Disclaimer: I do not own "The Quarry" or any of the characters from it. I do own Annabelle and Sean. Just having a bit of fun here.
Author's note: Story consists of OC characters. I may deviate a bit from "The Quarry" mythology for the sake of the story, but will try to stay true to form. Thank you for reading.
PART 1
Six years. Six long, hard, depressing years. Travis' eyes darted to the clock on the wall, then down to his wrist watch. Almost time to get going.
Again.
Travis heaved a hard sigh and stood from his desk. His routine was simple each full moon, and by now his body was moving on it's own, going through the motions. Before he knew it, he was sitting in his squad car. He sighed heavily. "Let's get this over with."
Each full moon felt like an eternity; anticipation, fear, anger, and hope all coiled so tightly inside him Travis was surprised he made it through each night without having a heart attack.
The night air was a bit cold for this time of year, but spring wasn't officially here yet. The smell in the air told him soon, though. It was a small thing, but something he could still look forward to. He scanned the quiet town around him before ducking into his squad car, bracing himself for another night of hunting.
The dark night stretched out in front of him as he drove towards the woods. Dry lightening cracked across the sky, and the road lit up in front of him. Another crack, etching its way over the darkened woods. The lightening was unexpected and highly uncommon for this time of year this far upstate, but it could be useful if Silas was back. The next strike was close, closer than the others, this followed by a scream.
Travis slammed on the brakes, rolling his window down, waiting, hardly breathing. His instinct was to race towards the sound, but years of training kept him still. Another shot of silver through the sky. His engine hummed, low.
"Get back!" Male, loud, close.
"Sean, look out!" Female, louder.
Travis was out of the car, shotgun in his hands before he knew what he was doing. How much of his life and what he did each day was just on autopilot? He moved cautiously, but quickly, the sound of a struggle getting louder as he moved into the darkness of the woods.
The woods in North Kill were thick, and the lightening had ceased, but the moon offered enough light Travis could see the scene unfolding ahead of him. The wolf was dark, large, and looming on his hind feet, snarling at the two figures in front of it. His family, Chris, Caleb, and Kaylee, were meant to be locked up for the night, so who the hell was this?
Travis cocked his head to the side, raising his shotgun as he slowly moved forward. The man laid on the ground, clutching his arm, gasping in pain. The woman stood in front of him, tall, but no match for the wolf. Her left arm hung limply by her side, and she was breathing hard.
Why isn't it attacking? Travis thought, continuing forward.
Travis saw the blade a few seconds later, shining in the moonlight. It must be silver, but it wasn't big enough to be much use against a wolf. Still, the wolf stayed where it was, almost like it was considering it's options.
A loud snap broke the standoff, and Travis let out the breath he was holding. "Damn it," he swore, glancing down briefly to see the broken twig that betrayed his presence. Something so small shouldn't be so loud, but it brought everyone's attention to Travis. The woman turned, swinging her small blade with her, and the wolf saw the opening.
The wolf launched itself towards the woman's back, and she whirled back to meet it, swinging the blade at the wolf's muzzle. A high pitched squeal told Travis she'd made contact, but the wolf still landed on top of her, knocking her to the ground. It reared it's head back, and Travis took the shot. The shotgun kicked back into his shoulder, the blast smothering all other sound.
Please don't be one of mine, Travis thought, lowering the shotgun ever so slightly, slowly approaching the three bodies on the ground. In his peripheral vision he saw the woman lying motionless, while the man was curled tightly in a ball, breathing heavily, a low whimper coming from him.
Travis stepped closer to the dead wolf. Half of the head was missing, but the moon offered enough light to see the light hair, matted with blood. He leaned in closer, squinting to see if he could identify the body.
"Stop it, please, make it stop." Travis tilted his head to the side, watching the man shiver and quake, continuing his plea. "Stop it, please, make it stop."
"Son?" Travis turned his shotgun towards the pleading man. "Son, were you bitten?" Nothing. "Son?"
"There was another," the woman croaked, rolling to her side, clutching her limp arm. Travis' head swung back to the man, then around in a circle, breath caught in his throat.
"It bit him?" Travis asked, staring into the treeline.
"Yes," she gasped, trying to pull herself up.
"Did you hurt it?" Travis called over his shoulder. He heard her raspy breathing combined with the man's gasps. "DID YOU HURT IT?" He shouted, fear rising up inside him. How were there two new wolves? Or was…
Travis turned to see the woman slumped on the ground, unconscious. The man was breathing harder and faster now. There wasn't much time.
He didn't think; Travis just went with his gut. She wasn't light, but he managed to get her into a fireman's carry. His feet moved quickly, but cautiously towards his squad car, eyes continuing to dart back and forth for any sign they were being tracked or hunted. By the time they reached the car he heard a scream, and he knew it would be seconds before the mystery man, now a wolf, would be on them. He all but threw her in the back of the car before whirling to fire a warning shot in the wolf's direction. Travis slammed the car door shut, and dove into the passenger side, his heart pounding.
Six years. Six freaking years. His fingers dipped into the blood vial, smearing his face. Six damn years. He turned to brush blood onto the woman's face. Was this nightmare ever going to end? His squad car tore out onto the road, driving blindly into the night. Nothing behind them. Maybe I scared it off with the warning shot? He glanced back at the woman, still not moving, but breathing. This curse had complicated his life far beyond the scope he thought possible. Now he had two new wolves to worry about, a body in the woods, and a strange woman to add to the complication. Lucky him.