by Amy McClung
Will came back into the cave a few minutes later looking somberly at Quinn. “I’m sorry man, I would never hurt her intentionally, you know that, I feel like a total jerk” Will started to say as Quinn walked toward him. I tensed up expecting the worst and then Quinn put his hand on Will’s shoulder and I think Will was more stunned than I was. “I believe you, and just want you to know that we are still ok.” Will was taken aback at that for sure but he shook Quinn’s hand and Quinn left again.
Just me and Will again, sitting alone in sheets. Unfortunately for tonight, I got to experience the pain of shifting first and can remember seeing the fright in Will’s eyes as I went through it. His eyes bulged out and he was watching me with horror on his face. At one point he had his hands over his ears and his eyes shut as tight as he could. He was shaking his head back and forth as though trying to force the memory away. My shifting was almost complete when his began. Now we were both screaming in agony as our bones shifted and cracked and our faces contorted. Finally it was over and we were in wolf form again.
We left the cave and started our hunt for the vampire once more. After only a few steps, we both took off running toward a noise we heard to the left of us. There was a shape visible up ahead, it was a woman…it’s her! She was too fast. We tried to keep up but couldn’t catch her. Will went left and I went right to try and trap her on either side when we catch up with her. Vampire speed was just much faster than werewolf and she was making a lot of progress in putting space between us. Mitchell appeared beside me, he was a man on a mission and he bypassed me in a flash making more headway. He caught up with her and reached his hand forward, shoving her shoulder to knock her off balance. They struggled and fell to the ground rolling and clawing at each other. She was hissing at him and trying to tear at his skin with her teeth but he kept shifting his body to stay out of reach. He grabbed a handful of her hair and she let out a wail that was deafening. She slashed at his face in response and a roar spilled out of his mouth as his head jerked sideways at the force of it. She scrambled to try and get up and Mitchell grabbed her ankles and pulled her back down to the ground. He was trying his hardest to get her hands down so he could restrain her and allow Quinn time to get there to help but it wasn’t working, she was too strong.
We were watching from the sidelines not sure where to jump in. Will darted off after them suddenly. Nervous that he was going to hurt Mitchell instead of the woman I followed. She and Mitchell were in a fight to the death, she had gotten a hold of him a couple of times and bitten chunks from his skin causing him to roar and loosen his grip. Quinn was nowhere to be seen and I was getting worried. Distracting Mitchell with her recent bite she was able to throw him off of her and reached into her jacket and pulled out a gun and aimed it directly at Will as he leaped toward her. A howl of distress escaped my lips, inside I was screaming and everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. The bullet entered Will’s chest and he flew back letting out a yelp and landed with a thud. He wasn’t moving, it didn’t look as though he was even breathing. My breath caught in my throat and stuck there, I was frozen in shock for a moment. Quinn screamed my name and it brought me out of my dazed state. Running over I began nuzzling Will, he didn’t move. His wound was bleeding profusely but he was a wolf so he should heal, but why is he not breathing. The woman had run off and Mitchell came over trying to help. Not wanting to move, I was laying on top of Will whimpering. I felt a hand pulling me back as I tried to resist but the pull was stronger and I was laid onto someone’s lap. There were arms holding me and someone whispering to me. Meanwhile Mitchell checked Will and then turned to us and shook his head indicating that Will was not coming back.
I’m not sure how long it was before I realized Quinn was the one holding me. My friend was gone. My friend was…dead. No matter what way I said it or how many times, I was having trouble wrapping my head around that truth. This could not be happening, he was so young. Quinn lifted me into his arms and carried me back to the cave with Mitchell. When I woke up several hours later, back in human form, it was just me and Quinn in the cave. He had me wrapped in a sheet and was cradling me in his arms. Looking up at him I smiled and wiped the sleep out of my eyes. A sad smile came across his face, and I realized that something was wrong.
“Good morning beautiful,” he said as he kissed my head softly. His eyes were so sad. He looked at me with sympathy and treated me with such delicacy as though I could break at any moment. The memory of the night before started coming back in flashes and I sat up hastily and looked around. This wasn’t the same cave Will and I were in…wait…Will…that memory had to be wrong. “Where are we? This isn’t the same cave…is it?” I asked. Quinn shook his head, “We are in a cave under the waterfall. I didn’t want to take you back to the other one so I brought all your stuff here for the night.” My thoughts were a bit muddled, “The waterfall? Our waterfall? But what about Will?” Quinn’s look of sadness deepened, “Sweetie, Will is gone.” Shaking my head I kept saying over and over again, “No, that isn’t true, it can’t be. He’s my friend, he…he’s too young…he…I…No.” The tears just kept flowing from my eyes, my thoughts were so befuddled I didn’t know what to believe. The sheet fell from me as I jumped up and instantly Quinn was beside me wrapping it around me again and lingering with his arms around me. The only thing I was sure of is that I was in pain and I missed my friend. Quinn held me in his arms and rocked me trying to assure me it would be ok, but it wouldn’t. Will was only sixteen and he spent the last year of his life by himself leaving everything he loved behind. I was the first friend he had in all that time and I express my friendship by getting him killed. All I could think is it could have been me; actually…it should have been me.
Thankfully the full moon cycle was over and we could go home, back to reality and a semblance of normality. Quinn took everything to the car and told me to stay put and relax for a few minutes and he would be back for me. I walked out of the cave and found the spot where Quinn and I had been two days ago. Sitting down in the grass, I just stared out at the waterfall and I closed my eyes for a moment, hoping that when I opened them it would be the other day and none of the other stuff had ever happened. Quinn’s voice made me open my eyes, I turned and looked at him and the tears came again, in a flash he had his arms around me as I started shaking and crying. He lifted me up and carried me to the car, placing me in the front seat he buckled me in and then put a blanket over me.
Within a few minutes I had cried myself to sleep because I woke up in my own bed with Quinn lying next to me. I looked up at him and I smiled, this is the way I always want to wake up. He smiled back and said, “Do you need anything?” My throat felt dry and my voice was so scratchy, “something to drink would be nice.” He got up and headed downstairs to get me a drink. I got out of bed and went over to my vanity and sat in front of the mirror, I was a mess. My hair was all mussed and my face was streaked with dried tears, my head was aching from all the crying. In less than a minute or so he was back and saw me attempting to fix my hair and face. He walked up behind me, moved my hair to the side and kissed my neck, “You are still the most beautiful woman I’ve laid eyes on.” Smiling I managed to laugh a little, “Vampires have great hearing but terrible site apparently,” I said and he rolled his eyes and handed me a glass of water and brought a sandwich with it. I pushed the plate away, “I’m not hungry, just thirsty.” Quinn pushed it back towards me, “You need to eat, keep up your strength. Jackie is coming over in a little bit to sit with you. She has been calling me every 5 minutes to check in. If she comes over and finds you haven’t eaten she will probably have my head.” I chuckled at the thought that Jackie could do anything to Quinn. I ate a few bites of the sandwich but it was like trying to eat when you are stuffed to the gills, I just couldn’t take in too much. My stomach was twisting and turning with butterflies of anxiety.
Around one o’clock Jackie and Mitchell showed up at the house. By this time I had gotten a shower and freshened up. I didn’t feel like
working too hard to get ready, I just threw on some jeans and a t-shirt. I didn’t even dry my hair; it was wet and curly, just tucked it behind my ears and walked downstairs. Quinn was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs, grinning up at me. That grin gave me strength and as I reached the bottom of the stairs I took his hand. We all gathered in the living room, Jackie sat on Mitchells lap in the recliner and I snuggled up against Quinn on the couch. There was a feeling of deep sorrow in the room, and it seemed that no one wanted to talk about it at first.
Feeling a great need for closure I opened the topic, “So, did you guys get a good look at the vampire that killed Will?” My voice choked on the word killed. It was like a foreign word to me, my friend was murdered in front of my eyes. No one should ever have to witness something like that. Everyone’s faces fell into a gloomy expression and Mitchell’s was the worst. I didn’t even think about how he would feel, he probably blames himself but he shouldn’t. “It was all happening so fast that I couldn’t get a clear picture of her face. She had dark hair and she was about Jackie’s height. She was strong so she has to have been a vampire for a while, she was much stronger than me and it takes time to get that way. I’m sorry Parker, I liked Will, I considered him a friend and I didn’t want…” He stopped as his voice choked. “I’m really sorry,” Mitchell replied.
Quinn spoke next, “It’s not your fault Mitch. You were taking on someone with more strength. If I had known that it was an older vampire I would have left you out of it. It’s my fault, I should have never involved you guys in this, I am the oldest most experienced creature and I should have taken care of her myself.” I stood up and interjected, “Stop it! Just stop, both of you. No one is at fault for Will’s death except for that evil witch that killed him. I don’t want to sit here and let everyone feel guilty or try to rehash what happened, the fact is that Will is dead and there is nothing we can do about it besides track her down and let me kill her!” My hands were shaking in rage and I started to feel aching in my bones, like I do right before I shift. The last thing that I needed to do was lose control right now with everyone in close quarters. I needed to regain my composure so I started taking deep breaths and could feel my mood calming.
Everyone was looking at me with astonishment on their faces. Quinn firmly stated, “You will not be the one that kills her, in fact you are out of this hunt as of now.” He stood in front of me and pointed his finger angrily toward the ground as he made his demand. That made me furious again, “the hell I am! Will was one of my best friends and he was the only one that understood the pain I go through as a wolf. He deserves his death to be avenged and I can do that easier than anyone, I just have to find her and bite her and its over!” Quinn’s mood switched from anger to panic as he grabbed my shoulders and was looking in my eyes, “She has silver bullets Parker, it would be over in a second for you just like it was for Will and I REFUSE to stand by and watch that happen! Mitchell and I will find her and I will be the one to kill her, is that understood?”
My response to him was to jerk free of his arms and walk out of the room, I stormed upstairs to my bedroom and slammed the door. Throwing myself down on the bed I screamed into my mattress to let out the aggravation I was feeling. My bones were aching again, my face started to throb and I could feel my skin pulling. This cannot be happening to me, I can’t shift right now its too dangerous for everyone. This was torturous, this was worse than a full moon shift because I was fighting it and it was like elongating the pain. My skin felt like it was stretching so taut, like I would just explode at any moment. The rage and grief was just eating away at me and I was writhing around on the bed trying to keep my shape, my human shape. Taking deep breaths while trying not to scream and alert the others, and trying to think good thoughts, trying to focus on anything positive, I could finally feel myself calming. My back felt sore against the bed from where my spine had bent and reformed and I rolled to the side to get more comfortable as I stared out the window thinking about Will.
The bedroom door opened and without looking I yell, “Get out Quinn I don’t want to see you!!” The door shut and I felt someone sit on the bed, I turned around and was about to shout again when I realized it was Mitchell and not Quinn. “What do you want Mitchell?” I asked crossly, still feeling my insides shaking. “Quinn is right. You can’t go after this woman.” I started to disagree when he continued by saying, “Jackie is freaking out, she has been since she found out about Will. She is worried to death about you, she didn’t sleep last night and she called Quinn a million times just to make sure you were ok. It took everything I had to keep her from coming over here till this morning…and I have freaking vampire strength. Please, for Jackie’s sake, let Quinn and I take care of this.” I sat up and reached over and hugged Mitchell and promised I wouldn’t push it anymore. As we were hugging, Jackie walked in and looked a bit stunned.
Pulling out of Mitchell’s arms I got up and hugged Jackie next, “I am sorry you worried all night, I promised Mitchell and now I am promising you that I will not go after this vampire on my own. I will let the guys take care of it, ok.” Jackie nodded and pulled back out of my arms. Something seemed a bit off about her, she seemed different somehow. Most likely I was imagining things because she was as devastated as the rest of us over our lost friend.
The three of us went back downstairs and Quinn and Mitchell said they were going to take off and patrol and see what they could find. A thought entered my head and I spoke before I realized what I was saying, “Where is Will?” Quinn‘s face had a look of alarm on it and his body tensed up. I guess I didn’t think about how my question sounded so I rephrased, “Where is Will’s body?” His body relaxed at my rephrasing, “In the cave, we took him there, Mitchell and I, and closed it off so it could be his…grave.” I guess that made sense, a fresh grave would have looked suspicious if someone came across it in the woods, just wasn’t the type of burial I would have chosen. He deserved better than that, he was a hero. He deserved a hero’s funeral with family and friends. No, I take that back, he deserves to be alive and standing at my funeral instead. It was me that got him killed and I will never forgive myself. He died attempting to save Mitchell’s life and now he was just decomposing in a cave where he spent so many of his days in pain and alone.
Mitchell put his arm around me and said, “I know what you are thinking. I would have liked to do more for him too, he saved my life. We didn’t know where else to put him without exposing us all. Quinn and I were very respectful of his body. We wrapped him in a sheet and left a type of memorial in there for him. He was buried with respect and honor.” Wrapping my arms around Mitchell I nuzzled my face into his neck, “thank you so much, I needed to hear that.” Jackie spoke up, “We need to go Mitchell, I have to get home I feel sick to my stomach.” She jerked his arm pulling him away and seemed irritated but I was unclear as to why. He looked at her like she was crazy, I could tell he was wondering what was up with her too, and then he just shook it off. “Hey man, I’ll take Jackie home and catch up with you to patrol later, ok?” Mitchell said. Quinn nodded and they left and it was just Quinn and I left standing there. The silence was awkward between us. We had just had a screaming match less than an hour ago and hadn’t been alone to speak about it. Fighting with him always makes my heart hurt and my stomach cramp.
Quinn started toward me and I backed away from his advance, I couldn’t stand to be coddled right now. The look on his face was a mixture of hurt and confusion. Grabbing my jacket and keys off the table, I turn to him, “I am going to the cave to say goodbye, you can come if you want but you aren’t going to stop me from going so don’t even try.” Quinn stepped forward, opened the door and motioned for me to lead the way. We drove in silence back to the spot in the woods where I left my car that night, my mind flashed back to Will and I walking to the cave together, the way he was so protective and caring. It was almost if I could feel his hand brushing the hair out of my face, feel his hand squeezing mine as we prepared for the inevitabl
e pain that we were about to face. We got out of the car and started into the woods, my heart was racing as we neared the cave. It was open, I wasn’t expecting that and apparently Quinn wasn’t either, he stepped in front of me and stopped me from going further. “We blocked the entrance off with rocks, that should not be open like that,” he stated. “Stay here and let me check it out first,” he told me. I stood there for what seemed like an eternity while he was searching the cave. This was taking too long and it’s not that big. My heart was pounding again, I didn’t know if I could face seeing Will’s body. Taking a deep breath I headed toward the cave entrance.
When I stepped inside Quinn’s back was to me and I could see a sheet in front of him. I gasped and Quinn whipped around. He came over to me and put his arms around me, I looked over his shoulder and saw that it was just a sheet, there was nothing else there. “Where is he?” I asked. Quinn pulled back to look at me and said, “I don’t know, we left him right here.” Smiling I said, “So, he’s not dead, that must have been something other than a silver bullet!” Quinn shook his head, “it’s impossible Parker, we checked his pulse and there was nothing, he should have gotten up in the time it took for us to bring him here and bury him. We even sat with him for a few hours just to be sure he was gone. We wanted so badly for him to wake up. I felt bad for the kid, he was so young, no one should die like that.” None of this made sense to me. I don’t understand what happened to his body. I started walking around the cave looking for something…anything at all to clue me in. There was nothing there but an empty sheet. I picked it up and sniffed it and it was definitely Will’s sheet. There was another scent there too, vampire. “It was her, this sheet smells like vampire,” I said. “Of course it does, Mitchell and I both held it at some point, you smell us sweetie. In your wolf form you could probably notice a subtle difference between one vampire and another but as a human, we all smell about the same,” Quinn replied. Don’t know why I didn’t think about that. I held the sheet close to my face taking in the scents and thinking about the last time I was with Will. He spent the evening apologizing to me about smacking my head into the wall when he shifted. We did a lot of bonding in that cave and I missed him. Now I don’t even know if he is dead or alive, don’t know if I should grieve or look for him.