Cry of the Wolf

by David R Bennett

  “Yes, several pale faced military men were there. Devon and Kelly, in werebeast form were put in cages.”

  Pale faced military men? No, can’t be. Thought we lost them. I think to myself. I, then, turn towards Cameron and point to the incisors in my mouth.

  - Michelle, I need you to speak for me. My jaw still hurts. –

  - Not a problem. -

  “Did they have elongated incisors, by any chance?” Michelle says for me.

  “Why, yes they did? How’d you know?” Cameron says as his healing ability continues to repair the damage his body sustained during his capture.

  “So, rescuing Devon and Kelly will not be easy.” Michelle speaks for me.

  “Des, that is so an understatement.” Sandy tells me.

  “Trust me I know.” Michelle retorts showing my frustration.

  “We all do, sis,” Brandon says to me. “Let’s bring Cameron back to our rooms. Then, we can prepare some plans to try and recue our friends.”

  “Alright,” Chris says as we help Cameron to his feet.

  Quickly, we all make our way back to our rooms with Cameron. Cameron follows Brandon, Sandy, and Michelle back to their room as Chris and I return to ours to get dressed. I change out of my Tinkerbell pajamas into a pair of jean cargo shorts and a pink tank top. I pull my frazzled hair back into a pony tail. At the same time, Chris changes into a white tee and tan cargo shorts.

  After we finish dressing, we bring Cameron on into our room so that Brandon, Sandy, and Michelle can get dressed themselves. Cameron is dressed when he enters our room. He is still quite shaken as he sits down in the chair by the small table near the door in our room.

  “So, why were you let go,” I quickly scribble down on the pad of paper as I sit next in the other seat across the table from Cameron.

  “I don’t know, for sure. But a guy in a deep red pin striped grey suit was there.”

  “Was he?” I write down

  “Yes, and he was very interested in the fact that you five are here.” Cameron says as I feel a sense of fear creeping up on me. I gulp.

  Great. Lord Szin is here and working with Devon’s ‘friend’ and brought the Crimson Clan with him. How are we going to rescue Devon and Kelly now?

  Brandon, Sandy, and Michelle enter my room a short while later.

  Sandy sees a look of worry across my face.

  “What’s wrong, Des,” she asks me as she sits on my bed.

  “The werebeast and his pack are not the only ones we have to worry about.” Michelle says for me. Thank God she is back besides me.

  Everyone turns my direction except for Cameron who notified me in the first place.

  “Oh?” Brandon asks. “What exactly do you mean?”

  “Cameron…” Michelle says for me as I nod towards Cameron to pass on the explanation over to him. “Tell them what you told me.”

  “Um, yes, Destiny,” Cameron says turning towards the others. “I informed Destiny, here, while you were getting changed of what I saw before I left.”

  “Well?” Chris asks.

  “Anyways,” Cameron starts back up. “The werebeast with green patches of fur and his pack were not the only ones there.”

  “Who else was there?” Sandy succinctly asks.

  “Well, I saw a group of militants with pale skin headed by a gentleman with nearly jet black skin, wearing a gray suit with deep red pin stripes and a fedora with the same coloration.”

  “Thanks for telling us, Cameron,” Brandon says as he rubs his chin. “Did these militants have weapons?”

  “Why yes, they did. They had an array of weapons from pistols, swords, grenades, rifles, etc.” Cameron tells us. This makes me worry even more.

  Now, how are we even going to get them out? And why do I get this feeling that this is all a trap set by Szin himself. I’ve got a very bad feeling about this.

  Chapter Sixteen: The Plan Unfolds

  10:39 PM

  WE ARE on the other side of Jasper Springs upon the grounds of the Harrison homestead. Devon and Kelly have a small portion of their estate being used for the pack. We meet with Devon’s pack, although he is younger than most he still is their alpha. His mind is stronger than the others. Giselle Garreuax, a middle age lawyer, lets us into the pack home. Once in the living room we are greeted by seven others, Carl Williams, Thad Pirout, Lester Harrison (Devon’s father), Dr. Nelson Carruthers, Rianna Benoit, Michel Blanchard, and Olivia Saunders. They are an eclectic group to say the least.

  Lester Harrison lives in the main house on the property, not the pack home, which is in no means small, but half the size of the main house. We discuss our plans to recue Kelly and Devon. Then, we inform them of the difficulties with enacting this plan.

  “Sounds like a solid plan,” Lester says with a firm determination. “We need a way to draw out those vampires.”

  “That won’t be easy,” The bespeckled Dr. Carruthers says calmly as he removes his glasses and rubs his nose. “We’ll need a distraction.”

  “I know,” Michelle says somberly for.

  “Des, you can’t be serious?” Sandy asks me.

  “Destiny tells me that she is who he wants, Sandy.” Michelle responds.

  The rest of the group looks at me with a raised brows. Then, Lester looks at me carefully fearing what answer I will give to his question. “Young lady, who are you referring to? I’m afraid to ask.”

  “Lord Szin.” Michelle tells Mr. Harrison as I gulp. “Cameron described him to me in full detail. I know who he is; we all know who he is. Szin is just what he chooses to be called at this time.”

  A shock comes across the pack’s face entirely. Mr. Harrison, a man nearing his early sixties, gulps at the mention of Lord Szin. “Not good. What does he want with you?”

  “Well, not Destiny per se, but the children that she is supposed to have in the near future.” Michelle relays showing my disdain as a sickening feeling hits my stomach. She, then, turns towards me. “You positive?”

  I nod my head with sadness in my eyes. I really do not wish to think about this at all. Why me?

  “I bet you are thinking why me?” Lester says to me. I nod in agreement as two little kids about the ages of three and four come running in and over to Mr. Harrison. “This isn’t the first time, Lord Szin has been here.

  But I believe that it will be the last. We will help you get Devon and Kelly back. I will lead you and Cameron into the den of the enemy for the distraction. The rest of us will follow up to get Devon and Kelly out.”

  “So what are you suggesting for the distraction?” Sandy ask as a maid rushes into the room as two little kids run into the room.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Harrison,” the Hispanic maid says. “They wanted to see their grandfather.”

  “Conchita, it’s okay,” he tells her as he hugs his grandkids. “Take Molly and Liam back to the main house and guard them well. We will be leaving shortly. Make sure they get to bed.”

  “Yes, sir, Mr. Harrison,” she replies as she leads the two pajama clad children from the pack home to a secret passage through the kitchen which leads up into the main house. “Good luck. Bring home Ms. Kelly and Mr. Devon.”

  “We will.” Lester replies to her as she leaves the room. He, then, turns towards the rest of us. “Guys, it is time that we leave.”

  Mr. Harrison tosses a GPS over to Cameron. Cameron looks at Lester quizzically.

  “Cameron, I need you to input, as best you can, the location we are going to.”

  “Alright, Lester, I will do my best.” Cameron replies. Quickly, Cameron turns on the Garmin GPS device and begins to program in, to the best of his knowledge, the path to where Devon and Kelly are being held prisoner. Within a few minutes, Cameron finishes loading the coordinates into the GPS. “Here you go, Lester.”

  “Thanks, Cam,” Mr. Harrison replies. “Alright, everyone. It’s time we saddle up and move on out.”

  Great. This is where the real fun begins.

  Chapter Seventeen: Baiting
the Enemy Again

  Sunday, March 24, 2013 12:03 AM

  WE ARRIVE just a little north of the coordinates on the GPS device that says where Devon and Kelly are being held at. We park near a dark wooded area. The trees are really creepy as a nearly full moon shines through the rather thick branches and leaves of the tree tops. Mr. Harrison and the rest of the pack begin getting undressed in the dark wooded area. He turns and looks over at me and the others.

  “Would you be so kind as to pick up our garments after we change into our wolf forms?” he asks kindly. “We would all appreciate it.”

  “I don’t think that will be a problem.” Brandon replies.

  Chris notices that I am shaking. Fear is starting to overtake me. This situation frightens me. The one person I hoped to never see again is here, now.

  “Des, it’s going to be okay,” he tells me as he wraps his big, muscled arms around me.

  Michelle helps shoot my thoughts into Chris’ head.

  - Thanks, I just don’t want to be the bait. -

  “I know, darling that you don’t.” Chris says as he kisses my forehead. “But you even said that it is you Szin wants. And that is why we are using you as bait.”

  - I know. But that doesn’t make it any less scary.- I look up into my hubby’s eyes.

  “I know, baby. I know.” He says looking down into my eyes. “I’m scared, too. Afraid of this going wrong. But let’s hope for the best, okay?”

  -Okay.- I respond as little Michelle walks up to me.

  “It’s time, Destiny.” She says with a little fear in her own voice.

  -Alright, be right there, Michelle.- I say over our link to Michelle. She, then, turns away for a second. -Gotta go, honey.-

  “Good luck,” he says and, then, kisses me passionately on the lips for about a minute. We, then, separate our lips and I begin to head towards Michelle to collect my katana. “Good luck.”

  -Thanks.-

  Cameron in his wolf form walks over to Michelle and I. Using his nose, Cameron motions for us to follow him. Carefully, Cameron, Michelle, and I make our way towards the pool house on the property. We stop a few feet from the pool house behind a tree. We look around the tree and spot several of the Crimson Clan’s scouts roaming back and forth. They are carrying rifles, look to be M-16s. Great.

  Within a couple of minutes we spot a small gap in their patrol. Quickly, the three of us make our way over to the pool house. We find a door and make our way inside through a back door. As we enter the pool house, we look around. I unsheathe my katana and continue to slowly move into the living room followed by Cameron and Michelle.

  - There’s a problem, Destiny. – Michelle tells me using our telepathic link.

  - I know. It’s too quiet in here. They must be in the main house. – I say telepathically as I see Cameron move towards the kitchen. I look a t Michelle and we nod our heads. Quickly, we find that Cameron is stopped in front of a door beyond the main kitchen. Michelle carefully opens the door using powers I did not know of her having, telekinesis. Just beyond the door is a set of stairs that descend into the dark.

  I sheathe my katana and remove my palm-sized flashlight from a pocket. I lead us slowly down the stairwell shining the light ahead of us. As we near the bottom of the stairwell, I hear muffled sounds of voices. I recognize one of them. The voice I hoped to never hear again. Lord Szin.

  We sit and listen carefully.

  “Is everything ready, General Marcus?” the dark lord says.

  “Yes, my lord,” the vampire says to Szin. “We even have word from a scout that those pesky PIs and the rest of the Harrison pack are near.”

  “Good.” Says Szin with pleasure in his voice.

  I gulp. Great I thought we would get here unnoticed.

  - Michelle. - I whisper to her. - Send a message to Sandy and tell her to warn the others that they know we’re here. -

  Michelle nods in agreement. Then, I hear his voice again.

  “Did you hear that faint sound, Marcus?”

  “Sorry, sir,” he apologizes. “My hearing is not as acute as yours.”

  “That’s okay. Time to draw our prey out of hiding.” He says rather enthusiastically.

  Great.

  - It’s done, Destiny. -

  - Thanks, Michelle. Time to expose ourselves. –

  Fear runs through every inch of my body as we leave our hiding place come around the corner.

  - Ready when you are. –

  - Thanks. – I say to Michelle and stop a moment to collect my thoughts. I am so not ready for this. But it is time for us to start our plan before it all goes up in smoke.

  We finish descending the stairs and round the corner. We all head down are dimly lit corridor. It seems to be devoid of people. Where are those voices I heard?

  I draw forth my katana and prepare for a fight. Then, I hear the cocking of several rifles around us. But I cannot place it. Cameron begins to growl. He smells the vampires. I see his eyes looking up at the roof in fierce determination. Michelle and I both follow his eyes and see them.

  Quickly, we turn and run back towards the stairwell from which we came.

  - Sandy, tell Brandon the time to move is now.-

  - I will do that, Des.-

  - Thanks, sis.-

  -You’re welcome.-

  Rapidly, we start to ascend the stairs. Atop the stairs are two of the Elite Guard of the Crimson Clan. We dive out of the way as bullets begin to reign down on our position. I land badly on my shoulder and nearly get clipped by a bullet. Cameron uses his huge teeth to help pull me out of the way. In the process I drop my katana and it skids across the room.

  One of the vampires chasing us picks up the katana and is spiked with wooden shards. He turns to dust and drops his rifle. Quickly, Michelle uses her powers to bring the gun and my katana back towards us.

  The two vampires atop the stairwell are now descending as I pick up my katana. We are trapped between the ones chasing us and the ones that descend the stairs.

  That’s when I feel it. The fire in me begins to burn. Michelle and Cameron step back as far as they can from me as I start to become engulfed by flames. However, my clothes are not touched by the flames. The vampires feel the backlash from the flames and begin to turn into ash. As soon as our pursuers are destroyed, the flames disburse and I fall to the ground on my knees.

  I desperately try to regain my breath before we move on down the corridor. Using the katana as a crutch, I make it back onto my feet. I feel a little groggy. That takes a lot of energy out of me. I shake my head trying to regain my senses.

  “That’s so awesome, I don’t think I will ever tire of seeing it,” Michelle softly says to me.

  “Thanks,” I say still breathing pretty hard.

  Cameron, then, begins to head down the hall. Something about this seems too easy for us right now. We continue on down the corridor. My head starts to hurt as I receive a telepathic message from Sandy.

  - What did you just do, Des? The vampires are all riled up. –

  - My phoenix fire thing. -

  - Then, these vampires must be bonded to one another on a hive mentality. –

  - Why do you say that, sis? –

  - Because there are…Oh, no! Chris! –

  Chris. Hurt? No! My heart sinks like a rock. I fear something is terribly wrong.

  Chapter Eighteen: The Price is Paid

  1:45 AM

  CAMERON, Michelle, and I continue on down the corridor to a dead end with a door to our left and one to our right. I hear muffled sounds coming from the door to the right. Cameron walks up to the door. He sniffs the door and nods his head.

  Slowly, we open the plain white door and enter. At first, I am thinking this is going to be a small room. Instead we walk into a large chamber with two cages high above us. There we see Devon and Kelly in their werebeast forms frothing at the mouth ready for a fight. Michelle and I are led by Cameron over to a control device to release them, which is on the other side past the cages. />
  The cages are lowered when we see vampires starting to enter the room from beyond us to our right. But not very many are left at the moment. A vampire wearing a crimson colored beret and a black sweater with red lapels over black boots, black pants, and black body armor, is forced into the room by Brandon, who is holding his modified M-5 with wooden tipped bullets.

  “You will not get away with this.” He states.

  I start to feel anger towards him but there is not enough left in me tonight for the fire to burn him out. I walk over to him with my katana in hand as the cages continue to lower to the ground. I hear a thud and a clanking of the two chains as I reach the general.

  “What happened to the pack you were working with?” I ask with anger in my eyes.

  “They’re gone, you’ll never find them,” he smugly states. “My master has big plans for you, Ms. Phoenix. Soon you will willingly give yourself to him to save your friends.”

  Unwilling to hear another word of what he has to say, I turn and decapitate him in one swift motion. The body quickly becomes dust. I sheath my katana and head back towards a horrified Michelle as the locking mechanism on the cages open. Devon and Kelly barely manage to squeeze through the doors of the cages. They, then, collapse. Bandon starts to walk up to me when a bright light starts coming from my skin.

  Oh no! Not now!

  We, then, disappear.

  Chapter Nineteen: Life has Changed

  2:20 AM

  BRANDON, Devon, Kelly, Michelle, and I reappear several minutes later in the field where a major fight had taken place only moments before. I immediately look around; two more of Devon’s pack have been killed. I see Sandy on the ground near Chris. Quickly, I rush over to him.

  -What happened?- I ask Sandy as tears rolls down her eyes.

  “I-I don’t know what to do. My healing powers can’t stop the pain.” She says as her lips quiver. She dives into my arms and cries into my bloody shirt. “I’m sorry, Des.”

  “Sandy, he’s not dying,” I hear a deep guttural voice say. I realize, instantly, that it is Devon speaking. “But he is in a lot pain. He is changing.”