Run With The Wolves
☾ XXIV ☽

When I felt like I was coming back to reality, I realized I was laying on the cold, wet ground. My face was pressed into the dirt. My clothes were sticking to my skin from being soaking wet. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in faint darkness. This was familiar, waking up in a place where I'm not supposed to be. The moon's light was feint through the trees. I could only get glimpses of shadows and figures in front of me.

I closed my eyes once I noticed the throbbing pain around my head. It was unpleasant but I recognized it, too. I had to have hit my head again to feel this kind of pain. That’s what got me frustrated. I’m tired of hitting my head!

“You!” A woman shouted at me. I recognized her voice but I couldn’t even turn to look at her. The last thing I needed was her yelling at me.

The throbbing pain made me groan weakly. My eyes were shut tight from the pain. I tried to get up but my arms were shaky. It would be a good idea to stay down on the ground, but it was cold from the rain.

It’s still...raining.

The droplets hit the side of my face. There was a loud sound of thunder, but the rain’s intensity didn’t match it.

The collar of my jacket was yanked on and I was brought up to face the woman with dark hair. She had a bright red glow to her eyes, a threatening look that made my heart race. “You’re Henri’s little toy, aren’t you!” It’s Sheila. Her scowl was what gave her away. Henri said he wanted to kill her before she killed him.

We’re in the forest because they were ran off here. She knows that. So why go through all the trouble to get me? I couldn’t glare at her. The throbbing in my head made it hard to keep my eyes open. I let my head lull back, and she shook me abruptly to get me to focus.

“I can’t believe Henri continues to be so weak and pathetic for a small portion of his lingering humanity.” She complained through her teeth, a low snarl that made me tense up.

What am I supposed to say to her?

“He’ll definitely come find you.” She was doing this out of spite.

Henri’s not the only one that will come find me. I didn’t have the energy to tell her that.

She dropped me on the ground again when I didn’t respond to her statement. I couldn’t show my fear either. When I hit the ground, my fingers curled in the cold dirt to get a grip to lift myself up. I just didn’t have the energy. All I could do was lay there.

“I don’t see what’s so special about wanting to hang around humans.” She continued to complain, walking around me. “He’s done this before, and time and time again, he’s forced me to show him that all of you are nothing but flesh and blood.”

She said all that with as much animosity she could. She had decades of hatred for what Henri has been doing. His behavior hasn’t changed since. He’s at the point where he’d turn on his whole society to get them to leave humans alone.

“Now he’s walking around with dogs!” She yelled.

While she let out her frustration, I tried to get myself up again. My body was shivering from the cold and water that soaked my clothes. It would be easier to lay on the ground, but I can’t let her kill me. I can’t let that satisfy her. Someone will come get her. I just have to last as long as I could. Even as my arms were shaking, I held my weight up, getting myself up on my knees before I tried to stand on my feet. My hands pressed on the bark of a tree to hold myself up; with all the strength I had left, all I could do was lean against the tree.

It took a lot of energy. There was a sore spot on my back when I leaned against the tree, an unpleasant dull pain right at the base of my neck. When I leaned my head back, the throbbing only got worse.

What am I going to do?

Sheila was pacing around, muttering to herself in anger, but she wasn’t really focused on me. I took a quiet breath and put my hands in my jacket pockets. In one of them, I could feel a rough item brush against my fingers.

I grabbed it, but didn’t take my hands out of my pocket.

“What makes you so special?” Sheila stalked towards me. “You’re no different than anyone else- just a pile of bones, flesh, and blood, waiting till your death.” she stood in front of me, emphasizing every word to scare me.

To say I wasn’t scared would be a lie.

If she wasn’t so focused on her anger about Henri, maybe she would be better tuned to me holding on to a wooden stake. I took a chance, though I knew full and well that she could stop me at a moment’s notice. She’s faster and stronger than I am.

But she thought I was weak and helpless.

She thought I wouldn’t do anything to help myself. Was it because she hit me so hard that she knocked all of my energy out of me? Or because she believes that humans can’t do anything for themselves? I saw the hate in her eyes, and that’s when I realized she wasn’t like me at all.

She wasn’t like Henri.

She only sees me as a food source. Nothing more.

“I’ll kill you, then show your bloodless body off to Henri.” she snarled, bearing her white teeth at me.

It was like I got a glimpse of my entire life before my eyes. But I wasn’t going to let it end like this. I wasn’t going to give up despite the throbbing of my head or the pain in my back.

As she opened her mouth wider, her fangs sharpening, I moved my right hand in front of my chest, stabbing her with the wooden stake. I knew it pierced her skin by the way her expression change, the shock on her face as she looked down to see me holding the stake that was at her heart.

I didn’t use enough force to kill her but it was enough to paralyze her.

“You little shit!-” She sputtered when I pushed harder.

I wouldn’t have been able to stab her deep enough in one swift movement, but I was doing the best I could. Now we’re at the same playing field. I’m weak and she can’t move.

“Henri’s my friend.” I whispered, and pushed again with the strength I had left, killing her with the wooden stake.

Her weight fell on me and it’s not like I could handle holding her up. I fell on the ground with the cold body and for a moment I didn’t have the strength to get myself up. So I laid there.

The body began to wither away to ash.

By then I was by myself. If I don’t get up, I won’t be able to make it home. I can’t keep expecting for someone to find me. I have to get home before something worse happens.

I got myself up, this time no better than the first. I had to take a moment to find balance on my feet. My clothes were soiled in dirt and ashes. My face felt caked in it, too. I was about to wipe my cheek but saw how my hand was covered in the wet dirt. All I could do was ball my hand up and look around to find out where I was.

The forest.

That was it.

I have no idea how far I am away from home. I don’t know what time it is. I patted my pants pockets for my phone but I didn’t have that on me. It probably fell out when I was knocked over the first time.

I was on my own for now.

So I picked a direction and started walking. There was this idea lingering in my head, that if I walk far enough I’ll reach some place that will be noticeable to me. I don’t think I’m that far away from home, but it’s not like I know where I am in the forest.

My parents are probably worried.

That’s when I remembered I was supposed to bring my mom’s badge to her.

Have I been gone long?

I stopped walking for a second. I was already breathless though I didn’t go that far. My clothes were uncomfortable to be in. I was cold but I was sweating, probably from stress and pain. My eyes wandered around in the faint darkness, but there was nothing I could recognize.

The leaves were rustling as if someone was stepping closer. I tried to listen over the sound of rain but it was hard. My gut told me that someone was coming, and it wasn’t good. I didn’t move, even when the sound faded. I peered more into the darkness to find a few figures by the trees. It took me seconds to realize that a group of vampires were watching me, and I had a feeling they knew I killed one of them not too long ago.

Now what?

I have no idea what to do to save myself.

I didn’t have the strength to run even if I wanted to. I was tempted to just sit on the ground and hope they leave me alone. My heart was pounding in my chest, almost making it hard for me to breathe. Tears welded in my eyes because there was nothing I could do.

I was scared.

When I heard noises behind me, I quickly turned towards the sound. There had to be more of them coming towards me. Twigs were snapping under the weight of their feet, puddles were being splashed into. Though...the sound wasn’t the same as the vampires coming near me.

Bright blue eyes were coming out of the darkness. In the shadows, large animals were stalking towards me. I had an overwhelming sense of relief that almost made me pass out. They walked around me, making their way in front of me to get to the vampires that were not too far away. One of the wolves brushed up against me, and I was tempted to stay near him to feel his warmth. My feet couldn’t move however. I couldn’t go any further.

The silence was chilling.

For once, the wolves weren’t growling or snarling to be threatening. I had expected to hear their noises but I didn’t. They stopped a distance in front of me, facing the vampires that were hiding behind the trees. There were ten wolves protecting me, surrounding me so the vampires couldn’t get to me.

I stumbled back, unable to hold up my own weight. “I got you...” Henri caught me before I could fall to the ground. His arm wrapped around my waist and he held me up against him. “We’re leaving.” He sounded confident that we could get away.

The wolves would be able to handle the rest of them.

Right...?

I closed my eyes, and my hands clutched tightly on Henri’s jacket. Every time he has to carry me out of harm’s way, I end up getting dizzy. I already have a headache, I don’t need to make that worse.

The wind brushed against my face. Because of the rain, the wind felt like ice on my skin. I didn’t like the feeling, but I endured it so I would have the chance to open my eyes and see that I wasn’t in danger anymore. I held on to Henri with all the strength I had because I wanted to believe that he could get me out of harm’s way like he did those other times.

But something collided into him, and I was knocked out away from him. My right side hit against something hard, probably a tree, and I fell on the ground. There was a loud crashing sound, deeper than thunder, like a tree bark was broken into. In the distance, I could hear Henri groaning. He wasn’t close to me.

As I moved up on my hands, I felt a sharp pain on my right side where I hit the tree. I couldn’t lift up my weight without that sheering pain cutting into me. It knocked the breath out of my lungs and I fell back on the ground. What are the chances that I broke a rib? Maybe more than one?

“...Henri...” I whispered. Could he hear me?

A light touch brushed against my shoulder. I was almost reassured that Henri was here to pick me up because I couldn’t move.

There was another clashing sound above me that rang in my ears. The light touch over my shoulder was gone in seconds, and I was being roughly pulled up.

“Come on, Gabriel!” Henri was trying to get me to move.

Who touched me before?

The pain to my side returned, the unpleasant sharpness that made it hard to breathe. I choked on my scream and tried to push Henri away so he would stop hurting me. He probably didn’t realize that I was in pain. His hands let go and I fell to the ground again.

“I c-can’t.” My voice was raspy from breathing roughly.

Someone whistled in the distance. Henri tensed up at the sound, his movement sharp beside me. I looked up to find him gazing in a different direction, seeing what I wouldn’t be able to. “Oh no...” he breathed.

Something bad was about to happen-

Henri was pulled away from me abruptly. A sharp gust of wind blew past me, and I was left alone. I could hear fighting not too far off. I lifted my head to look at the blur of figures that moved between the trees. If I could help, I would.

I was scared for Henri.

One dark figure fell from the trees, impacting the ground hard enough for me to feel shaking beneath me.

“Why am I not surprised, Henri!” A man shouted in the direction of where the body fell. “I knew you’d become a traitor at some point.”

I tried again to get myself up. I had to see if Henri was okay. As I moved my weight on my knees, something pressed against my back. I was shoved back on the ground and kept there by a weight on my back.

“Choosing to side with humans is pathetic.” The man said loudly.

Someone else was keeping me down. They were being aggressive to keep me on the ground. The pain at my side only got worse, bringing me to tears. Crying didn’t help. In fact I could barely breathe.

“For some reason, you never learn your lesson. How many people will we have to kill to show you how disposable they are?” The man asked him in the darkness. I could hear Henri breathing, struggling, probably in pain.

They were hurting him.

I couldn’t tell how many were near him. There was one on top of me, but there had to be multiple near Henri.

Were the wolves okay?

I began to panic.

“Since you killed Sheila, now I’ll have to kill you.” The man said.

No! They think Henri did it! I screamed to get his attention. They’ll kill Henri for what I did. “I killed Sheila.” I shouted, desperate for them to listen to me.

“Gabriel!-”

“I killed her! Not Henri!” I kept going despite Henri wanting me to keep quiet.

“Did you really?” The ominous voice was suddenly in front of me. A cold hand brushed against my face, lifting my head up. “And it seems like you have a jewel hidden on you somewhere.” He continued to touch me despite the pain.

My skin was burning, too. I didn’t realize my other wounds until he touched me, causing the pain to surge through my body. I had a bit mark somewhere, but I felt pain everywhere in my body. It didn’t matter.

“So you killed Sheila.” His fingers traced down to my shoulder and my arm. “You think you can save Henri by offering yourself up?” He held on to my wrist, lifting my arm back. I didn’t know what he was doing, but the pain to my side got worse.

I gritted my teeth, wanting to hold back the tears, but the pain was too much. “Please,” I begged quietly. “Don’t hurt Henri.”

This is my fault.

The vampire laughed darkly. He wasn’t going to listen to me. I have no idea why I tried. My tears fell over my cheeks as I shifted uncomfortably underneath the weight on my back. The man that was holding my arm didn’t care about me.

I knew what was going to happen next.

“I’m sorry to say I can’t keep that promise.” He said. “Lucky for me though, I can show Henri why he’s made a mistake.”

In a split second I felt a stabbing pain in my arm from being pulled too hard. I screamed in agony because I could literally feel my bone twisting. The two of them laughed as I screamed in pain, and that just made me more frightened. Henri was shouting for them to let me go, but that didn’t happen.

They were going to torture me.

I choked on my breath due to the pain in my ribs. Being pressed down on made everything worse.

“Henri can’t save you.” The vampire laughed at me. “No one will save you.” He was enjoying hearing me scream. I have never experienced this kind of terror in my life.

I didn’t want to believe what he said, that no one would save me. But the pain began to take over and I could feel myself about to ask them to kill me. I couldn’t take it anymore. It was like I was being broken apart.

My ears were ringing. The sound around me began to muffle, the shouting, the yelling, the heartless laughing. Henri wanted them to let me go, but they wouldn’t. My fear was beginning to overwhelm me. I was terrified of them killing me.

I was terrified of being ripped apart.

I didn’t want to believe that no one would save me, but my heart was beginning to ache with so much fear that this was how I was going to die. I cried and screamed as if that would stop the pain.

It wouldn’t.

But I couldn’t stop because it hurt.

It hurt so much.

The weight on my back was gone and I was shoved over on my side. It was hard to breathe so I moved on my back, though that didn’t make it any better. I couldn’t feel my right arm. I couldn’t feel my fingers. It was like I had this dead weight attached to me. Yet there was a numbing pain at my shoulder that continued to bring tears to my eyes.

I tried to breathe through it but it was hard.

My entire body was throbbing and it wouldn’t stop.

The noise around me was faint. There was rumbling near by, and other noises I couldn’t make out clearly. Everything was muffled, like my ears were clogged, probably because of the pounding in my head. My breathing was ragged, every time I tried to inhale, I felt a terrible pain at my side. I wanted to listen to what was going on, but the pain made it difficult.

It just hurt.

Something touched my face, and I almost began crying again. I could barely see through my tears. “Gabriel...” Ty whispered above me, cupping my cheek gently. I bit the inside of my lip to keep from crying but I couldn’t help it. I was in so much pain. “It’s okay. We’re going to get you out of here.”

He lifted my arm up a bit, moving it closer to my side. I groaned weakly because I couldn’t scream anymore. The pain was still there though. He shushed me quietly and reassured me that everything was okay, that he was going to get me out of here.

“Is he okay?” My eyes followed the sound of Henri’s voice. “He’s bleeding from somewhere.”

“His arm is broken.” Ty tied something over my shoulder. “If we move him, he’ll definitely feel it.”

I didn’t want them to move me. I can’t take the pain anymore.

“Can you...” Ty let his question trail off. I didn’t know what he was going to ask. Or maybe I passed out.

“Gabriel?” Henri asked quietly. “I’m going to take off your ear piercing, okay?” His hands touched my face.

He’s going to help me calm down.

His fingers brushed against my ear to unscrew the bar. There was this lingering fear that made me shake. Or maybe I was in too much pain.

“It’s okay.” Ty whispered to me. I nodded towards him though I was still shaking. “I’m right here.” His finger brushed my cheek to catch the falling tear. “I’m right here.” He whispered again, keeping my attention.

I focused on him reassuring me.

I focused on Henri’s hands in my hair.

I focused on Ty holding on to me, keeping me warm.

That was enough to calm me down, to slow my heart, to make it seem like I was crying for nothing. The pain was still there but in a sense...it didn’t hurt as much.

In fact, I was able to close my eyes and that was it.

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