by Chanel Hardy
Will, River and Jax made their way outside as the freezing temps crept down into the 20’s. Will and River had to take extra precautions, to avoid hypothermia when shifting back into their human form. The closer they stayed to the house, the safer it would be for them at dawn. Will gathered his things on the porch, slowly undressing before the sun could set. He took off his coat, lifting his sweater over his head. His dark, muscular abs flexed from the pinching cold air. River turned her head, trying not to look. But snuck a glance or two out of the corner of her eye.
“Distracted?” Jax asked jokingly, catching her glances at Will.
“I just want to get this night over with.” She replied, shivering while she stood in the snow with her arms folded.
“Same.” Will cosigned from the porch with a less than enthusiastic grin. Jax led River to the side of the house, so she could undress with privacy. As they removed their shoes, coats and clothes, the cold stung River’s skin like a thousand sharp little knives poking at her. She could feel her toes going numb, as she wished the sun would hurry up and set so she could get some relief from the agonizing cold. Even if it was just more pain.
“Can I ask you something?” asked Jax, bending in front of her, fully nude as he attached the chains to their legs.
“Go ahead.” She said, clenching her jaw, trying to distract herself as she waited.
“Do you love me?”
River gave him a perplexed look. Suddenly, the discomfort from the cold drifted to the back of her mind. This abrupt question from him had her full attention. “Why are you asking me this? Now, when I’m cold, naked and miserable?” His sudden need for validation at a time like this was rather annoying, and uncalled for.
“I was just thinking about that night. When I told you I loved you. You never said it back. Just thought I’d ask.” He looked into her eyes, hoping she’d answer.
“Jax, I care about you. You know that.” She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to gather her thoughts that were overwhelming her. “The only people I’ve ever loved were my parents and my aunt. After losing Tasha, it’s just been hard for me.”
The moment between them grew awkward, as River tried to find the words to express how she felt about this boy standing in front of her. Who put his life on the line for her, took her virginity and opened her heart in ways that she had never experienced before. She didn’t understand why it was so hard to spit it out. “Jax... I…” A sharp pain shot through her abdomen, and River felt herself getting dizzy as she stumbled backwards.
“River! Try to relax your mind.” Jax held on to her as the full moon beamed into the night’s sky above them and the beast made its way through. River tried to focus as Will’s screams echoed from the front of the house. But this feeling was different. River hadn’t experienced this dizziness and lightheadedness before.
“I don’t feel good Jax!” The pain in River’s abdomen intensified as her bones began to shift underneath her skin. Another full moon, another cursed night. The beast was awakening.
Chapter 9
River could feel the warmth of the heater flow through her. The tips of her toes were still hard, as the heat worked its way gradually down to her feet. Jax sat on the floor next to the mattress, stroking her hair away from her face. He wrapped one of her tight curls around his index finger, bouncing it around while he watched the fuzzy reception of a Latin game show on the small tv. River squeezed her eyes together as the dizziness from the night before still lingered.
“How are you feeling” Jax asked. “Hopefully the tea helps with the vomiting.” River had been feeling sick ever since she shifted back that morning. Nausea, dizziness, excessive sweating. She figured that it was probably just the flu. He handed her the hot cup. She sat up again, taking sip from the cup.
“I feel a little better. How’s Will?’ She asked.
“He’s fine. He went out to call his mom. He wanted to wish her a Merry Christmas and let her know that he’s okay. He should be back within the hour.”
“Christmas. I almost forgot.” River’s lips formed a tight-lipped smile as she took a few more sips from her cup. “Merry Christmas Jax.”
His face beamed with delight, as he reached into his pants pocket and retrieved a small white box. “Hank never let us celebrate holidays growing up. But I wanted this day to be special for you, in spite of everything that we’ve been through these past few months. Merry Christmas River.”
He placed the box on her lap, as she sat there, eyes wide in admiration of his kindness. She sat the cup down on the floor beside them, opening the box that revealed an aqua blue hair pin. It was in the shape of a hibiscus flower, and was one of the most precious things she had ever seen. She grinned from ear to ear.
“I love it.” She smiled. “When did you get this? How?”
“When I went out with Will to pick up emergency supplies at the general store a few days ago. I saw it on a souvenir display at the counter. I figured you would like it.”
“Thank you.” She picked up the hairpin, pushing back her puffed curls with one hand and clipping it onto the left side, by her ear. “I’m so grateful for you Jax, I really am.” She turned to Jax, caressing the sides of his course chin with her fingertips. His beard was growing out, amplifying his gorgeous face.
She reached down to grab his hand, moving her fingers in between his. The love from his touch emitted through his warm palms. He leaned his face into hers, his soft lips brushing against her mouth as he kissed her.
“I don’t want to put any pressure on you to say things you aren’t ready to say. I just want you to know that it won’t ever change how I feel about you.” He hugged her, his left arm reached around her neck as he left gentle kisses on her face. She wrapped her arms around him, as they shared this priceless moment.
∞∞∞
Will stood huddled up at the payphone right outside the general store, his warm breath fogging up the glass window as he waited for his mother to answer. “Merry Christmas, Carol speaking.”
Getting to hear his mother’s pleasant voice again made him smile. “Hi mom. Merry Christmas.”
“William! Wonderful to hear from you. I miss you! Hope all is well dear.” She expressed joyfully.
“I’m fine mom. How are you doing?”
“Things are good. I did get some visitors a few days ago. Strange men, but nice.”
Will’s heart dropped. His mother never got visitors, especially not anyone that his mother didn’t know. “Visitors?” He asked, a chill went down his spine.
“Yes dear. Nice men. They asked about you. They seemed worried.”
He clenched his teeth, praying silently that this didn’t mean what he thought it meant. “Mom… what did they say?” His heart started pounding.
“Not much, I guess. They were looking through my things, but I didn’t mind. They were very polite. Does this mean you’ll be coming home soon William?”
He could hear the hopefulness in her voice, followed by the sadness from missing her son. His mother had suffered a stroke seven years ago, which left her slightly mentally impaired. As old age caught up to the fragile woman, her judgement wasn’t the best, which is why Will refrained from giving her any details about where he was.
“They said if I told them what I knew, that they would bring you home to me. We could make our favorite peach cobbler for the holidays like we used to! Oh that would be wonderful, wouldn’t it William?” Her voice was full of excitement, thrilled by the idea of her son finally coming home. Will’s heart nearly fell through his chest. Fuck. He rubbed his temples aggressively, breathing heavily.
“Mom… please. What did you tell them exactly?” He asked slowly, so she could comprehend his question.
“Well, I said that I didn’t know where you were, but I told them that you call on holidays and birthdays only. Then they started to scroll my caller ID. They left shortly after.” Will dropped the phone, enraged, burying his face into his gloves. He could hear his mother’s faint voice calling for
him from the other end as the phone dangled below him. He picked the phone up and placed it against his ear again.
“Mom, I’ve gotta go. Lock your doors and don’t answer the door for anyone except the nurse, okay? I love you. Bye mom.”
“I love you too William. Are you coming home soon?” She asked one last time.
He let out a huge sigh, wishing the call didn’t have to end like this. “I’ll be home soon. Merry Christmas mom.” He hung up the phone and ran quickly back to his pick-up truck. He eyeballed his surroundings, seeing nothing but white snow and townsfolk going on about their day. Too many thoughts raced through his mind. At this point, the details didn’t matter. He needed to get back to the house to warn Jax and River. Their time was up. The council was coming.
Chapter 10
Jax tossed the walkie-talkie back and forth in his hands, as he watched the footage of the front of the house. He heard Will’s voice come through the receiver, but cut out immediately. Jax called through to him, checking in to make sure everything was alright.
“Will, you there?” He waited for an answer. Will didn’t respond, so he called through again. “Will. Just checking to make sure everything is all good on your end. You good buddy?” Jax waited patiently again for an answer, his stomach turning as he got nervous. Still, the other end was quiet. Will, Jax and River had a system set in place to ensure the safety of each other, in the event that something would happen to one of them. If either of them went out to hunt, gather traps or drive out to pick up emergency supplies, they would have to be back within the hour. Occasionally checking in with each other via walkie-talkie. In the case of an emergency, the worst-case scenario of being discovered by the council, the house would go into lockdown.
Will had guns and ammunition stocked inside the bunker. He made sure that he would always be ready to defend himself if it ever became necessary. Jax hoped that this wasn’t it. Just before he called out to Will one more time, a call came through. He felt a rush of relief as he waited for Will to respond.
“Hello Jackson.” The voice cut out, and Jax felt his body go numb. It wasn’t Will on the other end, and Jax knew that his worst fear had become their reality. His hands trembled as he slowly raised the walkie-talkie back up to his mouth.
“Where is Will?” Jax demanded, trying to mask his shaky tone.
“Will is with us. Your little game of hide and seek is over. We know where you are.” Kareem’s deep, grating voice sent chills through Jax’s bones. He looked up at the cameras, and saw a black vehicle approaching the house. He darted out of the room, running to River who was still in bed resting.
“Turn the TV off! Turn off all of the lights!”
Jax ran towards the back of the bunker before River could get a word out. She tossed her blanket aside, jumping to her feet and following him to the back of the bunker. She saw him, grabbing two of Will’s rifles, and a handgun moving frantically, and it only took seconds before River realized what was going on. She walked closer towards Jax as he stood with the leather strap of one of the rifles over his shoulder. Both hands held the other guns, the muscles in his chest were moving steadily as he tried to catch his breath. Blinking rapidly, he held out the other rifle for River.
“They’re here. They have Will.” He told her, grabbing her hand, forcing the rifle into her palm and draping the strap over her shoulders. He cupped her cheek with his free hand, bringing his face down to meet hers. The glint in his eyes was aligned with hers so perfectly, she could see her own reflection. He could feel her panic setting in, and she could feel his.
“I love you Jax.” She admitted. She had a strong feeling that this was the last time she would ever get the chance to say it.
“I love you too.” He hugged her closely, locking his arms around her tightly. “Stay behind me at all times.” He said with his mouth near her ear. “We’re going to hold out down here for as long as we can. Everything will be okay, just like I promised.” He placed a soft kiss near her temple.
Jax received a call from the walkie-talkie. He unclipped it from his waist. “Still playing your games of hide and seek, are we?” Said Kareem from the other end. River and Jax could hear multiple footsteps moving back and forth above them. They were above them, in the basement. “We have your little friend, remember? It’s best that you don’t play games. If you care about his life.” Kareem continued. River covered her mouth with her hands, terrified of the thought of them hurting Will.
“We can’t let them hurt Will.” River whispered to Jax.
“We can’t give in this easily. It’s what they’re expecting. Will knows we’re smarter than that.” Jax told her. River began to pace around in circles, feeling the pressure from the council’s attempt to leverage Will’s life in exchange for theirs.
“We’re the reason he’s even up there. This is all on us. We have to help him. We owe it to him.” She tried convincing Jax, but the unsettling expression on his face told her that he was not having it.
“They won’t kill him. They’re just playing on our emotions.”
River’s eyes bulged. She couldn’t believe him. He was willing to let his best friend die. “Jax, you can’t be serious right now. What makes you think they’ll let him live if we don’t go up there.” River tried to avoid yelling through her whispers.
“If they kill him, they’ll never find us.”
“So maybe they won’t kill him right away. But they’ll torture him until he gives us up. You were the one who told me that these people were brutal. What kind of friends would we be if we just let them have him?” She stared at Jax, waiting for him to confirm her notion. He squatted down to the floor, with the walkie-talkie pressed against his forehead. Jax wanted to save Will, but not at the expense of risking River’s life. He was torn.
“Fuck.” Jax tossed the walkie-talkie on the ground, sending it flying toward River’s foot. “You’re running out of time Jackson.” Said Kareem through the receiver.
River looked down at the walkie-talkie, she could hear a malicious laugh through the static. Will didn’t deserve this, and she couldn’t stand by and let him go down for their crimes. She picked up the walkie-talkie, placing it up to her mouth.
“River, what are you doing?” Jax dashed toward her, in an attempt to take it from her hands before she did something they would both regret.
“If we surrender, will you let him go?” River moved out of Jax’s reach, taking control of the situation and doing what she felt was right.
“This must be River. It’s unfortunate that we have to meet under these… circumstances.” Kareem said through the receiver.
“Answer my question.” River demanded.
“We don’t want him. His life literally lies in your hands.” The truth in his words hurt to the core. River knew he was right. “You don’t want to kill yet another person do you, River?” Her heart dropped, Kareem was doing exactly what Jax said that he was trying to do. Playing into River’s emotions, hitting her exactly where it hurt.
“River, give it to me.” Jax reached out for the walkie-talkie, but River shifted her arm away.
“I’m doing what’s right. For Will.” She told Jax before calling out to Kareem one last time. “We’re coming out. When we step outside, you let him go.”
“You have my word.” Kareem complied. Jax was stunned. He grabbed the walkie-talkie, tossing it to the ground and smashing it with his foot.
“Are you crazy!” Jax was furious.
“At least we have an advantage. Stop pretending like we have any real choices because you know we don’t.” River removed the rifle from around her shoulders, tossing it to the ground and walking over to the weapon storage area to grab a pistol. “I didn’t say we had to give up without a fight.”
Back outside, all four council members waited by the SUV, with Will handcuffed and, on his knees, next to one of their henchmen. His mouth was duct taped, and his face covered in bruises. The henchmen, who also suffered injuries to his face, held a .45 caliber at th
e back of Will’s head, ready to pull the trigger at Kareem’s command. They all waited, eyes focused on the front door of the house. They saw the door creak open slowly, as Jax stepped out first, his hands up in the air. An ominous smirk formed in unison across the faces of all four council members, as they took pleasure in seeing Jax and River admit defeat.
Chapter 11
Jax and River stepped out from behind the door cautiously. River stayed close behind Jax. Her heart dropped when she saw Will, beaten and bloody almost beyond recognition. His top lip was swollen, and the skin around his eyes were blackened from the bruises. He looked to River and Jax. The anguish in his eyes begged for them to go back.
“Oh my God, Will. What did they do to you?” River muttered, sickened by what she saw. Her hands trembled, itching to reach behind her and grab the gun she had stashed inside her jeans.
“We’re here now. Let him go.” Jax demanded. His was fuming from the sight of his friend’s pain.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that Jackson. You see, the council has gone a different moral route.” Kareem took a few steps forward, with his hands behind his back. “Things have changed. The community is… purifying.” He held his hands out, taking in the moist pine smells flowing from the trees.
“What are you talking about?” Jax asked Kareem. He realize he should’ve listened to his gut instincts to stay in the bunker.
“No, we had a deal!” River moved away from Jax, giving herself full view of them all. “We had a deal!” She shouted to Kareem reaching behind and pulling out the gun. With the muzzle pointed directly at Kareem. She looked at Will, who knew that his fate had been sealed. Although he couldn’t speak, River could tell in his eyes that he was content. Will. She hurt for him, and the regret of giving in to the council washed over her. She allowed the council to play them all.
“Foolish girl.” Kareem took a few more steps closer, giving River the perfect aim to take him out. His face didn’t budge, but his eyes called her bluff. “There is no deal.” He snapped his fingers, and the henchman sent a single bullet through Will’s skull. His lifeless body fell forward.