"So you're not mad at me." Loose asked again as she handed her mother a cup of coffee and sitting opposite from her at the kitchen table.
"Of course I'm not." she smiled contentedly at her daughter. "I was never angry. Concerned, yes. But I'm just glad you're safe now."
"I'm surprised you didn't call the police?" Loose joked. "Well.. Billie at least."
Loose's mother chuckled. "No, no. Of course not. To be honest I thought you'd be away with that boy."
"Artie!" Loose frantically fished through her handbag for her phone. "I was supposed to meet up with him." She looked at her phone: 18 missed calls. Loose giggled to herself. "I better give him a call."
All of a sudden the coffee mug smashed on the floor, sending shards of splintering china spurting across the floor.
Loose snapped her head up. "Mum?" Her mother was slumped back in her chair, one arm dangling limp above the shattered mug, there other clawing manically at her chest. Loose kicked her chair behind her and snatched her car keys from her bag. Instinctively she picked up her mother, supporting her weight and dragged her torturously slowly towards the door.
"Hang on. Hang on, mum." Loose knew she could get to the hospital faster than an ambulance could get there. Her mother was a dead weight leaning on her shoulder as Loose used sheer force to propel them down the hallway. The two bodies swayed and Loose stumbled and slammed her side in to the wall, knocking down mirror which shattered on her feet. When they finally reached door Loose wrenched it open with one gnarled hand, the other was clamped firmly round her mother's waist. Her car was only metres away but dragging her mother across the cobbled drive was excruciatingly hard. Once she finally managed to toss her mother fragile body into the car she strained the seat belt across her.
"It's ok, mum. It's gonna be ok."
Loose ran round to the drive's side, slamming the door she shoved the keys in to the ignition. The engine turned over, as her mother groaned in the seat next to her.
"C'mon. C'mon dammit!" she screeched as the engine spluttered. After a few painful seconds the car started and Loose launched out of the driveway. Loose pressed her foot down on the accelerator as hard as she could, desperately hurtling towards the hospital. The car barrelled down the winding roads speeding through every red light. Her mother's breathing suddenly became very quiet. Loose glanced round to look at her momentarily. When she look back she saw a figure in the middle of the road, thinking it was a person she hit the breaks, hard. The tyres squealed like a wailing child. Knowing it was too late, Loose watched helplessly as the car spun out of control. They spiralled closer to the darkened figure- a wolf, howling in the road.
The car rolled. The roof of the car collapsed inward, the crunching metal sounded like the tolling of bells. Loose through her hands up as the glass from the windscreen burst across her face. Loose suddenly wailed in agony. She felt a huge weight crush violently in to her lower abdomen. The contorted mass of metal and bodies finally rocked to a halt. Loose felt all her energy dwindling, she new her mother next to her had already gone. She didn't know if the car was upright or not and she felt herself drenched in blood but she couldn't tell where it was coming from. The pain in her abdomen was scorching and unbearable, she almost welcomed the cool embrace of death to save her from the agony but she was terrified. She wanted to live. Loose then felt a dark shadow cast upon her face and look through the broken window to she a man gradually advancing towards the car.
"H-h-help…"Loose choked through a mouthful of congealing blood.
The man made no move to rush. He was tall, with chiselled features and dark slicked hair.
"Help," Loose breathed through tear-filled eyes, urging the man to hurry. She languidly outstretched one bloodied hand through the broken window.
The man clasped her hand. He drew his face close, lapping some of the blood from her palm. Loose quivered in horror, she desperately wanted to drag her hand but the man's hypnotic gaze rendered her immobile.
"Loose," he hissed, grinning widely at her.
"W-w-wha…How do you…"
"Ssshh." he hushed her softly.
"Answer me something, Loose. Do you want to live?"
"Yes." she burbled through a fresh clot of thick blood.
"Nothing is without a cost," he smiled stroking her hand. "Are you sure?"
"Yes!" she cried without hesitation. "YES!"
The man smiled, his lips fully pulled back over his sharpened teeth and leaning closer towards her whispered. "As you wish,"