by JL Oiler
“Susan is good. A little battered and frightened,” Bell replied with a bit of blush painting his young face.
“Well, let's go end her fears then,” John barked low and menacing as the three headed for the door.
****
Thorn awoke slowly, her head throbbing and the stench of filth and decay burning her nose. Her shoulders ached, twisted around behind her, allowing her hands to cross around what felt like an old metal pipe, tied securely. The sound of something scuttling nearby drew her attention making her squint to see through the darkness. Taking a deep breath, she focused, drawing strength from something deep inside, something living just beneath her surface. Instantly her vision shifted. The darkness dissipated away as easily as if someone had flipped on a light switch.
A scrawny looking man scurried in the corner moving about on his hands and feet like a rat or mouse looking for a stray crumb of cheese. His head was bald, his clothes tattered and torn. He looked up at her, perhaps realizing she was watching him. The strange little man was one of those creatures she’d seen inside the specimen cells at the Nest. Thorn had heard them referred to as zombies but she thought they were more like some sub-creature than what Hollywood portrayed to be the undead.
“Master said no touch, never touch, will hurt if touch,” the creature mumbled nearly incoherently.
Looking around, Thorn took in the rest of her surroundings. She was in some sort of abandoned factory, rotting wood pallets lay scattered around large rusted pieces of metal, which most likely were the heartbeat of this long dead place.
Thomas wasn't around, neither did she feel anything other than her creepy friend occupied the building. Thorn couldn’t put her finger on it, but something in her felt different. Other than the fact she was stilling trying to process the fact her dead brother was no longer dead and no longer the hero she remembered.
“You come here and untie me now,” she screeched at the creature that scurried back into the corner at the sound of her voice.
“The Master said not to touch, the Master would hurt.” It babbled from a position that resembled a dog who’d been beaten.
Sighing, she realized that thing would be of no use. Instead, she focused her attentions on trying to work loose the ties holding her wrists. Throwing her head back, she struck it onto the metal pipe holding her, listening to the echo as it filled the room. Anger began to rumble through her. Anger that the brother she loved and mourned was a monster who man handled her and left her bound in such a place. Anger over the fact her friend was most likely dead from her inability to protect her, and anger that the man she loved most likely was heading for a showdown with Thomas. Thorn felt the rage pulsate through her, her every breath more ragged than the last, and the thing now living beneath her skin rippled through her muscles, popping the bindings that held her with a simple flex.
Giving a low snarl, she twisted her neck side to side feeling the joints pop. Standing, she focused on the creature watching her through wide, frightened eyes.
“Where did Thomas go?” She asked, stalking toward him.
“Master, my Master he said not to he said,” the thing blathered as it attempted to crawl further into the corner of the chipping concrete wall.
“Where?” she roared, feeling the rage taking control of her conscious thoughts. “Perhaps I’ll suck the answer from your bones then if you're of no use to me.”
Stopping, Thorn spun toward the bent garage doors in the opposite direction, realization gripping her. There were only two other family members left out of this fucked up little reunion. Thomas was going after his wife and child. Rage shook her over the edge until Thorn's thoughts went blank and she gave herself over to what she already knew now lived inside her. Now free, her beast reared its head and bellowed.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
John crouched low in the underbrush near the entrance to the building where Caroline Grant and her daughter resided. Hark was positioned across the street in the shadows of the alleyway while Bell had taken up high ground on the roof. They’d been there about an hour now, trying to watch every movement in or around the building while attempting not to freeze to death. The temperatures had taken a dramatic drop since sun set and a bitter wind cut its way through the streets, making everything sparkle icy and cold.
His beast was there on the surface barely contained. John doubted he would ever be able to restrain it should anything happen to Thorn. She’d become his anchor allowing him to command a beast much stronger then himself.
A slight movement up the street caught his attention. Two shadows moved along the street, ducking and weaving among the parked cars. He waited saying a silent mantra to calm his other half, a promise of release and revenge against those who would dare touch what was his. Another movement in a doorway three buildings away also caught his interest. Larger than the two still moving toward them, John wondered when it managed to slip into the small aperture.
“Thomas,” he breathed the name lightly on the breeze watching as the shadow stepped out into the dim glow of a street light.
“I smell you, John!” Thomas called out.
John took a breath to calm himself, trying to prevent the adrenalin from pushing him to do something hasty. He needed to be rational and use his head. He’d always been the strategist between the two of them and John prayed it would serve him well. Standing, he stepped out from the brush that he'd used for cover to face the man he’d once called brother.
“Where is she, Thomas?” John asked, squaring his shoulders.
“Tucked safe for now. Nice to see you were taking care of my lovely sister until I returned,” Thomas taunted with a cynical chuckle.
“Why are you here?” John asked, positioning himself strategically in front of the doors to the building.
“This is my family, why wouldn’t I come to claim them?”
“No Thomas, Why are you here?” John reiterated.
His laughter stopped and Thomas looked at John with a menacing glare of his amber eyes.
“You and I were just pawns to mankind. Look how they treated us, as though our lives were disposable. I’m going to enjoy showing them all how little and weak they truly are.” He smiled wide, throwing his head and arms up in the air as though he were king. “Join me. Together we’ll show mankind they are no longer top of the food chain.” Thomas’ eyes were angry and wild, revealing the madness that twisted him.
“Sorry Bro, but I can’t let that happen,” John said, shaking his head and prepping for the fight he knew was coming.
“You can’t stop me Rose, just like I took Thorn right from under your nose. I’m going to have my way and there's nothing you can do about it.” Thomas took a step forward, his shoulders heaving.
“We’ll do whatever it takes and just so you know I’ll find Thorn. I love her. If that means putting you down for good, so be it.”
John could see the change in the man who was once his closest friend as he released his beast.
He released the fragile reigns on his own beast, knowing the time for talk was over. He could feel the sting of his fangs as they descended from his gums and the muscles in his body tighten and shift. Within second two men no longer stood on the street, instead they’d been replaced by something from the dark hallows of the most demented depths of hell, both hybrid crosses of all the monsters confined in the cells of the Nest. They were some sort of unimaginable, undead werevamps.
A long howl in the air signaled Bell, Hark, and Thomas’ minions were also preparing to go fist and fang. John could only hope the commotion that was about to occur didn't draw out any innocent bystanders. The last thing he needed was to try to keep some civilian from getting tore the hell up while battling the self-appointed king of the dead.
Both man-beasts launched themselves at one another, clawing, biting, and punching as they rolled across the snow covered asphalt. Neither seemed to be able to out power the other as blood poured from a series of wounds each inflicted. John managed to push Thomas backward, s
ending him crashing into a parked car, smashing in the entire roof with his large body. In retaliation Thomas dove from the crumpled metal propelling them both into a dark blue mailbox, which crumpled like a tin can.
A foreign, high-pitched wail nearby caused both men to pause in their battle. There was someone, or perhaps something else, on the street with them all. Rolling apart, both men put a bit of distance between on another though watch the other closely as they stood. Evidently, the sound had caught the attention of the other members of Dark Force and Thomas’ minions. Every man was standing about staring down the street into the darkness. A shape began to form in and out of the dim glow of street lamps, moving closer with each passing moment.
“Thomas, we need to have a little talk.”
John sucked in a deep breath of both relief and anxiety at the sound of Thorn' raspy voice. Mixed emotions pulled at him, gratitude that she was unharmed accompanied worry for her current safety. However, there was something very different about her, something that had his beast sniffing the air as she approached.
“Thorn? Are you alright?” John asked, still rather horse do to the fact his beast still moved freely through him.
As she stepped beneath the glow of the closest street lamp, shock raked him. She was different. Her hair danced wildly on the wind, her eyes flashing bright amber as she flashed a bit of fang in a growl toward her brother. Thorn had a beast of her own and despite his fear of what it could possibly mean, his own animal wanted to howl in delight.
“It looks as though you’ve gotten to know my little sister better than I thought,” Thomas said with a wicked smirk as he looked from one to the other.
“Oh my god, Thorn I’m sorry I didn’t think the bites would cause this,” John apologized, moving to take her by the hand.
“Bites,” Thomas laughed loudly. “You didn’t convert her with your bite, dumbass. It was your seed, which I should really thank you for. The idea of having to fuck my sister wasn't something I looked forward to.”
Both John and Thorn stared at him, disbelief written all over their faces, their beast receding for the moment.
“Seems that slight genetic difference between men and woman creates a unique issue with our kind. Renewal of a male requires a viral bite. Women, however, require a more intimate conversion,” Thomas continued in explanation.
****
Thorn felt all the air drive from her chest. How could this monster have once been the brother she loved and adored?
“You would've...” She couldn't even say the words.
Thomas gave her a sort of no big deal shrug. "I probably would've given you to one of my team members.”
“You bastard,” Thorn hissed, her beast once again raging for freedom.
“Team?” John interrupted.
“Just hold on,” Thorn told him as she took a step toward her brother, an ass kicking in her mind.
Before she could move any closer, John hooked an arm about her waist and tossed her behind him.
“Hold up there, babe. It’s time to let me handle this,” he told her, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead.
“Aw now isn’t that just too sweet,” Thomas taunted. “Too bad I can’t give my blessing.”
“I’m sorry but I buried my brother in Arlington. You’re just a meat sack with his face,” Thorn snarled from behind John who now turned to face their enemy.
“I can’t wait to slap that smile off you pretty face. But first I’m going to let you watch as I kill your boy here and convert my wife,” Thomas rebutted.
Thorn watched as both men allowed the beasts within them to again surface and launched at another, rolling across the snow covered ground. Turning, she intended to make a run for the apartment building, just in case things went south she wanted to have a change of getting Caroline and Becka to safety. Looking up, she froze and the world around her seemed to slip into slow motion. A large werewolf looking creature leapt from the shadows, its massive claws poised to strike. From somewhere behind her, Thorn heard a loud roar as Hark sprang overtop her and caught the monster mid air, driving it to the ground a few feet away.
Wasting no time, Thorn headed into the building taking the stairs two at a time to Caroline’s third floor apartment. Reaching the door, Thorn pounded until she could see the light stream through the tiny crack at the bottom of the entry. She wasn’t certain exactly where she planned to hide them or even where they would be safe, however Thorn wasn’t about to let Thomas get his hands on either of them.
“Caroline! Open the door. It’s me Thorn!” She shouted through the hollow wood panels.
“Thorn?” A sleepy Caroline answered as she opened the door slightly to peek out. “What’s wrong? You scared the hell out of me.”
“I don’t have time to explain. Gather up Becka, we need to get out of here.”
“What do you mean? It’s the middle of the night.”
“I told you there's no time, just do it!” Thorn ordered, pushing her way inside and locking the door behind her.
Locking the frail door was instinct but she knew damn well it could never keep Thomas out. Looking around, Thorn noted the unusual disarray of the room. Piles of old pizza boxes, pictures and empty pop bottles littered the coffee table. Evidently, Caroline had not been doing as well as she’d let on the last time they spoke. Caroline returned to the living room, a sleeping Becka wrapped in a blanket and a look of shame on her face at the realization that Thorn had seen this mess.
“Caroline, I have something I need to tell you,” Thorn said, taking a deep breath. “Thomas is...”
“Caarroollinnee” Thomas’ voice echoed from the building’s main entrance causing both women to freeze.
“He’s not the person you think anymore,” Thorn told a wide-eyed Caroline. “It’s not the man you married.”
Slowly she watched as her sister-in-law laid the still sleeping child on the couch and turned toward the door.
“Don’t go,” she warned, attempting to grab the woman before she dashed out the doorway. “He’s a monster. Not Thomas. Thomas is dead.”
Her words fell on deaf ears as Caroline threw open the door and ran toward the sound of her lost husband’s voice. Thorn stared at the sleeping form of her niece on the couch. If she chased off after the girl’s mother, who would be her to protect the child and if she didn’t go try and stop Caroline, how would she face her niece.
“Shit,” Thorn grumbled, heading for the door. Releasing her beast would allow her to catch up with the woman on bottom floor. With a little luck, they’d both be back inside the apartment and Becka would never wake to find herself alone. There would be no running or hiding, Thorn knew this now. This was a battle to the death, either Thomas’ or her own.
Herself set aside and the monster, which now owned half her soul, set free, Thorn leapt over the banister and landed at the bottom of the stair just as Caroline stumbled backward, screaming at the sight of the true Thomas. Covered in mud and blood, his face distorted by his beast, his eyes shined dark amber. He looked every bit the monster he now was.
“What the fuck are you?” Caroline screamed as she inched herself back toward the stairs away from him.
Thorn moved to put herself between Thomas and Caroline, giving the woman a glance over her shoulder.
“Oh my god, Thorn. What are you?”
“Something far better than what my brother has become. If you value the life of your daughter, you’ll get back to her and find someplace to hide. Don’t come out until I return. Do. You. Understand?”
Caroline shook her head or at least Thorn thought she did. In honesty, the woman was shaking everywhere. Still she managed to race up the stairs toward her apartment.
“You should not interfere in my love life, little sister.”
“What you have planned has nothing to do with love,” Thorn accused, taking up a stance which signaled she intended to fight.
“You intend to battle me, Thorn?” Thomas asked amused.
“No, we’
re not done yet,” John said, stepping behind him and striking Thomas across the back with what Thorn thought looked like half a broken power pole.
The blow sent her brother flying through the air and crashing into the side of an adjacent building, sending small fragments of brick and mortar raining down. Thorn watched him get up slowly, knowing from his slow pace that the hit had definitely taken something out of him. John took advantage of Thomas’ weakness and pounced, throwing a ménage of fists into the other man’s face.
A large roar sounded and Thorn watched in shock as John sailed through the air this time, Thomas following close behind him, turning the tables once again in his favor. Where were Hark and Bell? Thorn wondered, looking about desperate to find John some help. To her dismay, she saw both of them some distance away doing battle with several of the werewolf looking creatures like the one she’d seen earlier. Neither was in any position to offer her lover any help. Looking around on the ground around her, Thorn spied something that might just provide the assistance she needed.
****
John attempted to block as many of Thomas’ blows as he could from his position. However, being flat on his back with a monster straddling his chest made that a bit difficult. Summoning his last bit of strength, John grabbed Thomas by the shoulders, shoved him backward and sucked a deep breath into his lungs before jumping back to his feet. He couldn’t lose. Thorn was counting on him. If he allowed Thomas to escape or win this battle, the world as they knew it would become hell.
“I’m tired of this game,” Thomas growled, grabbing a gun lost in the tussle from the ground. “I think a silver bullet or two will be sufficient in dropping your sorry ass.”
John watched him raise the weapon and take aim center mass. He prepared for the impact he felt certain was coming, knowing it wasn't the silver bullets loaded in the chamber that would kill him. They would, however, put him out of commission long enough for Thomas to finish the job.
“Just so you know, John, I would've never allowed you to have my sister. You’re too weak,” Thomas said with a laugh.
