s guidance, whether I wanted to admit it or not.
We turned away from the city centre. With our superior senses, it was easy to determine where to find the nearest run down area – an old industrial estate. There were plenty of abandoned buildings to choose from.
A deserted shop was deemed perfect for our needs. Lady Sarah came to a stop by the wood boarded acr
oss the doorway and began ripping away the planks as if they were paper. Inwardly I groaned, thinking I would have to find a way to cover it again, but when she led me inside it was to find an internal door leading down to a cellar. There was no way the sun’s light could penetrate down there.
Lady Sarah glanced around and nodded to herself, apparently satisfied. “This will do.”
“Joy.” I lowered myself down to the stone floor, wincing at the cold, hard surface beneath my buttocks. The vampire settled beside me, positioning herself so that no direct sunlight would fall on her if the door did open during the day. Deep sleep took her the instant she closed her eyes.
I resigned myself to a long day filled with discomfort, shivering in the early morning chill. The cool air was much more noticeable on my bare skin in the absence of fur, but I didn’t even have the human luxury of clothes to wear in place of my lupine pelt. I hugged my knees and tried not to think of the greater hardship I’d face during the winter months.
My mouth and throat were dry from running for so long without being allowed to stop to drink. Lady Sarah didn’t need any fluid other than blood, but my body was still living and I needed some fresh water to keep everything functional. Thirst plagued me, almost as powerfully as my other urges.
I don’t know how long I sat like that in the gloom of the cellar. My eyes roamed round the dusty room, taking in the cobwebs hanging overhead and the cracks in the walls, like cracks in reality. Too little time had passed for boredom to truly set in, but the daylight hours were the hardest, when I had only my tortured mind for company. These were the times when my thoughts strayed to what Mum and Amy must be going through.
My imagination threatened to conjure up images of them grieving for Dad and praying for me to come home. Such dark musings were of help to no one. I was forced to remind myself I’d left because they were better off without me, and it was better they went through a period of grieving before being allowed to carry on with their mortal lives than to suffer the consequences of being in my cursed presence.
