by Brandon Chen
Landing hard on his feet, Yuri gaped at the scene before him. His eyes were wide with shock and he breathed shakily, his hands trembling. It felt like every cell in his body had just been frozen, for his body was completely numb.
His mother’s body was pinned against the bloody wall, a claw lodged deep into her chest. Her head lolled forward and her arms were limp at her side. A werewolf stood in the center of the room, biting into the corpse of young Han, who was lying on the floor. The beast pulled its claw from Yuri’s mother’s body, causing her to crash to the floor of the apartment. Its eyes locked onto Yuri, and he tossed Han’s body away like an unwanted toy. The lifeless corpse slammed against the wall on the other side of the room and slumped to the floorboards, blood pooling beneath Han’s body.
Yuri’s lower lip quivered as he stared at the bloody remains of his brother and mother. Shaking his head in disbelief, his quavering hands reached up to his back. He tore his sword from its sheath, his sorrow suddenly replaced by burning rage. It felt like lava now flowed through his veins. Adrenaline exploded through him and Yuri clenched his jaw so tightly that his teeth hurt. “How … dare you!” he screamed, sprinting at the beast.
The werewolf ripped at the air with its claws, attempting to rend Yuri’s face. The enraged man swept low, hacking his sword into the beast’s stomach like a lumberjack cutting down a tree. There was a harrowing cry from the monster as it swiped downwards to attack Yuri. But the warrior quickly yanked his weapon from the beast’s bloody stomach and slashed straight through the creature’s arm before its claw could reach him. More blood splattered onto his face as the abomination screeched, falling onto its back.
Yuri was instantly upon the helpless werewolf, animosity blazing in his eyes. He brought the silver sword down and stabbed the beast in the chest, listening to the anguished roars of his family’s killer. “That was my family that you murdered!” he roared, watching as smoke rose from the wounds of the werewolf. He rapidly swung away at the corpse of the beast, spraying more acrid ichor onto his clothes.
“You hurt them! Han and Mom … you…,” he cried out, tears beginning to fill his eyes. Soon they were rolling down his cheeks as he weakly collapsed to his knees, his sword clattering at his side. Putting his head in his hands, he began to sob. The last time he’d spoken to his mother, he’d yelled at her. “I never got the chance to apologize,” he whimpered.
He cried for several minutes, the agony taking hold of his entire world. His heart was filled with abhorrence for the werewolves, but he knew that his family’s fate wasn’t their fault. If Beo hadn’t released Faelen, then this never would’ve happened. It took all of his willpower to push the unbearable rage and grief from his mind.
Yuri raised his head and wiped the tears from his face. Standing up, he stared blankly at the bodies of his mother and brother, knowing that this would probably be the last time he saw them. Part of him wanted to take their bodies and bury or cremate them. But he knew that there was no time. If he wanted to live to see another day, he needed to get out of the Lower District before the werewolves completely overtook the city.
Yuri brushed some hair from his dark eyes and turned away from his family’s cadavers as he moved to the window. His heart throbbed painfully and he crinkled his nose, trying to fight back the tears that wanted to flow out. Right now, he needed to compose himself. There would be plenty of time to mourn later. He needed to focus if he wanted any chance at getting to the Upper District.
The boy jumped from the window of his home and grabbed onto the edge of the roof on the opposite side of the alleyway, using his upper body strength to drag himself up. Within seconds, he was back to sprinting across the roofs of the buildings, making his way toward the Noble District, which wasn’t too far away.
Yuri saw in the distance that there were barricades set up near a giant gate. At the stockades, there were dozens of knights and soldiers making a final stand, trying to defend the entrance to the Upper District. But in the end, they were only there to buy time, for it was impossible to defeat the horde of beasts that filled the streets.
The young man glanced to his side and saw that there were werewolves rushing across nearby roofs in the direction of the gateway. At least four beasts scrambled behind him, eying him hungrily. At their enhanced speed, they would catch up to Yuri in seconds.
Yuri grunted as he reached the end of the roof, diving forward. He smashed straight through a window and landed heavily on the floor of a bedroom, rolling upon impact. He scraped his arms and legs on the fragments of glass, and winced at the stinging pain. Whirling around, he saw several werewolves dive at the building after him. Some of them missed the window and slammed into the structure’s walls. One did make it, and crashed hard onto the floor beside Yuri, growling.
As soon as the beast landed, Yuri took the opportunity to strike. The fighter ripped his silver sword across the monster’s torso, cutting deep enough to finish the creature with a single blow. The werewolf collapsed beside Yuri, hemorrhaging blood from the fatal slash.
Yuri heard thumping noises coming from the roof. He staggered backward, startled by the abrupt sounds. But within seconds, it was quiet. He could hear the yelling of soldiers and rapid gunshots in the distance, but whatever was scampering about above him had fallen silent.
Suddenly, a werewolf crashed through the ceiling, descending upon Yuri with its fangs aimed straight for his throat. The boy grunted and stuck out his sword, slamming it straight through the beast’s lower jaw. The silver blade rushed through flesh with ease, erupting from the top of the monster’s muzzle.
Yuri ripped the blade from the creature’s head just as another werewolf smashed through the wall on the opposite side of the room, taking the young warrior by surprise. He grunted as the beast slashed its claws across the boy’s chest. A surge of excruciating pain exploded through his body and he staggered backward, gasping. He whipped his sword sideways in a clean stroke, slicing werewolf’s throat.
At first, the beast seemed unfazed by the cut. But soon the creature’s body began to react to Yuri’s silver sword, and wisps of smoke began to drift from the monster’s wound as it fell backwards, hitting the floor loudly.
Yuri panted, leaning back against the wall behind him. He lifted his shirt and examined the deep slashes that carved into his raw flesh. The bloody gashes were painful, but he was lucky that the injury wasn’t worse. That werewolf could’ve easily torn Yuri in half.
The young man glanced around him, he knew he had to vacate the area as soon as possible. If he could just get through the gates to the Upper District, he would be a lot safer than in the Lower District. He turned as two werewolves forced their way into the room, one flying through the window while another barreled straight through a wall, sending bricks spraying.
Yuri swore under his breath and bolted across the room, diving out the window swiftly. He could hear the sounds of the scrambling werewolves behind him as he flew out of the building, dropping to the ground below. He slammed his feet on the ground, absorbing the shock through his feet, nearly twisting his ankle. Exhaling, he ignored the pain that cried through his body. We’re almost there. Come on!
Yuri dashed out of the alleyway, back onto the main street. He could see the guards at the main gate about a hundred meters away. That was quite the distance, since he was completely surrounded by werewolves. Many of them had now marked him as their target, and he was already exhausted. His legs were numb from the fatigue of free-running all over the city, while his arms ached from cleaving his heavy sword about. Sharp pain screamed from his bleeding chest, but he knew that now was not the time to give up. One hundred meters — he could make it!
Yuri pressed his toes deep into the ground and burst forward with a surge of speed, rushing with all haste towards the soldiers at the gate. By now, they had all noticed him, since he was the only survivor that they’d seen thus far. His eyes widened when he recognized that the knight that was leading the group of dauntless warriors was Senna.
A cloud of gunpowder appeared before the group of soldiers as a barrage of projectiles soared forward, rushing in Yuri’s direction. The young man continued sprinting forward, flinching as he heard the sound of bullets pounding into flesh. There was heavy thumping behind him as multiple bodies crumpled to the ground. The rooftops were filled with dozens of werewolves, raining down upon him. Some of them were knocked clean out of the air by bullets or arrows, but others landed on the street and bolted towards Yuri, saliva running down their jaws, their eyes flashing with bloodlust.
Yuri spotted a beast approaching quickly from the side and unsheathed his sword with a flourish just as the monster pounced. He grunted as he slashed the werewolf’s chest open while the creature was still in the air, watching as the monstrosity struck the ground beside him. He continued onward, running as fast as he could. Closing his eyes, he bit his lower lip as he felt his aching legs screaming for him to stop. Come on … I’m so close!
Yuri cried out as he ran, feeling his body surpassing its limits. His bloodstained shirt was now sopping wet with fresh sweat, and every part of his body trembled, for his muscles were clearly exhausted. The physical pain that he had felt was now numbed, but he forced himself forward as adrenaline kicked in, granting him newfound energy.
Hearing claws scraping against the street behind him, Yuri glanced over his shoulder and spotted a werewolf springing at him. He quickly dodged to the side, just as the beast landed at his original position. It struck the ground with frightening force, cracking the paved street. A moment later, a lead bullet buried itself in the monster’s forehead and it collapsed.
Yuri winced, realizing that he was losing his balance after shifting his weight so abruptly. He gasped when another werewolf suddenly tackled him off his feet, slamming him hard onto his back. The wind was driven from his lungs and he coughed, his grip on his sword weakened. He stared up in horror and saw that the werewolf was already leaning down to sink its fangs into his neck. His eyes widened with dread and his lips quivered, tempted to cry out for help. But there was no time for the words to even leave his lips.
An image of his bloody apartment flashed through his mind. He saw the grotesque scene and his slaughtered mother and brother. He didn’t want to end up like that. Please … I don’t want to—
A gigantic sword skewered the werewolf straight through the side with such force that the beast was thrust off of Yuri’s body. The monster collapsed beside Yuri and the boy stared at the slain creature, stupefied. He turned and saw that Senna was standing over him, offering his hand.
“Hurry up! We’re going to close the gates,” Senna growled.
Yuri looked past the knight and saw that the other soldiers had advanced from the gate’s entrance to cover Senna. Yuri gulped and nodded thankfully as he reached up, grasping Senna’s gauntlet.
Once he was on his feet, the young warrior took off towards the stockades. He ran around the wooden walls that functioned as barricades and sprinted with Senna through the gates. “Fall back!” Senna ordered to his men as the soldiers disengaged from their battle in the streets, returning to the Upper District.
There was a loud groaning sound as the gates began to close, even though there were still some soldiers that were trying to escape. Yuri watched with horror as werewolves pounced on some of the fleeing warriors. One man had his hand outstretched toward Yuri, as if the young man could somehow assist him from afar.
Yuri glanced away, wishing that he could block out the suffering knight’s cries.
“P-Please! Wait for me!” a panicking soldier screamed, as he rushed towards the massive closing doors. But there was no way that he would make it. “No! Don’t leave me, I—” A werewolf was already upon him and sank its fangs into his throat, squirting blood all over his neck. The man’s face turned ghostly pale as he fell. That was the last thing that Yuri saw in the Lower District before the gates finally banged shut.
“There’s no telling how long this gate will actually hold back those barbaric beasts,” Senna said, turning away from the wall. “We need to get to the docks before all of the boats leave. Let’s go.”
“You’ve been bitten!” one of the soldiers exclaimed, pointing at one of his comrades. Immediately, all of the knights unsheathed their weapons and pointed them at the accused individual.
The frightened man raised his hands in protest, shaking his head. “N-No! Please, it’s not a bite. It’s just a scratch from a claw! I swear, please! Don’t—”
There was a loud bang and Yuri gaped in shock as a bullet smashed straight through the accused knight’s head, splattering blood on the ground. The man collapsed in an instant, and Yuri turned to find that Senna had fired his pistol.
“Why did you do that?” Yuri demanded, glaring at the knight.
Senna lifted the visor on his metal helmet so that he could meet the irate boy’s gaze. “Do you honestly need to ask me that question?” he said. “We need to get out of here, now. Stop—” His eyes widened and he suddenly grabbed Yuri by the forearm and yanked the boy back.
Something plummeted from the sky and split the earth, creating an explosion where Yuri had been only a second before. A cacophony of anguished screams ripped through the night as a blurred figure rushed about in the cloud of dust that swallowed the area.
Yuri staggered behind Senna, squeezing the hilt of his sword with his clammy hands.
The knight stood his ground bravely, watching as the smokescreen cleared. He gaped with incredulity when he saw that all of his fellow soldiers were lying in bloody heaps on the ground before him. All of them had been slain in only a matter of seconds.
Standing in the center of the circle of corpses was an ebony werewolf that Yuri recognized. No ordinary werewolf could effortlessly climb up the side of a one-hundred-foot wall. The beast was staring up at the shining moon, exhaling through its nostrils, as if he were absorbing its energy. “Humans are so fragile and easily broken, it almost makes me feel sorry for you,” the creature growled, locking its fierce gaze onto Yuri. “We meet again, boy.”
“Faelen.” Yuri’s hands tightened around the handle of his sword. This massacre is your fault, you damned monster. My family is dead because of you! He bit his lower lip so hard that a small sliver of blood began to trickle from his mouth to his chin. “You’ll pay for what you’ve done to this city.”
“Is that so? Then make me pay.” Faelen burst forward at triple the speed of the other werewolves. He swatted Senna out of the way before the knight was able to react, sending the man rolling helplessly across the field of grass. The creature wrapped its claws around Yuri’s throat, lifting the boy off the ground with his fearsome strength.
Faelen sniffed the boy, smirking. “You’re a clever one, aren’t you? It took me a little extra time for me to find you since you masked your smell with werewolf blood. But I never forget a scent. That’s the difference between the rest of the filthy mongrels on the other side of the wall and me. Like you, they’re weak.”
Yuri felt the air being choked from his lungs and grunted, jabbing outward at the werewolf with his sword. But Faelen could read his moves before they even occurred and lashed out, grabbing the blade with his free claw, halting the weapon before it reached his chest.
Suddenly the beast released Yuri, dropping the boy to the ground as he clutched his claw in agony, growling in rage. “Silver!” he bellowed, glaring at Yuri. “I’ll have your—”
Faelen was suddenly struck in the ribs by a powerful blow from Senna’s sword, causing the beast to double over in excruciating pain. Clutching the bleeding wound, the werewolf fell to its knees, gasping.
“This is our chance!” Senna exclaimed as he began to spr
int away as fast as he could, waving for Yuri to follow. “Let’s go!”
Yuri was on the ground, rubbing the deep scratches that sliced into his neck. He snatched his sword from the grass and dashed after the fleeing knight, his heart racing. “Senna, you go on to the docks. I’ll meet you there!” Yuri said, bolting ahead of the knight in clanking armor.
The warrior’s countenance contorted into a puzzled frown. “Where are you going?” he called after the agile boy.
“I need to make sure that Asmund has gotten out! Wait for me, I’ll be quick!” Yuri shouted, dashing in the direction of his friend’s mansion. Please, Asmund … be alive!
***
Faelen clutched his bleeding ribs, eying the injury. He could already feel the wound healing itself; the gash had stopped bleeding and was beginning to seal. The beast exhaled and then glanced at his claw, which was still raw, as if he’d just dipped his hand in lava. Because he’d received the wound from a silver blade, it would not regenerate as his other lesions did.
The werewolf growled in frustration, shaking his head. That boy truly was an annoyance, but he was also skilled. Yuri was coated in the blood of multiple werewolves, meaning that he had slain several of the beasts, surely using that silver sword of his. Faelen scowled, knowing that such a blade belonged to Beo.
The creature gazed off into the distance, sniffing the air. He smirked, catching the scent of a familiar target. Beo’s son, the boy that had accompanied Yuri into the catacombs. Faelen recalled that he told Beo that he would slay the noble’s son. The beast licked his lips. He didn’t like breaking promises.
Don’t Lose Your Way
“Asmund!” Yuri shouted, throwing open the door to the boy’s mansion. He exhaled slowly, taking in the atrocious sight before him. The bodies of all of Asmund’s maids, butlers, and fellow House members were all scattered on the marble floor of the home. Not a single person was conscious.