Silent World

by Natalie Warren

  She stumbled back a few steps and her hands instinctively went to her stomach. She felt the crimson blood before she held her hands in front of her face and saw it. Her legs nearly gave out as she stared at her own blood and her body shook with fear. She felt queasy as her legs buckled and she sank to the floor, unable to look away from the blood on her hands she was sure tears were rolling down her face once more. The picture of Sally's blood everywhere as Bullet ripped her throat out still lingered in her mind. Raven just wanted to melt into the floor and stay there where she couldn't be harmed or scared or forced to see anything ever again.

  Boulder towered over her and she risked a glance up, staring into the furry face of Jason's brother, blood dripping from his lips. He opened his jaws to prepared for another bite but he never got the chance.

  Jason appeared out of nowhere in his human form and shoulder barged the huge werewolf out of the way. He stepped back and crouched beside Raven as Boulder collected himself and the blonde could feel his green gaze beaming into her.

  "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice hoarse with worry.

  Raven could barely find her own voice at all and her eyes stung from tears. She became lightheaded and she shook her head slowly, looking up at her protector. "Jason, I'm scared," she whispered and tried to look at her bloodied hands again.

  Jason grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. "It will be okay. Don't look at the blood." Raven found that hard when she saw the blood all over him. "Take deep breaths, Rich. Focus on your breathing. I'll protect you and I'll get you out of here."

  She nodded and took a deep breath. They looked up when they heard a growl and Boulder was standing on shaky legs in human form, holding his arm where Jason's teeth had ripped through the skin. It started healing instantly and Raven turned her head away.

  "You're not going anywhere," Boulder chuckled maliciously. "You're both going to die here. Your little pet has very tasty blood. I wonder how good she'll taste when I tear her apart and use her bones as toothpicks." Jason snarled at him and Raven was surprised when she didn't find it as intimidating as it should have been. She was scared though when Boulder's words registered in her mind and despite her pain, she instinctively moved closer to Jason who put a supporting arm around her.

  "Watch what you say or you might become a new rug by the fire," the green-eyed boy threatened his brother. Raven could feel him shaking and she looked up at him, seeing his pupils diluted. She wondered if his fuse had been lit, ready to explode.

  Suddenly, Boulder lunged and Raven was swept off her feet. In a matter of seconds, she was placed back on the floor at the edge of the room and she looked up, recognizing Speed standing beside her. Jason rose up to his feet and shot a measured stare at the vampire. "Look after her." Jason was trusting him?

  "Yes, Jason," Speed nodded vigorously and the green-eyed boy shifted back into a werewolf. Raven was taken aback by his height but Jason ran back across the room, tackling Boulder off his feet and snapping his jaws to try and rip his brother apart. She watched the scene play out in front of her as the vampires attacked Der while Elaise quoted the Bible with her eyes shut, knowing that whenever she needed to stop to take a breath, Der would protect her until she spoke again. Jason tangled with Boulder and fur was flying everywhere with claws and teeth flashing. Evan stood at the top of the staircase and glared at Speed.

  "Kill her, you moron!" the vampire leader hissed.

  "Uh oh," Speed mumbled, looking from Evan to Jason, wondering who he should obey.

  Raven knew that if Speed attacked her, she was in no position to defend herself. She held her stomach and groaned as the pain increased and she knew Speed could smell the blood. His eyes were wide as though it was tempting him to feed. The blonde girl prayed that he had had enough drugs to be able to hold his cravings off.

  Everyone turned their heads as a loud yelp sounded across the room and Raven opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Jason was pinned to the ground, his eyes locked on Speed's, trying to claw his way over to Raven with Boulder's teeth embedded in his neck.

  "Jason!" Raven gasped and struggled to get to her feet. She tried to run to him but Speed grabbed her and pulled her back. She shivered and her skin crawled when she saw the pool of blood around Jason's had as Boulder refused to let him go. She took no notice of the blood as fear for her protector took over; Boulder was going to hold him until he died!

  "Kill the girl!" Evan bellowed and Jason stared at Speed, not with fury, but curiosity. His eyes shone with a simple question burning in them: What are you going to do?

  Raven heard Speed sniff and she blinked at him, his eyes starting to dilute as the scent of blood wafted in his face. He seemed to take deep breaths and Raven winced from her pain.

  Speed suddenly hissed and jumped back and Raven saw smoke rising from his hands. For the first time in hours, the blonde felt warmth against her skin. She looked up to a window and saw the morning light shining down on her. She forced herself to breathe and she heard the vampires hissing as the light slowly moved towards them. Speed quickly flew up the stairs to escape it.

  "Boulder, kill Raven!" Evan roared and Raven turned her gaze onto Jason. Her heart plummeted when his eyes were shut and he wasn't moving. A pool of blood was growing around his head as Boulder removed his teeth from his little brother's neck. Raven caught Elaise's eye and saw the fear reflected there. Was Jason dead?

  The blonde stumbled back as her blood loss made her dizzy. She heard Elaise scream her name as Boulder ran towards her. Der tried to stop him but the vampires surrounded him. Elaise forgot all about quoting from the Bible and Raven held her breath when Boulder towered over her, his jaws parted and Raven almost collapsed under the fierce golden gaze. As soon as he lunged, she heard her best friend scream once more. The blonde threw her hands out in front of her as some sort of defense, but what could she do to protect herself against a werewolf?

  *.*.*

  A soft whine rippled around the room and Elaise blinked, watching Boulder rise up to his full height again, his ears flat against his head and his eyes closed. What had Raven done? The vampires stepped back to watch and looked equally as confused.

  Boulder took a step to the side and Elaise saw Raven still on her feet… tickling his stomach! The brunette blinked as Raven was taking deep breaths, her eyes wide as if she couldn't believe what she was doing either, but relieved that she was.

  "What are you doing?!" Evan demanded and Boulder could only respond with another whine of pleasure.

  "Just like a dog getting a belly scratch," Der said, changing back to human form. Elaise forced a smile up at him and he smiled back. She frowned when she looked over to Jason's unmoving body. First Sally was murdered, and now Jason?

  "Kill her, you filthy mutt!" the leader of the coven hissed but Boulder wasn't able to obey.

  Elaise choked on an unexpected laugh as Boulder fell onto his side. Raven continued her tickle attack and Boulder's leg started shaking as though he had an itch. He looked like a helpless dog enjoying a belly rub, Elaise thought.

  Raven suddenly stumbled back and held her stomach, pain written all over her face as her clothes were stained red. Her hands were covered in her own blood and Elaise wished she could run over to her friend, but she didn't dare make a move in case the vampires attacked Der again.

  "Oh no!" Der muffled and Elaise spotted Boulder recollecting himself. His eyes snapped open and he looked angrier than ever as a loud snarl escaped his lips!

  He slowly rose to his feet again and glared down at the blonde. Raven looked up at him, holding her stomach, unable to do anything more. Boulder raised his hand-like paw and extended his claws, ready to take a final swipe. Der prepared himself to attempt a rescue, but he didn't need to.

  With a snarling bark, Boulder was tackled away from Raven and Elaise glanced over to where Jason's body… used to be. She looked up again as Boulder and Jason rolled around the room, into spots of light and back out, their golden eyes wide with fury as they sna
pped their jaws at each other.

  "Jason's alive?" was all Elaise could say.

  "Looks like," Der nodded and Raven sat on the floor, watching the two brothers fight. Elaise quickly covered her ears as Jason bit Boulder's ear and ripped it off. The older brother howled in pain and jumped back, blood gushing out from the fresh wound. "That's not going to heal up!"

  Elaise didn't stop to ask why as Jason lunged again and snapped at Boulder's feet, forcing the older one back towards the staircase. Evan didn't look happy at all. "What are you doing?!" he turned to his companions who were eying the pools of light. "Kill them!"

  Jason backed up and stood protectively in front of Raven as the vampires looked like they were going to risk another attack. Elaise blinked up at Der when she heard him sniff and she bit back a scream as the vampires lunged once more. The blonde boy didn't move as a shadow jumped clear over them and barreled into the vampire in front of them. Elaise shook her head roughly as more werewolves poured into the room with snarls echoing all around them.

  Evan looked furious and he called to his companions to attack. Elaise gasped when she witnessed what she had only ever imagined in her head; vampires and werewolves, lifelong enemies, fighting one another!

  The brunette held her breath as one werewolf grasped a vampire in its teeth and flung him over their head. The vampire hit the floor in a patch of sunlight and screamed as the light started to burn his skin away. He rolled and tried to get to shade but smoke rose from his skin and it slowly burned away as he died.

  "I've always wanted to do that!" Elaise turned her head and saw Eliza standing in her human form, her golden eyes beaming with excitement.

  "Nice of you to show up," Der laughed and Eliza smiled.

  "The headmaster sent us," she admitted. "Said you and Jason would need your stupid asses to be saved."

  "He said that?" Der looked offended.

  "No, but close enough," she shrugged. "Now you boys get Elaise and Raven back to the school. We'll hold the vamps off for now and meet up with you later."

  Der nodded and ushered Elaise over to where Jason crouched in front of Raven, his skin stained red and Elaise could finally see how much blood decorated his body now that he wasn't covered in fur.

  "Raven, don't go to sleep," he was whispering urgently to her as her eyes started to close. "Stay with me! We'll get help for you; you just need to stay away."

  Raven wasn't able to comply as her breathing became extremely shallow and her eyes shut. "Is she okay?" Elaise frowned as her friend fell into Jason's arms.

  "I don't know," he shook his head, his voice strained as he tried to wake the blonde. He looked up at Der and Elaise was stunned when she saw how glassy his green eyes were. "Der, help me!" he begged. "I don't know what to do!"

  He was scared, Elaise thought, seeing the fear written on his face. She had to admit, she was scared too. Was Raven going to be okay? The brunette eyed the blood soaking Raven's shirt. Jason's shirt, Elaise corrected herself.

  "Calm down," Der tried to soothe his friend. "We need something to stop the bleeding."

  "Like what?" Jason frowned.

  Elaise sensed movement beside her and the three of them looked up. "Try this," it was Speed. He no longer wore his shirt a he held it out to Der. The blonde boy glared at him with mistrust.

  "It's okay, you can trust Speed," Jason muttered and Der nodded his thanks to the vampire. Speed glanced at Raven with a frown and dashed away, keeping clear of the fight happening in the room. Der stretched the shirt out and Jason could only watch helplessly.

  "Hold her up for me," Der said to his black haired friend. Jason obeyed and gently lifted Raven. Der wrapped the shirt around her waist and tied it up.

  "Careful!" Elaise quickly warned. "Her ribs are fractures." She didn't miss the look of anger cross Jason's face.

  When the knot was tied, Der looked at Jason. "I'll carry her. I want you to take Elaise. We have to get out of here."

  Jason reluctantly let Der take the blonde from him and Elaise got up, waiting for Jason to find his feet. The three of them rushed out of the room and Elaise glanced back at the battle that waged within the walls of the building. She took a deep breath and was glad that they had been saved.

  She frowned. Sally hadn't been.

  "We'll get back quicker this way," Der said and changed into a werewolf again. He held Raven securely and ran on two legs through the forest just like a human.

  "I feel horrible," Jason bit his lip. "If she dies…"

  "She's not going to die!" Elaise insisted. "Don't think like that. None of this is your fault." He glanced down at the ground and Elaise eyed the blood that covered him.

  He looked doubtful but said nothing more, exploding back into a giant ball of fur. He crouched low to the ground and growled at Elaise, watching her closely. She blinked for a few moments and had to ask herself if she was insane. Maybe she was. She shrugged it off and slowly climbed onto Jason's back.

  He rose to all fours and Elaise held onto his fur tightly. She tried to imagine him as a horse, but that thought only amused her. She focused more on holding on as Jason took a few steps forward, slowly moving into a job so Elaise could get used to the ride first. After a few moments, he was racing through the forest, skillfully dodging trees and rocks and the brunette was taken by surprise by the speed. She knew werewolves were able to move fast, but this was incredible!

  They caught up to Der in no time and Elaise glanced through the thick trees, seeing the sunlight. Students would be waking up now to prepare for classes. Would they be seen if they walked into the school covered in blood?

  When they reached the borderline, Jason lowered himself back to the ground. Elaise climbed off of him and the two boys changed back to the way she had always seen them. Der held Raven close to him to keep her warm.

  "Everyone will be in the hall for breakfast," he murmured. "If we're quick then we can get to the sick bay undetected." Jason nodded and Elaise almost had to run to keep up with their long strides across the oval. She felt relieved to be back at the school where it was safe. Where the werewolves dominated.

  They entered the building and Elaise was already puffed out. Jason checked around every corner in case there were still some students walking around that might see them. It was a tense walk through the school to the sick bay and Elaise kept an eye on her friend, feeling terrible that Raven had to go through that much pain.

  As soon as they made it to sick bay, Miss Clarence appeared. She gasped at the sight of Raven. "Here, take her to the bed!" she urged and Der walked over to a bed, gently placing Raven down and stepping back. The nurse checked the blonde and Elaise found herself holding her breath, praying for good news.

  "Who bit her?" the nurse asked.

  "My brother," Jason frowned.

  "The poor girl," Miss Clarence shook her head. "First her ribs and now this. The wound doesn't look good either."

  "Will she live?" Elaise forced herself to ask.

  "I don't know," the nurse admitted. "The teeth penetrated most of her vital organs."

  "There has to be something you can do!" Jason insisted, not bothering to wipe away a tear that rolled down his cheek.

  "Calm down, pup," Miss Clarence said soothingly. "There is something I can do. If I can get some of your blood cells and put them into her body, then the cells should heal her completely."

  "Should," Elaise repeated. "Is there a chance it won't work?"

  The nurse nodded. "Raven's body might reject it."

  "There's only one way to find out," Jason growled and held his arm out. "Take as much as you need!"

  Miss Clarence watched him for a moment and bowed her head, going over to a small desk and pulling out a needle with a very thick point. "This is going to hurt."

  "I don't care," he mumbled and the nurse sighed before jabbing the needle into his arm. He didn't so much as flinch as the woman drained a generous amount of his blood. When she removed the needle, Elaise watched as Jason's arm healed up again.
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br />   "It might take a while for the cells to restore her," Miss Clarence told them. "So the three of you should go clean yourselves up. The headmaster told me about you boys, but you were brave to do what you did."

  "I'm not leaving Raven," Jason insisted.

  "I will tell you the news as soon as I find out," she said to him. She ushered the three of them away from the bed and pulled the curtain around it, blocking them from seeing Raven so she could toy with the blonde girl's fate.