by S A Ison
Tomorrow she and Shay would say goodbye to this place and Xander would take them to their new home. She smiled at the thought. The cabin boasted a small loft and she thought that would be a nice place for Shay. They would make stops and pick up more supplies along the way. Maybe she would suggest a small U-Haul and pack that up with what they needed. She picked up her glass of sweet ice tea. She’d never drank it before coming here and she was quickly becoming addicted to it. She nearly dropped the glass when she heard a sound. She got up and she looked over at Xander.
“What?” he asked, looking at her funny. Her mouth opened and closed and she shook her head and walked to the edge of the porch. There it was again, that sound. She turned her head this way and that. What in the hell was it? Then her eyes grew large and she screamed and ran, she looked back over her shoulder and saw Xander and Reggie following her. She screamed again and ran to the grave. She flung herself to her knees and started digging.
“What in the hell is going on?” Reggie asked as Xander picked up the shovel that was leaning against the tree. He began to sink the shovel in and flung dirt out like a mad man.
“I think I hear Ethan!” Zahara screamed and kept digging with her hands. She allowed her claws to lengthen and her arms to become powerful. Reggie dropped down beside her and began to move fresh earth out and away.
“Hold on Ethan, we’re coming, we’re digging as fast as we can,” Xander bellowed and they all turned when Rose came running up with another shovel. Reggie got up and grabbed the shovel and began to dig like a machine. Four feet down they saw the earth moving and struggling and the men stopped shoveling and laid on their bellies to dig the soft earth away from the struggling quilt. Zahara was laughing and crying and she felt very funny inside. Light and elated.
Hands helped the struggling bundle to sit up and pulled the quilt away from a very angry Ethan, his eyes glowing bright gold and his canines curved nearly to his chin.
“What the fuck! You buried me? You fucking buried me alive?” he screamed. Ethan spat and brushed the dirt from his face and he watched the faces around him, all of them grinning and smiling. Even Zahara was smiling but she was also crying. Why in the hell was she crying and wait a minute? Didn’t she dart him?
“I can’t believe you darted me!” he yelled as hands pulled him out of the hole. He wavered a bit and Xander’s firm grip held him from toppling back into the grave. Grave?
“Wait, did I die? Did you think I died?” he asked, confused. Then he sniffed and his eyes widened as he looked from Xander to Zahara, his heart beating hard in his chest. He could smell them. They smelled wild, like ozone and animal. Like a wet dog, but not as stinky and puppy breath. He held his hands out before him and he pushed and saw his nails begin to turn black and to grow and curve into sharp claws. He stopped and allowed them to go back. To retract.
“It worked?” he asked, his voice going high and cracking. Xander and Zahara were grinning foolishly and Rose was crying. He turned to Rose and gathered her into his arms and held her tight. She was shaking and sobbing and he patted her on the back, rocking her. Reggie was smiling and shaking his head.
“That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. Dude, you were dead. Seriously, dead. You died last night and you’ve been planted for about two hours now,” Reggie said, a grin spread ear to ear. The children had gathered and there were startled and awed looks on their faces. A slow smiled spread across Lauren’s face and Ethan thought it was very much an adult expression. She turned and herded the children away.
“Let’s go get you cleaned up,” Rose said softly, looking into his eyes. He smiled and nodded.
“The last thing I remember is Zahara darting me,” he said and his eyes narrowed and slid over to her. She was grinning a big cheesy grin and he grunted out a laugh.
“Figured you’d not wanna be awake for the procedure,” she said and snickered.
Ethan pulled his shirt away and saw several nasty looking wounds though they looked to be healing. He looked from Zahara to Xander with a questioning look. Xander smiled and lifted a hand.
“I did it. I gotta say, I don’t think I’ll ever do it again.”
“Well, if you’d have buried me a little deeper and had packed that dirt a little harder, I think I would have suffocated for sure,” Ethan said, shaking his head. They went into the kitchen and Rose began to move around, pulling the skillet out and looking over her shoulder and smiling at him. Ethan turned his head when he heard the children laughing outside. It sounded so close. His hearing was so much better and he looked at the other two werewolves.
“Maybe later me and Wilder can go out in the woods and I can see what’s what with my body. I don’t think I want the kids seeing me change and all,” Ethan said softly. Rose stopped and looked at him and she nodded. He thought that she wasn’t happy about the whole werewolf thing, but she was very happy he was alive. For now, that was enough.
An hour and a half later, Xander was bent at the waist, tears streaming down his face. He was laughing so hard he was choking and Ethan’s glare didn’t help it any. They were far from the farm and Ethan was trying to turn to full werewolf. It was not a pretty sight nor was it a smooth transition. For twenty minutes Ethan had been attempting to turn completely. He would get started turning and be distracted from the results and stood partially human and partially werewolf.
“My dick looks smaller,” he complained.
“Well, it isn’t as if you’re gonna use it, now, are you?” Xander said and sat on the ground hard, lifting his head and howled in laughter.
“You’re an asshole,” Ethan said with difficulty, his snout was neither human nor wolf. He had one human ear and one wolf ear. His lower legs were full werewolf and he stood very tall, but his upper torso was human and his shoulders were werewolf and his forearms human with irregular tuffs of fur all over his body.
Xander wiped at his eyes and wished Zahara could be here but Ethan had flatly refused.
“She doesn’t need to see me in the buff,” Ethan had said with as much dignity as he could muster.
“You don’t need to think about it much, just let the inner beast out. He knows what to do, it is instinct for him. Take a deep breath and relax. You’re trying way too hard, Ethan.” Xander leaned back on a bended arm and extended his legs in front of him and crossed them at the ankles. It was going to take a while so he might as well get comfortable. He didn’t remember having this much trouble when he turned eleven. The biggest issue was finding a place to turn. He remembered his mother telling him to never let anyone see. It was hard to remember her now, it had been so long ago, before his father had murdered her. Had he killed her because she was a werewolf? He knew his father wasn’t, he couldn’t smell the wolf on him.
He remembered one other boy in school who’d been a wolf. He’d been able to smell it. The boy had been a senior and Xander had been a freshman. The only indication that the boy knew he was a wolf was when he’d seen the boy in the hall, going to class. There weren’t many children around them and the boy had flashed his eyes for but a brief moment and grinned. Xander had done the same and he’d not felt quite so alone after that. It wasn’t until he’d gone into the CIA that he’d come across others like him. Not many and Zahara was the first woman werewolf he’d ever met. He’d only seen his mother in werewolf form on a few occasions and not when his father was around. He wondered once more if his father knew that his wife had been a werewolf and his son? He thought perhaps female werewolves were rare. Zahara was indeed a rare one.
The birds were calling around them as he watched Ethan struggle. Then, he saw the man’s shoulders relax and smiled when the animal came forth. It grew tall and lengthened in limbs. Xander got up and walked over to Ethan and looked up.
“That’s good, that’s really good. How does it feel?”
The werewolf growled low and displayed its jagged molars. That was the werewolf equivalent of a smile.
“Awesome, now change back to human form and then go back to
werewolf. See how fast you can do it and how smoothly.”
Ethan began to shrink before his eyes and the soft popping noises of joints and tendons filled the air around them. When he got to his human shape, he stretched and squatted.
“That freaking hurts like hell,” Ethan grumbled.
“It does, that’s why I try not to change very often. It takes a toll and by the end of the day, you’re wiped out. Tonight, you’ll sleep like the dead,” Xander said and laughed at the filthy look Ethan shot him.
“Yeah, fuck you too. I still can’t believe you planted me,” he grumbled.
“Hey, Zahara was the first to hear you. If we’d been someplace else or gone, you’d more than likely have died in that grave, though you might have dug your way out,” Xander said, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
“Asshole,” Ethan snorted. He began to change again and this time it was a smoother transition. Xander began to strip and folded his clothing and set them aside with his weapon. The werewolf cocked his head to the side.
“I’m gonna change and then we can go for a run. If we run into any zombies, we’ll see how you do at killing them.” Within moments two werewolves stood in the woods. Xander took off running and could hear Ethan behind him. He only hoped there weren’t hunters in the area. He was sure he’d scare the living shit out of them. They kept to a wide circle away from the farm. Xander had wanted to explore the area a bit more before he left, knowing that if there were any zombies, they’d eventually head to the farm.
Their speed was quick and they moved through the forest in near silence. He looked over his shoulder and grinned when he saw Ethan’s tongue hanging from the side of his mouth. He slowed down when he caught glimpses of a farm through the trees. He scented the air and caught the telltale odor of death. He proceeded out of the forest with caution. This farm was just four or five miles from Rose’s farm. There were several horses and they were running around in a fenced pasture, their bodies lathered. In the pasture were three zombies and the creatures were trying to attack the horses. One horse was down and its body ripped open, it was dead. It seemed the zombies killed but wanted to keep killing.
They ran toward the zombies and Xander was sure that the horses would not appreciate them. He was right, the horses started screaming when the two werewolves ventured into the pasture. Xander let Ethan kill the zombies and he thought Ethan did a good job. Quick and no faltering, as he used his long claws to slash and decapitate the zombies. Nothing fancy, just quick in and kill. Both werewolves were snarling low and left the horses behind. As Xander vaulted over the fence, he noted the water in the trough. He’d suggest that Reggie come and get the horses. They may need them later for transportation. He and Ethan moved to the farmhouse and saw several more zombies milling about. There were a couple rotting corpses with parts of their heads blown away. On the ground was a shotgun. Perhaps they’d run out of shells? He watched as Ethan tore the zombies apart. Ethan slung the bodies far and into a pile. Ethan grasped the dead by the feet and hauled them to the growing pile of bodies. He’d suggest burning these.
The two werewolves sniffed around the house and Xander turned when Ethan howled, long and low. He joined that call and the air was filled with howls. In the far distance they heard an answering howl. It was Zahara and Xander’s heart raced for a moment. That was his mate. There were dogs barking in the distance was well and both wolves went to the barn. It was open and also smelled of death. He saw two dead cows and there were four zombies eating them. Ethan went over and bit each of their heads off. As he began to drag the bodies out, Xander looked into the other stalls. Goats and pigs were dead, slaughtered. It was a mess. There was a dead woman in one stall, she’d been ripped apart and there was a shot to her head. Someone had ended her suffering before she could be turned into a zombie.
There had been a slaughter here and there was sadness within his beast. He turned when he heard Ethan snarling and he ran out of the barn. Ethan pointed up to the house and there was a woman looking down at them, a weapon raised. Xander had a choice, he could change into a human, but if she shot him, she could kill him or they could just leave. He figured they’d just leave. There were no more zombies and they could always send Reggie over to help her clean up. He touched Ethan’s arm and nodded toward home. Ethan grunted with an almost human sound, both turned and began to run. Xander looked over his shoulder one more time and the woman was still there in the window, but she had lowered her weapon.
Ž
Bobby sat up in bed and held his head. Nausea moved through his body and his mouth watered. He swallowed a few times then lurched up and staggered to the master bathroom. He made it to the toilet before he vomited. He was on his knees hugging the cool porcelain of the toilet. Maybe he’d overindulged just a bit last night? He’d been celebrating the demise of Esther and he chuckled weakly and spat foulness out and pushed himself up. He walked to the sink and turned on the tap and put his head down into the sink puckering his lips to water pouring out.
He swished the cold water around in his mouth and spat, then filled his mouth and drank thirstily. His hand snaked in and splashed cold water on his heated face and he felt better for it. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and grinned. Then chuckled, then he laughed and he staggered back and sat heavily on the toilet. The bane of his life was gone and it had been glorious.
When he’d made his first million, Esther had promptly divorced him and taken half his money. The divorce lawyer had been like a tick and had tried to suck him dry. It had been a long and ugly battle and though he’d won, Esther had as well. It had niggled at him for years and when he’d seen her on occasion, the old hatred had bubbled forth.
“Well, it was a pleasure watchin’ you die. Oh, wait, you aren’t really dead, are you?” he said and stifled a snigger. His head hurt but it was worth it.
“Damnit, I should have filmed it with my phone. Shit fire and save matches.” He shook his head and stopped. He stood and walked back to the sink and dipped his head for another drink. He and Avery needed to get on the road. He didn’t know what time it was but it felt like late morning. It really didn’t matter; he had all the time in the world. It wasn’t like there was a time clock to punch anymore and he thought that he might like retirement. Turning off the water he yanked the hand towel off the bar and wiped his face. He tossed the towel to the floor and walked back into the bedroom. He found his trousers and put them on. His stomach rumbled and he thought maybe a beer would settle him out.
He opened the door and walked toward the kitchen. He heard someone in the kitchen and called out.
“Get you some breakfast cause we’re leaving within the hour.” He turned the corner and ran right into the arms of a zombie. He screamed and backpedaled and tripped over the rug in the dining room. He felt hard on his rump and pain shot up his tailbone.
“Avery!” he screamed as he scrambled to his feet. He saw another zombie and jumped out of its way. He ran barefooted across the living room and saw the front door open. Rage and fear filled him. When he got to the door, he didn’t see the Humvee. He did, however, see half a dozen zombies in the yard and they turned toward him.
“Fuck!” He felt hands on him and he jerked wildly and shoved. If he could get back to the bedroom, he could get his gun and shoot these things. He was nearly to the bedroom door when he felt something grasp onto his neck and he let go a wavering screamed as teeth sunk into his throat. As he felt the warm spray of blood slide down his body and strong hands begin to tear at his arms, he thought of Avery, the little chickenshit bastard. Avery had betrayed him and had let the zombies into the house. Avery had killed him.
Ž
Zahara watched as the children gathered around. It was show-and-tell time. They would be leaving tomorrow and Xander thought it best that the children knew what Ethan was. If they saw the werewolf out of context, he said he was sure it would traumatize them and none of them wanted the children frightened.
“We’re gonna do a little magic, sho
w-and-tell kids. What you’re about to see is very secret. This is our family’s secret and we can’t tell anyone,” Rose said as the children got settled. Ethan, Xander and Zahara all sat in rocking chairs. Zahara wore a large loose t-shirt. Ethan and Xander were bare chested and wore very loose and stretchy shorts. They were going to change fully and wanted to make sure they kept themselves fully covered.
“I’m first, watch as my nails grow. We are werewolves. We were born this way. But we made Ethan one, cause he’s just too silly to know any better,” Zahara said and Ethan shot her a look. She grinned and let her nails grow into claws, slowly and there were oohhs and aahhs from the twins. Lauren’s eyes widened.
“Aren’t werewolves supposed to be dangerous?” Lauren asked nervously.
“We sure are. But we don’t hurt the people we love or like. We protect them. Ethan chose to be a werewolf so he could protect you all from zombies and bad guys,” Xander said as he let his own claws extend. Mike got up and walked to Xander and touched the long curving claw.
“I just gotta remember not to pick my nose,” Xander said and pretended to pick his nose, eliciting a giggle from the boys and a snort from Ethan. “Also, maybe don’t scratch your bal…”
“Xander,” Rose said in warning and he grinned and coughed.
“I just got to be careful where I scratch,” Xander said and the boys giggled again. Ethan let his own claws grow and then his hands began to grow as well. Xander and Zahara did the same.
“Now, we might look totally different when we’re in our werewolf bodies, but we can understand everything you say. We just can’t talk, unless you know a dog that can talk,” Zahara said and she looked at the boys and they shook their heads. The dog from next door barked and everyone looked at him. Then they laughed.
“I wasn’t talking to you, mutt!” Zahara said and laughed.