by Lilly Wilder
The look in her eyes revealed how frightened she was. Here they were, in the middle of nowhere, only the three of them. No one would be able to come to their aid if they needed it.
“You’ll be fine,” Hyde kissed her forehead, and they tiptoed out of the bedroom, leaving the door ajar.
Rene was left alone. Seconds passed slowly, like hours. She had a feeling she’d been waiting for them for too long. No matter how hard she tried to hear anything from downstairs, the only reply she would get was oppressive and frightening silence.
She considered going after them, but knew that wasn’t a good idea. They might mistake her for an intruder in the dark. She’d best stay put, as she was told.
All of a sudden, the door pushed open a little. She grabbed the covers, and pulled them up to her naked body, trying to use it as a shield, not even realizing how silly that was. She resembled a child who was afraid of monsters in the dark, monsters who would come out of her closet or crawl out from underneath the bed, and the only thing she could do was hide under the covers, believing them to have some magic properties.
A second later, the door pushed open a little more. Her heart raced wildly, she had to press her hand against her chest to prevent it from jumping out of her. She swallowed heavily, trying to calm her breathing. Whoever was pushing the door open wasn’t Hyde or Jesse. They’d barge in to tell her that everything was alright. It obviously wasn’t.
Wanting to call out their names, she bit her lower lip. That would do no good. Right now, she was all alone in this room, and if she needed to defend herself, she’d have to do it all on her own.
Finally, the door pushed open violently, and even though she couldn’t see the silhouette who barged in properly, she knew it wasn’t the same intruder who attacked them in Hyde’s home. This was someone else. But, before she could analyze him better, she was standing on the floor, her hands held behind her back, and a shiny knife blade pressing against her neck.
She was afraid to breathe properly, lest the knife should slip and cut her. She didn’t care that she was naked and that was how she might die. The only thing on her mind was that Hyde and Jesse might get hurt. How could she buy them some time and help them escape?
“He’s in here!” she suddenly shouted carelessly. “Run! Run!”
“Wrong move, doll face,” she heard a growl right in her ear, and that familiar smell of rotting flesh vaped all around her.
He pressed the knife to her neck. She knew it was touching her skin, grazing its very surface. One more inch and she’d be done for. She was breathing quickly, short, shallow breaths, each of them requiring pain and effort. She could hear the other man’s breathing, too, just like hers. But, she knew that they didn’t feel the same way.
It took Jesse and Hyde a minute to rush back upstairs. A part of her was happy to see them come for her, even at the risk of their own lives. A different part of her was upset that they didn’t run and save themselves. Now, they all might die together.
They barged in through the door, keeping a safe distance upon seeing the person behind Rene. It was still dark. No one thought to turn the lights on yet, and somehow, no one needed them.
“Rene, are you OK?” Hyde shouted.
“Mhm,” she managed to muster.
“Not for long, lover boy,” a low voice hissed in the darkness.
“Why don’t you show yourself, so we can fight like men, instead of hiding behind a woman?” Jesse growled at the man.
“Because, we are not men,” he explained, pushing Rene closer to the window, his own body remaining close to hers, his hand floating in the air, threatening to extinguish her life any second.
“Culore…” Hyde said his name, as if remembering a long lost friend.
There was no emotion in his voice. There was no hatred, only indifference.
“It’s been so long, Xenos, I thought you’d forgotten all about me,” Culore replied, his yellow teeth gleaming wickedly in the darkness.
The Moon started shining brighter, as if it knew how important this meeting was, and it wanted to help the forlorn lovers find their path again. Moonlight oozed through the window, and Rene’s beautiful, trembling body presented itself to their view.
Hyde knew she was scared. She was petrified. Her eyes widened in shock, pleading. He wanted to tell her that it would be alright, that they would get her out of here, somehow.
“That’s not my name anymore, Culore,” he growled.
“Ah, yes. What is it now? Hyde? And that surname, McGallan, who came up with that Irish bullshit?” Culore laughed so hard that the knife beneath Rene’s throat shook slightly. “A name is nothing. It is a cover. A shell. Who you are remains the same. And you are the same piece of shit that escaped all those years ago, whether you choose to call yourself Xenos or any other fucking human name you can think of!”
“You know why I escaped,” Hyde spoke calmly.
He knew that if he snapped back, that would only make things worse. He needed to calm Culore down, to make him feel like the whole situation was under his control. Then, he could think of a plan to save Rene.
“Because you’re a fucking coward?” Culore sneered.
“Because you killed my father.”
“And, what kind of a son are you, not avenging your father’s death, huh?”
Hyde bowed his head down. Was there any purpose in telling this animal that the last thing Hyde promised his father was that he would try and stay alive, instead of avenging his death? He made him promise. There was nothing else Hyde would rather do, but a promise was a promise. Nothing in this world would make him break it.
“That is between my father’s soul and me,” Hyde growled back. “I know what you want. Me and Jesse. “
“Neculai?” Culore laughed again mockingly. “You really chose fucking faggot names.”
“You want us,” Hyde pretended like he didn’t hear this comment. “We’re here. Let the girl go.”
Culore lowered his gaze, then let go of the grip he had on her hands.
“Don’t… move…” he whispered to her.
His hand traveled from her waist, up her belly, finally resting on her breasts. Her nipples hardened from fear, poking forward. Culore’s fingers pinched in, then pulled it, taking his sweet time, knowing they were all powerless to stop him. His hand cupped it whole, massaging it aggressively.
“I can see why you’d like this piece of ass, Xenos,” Culore kept repeating his name, trying to get a rise out of him. “So much better than your ex-wife. You really upgraded.”
“You son of a…” Hyde took a bold step forward, but Jesse grabbed him by the elbow.
“Stop,” he urged him.
Hyde swallowed heavily, knowing that Jesse was right. As long as Culore had his knife underneath Rene’s throat, it was risky to attack him. They had to make him let her go, somehow.
“Scared?” Culore teased. “I don’t know about you, but I’d fight for this pussy.”
Culore’s hand let go of Rene’s breast, and aimed downward, right between her legs. Suddenly, Rene could see Hyde pushing Jesse’s hand away. He released a thundering roar, resembling an animal about to attack its prey. He bared his teeth, his hands spreading wide, like a bird spreading its wings. He was breathing loudly, saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth. The veins on his neck popped out, as if transferring too much blood. Little hairs started appearing all over his body, covering what was once bare skin. Like blossoming, his body was quickly covered in a full set of hair. His hands became paws with sharp nails at the end. His teeth elongated, glaring at Culore.
“Dimiserunt eam mane, canis,” Hyde hissed barely audibly.
Rene had no idea what he said, but the moment she felt the knife loosen its grip on her neck, she grabbed Culore’s hand and managed to twist it backwards, catching him off guard. A second later, Hyde in bear shifter form, jumped on Culore, pinning him to the ground. Rene ran to the corner, where Jesse wrapped his arms a
round her. Petrified, they watched as Hyde held Culore’s body to the ground, waiting for him to change form.
“What is he doing?” Rene whimpered. “Why isn’t he attacking him?”
“He has to let him change form,” Jesse explained.
“But, that’s crazy! Just kill him!” Rene shouted, but Hyde paid no attention to what she was saying.
He was holding down Culore’s hands, his body controlling Culore’s every movement. He was waiting.
“You don’t understand,” Jesse shook his head, both mere spectators of this fight about to take place. “He can’t fight him unless they’re on the same level, they have to be in the same form.”
“I doubt Culore upholds the same values,” Rene snorted.
“But, Hyde does,” Jesse explained. “That’s why I can’t help him.”
“You can’t?” she asked, frantically.
“He’d never forgive me,” Jesse bowed down his head. “Just like I’d never forgive him if he did that to me.”
“You people are crazy!” she shouted.
They both watched as Culore changed shape, finally becoming the same thing Hyde was. Once the transformation was done, Hyde jumped backwards skillfully, his claws aimed at his enemy who was picking himself up off the floor. They started circling each other, growling menacingly. Rene had no idea who would attack first. She only hoped that Hyde would be the last man standing.
Culore jumped at Hyde without warning, trying to scratch his eyes with his claws, but Hyde managed to move to the side in time, pushing Culore’s claws away. Not giving him a second to rest, Culore kept attacking, even though Hyde was able to defend himself without any major hits. Rene wondered if Culore’s strategy wasn’t really to hurt Hyde at this point, but rather just to tire him out.
Hyde charged at Culore, his teeth flashing in the dark as he dug them into the soft flesh of his opponent’s waist. Culore screamed loudly, jumping backward, and pressing his huge paw against the bite, which was now bleeding. Seemingly immune to the pain, Culore grunted and bellowed, attacking Hyde with all his might. Hyde flew back from the force of the impact, with Culore’s body pressing hard against him. Culore bit him in the neck, but Hyde pushed him away in time, softening the blow. He touched the wound. It was only flesh deep.
The fight seemed to last for hours, while in fact, only a few seconds passed, before Culore was lying on the ground again, and Hyde was sitting on top of him, panting.
“Get me something to tie him up, quickly!” Hyde growled at Jesse, who immediately jumped up and did as he was told.
He found some duct tape, and they sat down Culore onto a chair, taping his hands and feet carefully, then wrapping the tape all around him and the chair, until Hyde was sure that there was no way Culore could wiggle himself free.
Culore’s head hung low, saliva dripping from his battered mouth. Hair fell over his face. His body shivered, raising and lowering itself slowly, following the inconsistent rhythm of his breathing. Finally, Hyde remembered to switch on the lights. Soft brilliance immediately filled the room, revealing a battle field all around them.
When Rene dared look at him, she was surprised that he didn’t seem all that scary now. He was back to his human form. His body was skinny, bony. It looked like a strong wind could just blow him away. Was this who she was afraid of a few minutes ago? She kept watching him, unable to take her eyes off of him.
Then, she felt fur brush against her bare skin. It was Hyde. His muzzle was on her shoulder, his teeth still bare, but she wasn’t afraid. This was who he really was, his essence, his being, the existence he could never run away from, no matter how fast or how far he would be running. This was Hyde. This was Xenos. This was the man she knew she loved now and forever more.
Jesse stood by their side. She intertwined her fingers with his, feeling the warmth and compassion that emanated from him just being there.
“So, now what?” Jesse eyed Culore, frowning.
Culore was too exhausted to say anything. His head was still bowed down, but Rene was sure that he was listening in to their every word. They had to be careful what they said in front of him.
“I don’t know,” Hyde admitted, his voice sounding completely different now.
He sat down on the bed, creating a permanent indentation in the mattress because he seemed to weigh much more in this form than as a mere human. He rested his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands. He was thinking.
He expected this to happen. Of course he did. It was just a matter of time before Culore found him and Parker, and he was crazy to delude himself, thinking he actually might be able to escape and live the life that he always wanted, that seemed so close now that Rene was in it. He was stupid to believe this. He felt like kicking himself in the ass for this.
“Are you OK?” Rene sat down next to him.
The sound of her voice shook him. He lifted his head and gazed at her. She was so beautiful, as if she didn’t belong to this world.
Rene locked her eyes with his, but she had no idea what was going on inside his head. She desperately wanted to know, but there was a barrier he wouldn’t allow her to cross.
“Jesse is right,” he scoffed, “we need to figure out what to do with him.”
“Can’t we just let him go?” Rene wondered naively.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Jesse snorted.
“We already did that once,” Hyde suddenly revealed. “It didn’t work.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean we fought once. I won. I didn’t kill him. I just couldn’t. I wanted the bloodshed to end once and for all. For my father’s sake.”
Rene didn’t need any further explanations. She looked at Culore. He was still breathing calmly, soaking up the conversation that was happening around him.
“So, we have to kill him now?” she asked, afraid of what the answer might be.
“I see no other solution,” Hyde sighed.
She was sure that he didn’t want to do this. Killing wasn’t in his blood. No matter what he looked like now, a bloodthirsty animal, she was sure that she knew the real him, and that Hyde wouldn’t harm a fly, unless that fly wanted to harm his family. He would only attack to defend his loved ones, just as he was doing now. She was sure of it.
“What do you think?” Hyde asked Jesse.
“I agree,” Jesse nodded. “He’ll never stop hunting us. Even though he knows we won’t be coming back, you won’t be coming back, he knows you are a threat to him and his clan if you ever decided to come back after all. And besides, you can never make a deal with someone like Culore. He is the Devil incarnate.”
Having listened to Jesse’s words, Hyde got up. It took him a few painful moments during which he slowly, achingly, releasing a loud scream, transformed back into a human. His upper body was naked, but now, there was no trace of that bushy hair anywhere. Rene felt a sudden need to press her open palms against his chest, just to make sure it was his heart beating inside that majestic chest. But, she resisted the temptation.
Hyde walked around Culore a few times. He was lost in thought, and neither Rene nor Jesse wanted to interrupt him. This was his decision to make, his cross to bear. They could only help him carry a small part of the burden, but the biggest part was still on him.
“I guess there really is nothing else to do,” he started, raking his fingers through his lush curls, “but to end this, once and for all.”
He sighed heavily. He looked around. He saw nothing resembling a weapon. If he was going to end it, he would do it painlessly, as quickly as possible. It wasn’t his intention to make Culore suffer. He never wanted to make anyone suffer, no matter how much harm they did him.
He pointed his palms upward, gazing at them, as if he was seeing them for the first time, as if he didn’t even know they were there. His fingers danced, assuring him they were ready for the role he was about to bestow upon them. They wouldn’t let him down. They would squeeze, and pre
ss, and clasp, until all semblance of life was lost in their object of pressure.
Without a word of warning, Culore lifted his head. Little drops of sweat were shining on his suntanned forehead, raked with deep, long lines, revealing that he was much older than they believed at first glance. He was grinning. The sight was ghastly. His yellow stained teeth baring themselves before them, like a threat of some unknown danger about to come their way.
Rene took a step back. Even though she was sure that this man was rendered motionless, tied to that chair safely and securely, she still didn’t want to be within arm’s reach of him. He was the kind of bad guy you’d expect to fall down after getting shot ten times, but you know he’d jump up for that final scare, his claw-like hands aiming at you to grab you and take you with him to the Underworld. She hated those.