Lycanthropic (Book 2): Wolf Moon (The Rise of the Werewolves)

by Morris, Steve

  Chapter Eighty-Nine

  High Street, Brixton Hill, South London, wolf moon

  Liz stared at her bloody fingernails and hands. Her clothes were red too from the men she had killed. More blood left a tangy taste in her mouth. She spat it out in disgust. She had slaughtered two men, one with her bare hands, one with her teeth. Her gut twisted in horror at the realization. If she hadn’t already been sick she might have emptied her stomach a second time.

  It had happened again, the moonlight change, just as she’d feared, but worse this time. She’d been out of control. The moon had become her mistress, making her do its dark work. She had done it willingly, lusting after violence and death.

  But at least her loved ones were safe.

  ‘Liz!’ Mihai ran to her and she swept him up in her arms, hugging the boy tight against her chest. ‘You killed bad men!’ he said in awe. ‘How you do that?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ said Liz. ‘I don’t understand what happened.’ She had not become a wolf. What had she become? Some kind of whirling dervish. Some kind of killing machine.

  Dean gave her a quick hug too. ‘You all right?’ he asked.

  ‘I think so. I don’t really know.’

  ‘Well, you’re better off than this lot,’ he said, pointing to the three bodies sprawled in the road. ‘That would have been us,’ he added, ‘if it hadn’t been for you.’

  Liz nodded, unsure of how she felt. They were all killers now. Her, Kevin and Dean. But she would do the same again to protect the ones she loved. At least the street was still deserted. None of the residents dared unlock their front door. But they must all have seen what happened. She would have to worry about that later.

  ‘That was incredible,’ said Dean. ‘I’m glad you were on our side there.’

  ‘Yeah.’ She wondered how close she’d come to harming him, or Kevin, or Mihai. She would surely never have done that, even when the bloodlust took her. She had acted to protect them. But if the moon hadn’t gone when it had, what else might she have done? She had no way of knowing.

  She turned to Mihai, remembering that she was supposed to be cross with him. ‘Why on earth did you come?’ she demanded. ‘I told you to stay at home with Samantha.’

  The boy glared at her indignantly. ‘I save you from bad man with gun,’ he said. ‘You should say thanks.’

  ‘What about Samantha?’

  Mihai looked shamefaced. ‘I give her slip,’ he said. ‘I run out when she busy with Lily.’

  ‘I’d better call her,’ said Dean. He pulled his phone from his jacket.

  Her father loped over, limping on one leg. ‘All right,’ he said. ‘Good job done. Now let’s get these boxes back inside the shop.’

  Liz gaped at him. ‘Are you joking?’ she asked. ‘You almost died just now. I nearly lost you. I nearly lost all of you. And you’re thinking about your boxes.’

  ‘Don’t get me wrong,’ said Kevin. ‘I’m very grateful for being rescued.’ He eyed the body of Gary, still lying in the road where he’d been shot. ‘Shame about Gary. But there’s no reason to lose the stock.’ He hefted a crate from the back of the van. ‘Come on. This stuff’s worth a fortune. I ain’t leaving it out here for anyone to make off with.’

  In the end she agreed to help.

  Dean rang off, confirming that Samantha and Lily were safe in the apartment. ‘She was relieved to hear that you’re safe too,’ he said to Mihai.

  Between the four of them it didn’t take long to carry everything back inside the shop. Kevin took the keys from the van’s ignition and locked the van. ‘Handy vehicle that,’ he said. He’d already gathered up the weapons that the men had dropped. ‘I reckon we did all right in the end,’ he said cheerfully. ‘Apart from poor old Gary. You just never know which way things are going to turn. Funny old world, eh?’

  Chapter Ninety

  King’s College Hospital, Lambeth, South London, wolf moon

  Colonel Griffin watched in horror as the carnage unfolded. His men backed away from the army of wolves that had suddenly appeared in the hospital grounds beneath the light of the wolf moon. The creatures padded forward, cautiously at first. But their eyes were filled with hunger and fury, and they began to run at the soldiers, leaping at them and snapping with huge jaws.

  ‘Fire at will!’ ordered the Colonel.

  The soldiers didn’t need to be told. Automatic gunfire drowned the sounds of wolf howls. But the screams of dying soldiers still rang in his ears.

  Wolves tore at flesh with teeth and talons, ripping throats and limbs. The huge beasts surged forward like a tsunami, overpowering the soldiers before they had a chance to reload their weapons or turn and flee.

  He looked for Chanita but the crowd was too large and moving too fast. Men, women and beasts, all rushing in different directions. Doctors and nurses fleeing for safety, soldiers firing in desperation. And seemingly from every direction came wolves, ravenous after a month in captivity, hungry for blood, hungry for freedom, and hungry for vengeance on their captors.

  Then he saw her, sheltering near the checkpoint. ‘Chanita!’ he shouted. A soldier shielded her from attack by a brown-haired wolf with slavering jaws. The wolf leapt and the soldier opened fire at point blank range, blasting the wolf between the eyes. The beast fell to the ground, dead.

  More bodies of wolves littered the ground, but the casualties were mainly on the human side. Doctors and nurses were cut down and savaged by the dozen. Soldiers fell too as the sheer number of wolves overwhelmed them. The remaining few pulled back toward the military vehicles. And still the wolves surged forward, jaws snapping, claws tearing. Their victory howls filled the air, drowning out all other sounds.

  ‘Withdraw!’ ordered the Colonel over his loudspeaker. ‘Fall back!’

  He ran to where Chanita stood, blood spattered over her face, but apparently uninjured. ‘Are you all right?’ he asked. ‘Are you hurt?’

  She shook her head.

  ‘Let’s get out of here. Now.’

  The battle was lost. The only imperative now was to evacuate the surviving troops safely. ‘Fall back!’ he ordered again.

  It had hardly been a battle, more a massacre. The handful of soldiers still on their feet followed his order, retreating to relative safety behind the Scimitar armoured vehicle, dragging wounded colleagues with them. More bite victims, reflected Colonel Griffin. More wolves to join the pack at the next full moon.

  The machine gun in the Land Rover opened up once it was safe to fire, clearing a circle around the survivors and keeping the attacking beasts at bay.

  Already the creatures were starting to disperse. Bodies of dead wolves lay heaped on the ground where they had fallen, but dozens or even hundreds more had escaped into the night. Their howls echoed from the nearby streets.

  The sound of approaching fire engines joined the howls of the wolves, and he could hear the thud-thud-thudding of helicopters in the distance. Reinforcements were arriving, but it was all too late. The army would never find the escaped wolves now. They would have to be hunted down, one by one. But each wolf had the capacity to infect countless more victims before they were caught. He had not just lost a battle tonight, but perhaps a war.

  Chanita squeezed his hand. ‘It wasn’t your fault,’ she said. ‘You couldn’t have known this would happen.’

  He said nothing in reply. He had known that something like this might happen. It was his job to anticipate. His combat experience had prepared him for unconventional warfare, and this was the most unconventional situation he had ever encountered. But he had allowed events to run out of control, and the blame for that lay with him. He looked up and the silver moon shone down on him, a stark symbol of everything that had gone wrong tonight.

  And towering over him, a reminder of how desperately he had failed, the blazing inferno of the hospital sent jets of orange flame high into the sky overhead, filling the air with choking smoke as ash rained down across the surrounding city blocks.

  Chapter Ninety-One<
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  West Field Terrace, South London, wolf moon

  Vijay felt like a conquering General returning with victory before him. He was light-headed with excitement. The medicines he clutched in his hands would prove his bravery beyond all doubt and deliver him his just reward. Rose’s heart.

  And they would cure Oscar too. He mustn’t ever forget that. He mustn’t allow himself to become selfish in his moment of triumph. He must remain humble at all times, or else what good would Rose see in him?

  He ran to Rose’s house and knocked quickly on the door. What would he say to her? He didn’t know. The words would surely come when he needed them. He would be brave, he would tell her that he loved her. And when she saw what he had brought, and how brave and resourceful he had been, she would say she loved him too. He knocked again, louder this time, unable to wait.

  The door opened and Rose stood there, silent. What had happened to her? She looked terrible. Dried tear tracks stained her pale cheeks. Her skin was flushed pink and her red hair dishevelled. She regarded him through blackened and bloodshot eyes.

  ‘Rose?’ he ventured timidly. ‘What’s wrong?’

  She didn’t respond, but stood in the doorway, her thin arms dangling limply at her sides.

  A wave of dread came to Vijay. Was he already too late? No! That was unthinkable. ‘Is it Oscar?’ he asked. ‘Is he …’ He couldn’t finish the sentence, but let it hang in the air between them.

  A tiny shake of her head reassured him. ‘But what, then?’ he asked. But he could hardly wait to show her what he’d brought. He held the boxes of meds up for her to see. ‘Look what I’ve got,’ he said. ‘I found everything on the list you gave me. Fluticasone, dornase alfa, the whole lot.’

  She brightened a little at that, but still seemed very subdued.

  ‘Can I come in?’ asked Vijay. As his excitement turned to disappointment he suddenly became aware how cold it was outside.

  Rose let him in, saying nothing.

  ‘Here,’ he said, passing her the packets of pharmaceuticals. ‘You must give these to Oscar. But first tell me what’s wrong.’

  ‘They took Mum and Dad,’ she said. ‘And Ben Harvey too.’

  Vijay gaped at her. ‘What? Who took them? Why?’

  ‘Ms Ali and the Neighbourhood Watch,’ said Rose. ‘They accused them of being werewolves.’

  Vijay blinked. He could hardly understand her words. ‘Werewolves?’ How could anyone have thought that? ‘Mr Harvey was one of the leaders of the Watch,’ he said. ‘How could that happen?’

  ‘Ms Ali did it,’ said Rose. ‘The men grabbed them and took them away. I’ll never see them again.’

  ‘No!’ cried Vijay. ‘Of course you will. We’ll go and find them. We can break them out, or … or … they’ll realize they made a mistake and let them go.’

  She shook her head despondently. ‘No,’ she said. ‘They’re as good as dead.’

  Vijay stared at her uncomprehendingly. He had arrived so full of confidence. Now everything looked hopeless. But he wouldn’t turn back now. He couldn’t. ‘Sit down,’ he said. ‘There’s something else I have to tell you.’

  Her eyes gazed back unseeing, but she did as he told her, and sat on a chair.

  Vijay sat opposite her, then changed his mind and dropped to one knee. ‘Rose, I tried to tell you before, at the hospital, but we were interrupted.’ She stared at him for an instant, then looked past him, her eyes unfocused. He pressed on. ‘There’s only one way to say this Rose. I love you. I’ve loved you since the first time we spoke, outside the school. Do you remember? You stopped me and you knew my name, and I wondered how someone so pretty could have noticed me. I wanted to say it ever since, but I wasn’t brave enough. Well now I am. And I’ll say it again. I love you, Rose. I’ll love you forever.’

  He could hardly think for the thudding of his heart in his chest. He stopped breathlessly and waited for her reply. His declaration had been a silly gush of words. Far too many. He should have slowed down and thought more about what he wanted to say. But it was too late now. The words were out. He had said them at last, and that was all that mattered.

  She looked down at him and held his gaze with her green eyes. His heart soared and he took hold of one freckled hand in his. Her skin, so smooth and delicate, looked even paler against his own chocolate complexion. He gripped her hand tightly, not caring that his palm was sweaty, not wanting to ever let her go.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she said in a quiet voice.

  Vijay’s heart came to a shuddering halt. Suddenly he could no longer hear it beating, he could only hear a ringing in his ears. Time seemed to stop and he felt a wave of bile rising in his throat. His flesh turned to ice and her hand suddenly felt hot as fire in his.

  ‘I can’t love you,’ she said, and each word was like a spear piercing his chest. ‘I’m so sorry. You have to go.’

  ‘No,’ cried Vijay. He must have forgotten to tell her something important. Didn’t she know what he’d done for her? For Oscar? ‘I stole those medicines,’ he said. ‘I’m just as strong as Drake. Stronger. I stole to help Oscar. I just wanted to help.’

  ‘I know,’ said Rose. Her face had hardened like steel, as if the words were painful for her to say, and she needed to force them through her lips. ‘You are stronger than Drake. Much stronger, and braver too. And I appreciate what for did for Oscar. But I can’t love you. It’s impossible.’

  He knelt silently for a moment, still holding her fingers, not wanting to let go. She didn’t pull away from him, but sat there, looking sad. And then he realized how foolish he must look, kneeling on the floor, pouring out senseless words, clutching desperately at the hand of a girl who did not love him, who had never loved him, and who never would. He got to his feet and stumbled away from her. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I should never have come.’

  Chapter Ninety-Two

  King’s College Hospital, Lambeth, South London, wolf moon

  Warg Daddy sniffed at the cold night air. A rush of smells assaulted him. Billowing smoke, falling ash, the burnt flesh of those trapped in the hospital inferno. He smelled diesel fumes as military vehicles, fire engines and ambulances arrived at the scene, far too late to save the building or its occupants. The acrid smoke from the fire sharpened the pain in his forehead and he tried to shut it out.

  He smelled wolves too. Hundreds had escaped into the night, making their own way to freedom. They were the seeds of a new generation of werewolves, spreading the condition far and wide in unpredictable patterns. The rise of the werewolves was unstoppable now, just as Leanna had promised.

  The plan had gone well. But his work here was not yet finished.

  He had changed into wolf form all too briefly this night. For a while he had tasted freedom, felt the wolf blood surge through his body, run on all fours, and feasted on the dead. The pain in his head had eased a little. But already the clouds had swallowed the moon again, and he and the Wolf Brothers had returned to human form. They had recovered their scattered and tattered clothes and taken clothing from the fallen soldiers too. They had also gathered the soldier’s weapons and amassed a good supply of SA80 assault rifles and combat shotguns. The Brothers would make good use of those in the days and weeks ahead.

  He had one more task to do now.

  He sent the Brothers home with the cache of weapons, keeping just Snakebite and Adam by his side. He waited until the three of them stood alone by the burning hospital.

  ‘Good work, Adam,’ said Warg Daddy. ‘We couldn’t have done this without you.’

  ‘Thanks,’ said Adam. ‘But it was all down to Snakebite’s plan.’

  ‘Yeah,’ agreed Warg Daddy. ‘It was a good plan. A clever plan. An excellent plan.’ He rubbed the spot on his forehead where the pain was greatest. It ached all the time now, unrelentingly, and no amount of painkillers seemed to help. But the pain in his head wasn’t his biggest problem.

  He could see the pride in Adam’s face, the way his eyes shone in the light of the flam
es. Adam had never once lost his pride. Even when Warg Daddy had gone out of his way to belittle him in the War Councils. Even when the Brothers had taunted and goaded him. Adam Knight had remained a proud man throughout.

  Warg Daddy had never permitted a rival to his leadership and he wasn’t about to start now. He’d seen the hunger for power in Adam’s eyes the very first time they met. He knew that desire to always be first, to win at all costs. He had only to look in the mirror if he wanted to see it. And Adam was one of the first werewolves, a close confidant of Leanna. A doctor too, using medical words with Leanna that Warg Daddy would never understand. A man like that would never be subservient to another.

  Snakebite had seen it too, of course. Snakebite saw everything these days. And he had a solution to every problem as well.

  ‘Snakebite’s plan isn’t quite finished yet,’ Warg Daddy told Adam. ‘There’s still one final job to do.’

  ‘What?’ asked Adam, a suspicious look replacing the pride of the previous moment.

  ‘Tidying up loose ends,’ said Warg Daddy.

  Snakebite raised his assault rifle and held it to Adam’s chest. ‘Don’t worry, Adam. We’ll tell Leanna you died bravely in battle. We’ll say you died a hero. She’ll never find out the truth.’

  Adam gasped. He clearly hadn’t seen this coming. He wasn’t as clever as he thought. ‘No,’ he said. ‘Please, I’m begging you. Don’t kill me.’

  ‘We have no choice,’ said Warg Daddy. ‘There can only be one leader. And I’m already Leader of the Pack.’

  Adam’s eyes darted wildly back and forth between him and Snakebite. ‘Let me go then,’ he begged. ‘I’ll run from here. I’ll go far away. You’ll never see me again, I promise.’

  Warg Daddy weighed his words. ‘Maybe you’d do as you say,’ he said. ‘Or maybe not. It’s not a chance I care to take.’

  Adam’s face contorted with fury then. He spat at Snakebite. ‘I thought you were my friend,’ he said. ‘I trusted you.’