Please don't kill me. :)
I know you all thought "Barry!" but this chapter was part of the last and I cut it because it would have been a really long chapter. But I feel that this will be important later on, so I'm putting it back in and... Barry will have to wait for next chapter (which, I might add, I HAVE started writing and it focuses on Hal so you do have that to look forward to, lol).
As usual, Being Human does not belong to me.
And many thanks for the reads and especially the reviews!
~Chapter Seven
It was practically all gibberish to Lindsey—and she hated that. About all she could grasp was that they weren't going home. What was that thing about Barry? Where in god's name was Barry? And who, or what, was Lycurious? She felt helpless. Well, knowledge was power.
"What the hell is going on?" Lindsey demanded, slipping under Liam—also eavesdropping—deftly and forcing her way into the conference. Her eyes wandered around the room, taking in Rob's triumphant posture, the tired and careworn look on Bryn's face, the simmering excitement in Caesar's eyes, Gabe's hands nervously pushing his hipster glasses up his long nose, and Tim's crinkled—and therefore worried—forehead.
"Out." Said Rob, pointing to the door.
Lindsey crossed her arms under her chest and spread her legs out, planting herself to the floor. "No fucking way." She glared. "Shit just happened—any dumb-ass can see that! From what I gathered, we don't have a home to go home to. We deserve to know what happened."
"The plans aren't finalized." Said Bryn.
"Well we sure as hell deserve a say in this!"
"Language…." Warned Rob with a pained expression. "Language!"
Lindsey bit her bottom lip and considered whether or not it was worth cussing Rob out. But however tantalizing giving away to her feelings was, she knew that indulging in them would only get her removed from the room. And she wasn't about to give ground. So she bit her lip harder, until the warm blood started to fill her mouth.
Rob sighed, but conceded to her. "You're right Lindsey. The pack does deserve to hear this. How we're going to Barry." He said.
This surprised Lindsey. Where were their convictions? Why wouldn't they stand up and fight? They were werewolves; damn it, and they were a pack. And yet every one seemed determined to flee. They'd just give up their home, their work—what was the use of being a werewolf? What was the point of all the senior pack member's combined work if they were just going to give it all up to avoid confrontation?
"You might as well come in Liam." Said Bryn. Liam stuck his head in sheepishly and grinned.
Rob rolled his eyes and said, "Go round up the pack."
"Alright…. Said Liam, and removing his head, he turned and yelled through his hands. "Meeting time everybody! Hup, hup!" He then let out a few shrill whistles.
Gradually the rest of the pack—and their handlers—tumbled in, joining her, the 'Big Five', and Liam. Ryan came in first at an easy jog; as a former med student he knew how to move at a smart, self-important clip. Lindsey glared at him—his earlier comments still rankled. Jamal, sauntering in behind Ryan caught the last of her glare and looked at her with a tilted head and a raised eyebrow that said "Really?"
Cole, evidently deciding that trying to teleport was not worth the extended time and effort such tricks cost him, walked in next with his broad shoulders leading the way. He was not a particularly talented ghost.
Milek and Natalia came in together; Milek with a glower that defied any attempts at conversation while Natalia clung to his impossibly buff arm and whispered soothingly in Russian. Milek knew English well enough, but he had a thick accent and rarely obliged anyone by speaking unless he deemed the conversation profitable. Natalia may have come from Lithuania, but years of TV watching and practice had reduced her accent to a charming, if barely noticeable lilt.
Finally, Tio stumbled in—yawning uproariously, running his hands through his black hair, and blinking huge brown eyes furiously. "I'm sorreeee." The young Bolivian werewolf yawned. He yawned again and then practically collapsed to a sitting position on the floor. Gabe, evidently finding Tio's yawn catching, also indulged in one. This set off Natalia, who cried "Mateo!" and swatted a perfectly manicured hand in Tio's general direction. Tio just grinned.
"Are we done yet?" asked Rob, somewhat acerbically.
"Mmmmm." Nodded Tio with a contented smile.
"Good." Said Rob, and wasting no time, repeated his refrain of going to Barry to the pack.
"Whaaaattt." Drawled Jamal, nudging Liam with his elbow. "Dang!"
"¿Qué" blinked Tio—who evidently was still very tired from the transfer, having switched to his native language.
"Where is that?" came Liam's voice.
"Wales." Supplied Rob.
All of the junior pack members' facial expressions could be summed up by the single expression of 'what the fuck?'. It was definitely what Lindsey was thinking.
"Why the hell are we going to Wales?" she demanded. "Why can't we go back home?"
"The den's gone—we don't have a home any more." Said Gabe morosely, unleashing a torrent of words from those assembled.
"Silence!" Rob raised his voice slightly and yet somehow effectively shut everyone up again. "Let me explain." He continued, in his calmest, professional, and most irritating manner. "Walter took over San Francisco; he killed Madeline. Langton Street is gone; it was arson according to the news reports Gabe's found."
"Walter thinks we be in there." Said Tio, eyes wide.
"Of course." Said Bryn swiftly. "Why do you think he burned the place down? He wanted us dead, and since that didn't work he was forced to show up here."
"I get that." Lindsey replied, losing the remnants of her patience. "What I don't understand is why we're running to Wales. And why the fuck you sold us out to Jim." She glared defiantly at Bryn.
"Bryn did no such thing!" Interposed Rob. "She bought us time."
"Time for what?!" Yelled Lindsey angrily, clenching her hands. "Time to turn tail and run like hell? Time to be cowardly and run off to god-forsaken Wales? Fuck, what happened to fighting? Are the Russian vamps that scary? Bullshit—we could totally take them! I thought we were a pack!"
"Lindsey, calm down."
Fucking Rob—going after her again! "Hell no!" Lindsey stamped. "Hell no! I'm not doing anything until you answer me why in god's name we're running away to Barry. Why?" She roared.
All at once Jamal was coming towards her, his soulful eyes worried. "Shshshsh girl." He said, gently placing his hands on her shoulders, looking down at her with the deepest concern. "It's alright Linds, just give them the chance to explain."
The wrath, that surging fire flared up within her. Lindsey held her breath for a few seconds before inhaling and exhaling deeply. Her mind flashed with conflicting thoughts—to give way to her anger or to let it go. She saw nothing—the world was a blur of nothing. For a brief moment there was nothing but the bestial rage within her. Bestial rage with a faint tinge of pain.
Then she felt Jamal, rubbing her shoulders, gently massaging them. She heard his soothing voice—"Shshsh. Everything's fine." He took her chin in his brown hand, cupping it gently. "Just look at me." He murmured. "There you go. Just look at me Linds."
Lindsey looked up and tried to see him—gradually he came into focus. She felt the rage seep out of her body. The world was becoming more grounded; she could distinguish things now—like the line in the munitions shed wall, or the discarded bouquet of wilting roses tossed in the corner. She could see the shock on Tio's sleepy face. The splatters of blood slowly pooling on the concrete beneath her.
She turned her hands over to look at her palms; they were wet and dripping. Dripping with blood. Her fingers were unusually claw-like, canine even. Everyone was rooted in place, frozen, watching her.
Lindsey felt almost curiously calm—detached was the word. "I'm sorry." She said blankly. "I'm sorry."
"First aide kit, Ryan." Said Jamal.
"Yes, of course." Said Ryan, and he pushed his way out the door.
"She start to transfer?" Tio asked plaintively, before Liam silenced him with a dig in the ribs.
"Phew." Came Jamal's voice, accompanied by a wry smile. "Phew." He repeated. "That's my girl." His smile widened and hugged he her, patting her gently on the back.
When Jamal put her down from the hug, Lindsey glanced at Bryn. The other female werewolf was looking at her, slightly wary—appraising her. Lindsey's heart raced.
But then Bryn said, "There you are, Ryan. Once you're done bandaging Lindsey up, I think we can continue. I believe Rob was about to tell us all exactly why Barry is such a brilliant place for the pack to visit just now."
