The Lion's Purpose

by Billie Willow

  As Archer moved through the doorway, he summoned his strength and thrust his fist down on the fingerprint scanner, smashing it to pieces on the floor. He threw Dr Seville over his shoulder and held the tranquiliser gun in his hand, aiming it forward to anyone who might try to stop them. The fluorescent lighting of the hallway highlighted the chaos that was unfolding in front of them. People in white coats were scurrying every which way to the soundtrack of the blaring alarms. It looked like a mass evacuation as these people rushed from room to room with paperwork in their hands, it was obvious they were trying to hide their illegal research just in case the alarms brought unwelcomed attention from the authorities.

  He took a few steps forward, destroying the fingerprint scanner on the inside of the door just as he had the previous one. Once they were all through the door, he pulled it closed until he heard it lock. Since there was no longer a way to unlock the door from either side, the guards would likely be held up for a while. He didn’t see a need for Dr Seville anymore and briefly considered putting a bullet through his head anyway, but when he looked up to see Lara’s eyes, innocently looking to him for direction, he couldn’t bring himself to force her to bear witness to more acts of violence. He had seen the shock on her face after he brought down the doctor and the guard, but he had no choice if he wanted to get everyone out of here. He dropped Dr Seville where he stood, and his unconscious body fell to the floor with a thud.

  Still clutching the gun, Archer felt a rush of weakness at the sudden change in balance after he dropped the doctor’s body, another sign he wasn’t completely healed. He grabbed onto the nearest wall to steady himself and took a deep breath before continuing down the hall, hoping the others were oblivious to his weakened state.

  Two elderly men in white coats came out of the first exam room and stepped out to come face to face with the oversized wolf that was Seb. They immediately dropped everything they were carrying and screamed. Another step and a few more people in white coats noticed them and ran back into the room they had just left.

  Suddenly a woman came running toward them down the hallway, making her way through the chaos in the hallway. Archer recognised her as the one who let Lara into his cell. She stopped abruptly and immediately lifted her hands in the air when she saw the barrel of the gun aimed in her direction.

  “I….I want to help. He….he… Here” She stuttered as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a set of keys, holding them out. Archer lowered the gun slightly but kept his finger on the trigger just in case. “It’s wrong what they’re doing in here. I just want you to know that we’re not all like him”. She emphasised the last word as she pointed her nose in the direction of where Dr Seville laid motionless on the floor. “These keys are for the black Range Rover. I’ll take you as far as I can but when you get outside to the warehouse, I won’t be able to help you any further without being seen. The Rover will be in the carpark. Now quickly, follow me. There are contingencies in place should any shifter escape so we have to hurry before he gets here” She said without looking back as she walked down the corridor.

  “He?” Archer asked, keeping up with the woman despite his limp and throbbing pain on his side.

  The woman stopped briefly before facing them “There have been other shifters before you, shifters that have had their minds altered and remain loyal to H.A.S and Dr Seville. There is one subject in particular that he was successful in breaking, he likes to him keep close by just in case something like this were to happen. I hope you don’t run into him.”

  The woman continued walking as they followed. They reached another door at the end of the corridor and she scanned her finger as the door opened. There was another corridor now but this one looked more like the hallway of a basement with its bare concrete walls and a low hanging light. The woman scanned her finger at the next door and led them to a staircase before she stopped. “This is where I leave you. You need to take the stairs up to the ground level, go through the warehouse and remember, get to the black Range Rover in the carpark as soon as you can” She dropped her gaze to the floor and took a deep breath “I’m sorry for what you’ve all been through”. Then without giving them another glance, she turned and walked back through the door they had just come from.

  Archer and the others watched the woman leave. “Do you… do you think we can trust her?” Jen asked. It was the first time he had heard her voice properly in more than a whisper.

  Archer shrugged and replied, “I don’t think we have a choice”. Seb let out a whine. Archer would tell him to shift back to his human body, but he knew that would mean he would be naked since a shifter couldn’t transform without destroying their clothes. He didn’t blame him for keeping his shifted form right now.

  He glanced at Lara who had her arms wrapped around herself, rubbing her arms as if she was cold. He reached out, taking her hand in his before squeezing it tightly for a second to reassure her. Regardless of what she thought of him or if she felt the same connection he did, he still wanted to make sure she was alright. He turned and led them up the stairs to the Ground Level door. He half expected it to be locked but when he turned the handle, it opened easily out to a large, darkened warehouse.

  Archer could see rows and rows of pallets, but he couldn’t see what was in them or what this warehouse was used for. He didn’t care too much though, as long as this was the way out and not a trap. There were no lights in the large warehouse, only windows that lined the back wall. Archer looked up at the windows to see the dark night sky and what looked to be street lights directly outside. The street lights reflected through the warehouse, saturating it in a dim light and allowed them to see their way around.

  “I think I see the back door!” Lara whisper yelled and pointed as she hurried off in that direction.

  “Lara, wait!” Archer half yelled. The urge to protect her was strong and he wanted to put himself in front of her in case of any impending danger, but she was moving fast, and he couldn’t follow her without leaving the others behind. He couldn’t blame her for wanting to get out of this place as soon as possible but he knew safety in numbers should be a priority right now. He stopped to look back at the others who were falling behind and when he turned in Lara’s direction again, she was reaching the door.

  Let’s go!” Archer whisper yelled behind him at the others before turning back to see Lara open the door and take a step outside. Just as the door started closing slowly behind her, the sound of a gunshot echoed from just outside the warehouse. The loud blast continued to ring in Archer’s ears as the cold, harsh reality washed over him. That sound didn’t belong to a tranquiliser gun. The short loud boom told Archer it was real bullets exploding out of that weapon and he hoped like hell none of them were aimed at Lara.

  Archer felt like his stomach had fallen to the floor as he bolted for the door. As he reached the door handle and opened it, he could hear the echo of his own heart beat as he took in the scene in front of him. Lara was on the ground, lying on her side gripping her stomach as blood pooled out in front of her. She’d been shot. Archer rushed to her side, ignoring any threats that may still be hovering around. His priority was Lara right now. He lifted her black top and immediately put pressure on the bullet wound.

  “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay…You’re going to be okay” he repeated. He wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince himself or Lara as she grit her teeth and moaned in pain. Jen was at his side now, helping him put pressure on the wound and Archer looked up to see Seb shift back into human form almost instantly before joining them to put pressure on Lara’s bleeding stomach. If his nakedness bothered him, he wasn’t showing it.

  Lara’s eyes rolled back as Archer panicked “Lara… Lara! Stay with me!” He lifted her head to his lap and her eyes slowly closed “I’m sorry… I’m sorry” he said over and over. He had failed. He promised to take her to safety, and he had failed to do so. Archer felt a hand grip his shoulder, interrupting his thoughts. He looked up to see Seb “She’ll be alright
, she’s just passed out. The bullet went straight through and it looks like it missed any vitals…. And look!” Seb lifted her top as the blood slowly stopped seeping out of the wound and began to close in front of their eyes. “Her shifter healing has kicked in… ‘Told ya she was a shifter” Seb said with a smile as he lightly patted Archer on the shoulder.

  The shock of what had just happened hit him like a truck. Lara really was a shifter, and she was healing. She was going to be okay. He looked back down to her, she just looked like she was peacefully asleep and even like this, her natural beauty still took his breath away. Her dark hair cascaded over his lap and he subconsciously reached out, running his fingers through it before cupping her cheek and gently laying her head back on the ground.

  Suddenly, the loading of a gun sounded off in the distance, making Archer sit upright and jerk his ear in the direction. His shifter ability to hear so clearly from far off meant that his lion was just beneath the surface now and entirely awake after being tranquilised. He could feel him, pacing inside his mind as the rage built up instantly. The alarms from the basement from where they escaped were still blaring slightly in the background, but Archer couldn’t mistake the metal on metal sound of the gun being loaded.

  He looked at the others as they leaned over Lara, Seb continued to put pressure on the wound while Jen had ripped the hem of her t-shirt as a makeshift bandage and was currently tying it around Lara’s stomach. They were oblivious to the sound of the gun being loaded. Archer looked in the direction where the sound came from and saw a flicker of movement at the back of the almost empty carpark. He could feel his lion’s ears prick up and his gaze zero in on the movement. It’s good to have you back he thought to his animal. He could see clearly in the dark now thanks to his returned shifter senses and he followed the movement with his eyes until they landed on the outline of a person, silhouetted against the reflection of the dim street lights. The way the person was standing, Archer would say it was a man, his legs were splayed and locked, both arms extended out in front of him holding a gun, aimed in Archer’s direction, the same gun that shot Lara.

  Archer felt the blood boil in his veins from the rage that was building. This man had tried to kill Lara, and if she wasn’t a shifter, he would have succeeded. The lion felt protective of Lara too and was ready to eliminate any threat to her, pacing inside Archer’s mind. Archer knew the lion wanted to break free from the human form he was confined to and rip this man apart and right now, he didn’t see a reason to hold him back. Archer stood slowly, eyes never leaving the silhouette of the man. He started walking towards him as he ripped the bandages away from his body. He didn’t need them anymore. The weakness he had felt previously, had evaporated and the anger at what happened to Lara had fuelled his lion so much that it sped up his shifter healing. He could feel the lion take over his mind as the lust for blood and revenge drowned out any fear that this man would pull the trigger of the gun that was aimed at him. Either his lion didn’t understand the threat of weapons or he didn’t care. He was going in for the kill anyway.

  The man was standing in the clearing behind the carpark, he was conveniently hidden from the light and his face was mostly concealed behind the gun he was holding, still aimed at Archer. Archer was picking up the pace now and broke into a run towards the man. He leapt off one of the small barriers that lined the edge of the carpark as the popping sound of bones breaking echoed through the clearing. Archer landed a short distance away from the man, on four paws.

  Being in animal form meant that Archer’s human mind wasn’t able to properly process the scene in front of him. The man was close enough that he could see him clearly, his grey hair that appeared to be turning white at the sides, his grey beard that matched his hair with tinges of white and dark brown eyes that looked almost black. There was something familiar about him, but he couldn’t understand why. The lion inside of him had completely taken over his mind now and the curiosity at how Archer knew this man was replaced with pure rage.

  Archer’s lion stood on his hind legs and let out the battle cry of a ferocious roar before falling back to all four paws. Before he could attack, the man dropped the gun to the ground, threw his head back and let out an inhuman roar, so fierce that the ground shook. By the time the man had stopped roaring, he had turned into a lion, a giant lion. Archer’s lion watched on in confusion, this man’s lion was much bigger than Archer... unnaturally big for a shifter, and his shift was impossibly fast.

  The feeling of pure rage overtook any confusion he felt towards the large lion in front of him. Every fibre in his being told him to kill the shifter, needed to kill him and for some reason it felt like this hatred ran beyond revenge for what he had done to Lara. It felt personal.

  Both lions stood to their full height on their back legs as they collided with an enormous crash. Their front paws slashing and clawing at each other. Archer opened his mouth and aimed for the lion’s neck but at the last minute, the lion moved, and Archer locked his jaw on the lion’s shoulder, biting down hard before ripping the flesh away. The lion roared in pain and retaliated by jerking his head towards Archer’s neck, opening his mouth to bite down, unlike Archer, he didn’t miss, and he clamped down on his neck. Pain shot through Archer as he clawed into the lion’s face. The lion let go of Archer’s neck as they both took a step back and began pacing around each other, their tails flicking behind them with blood lust in their predatory eyes.

  Archer knew how to fight as a lion, but he was a professional fighter as a human and he knew how to fight dirty. His lion allowed his human mind to come to the forefront and make the next decision as he began walking slowly away from the fight. Archer knew the best way to antagonise a predator was to give him your back, the instinct to go in for the kill and attack would be too great an opportunity to miss. What the other shifter didn’t know however, was that Archer was fast. Faster than most other shifters anyway. He just hoped the other lion wasn’t faster than him. He heard a roar from behind him followed by the sound of paws against the ground and thanks to his shifter senses, he knew exactly how far away the other lion was. Just as the other lion pounced, Archer turned and caught him with both claws digging into the lion’s shoulder.

  The lion roared in pain and tried to bite down but Archer released him from his claws and leapt back, barely avoiding another swipe. It was then that Archer noticed the other lion was limping, the wounds on his shoulders bleeding and leaving his tawny coloured fur stained. This lion may be bigger than Archer, but he wasn’t faster. Archer stood once again on his hind legs before letting out another roar and charging. This time, he was going to finish the job. He summoned all his strength and pounced toward the other lion who was rearing back on his hind legs in return. They collided in a blur of claws and fur before the lion fell back, pinned underneath Archer’s powerful front legs. Archer threw his head back and let out one last roar before looking down into the eyes of the other lion. The intense gold dulled to a deep dark brown for an instant before Archer closed his canines around the other lion’s neck. He could taste blood now as he held his jaws perfectly still just barely cutting the skin. For some reason, Archer hesitated. Both the lion and the human inside his mind were in unison now as the urge to kill suddenly abated and the fur in his mouth from the other lion suddenly disappeared and was replaced with human skin.

  “Son?” The man with his neck between Archer’s jaw said through a hoarse voice. A voice Archer could never forget. His Father’s.

  Archer’s lion reared back, confused, as his human mind took control and forced a shift. After so many years estranged from his father, the lion inside his mind no longer recognised the man but Archer the human, would never forget him. He felt the instant pain as his bones broke and distorted to become human once again.

  “I thought you were dead. What the fuck are you doing here? What did they do to you?” Archer growled out as he sat back. Anger, confusion, relief, he was feeling so many emotions right now, he didn’t know how to process everythi
ng that was happening.

  “They” he enunciated the word before continuing “sobered me up and gave me something to live for, gave my life meaning. They helped me become this powerful beast. I’m stronger now than I’ve ever been” Archer’s dad, Mark Benson, said proudly as he stood up, blood trickling out of the claw marks on his shoulders.

  “Gave your life meaning hey?” It was then that Archer realised something. After all these years, nothing had changed. His father was still a lost soul, searching for something that he may never find, something to fill the empty void where his humanity should be. It’s why it was so easy for Dr Seville to break him - he was already broken. He had always been broken and he had tried to break Archer too. Suddenly Archer felt pathetic at the loss and remorse he felt when he first thought his father had died. This man didn’t deserve any sentiment.

  Archer took a deep breath before standing up to face his father, he took a step towards him and looked directly into his eyes, numb of any emotion he said “Killing you would not be worth the black mark on my soul”

  He turned his back on his father for what would be the last time and started walking back to the others.

  Chapter 16

  Lara woke up to agonising pain in her stomach, only she wasn’t awake at all. She couldn’t see anything but darkness all around her. Something or someone seemed to be pressing down hard against what felt like an explosion of pain on the side of her stomach. She vaguely recalled finding the door that would take them out of the prison, take them to safety, only when she stepped through it, she…she was shot.