F E V E R
Thirty-Six

A symphony of gunshots rang out as I dragged my mother with all my strength into the dark house where everyone else huddled together, trying to muffle their own screams. The door slammed and locked behind us but the sound of shots still echoed in my ears. I let go of my mother and moved towards the window, peering out from the curtains to try and see what was going on. I couldn't see the wolf, but the men were still standing alert with their guns cocked and ready, all of them craning their necks around to try and spot it.

I backed away, my heart hammering in my chest. My mother's arms found me and she held me tightly, so tight that I could feel her pulse match the speed of mine. I found no words to try and comfort her, to try and explain what was going on. But it seemed that she too had lost any form of speech the moment she saw that giant wolf spring on us.

That wolf wasn't the same one I had seen before. It wasn't the blue-eyed wolf. Still, that fact could not quell the fear that was settling in the house. I could hear the girls whimpering, some sobbing quietly into a shoulder or a pillow. It was seeping into the cracks in the floor and under the doors. It was intoxicating everyone until even I started to shake. I was going to die here, I was sure of it. How could I have faith in silver bullets when I had seen those things heal?

Even Emily, who had more strength than the rest of us, hid in the back bedroom with Sam's body. Whether or not she cried or hid out of fear, she did not try to settle our doubts. Right now we were all left with nothing but our darkest thoughts.

The silence, deathly still, was interrupted by the shaking of a door handle from the back of the house. A few of the girls cried out, but no one made a move. The handle jiggled more, echoing through the rooms. Every time it reached the room, I felt my mother quiver. My body echoed her reaction and I felt a tremble up and down my spine.

"Emily?" a muffled voice called.

I didn't recognize the voice. No one made a move, the fear immobilizing almost everyone in the room. My mother did a peculiar thing and released me, slowly moving towards it. I didn't protest as she made her way to the door. Her walk was light and awkward, almost as if she herself didn't know what she was doing. She reached for the knob, unlocked the deadbolt and the door swung open. Billy was sitting there with a shotgun across his lap, out of breath, nervously peering over his shoulder.

"Quick, Denise, girls, help me in."

There was no ramp for him to roll into the house and I swore I saw fear on his face. I moved forward to help my mother who had moved behind Billy, gripping the back of his chair. Together we pulled him into the house and closed the door behind him, locking out the scene.

"What's going on out there?" I whispered.

But Billy didn't acknowledge my question, "Let's move away from the door – come on."

I strained to listen for sounds of the fight, trying to find out if there was any hope for us crowded in this house. I could no longer hear gunshots or shouts ringing in the air. It was all too quiet. My eyes found the front window and I itched to go peer out through the sheer curtains. Was Billy hiding because it was all over? I was afraid of what I was going to see outside but my eyes wouldn't leave the sill. I couldn't stay here and cower, not knowing if we were just waiting here to die.

"Billy," I whispered, but my words just dissolved into the air; no one heard anything.

I glanced over at my mother who stood firmly between Billy and I. At first she looked so strong, holding her head high, but the longer I watched her the more I saw the small tremors in her arms and the tremble of her lips. To my surprise, she clutched at one of Billy's hands. Her body was tense, not brave, and the longer I watched her the less I saw my grown mother who constantly dictated what I was able to do, and the more I saw the person she really was. She was just a terrified woman who tried her best to mask it with the person I always saw at home.

Outside, someone shouted, drawing my attention back to the window. I held back whatever cry had been lurking in my throat and I moved forward, my footsteps inaudible as I crossed the room to the window. My eyes were wide and unblinking, waiting for a sign of something – good or bad. The shout lingered in the room and everyone else watched as I approached the glass and lowered my head to it, looking for something.

A patch of fog appeared on the window, shrinking and growing with each staggered breath I took. At first there was nothing, no wolves, no men, nothing. But then there was the a sound, something I couldn't put my finger on, and then a body was thrown against the side of the house with brute force. At the impact, everyone let out shrill cries, including myself. I stumbled back from the window, the glass still shaking in its frame. A pair of wolves slunk into my line of sight, both of them with cold, dark eyes.

More gunshots rang out and the wolves scattered, but my heart wouldn't stop racing. I spun around and looked at all the scared faces peering back at me, at the wall of the house that scarcely protected them from death. A panic started to bubble within me and without thinking, I ran. I passed by mother, Billy, and charged towards the back room where Emily cowered with Sam. She jumped when I thrust open the door, her hands locked around Sam's hand. He lay motionless, just as before.

"I-" I didn't know what to say.

My eyes fell on Sam's motionless body and there was suddenly this desperation inside. I needed Sam to wake up. We needed Sam. It was only moment until the wolves opened up the house like a can, picking each of us one by one. There had to be fear in my eyes because Emily's reflected the same emotion.

I dropped beside the bed and reached forward, my hands settling over Sam's chest. I could feel his pulse through his skin. It burned beneath my touch much worse than Jacob's ever had. I wanted to will my panic and my fears into him so that he would wake. I wanted to him open his eyes and change, save us all. A few more gunshots echoed, but they seemed to distant right then.

"Please," I murmured.

Emily's hand appeared over mine and for a brief moment I expected her to tell me that it was no use, but when I looked at her, her eyes were trained on Sam. She looked at him just as I was, willing him to wake.

"Sam, we need you," she whispered. "Please."

In the following moments, I couldn't tell if it was his heart that had picked up speed or if it was the quaking of the house as the wolves broke through the roof. As screams rippled through the air and debris showered the room, everything slowed down as I turned at met the same pair of ice blue eyes that I had been dreading – this was it.

I apologize for it being so short, but I wanted to get it out
as per requested. I know I am really bad at keeping
updates regular, but I promise you I have valid excuses: I
go to school, work, and have several other things that require
my full attention. Sadly, my writing has taken the back seat,
but so have my graphics!

I promise you all, I will finish Fever. I will.

INTIMATEGROOVE.