by D D Mathews
She gathered Tamara and Nox away from Mouse for a quick conversation, “I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have brought Mouse. No matter what the outcome, you both promise me to protect Mouse and Gretchen.” They both promised and Nuri knew it would be so. She hugged them for a moment and waved over the other two into the group hug. “I love you all very much.“
“Don’t be such a sap niece-ie,” Tamara said. “Ouch, don’t pinch me Nox.“
“I didn’t pinch you, must have been a Viking ghost,” Nox lied.
The moment was broken but the smiles the Amazons shared decreased Nuri’s tension. She was ready.
***
Colin sat on the dais created for the neutral witness. Kai Falck was on a slightly lower riser on his right, while Gretchen from the Amazons was on a lower riser to his left. The rest of the Vikings and Amazons were surrounding them, mostly around and behind their respective representative. Colleen was standing with the Amazons, while Mandy stood behind Colin on his right with some Vikings. The ritual was a lot simpler than the initiation of young wolves. Vikings knew the purpose of personal combat was the fight, not the words beforehand. Kai stood and spoke to the combatants, “We are here to settle the accusation of rape by Nuri Marszalek against Alek Falck. Whoever wins is right.“
Alek, now bare-chested and barefoot, was wearing his loose cargo pants. He looked angry and wouldn’t show any mercy once the fight started. The fight would quickly turn into two werewolves trying to murder each other. Nuri was wearing a simple dress with thin straps over her shoulders; she looked like a girl standing in a park waiting for a friend. Nuri was calm, too calm like she had killed dozens in personal combat. Colin realized if she had killed anyone in combat, she was already much more skilled at fighting than Colin and Alek put together.
The Viking king, Kai, finished his speech, “Whoever is the strongest, will be found honest and true. Justice will be earned today.” Alek was closer to the crowd, facing away from Colin, because he was the challenged, while Nuri was further from the witnesses’ platforms. Colin noticed Nuri’s eyes get wide with fear, instinctually, his muscles tensed. The she disappeared.
***
Nuri calmly took her place in the open field in front of Alek, the witnesses, and the crowd of onlookers. Behind the crowd was a forest with tall trees. Nuri appreciated the Swedish trees. She liked the thin high look of them. She felt like the long trunks and green needles high above were like an umbrella meant to keep her safe. Kai, the king did the announcement of the accuser’s charges. She looked at Alek and saw the irrational rage in his blue eyes. She felt bad he was going to die, but she had a higher purpose. The world shifted from the bright colors of the evening to the dull colors of the dreams she had been having. Something caught her eye in the woods behind the crowd. She couldn’t believe it. It couldn’t be real; it had to be a dream. The world flashed bright, then dull, and then bright again. The wolf wasn’t there. The world went dull again and she saw trees snap and fall under the gigantic wolfs paws as it pushed through the forest. The world flipped back to bright reality and everything was untouched. The world went dull again. The nightmare returned. The massive beast came closer, it was as big as two lorry trucks put together. Nobody else could see or hear this monster. The wolf attacked and bit through Kai Falck, the king’s upper half was spat down onto the crowd. Nuri, invisible to everyone, rushed toward Gretchen.
***
Colin watched Nuri reappear, then flicker a few times, and disappear again. It was impossible. Before he could do anything, Colin felt a splash of blood all over his right side. He looked over and saw the top half of Kai vanish. A moment later the upper body of the dead Viking king reappeared flying down into the crowd. The panic was instantaneous. Colin was frozen, his mind couldn’t figure out what had happened. As the crowd screamed and ran in every direction, Colin stood straight up like a bowling pin. A strong push knocked him off the foot high platform. He put his hands out, but his face smashed into the ground. He flipped over to see Mandy fly fast into the sky heading up over the trees to the north then she disappeared. She was gone, like the Amazon leader. He screamed in fear. He looked around for something to help him understand. Nothing made sense, Colin couldn’t believe his eyes. He scanned the fleeing crowd and saw most of Kristina Leif disappear, only her legs remained. One leg fell over and the other stood up straight. Her top half reappeared and was coming right at Colin. He couldn’t move away in time and the top half of the sweet mother of four, who embraced him like of her own, crashed into him. His screaming turned primal, scrambling across the ground looking for anything to clutch onto. Right before his mind snapped, he saw Lovisa on the ground. The crowd was running over her legs and she couldn’t get up or escape the stampede. He had to save her. He clawed himself up and ran to her.
***
Nuri moved past Alek, who still stared at the spot she had disappeared from. She watched the chaos erupt from Kai’s death, running toward Gretchen as the Colin boy fell off the dais, Nuri wouldn’t get there in time. She yelled at the girl who replaced the Celt, but the girl couldn’t hear her. The giant wolf swiped her away and she flew like she was shot out of a cannon over the trees. Nuri ran but was still too far away when her aunt shoved Gretchen out of the way. Nuri watched her Test replay but this time she wouldn’t be able to save her aunt. She burst apart, uncontrollably, into the impressive Were she was. It was too late. Tamara knew danger was around, but couldn’t see the wolf and ducked. The wolf simply bit her aunt’s head clean off. Tamara was dead and the wolf dropped her head onto the dirt below him. Nuri howled in rage and rushed to stop this monster. The wolf bit through a Viking woman and two Viking males before Nuri could reach the behemoth. The wolf was demolishing the Vikings with speed and purpose. She saw it kill a fat ugly man with its mouth and slash apart a similarly ugly woman with its huge claw. She launched herself through the air toward the truck-sized wolf.
***
After pushing and shoving a few people, Colin reached Lovisa. “My leg’s broken,” she cried over the terror of this bizarre attack. Colin lifted her easily and picked a direction away from the risers up the meadow, toward the cars. Some Vikings had changed into werewolves, most hadn’t. The carnage was everywhere. Colin saw one man, Isak, run for the trees. Colin felt slow carrying Lovisa who held on tight and breathed heavily into his blood covered shoulder. Erika joined him, running next to him.
***
Nuri clutched the giant wolf by the neck hair with her two claws; she was full of hate, not thinking. The wolf was surprised and jerked away from her. She yelled, even sound seemed dull here. She held on, while the monster smashed and killed, she barely affected its rampage. She struggled uselessly, the wolf was too large. She now knew she was going to die and was fairly certain no one would know how or why. She couldn’t stop her fear rising. She had promised to protect her aunt and she had failed. And now she was going to die fighting an impossible monster, no one else saw. She noticed the world around her was still off color. She knew if this beast killed her here, she would die alone. Her inner voice yelled at her to stop this from happening. She needed to get back to her sisters so they would find her body when she died. The world shimmered and became bright again. The volume also got turned back up fully. She was holding a grey wolf about four times the size of a regular wolf, but nothing like the monster she had seen and attacked.
The wolf whipped his body and threw her about twenty feet, she landed on her side and jumped up. She pointed and yelled, “You killed my aunt.” She bum-rushed the grey wolf slamming into his side; he rolled a couple times but hopped up fast. He growled as a few other werewolves joined the fight. Nuri saw Nox on her right and two male werewolves to his left. All four advanced on the grey beast. The wolf turned without warning and bit through one of the Viking’s claws. This giant wolf was lightning quick. The wounded Viking fell on the ground squealing. Nuri ignored the loss and tried to finish the attack. She pointed at the other Viking and commanded, “Back up quick,�
� then advised her sister, “Nox attack.“
Nox lunged and slashed at the wolf’s left side, catching him off guard. When he turned to attack Nox, Nuri was there and kicked hard into his head. The impact was strong, stunning the wolf for a moment and halting his attack on Nox. Nuri commanded Nox and the Viking again, “Nox, back up now, you attack.” She didn’t know his name but his attack came as she demanded. Three full claw attacks caught the wolf on his exposed right side, blood poured and he stepped back. The grey wolf whipped full circle past Nox and caught the Viking fighter in the side and bit through his left flank. The blank empty look in his eyes came before he hit the ground. The grey wolf fled. He bolted for the trees. Nuri took chase. Nox clipped her in the side, taking her down and allowing the murderous werewolf to escape. Nuri growled at Nox with fury, “We have to kill him!“
Nox growled back, “We have to make sure Gretchen is okay and save Mouse. You made me and Tamara promise you.“
Having her words thrown back in her face along with the mention of her aunt made Nuri push away her predator instinct to chase.
Nuri looked to the forest and saw a Viking Were chase the wolf into the trees.
***
Colin, Lovisa, and Erika hid between a couple cars. Colin didn’t have a key for the rental so they remained hidden. The chaos of battle had died down. He wanted to look for Mandy and Colleen. However, Erika advised staying put and taking care of Lovisa. So he tended her. Her legs were mangled. He used his shirt and Erika’s sweater to bandage her legs as best he could. Lovisa was unconscious; the pain had been too much. Erika rested with her back up against the car wheel.
“We’ll wait another ten minutes and see if anyone else survived,” Erika said cautiously.
Colin wanted to look now. He held his tongue, knowing if the beast was still prowling around, he couldn’t protect himself, Erika, or Lovisa.
***
Colleen huddled behind a couple of trees with Gretchen, Mouse, Elsa, Laila, Kajsa, and Milly holding her infant son Jon. Gretchen held her hand tightly. Colleen didn’t understand how the beast surprised everyone or how it appeared out of nowhere. She only knew she needed to save as many wolves as she could. When the attack happened, her foresight had her run into the insanity. She found Gretchen and Mouse, whom she led through the panicking wolves finding Milly and Jon. All of them saw the gory attacks that killed the vile Hexums. She didn’t feel bad for them.
She pointed to the trees and screamed to her group. Laila carrying Kajsa appeared out of the chaos and latched onto her escape. Her foresight had saved her and maybe seven others. Gretchen’s hand warmed hers as she watched the grey wolf tear open Mr. Nygaard. His death was quick, but now Laila was starting to get hysterical. This couldn’t happen now. She let go of Gretchen’s hand even though she didn’t want to. She crawled over to Laila, “He saved our lives, don’t let his death mean nothing. Where is your Viking pride? For Christ sakes we have to stay strong for these children,” Colleen said under her breath harshly. “You can cry later, but we have to get out of here. Which is the best way back around to the cars?”
Laila stopped crying and pointed. Colleen organized everyone and had them moving away from the dead into the forest around to the parked cars.
Chapter 29
Veronika stood back from the tree line watching her hard work pay off. She couldn’t see her special weapon, but she saw the outcome. He had followed her directions perfectly, attacking Kai, the king, and the rest would panic. “Murder them all,” she told him. She had waited patiently for her Indian boy to arrive watching the Vikings perform their stupid ritual. It was all for naught. The moment when half of Kai disappeared, then reappeared, blood splashing everywhere, was the second happiest moment of Veronika’s life. Slightly behind the day she had freed herself from these dumb inbred mutts. She watched the chaos and the bodies pile up. She was too far back to pick out every Were she hated, but when the Hexum were dispatched in the same violent way they claimed to admire, she couldn’t stop from giggling.
She was about to join the festivities when something happened. Everything changed. Her innocent boy was in trouble. He had been pulled from the dream by a tall beast of a Were. She had never even heard of a Were being able to do that. It wasn’t fair. Her lover had returned to his normal grey wolf, while impressive, Veronika knew he would not be able to survive the few remaining Weres. What had been a certain absolute victory now seemed a lost cause. Veronika would have to retreat. She started to slink back deeper into the woods when she saw her idiot sister-in-law carrying her useless infant child. Veronika was about to burst out and kill them when three more female Weres and a gaggle of children ran towards her hiding place. While the element of surprise was on her side caution was more prudent, Milly’s death would have to wait. She dashed away into the forest silently.
***
Colin hid behind the rental car with Lovisa and Erika as the minutes of silence stretched on. He couldn’t take the tension and stood up to look. The view down below was worse than he imagined. From this distance all he saw was blood and human shapes not moving. The attack had been focused and most of the violence happened right behind where he had sat minutes before. He should be dead except Mandy had saved him. For her effort, she was probably dead. He wanted to rush down into the mess to help. However looking from here he knew no one down there had survived. He wanted to rush into the forest to search every inch to find Mandy. But the forest was too large. He couldn’t stop the feelings wash over him: Loss, fear, anger, dread, and hopelessness,
“I’m going down there,” Colin said hoping that was enough to make his feet move. “Take care of Lovisa for me.” He put his foot in front of the other and walked down the hill. It was a death march.
***
Colleen and Gretchen moved the hysterical Laila and the hollow Milly with the children through the forest. The children were behaving better than the two Viking Weres, mostly due to Gretchen’s ability with them. Colleen took command and ordered each person to watch the woods for any movement. The walk became a test of nerves.
When the massive grey wolf appeared ahead of them heading north fast, followed by a Were, Milly nearly passed out. One of the young girls yelped and clapped her hand over her mouth. Colleen counted to a hundred in her head before pushing her group forward again. After many stressful minutes fumbling through the woods, a noise bought everyone to a standstill. Colleen tried to get everyone to hide before the thing making the noise attacked them.
“Gretchen?” whispered a harsh voice.
“Nox?” asked the blond.
The raven-haired Were emerged, “Why aren’t you hiding?” She asked as a mean older sister would ask.
“I was trying to help Colleen save these Vikings and get to the cars,” Gretchen answered.
“You’re going the wrong way then.”
“What are you doing in the woods?” Colleen asked the woman.
She became the fierce woman Colleen had met earlier. Nox answered, “Finding you, this way.” She headed in a different direction then they had been going.
Colleen and her group followed still afraid the killer wolf would return.
***
Colin walked straight down to the risers. As he reached the flat part of the meadow he saw a naked woman standing on the closest riser looking down and away. He removed his coat and rushed to her. It was Nuri and she was staring at the body of her fellow Amazon. Colin laid the coat over her shoulders. She jerked in surprise never looking away from the decapitated body.
“I’m sorry you lost your fellow Amazon.” Colin tried to console her.
“She was my aunt. I couldn’t save her.“
“I understand,” he added putting his arm around her and joined her looking at her aunt’s body. She started to cry softly, which turned into sobbing.
“I couldn’t reach her. I tried. I should have been able to. I failed and now she gone,” Nuri said crying hard.
“I only met her twice but she had a fiery
spirit and wicked tongue.“
Nuri laughed between sobbing sounds, “That she did. She definitely had fire.“
***
Joseph bolted into the trees. A Viking gave chase while the Were who had pulled him from the dream world didn’t. Joseph knew she was more wolf than he could handle. The chase headed northeast into the thicker trees. The Viking was gaining and so Joseph’s wolf turned to fight. The Were burst through the trees and howled at Joseph. The Were’s claws swiped fast at his snout and Joseph barely dodged. The Were was beyond rage and clawed with crazy speed. Joseph danced and hopped away nearly getting killed each attack. He stepped back through the pines dodging more vicious attacks. For every six attacks, one caught Joseph in the head or face. He was starting to bleed profusely, he wouldn’t last much longer. He kept backing away taking a claw here and there. Drops of blood made a clear path to where this werewolf was going to kill him. Veronika hadn’t taught Joseph to fight an enraged beast like this, she had only taught him to hunt and kill. Joseph’s wolf hopped back and was caught with the backhand from the Were. He was knocked over fifteen feet, slamming into a tree. Joseph’s wolf hopped up not wanting to die. The Viking Were with black eyes stomped toward him, stumbled, and fell over something invisible. Joseph’s wolf attacked his almost murderer in the neck without fear, concern, or passion. Simply one animal killing another. Joseph’s wolf ripped the werewolf’s throat out and he changed back into a man. He was older with thin blond hair; his face was peaceful as the dust from his final Revert disappeared. The wolf attacked again into the man’s shoulder. Joseph didn’t want this so he fought it and soon burst from his wolf breathing in the normal world again. He was naked, afraid, alone, and didn’t know what to do. He had killed someone again and so he ran. He ran on unsteady legs for twenty paces and fell. He could still taste the man’s flesh. He vomited and knew he was too exhausted to run for long so he hid. He found a tree with large roots, dug a hole with his bare hands and covered himself with dirt before passing out.