“You think so?” The brown haired boy blushed slightly.
“Yeah I do so just ignore the insults and keep at it okay.” She patted his back before turning from the pair and making her way toward me. Sam sat down slowly next to Cordillia who was too involved in her lunch to really notice.
“That was nice what you did.” I nodded toward the boys as she adjusted herself and began to tear away at her own meal.
“Bryant is an ass.” She shrugged, staring down at her plate thoughtfully. “But he’s getting the job done.”
“Yeah well, Matt doesn’t seem too happy about it.” She chuckled softly.
“Matt’s just upset that he’s not the center of attention anymore. “ She smiled. “It’s okay though, he’ll learn to live with it.”
“You know it’s not polite to talk about people when there not around.” Matt grumbled throwing his plate down on the table and sitting heavily in the chair next to me.
“Relax, we were just talking about how amazing you are.” Cordillia looked up from her plate and smiled.
“Yeah?” Matt grinned. “It’s about time you guys figured that out.” Sam chuckled loudly as she began to pick at her food. It wasn’t that I was keeping a close eye on her but it didn’t take a genius to see that she hadn’t eaten much since Cordillia came back. She was worried, it was written all over her face and as much as I wanted to help her, I honestly had no idea what it felt like to be in her situation. It was no mystery by looking over the quiet room and forlorn faces that we were all afraid, Jonathan was coming back and with how many no one could be sure. We were small in our numbers but great in our conviction, I could only hope that it was enough to get us through where sheer man power was destined to fail.
We ate in silence, exchanging only the simplest of conversation and dancing over the subject of what was to come, there was no need in opening that wound and reminding ourselves of the mess we were in but somehow we managed to change the focus just long enough to enjoy a simple meal together, one of life’s luxury’s that somehow made everything okay if not for just one moment.
There was a feeling of dread in me as I followed the group back to the courtyard and watched them practice the attack and defense strategies that Bryant had taught them with a kind of listless abandon. I wanted to care, I wanted to cheer them on but somehow I couldn’t bring myself to as their snarls and growls filled the air around me, interrupted only by the occasional gunshot from Cordillia’s regular target practice in the fields nearby. I had the chance to watch her shoot once or twice since she began her lessons and already I could tell she was getting better, it was a proud moment to watch her take a target from a hundred feet and somehow it made me feel better about allowing her to fight alongside us.
“Are you okay?” I heard Grant’s voice pull me from my daze. I turned my head to face him and offered up my best attempt at a reassuring smile as he placed his hand on my shoulder.
“Yeah, I’m fine why?” I asked quietly.
“Do you have down syndrome or are you just plain stupid!?” Bryant shouted from his post at the group that was starting to slow down and lose steam after a long day of repeating the same moves over and over again.
“You got a problem old man?” A tall black haired girl came out from the group and stormed up to him with a nasty scowl on her face.
“As a matter of fact, miss, I do.” he growled, completely unaffected by the look of death she was shooting him from behind her deep blue eyes. “See the problem I’m having is that I can’t tell whether or not you’re fighting or having a damn seizure.” The girl scoffed and crossed her arms at her chest.
“I’m out there busting my ass, we all are while you sit up here and scream orders at us like were deaf. If it’s so damn important to you, why don’t you get out there and fight instead of shouting insults at us from your high horse,” Bryant sat calmly and nodded as she spoke. He stood from his chair slowly, shaking and nearly falling as he attempted to balance himself.
The crowd stopped moving and turned their attention toward the old man as he lifted his shirt exposing a mess of deep set scars, a road map of battle and pain drawn on his torso. I gasped slightly as my eyes wondered over the thick white scars, the smile never leaving his face as the girl lifted her hand to her mouth.
“I have been where you are headed, miss. Do you understand now?” She nodded her head apologetically as he pulled the hem of his shirt back down and sat down slowly. “I know I’m hard on you, all of you.” He shouted, looking behind her toward the group that stood shocked in their places. “But it’s for a damn good reason.” His eyes narrowed and his voice dropped and he adjusted himself in his chair. “Do you know when they’re coming?” She shook her head. “And do you have any idea how many of them there will be?” She stood still and silent as he growled. “I got those scars when it was twenty of my men versus one of you, don’t think that just because you’re bigger, stronger and faster than me that you won’t end up with the same scars, that is if you are lucky enough to even survive.” A grim feeling of sorrow washed over the crowd as he backed the young woman down and laid into her like a father scolding a child who kept repeating the same mistakes, refusing to learn the lesson that was so blatantly set in front of them.
“Now be a dear will you and get your ass back on the field and fight like you want to live!” He shouted. The group went back to their practice as the young woman sheepishly wondered back toward her partner and phased into the beast that had become commonplace in my little world.
“Jesus,” I muttered under my breath.
“He’s good,” Grant responded quietly, his arms crossed at his chest as he stared out toward the veteran.
“Yeah but are we?” I looked up at him. “That’s what really matters here.” Grant nodded and closed his eyes.
“I guess we’ll find out, wont we?” He shrugged slightly before inviting me into the large main room for what I hoped was a pleasant chat. “I have some not so good news.” He sighed as I took a seat opposite him at the large round table.
“Not so good news or bad news?” Grant sighed heavily, a slight smile crossing his lips as he looked up at me.
“Well, truth is, Ethan, I don’t know. We made some calls, got in touch with a few of the packs in the area and some from far away that owed me a favor.”
“And?” He sighed heavily and shrugged as he turned his attention to the large open window at the other end of the complex.
“They can’t come,” he spoke softly.
“Can’t or won’t?”
“I guess won’t is the right word.” He shrugged. “It’s the same excuse from all of them, they know about the treaty being broken and no one wants to get involved.”
“They’re just leaving us here to die?” I nearly shouted.
“Now, Ethan, it’s not their job to protect us, it was a long shot to even ask.”
“That’s bullshit!” I screamed. “What about looking out for your own? We’re trapped like dogs here with no idea what to expect and now no backup if things go wrong.”
“Ethan, calm down,” Grant barked as I fumed from the other end of the table. “It’s a crappy situation, I know that. But we just have to keep alert and make the best of it.” I ran my hands over my face and sighed heavily into my palms. It was one thing to be in the middle of a war but to be completely abandoned and left to fend for yourself was another matter entirely and I had hoped that one, at least one group no matter how small would find the compassion and courage to stand with us when we needed support the most. Instead, we were left to fend for ourselves when it was painfully obvious that we were no match for the demons that had it out for us.
“So what the hell do we do now?” I sighed.
“I don’t know, I guess we just keep going and hope someone changes their mind.”
“It’s been nearly a week.” I muttered. Grant looked up at me, his eyebrow rose in confusion as I met his gaze. “It’s been a week since Jonathan was last here, why hasn�
�t he come back yet?”
“Well I don’t quite know, Ethan, but I guess it’s a good thing he hasn’t.” He smiled weakly. I shook my head and leaned over the table.
“No it’s not, Grant.”
“What makes you say that? It’s given us the time we need to prepare.”
“Exactly.” I growled. “Why would he give us time to prepare? Why would he even risk us being coordinated enough to fight back, why not just attack us while we we’re weak, when he knows that he can win?”
“I don’t know, Ethan.”
“I’m not looking for an answer, Grant, but doesn’t it seem just a little odd that he hasn’t come back yet?” Grant nodded and turned his gaze back to his hand as he nervously played with his fingers.
“It’s an old strategy. I’ve seen it plenty in my time.” Bryant grunted as he wheeled himself up to the table and forced himself into our conversation.
“What do you mean?” I asked legitimately curious.
“Ever hear of a blitz attack, son?” his voice was sarcastic, gruff and worn from hours of screaming over the howls and snarls of his group.
“Yeah like a Trojan horse or something,” Grant added. Bryant nodded, a crooked smile crossing his lips as his eyes darted from Grant to me and back again.
“He wants you to feel you’re most comfortable and confident before he attacks, wouldn’t surprise me if he’s been watching us this entire time.” Bryant shrugged as he lifted a water bottle to his dry cracked lips and left us in silence to think about what he had just said.
“Do we have a chance?” I asked grimly as I stared blankly at the large table before me.
“Probably not,” he spoke gruffly. I had to admire his honesty, even if I wasn’t in the mood to be told that all the work we were doing was for nothing.
“Then what are we doing here?”
“What do you mean?” Grant asked quietly. I looked up at him and scoffed.
“Cordillia is out there learning to fire a gun, we got fifty men and women in that courtyard working their asses off learning to fight and it’s all for nothing.”
“It ain’t for nothing.” Bryant grumbled. I looked over at him, my desire to give up and give in was spelled out on my face and as he read it loud and clear on me, I could see his eyes soften into a form of sympathy. “You ain’t got a choice, son. You know he’s coming, you know you have to fight whether you like it or not and sure the chances of you winning this and coming out ahead are about as good as getting hit by lightning on a clear day but if you don’t fight you’ll die and that pretty little sister of yours will have no chance in hell of surviving once Malik gets his paws on her. No pun intended,” he added with a slight smile as he finished his speech and turned his attention back to the water bottle that dangled from his spotted slender fingers.
I shook my head and stood from the table quickly, I had enough of being lectured, of feeling worthless and as I watched the sunset slowly through the large plate window all I wanted was to bury my head away and forget about the fact that we were doomed in our attempts for basic survival. I stormed passed Sam, a look of confusion and worry crossed her face as she called out to me before being left behind to wonder why I hadn’t answered. I felt like a jerk for just walking out but right now I needed to get away, after all I could always explain myself later when the feeling passed which it inevitably would.
I nearly jogged down the hallway and threw my bedroom door open, breathing in a sigh of relief at its emptiness and my opportunity to be alone. I shut the door quickly and threw myself down onto the bed, pulling my pillow over my ears and drowning out the mental noise of the day and the darkness that followed just behind. I told myself that things would get better, that we didn’t really know what was going to happen and there was still a chance we could all make it out of this alive. Naturally these thoughts didn’t really quell the feeling of utter dread that had filled me but it chipped away at it little by little as the glow of the dampening sunlight began to die off, leaving the room dark and quiet for a much needed change.
I don’t know when exactly the noise stopped but thankfully and to my relief it eventually subsided as I closed my eyes and allowed my body to give into the deep hold of sleep. The only peace I got these days was when the noise of the waking world was replaced with the nothingness of sleep and that’s exactly what it was. No war, no Malik, no danger just nothing and I loved it, every minute of its quiet embrace.
I wanted to stay there forever, to just let the world slip away and forget about all of this but I never was so lucky.
I was woken by the shrill sound of screaming from somewhere far away, probably someone having a nightmare down the hall. I buried my head in my pillow for just a second before I realized that the screaming was coming from outside and it wasn’t just one person, it was many. I shot up from my bed and quickly turned my attention to the window that peered out into the courtyard, afraid and nervous as I forced myself to pull back the curtain and stare out into the open field that separated our beds from the main building. My heart dropped and for a moment I felt as though I would be sick, felt as if it was a bad dream that I just couldn’t wake up from as I watched my friends being ripped apart unsuspectingly in the dead of night. It wasn’t until I saw Cordillia’s tiny frame perched on the roof firing into the fur clad beasts with precision and determination that I realized in one horrifying moment I wasn’t dreaming.
I was torn from my view by the sound of pounding on my door.
“Ethan, get up!” Sam screamed from the other side of the wooden barrier. Without a thought or a care my body began to change, the pain of it all blocked out by my desire to fight, my need to be in the thick of it all defending my family and fighting for my home. I jumped from the bed and tore the door open, nearly ripping it off of its frame. “Are you ready?” I nodded as a deep snarl escaped from my chest. Sam smiled up at me before allowing her own change to take over, tall and nearly silver in color she was as beautiful a beast as she was a woman. The sounds of fighting raged on behind us as we exchanged glances, both prepared and terrified of what was about to come.
She nodded at me, her lips curling into what I was sure was a smile. I nodded back, my heart pounding in my chest as together we barreled down the hallway and out into the heat of a battle we were less than prepared for.
Chapter Twenty-Four
My chest heaving and my heart pounding, I ran into the thick of the fight as Sam veered off to the left and me to the right. It was hard to tell them apart, their figures blurring into one another as they fought and struggled for dominance and the sudden downpour of rain had made matters much worse. I caught sight of a young boy, a small wolf running toward me, his face stained with fear as he tried to out maneuver the beast that ran at his heels. Without thinking I charged toward them, leaping over the small boy and barreling into the creature’s chest. He flew back and landed with a yelp as I moved to my knees and steadied myself over his frame.
Before I had the chance to take the kill another of them lunged at me from behind, knocking me onto my stomach. I gasped for breath and scrambled to get to my feet only to find myself crying out as it bit into my shoulder. The pain blinded me but thankfully it was gone as quickly as it had come, still I couldn’t get the creature off of my back as it clawed and ripped at me mercilessly. A howl filled the air around me as Matt came out of the darkness, knocking the beast from its grip on me and allowing me to scramble to my feet. We exchanged a glance, a quick nod as he twisted the creatures head in his hands, the sickening sound of snapping bones filling the air around us.
“Ethan!” Cordillia shouted. I turned my attention quickly to the rooftop and snarled. She backed herself against the red brick of an old chimney, firing at the two creatures that snaked toward her, dodging her shots and snarling at the space between them. A guttural roar ripped through me and before I could think my legs were moving swiftly through the crowd. I saw nothing but her as I jumped over fallen bodies and weaved through the thick of the figh
t inching closer and closer to her screaming figure.
The night air was defining and frightful as I moved closer and closer to her hoping only to close the distance between us as quickly as I could. I lunged over the fallen and dodged the living as I raced to her side determined to protect her at all costs. It was bad enough that she was even here, in the middle of a fight she had no business even seeing let alone defending and I wasn’t about to let her fall. My body took over where my mind failed and I lunged at the building, pulling myself up the scattered stepladder of loose bricks and windowsills. I growled as I pulled myself onto the roof and in one quick lunge knocked the smaller of the wolves off of his feet and watched him roll to the ground beneath us, landing with a whimper and a loud thud.
Wolves among men Page 27