Chapter 18
The first casualty was Jack. The bullets from his M-16 assault rifle pummeled slug after slug of lead into the werewolves' chests. Finally annoyed, the savage wolves marked him as the most potential threat and decided to take the threat out.
Willows and her troops tried to delay the advance, but their handgun ammunition bounced harmlessly off of the wolves' fur. The first wolf to reach Jack was fifty percent larger than him, and had thick gray hair. He pulled back his paw and slashed the barrel off of the rifle. Jack glanced at his rifle, then up at the wolf. He yelled over the wolf's soldier, "Go! Get out of here!"
Lionel took his order and ushered the troops back through the way they came, despite Willows' protests. "We cannot leave him behind! No troop of mine gets left –"
"He just did," growled Lionel.
Instead of going out directly the way the came, though, they took a path that led around the wolf den that they hadn't seen on the way in. Huddled together, they made their way through. Lionel borrowed one of the troops' handguns and gripped it tightly, expecting for a wolf to pop up at any moment.
"Keep going!"
* * *
Clark was eating berries that he'd picked off of a tree when he heard Ellem calling him. "Ellem? Is that you? What are you doing here?"
"Clark, I'm sorry, there was a raid on the village. A wolf picked you up out of your room and was going to take you to the pack, but I shot him. He dropped you just outside of the gate!"
Clark was confused, not willing to believe that he could have slept through it, but continued to listen to him. He turned to consult Lance, but he was nowhere to be seen. He returned his attention to Ellem.
"Something chased the wolves out of their nest. They're out in the wild! We must take refuge!" Ellem led him through the woods, and although he didn't know it, Clark was being followed by Lance, who leapt from tree to tree silently.
They arrived at a large cave entrance, nestled deep inside the woods. Clark instantly recognized it as the cave Lance warned him never to go into.
"Ellem, I thought you said the wolves were out looking for us," whined Clark.
"Yes, yes, and we must hide here!"
"That's where the wolves sleep, isn't it? Won't they come back eventually?" he asked.
Ellem was silent for a moment, curious as to know how Clark could know this. He finally murmured, "Lance."
"What?"
Suddenly, Clark could hear gunshots coming from inside the cave. Moments later, Willows and her troops exited the cave, followed by Lionel, who was frantically shooting wildly into the entrance. It slowly dawned on Clark. "You betrayed me!"
Ellem feigned confusion. "Clark, what do you mean? And who are you people?"
Robinson perked up at the sound of Ellem's voice. "I know that voice."
"There was no raid. You purposely left me outside the gates, probably for them to come pick me up. You led me here."
"And you led us here," added Derrick.
"I don't know how, but you're working for them, aren't you? Why?"
Ellem chuckled. "Remember I told you that there is no certain rule to the curse of the werewolves? Did you think I was kidding?"
Ellem's grin seemed to pull itself back as a snout began to grow out from his nose. His eyes became wolf-like and acute. His ears migrated from the side of his head to the top. In moments, he was a werewolf, just like the ones the troops had just fought. And behind him, a dozen werewolves stepped out of the cave's mouth. In a hoarse voice, he uttered, "Surprise."
"Run!" ordered Clark. The troops decided to listen to the seventeen- year-old teenager and turned to run. Clark was going to stay and fight, but Lionel grabbed him by his shoulder.
"Are you crazy? Let's go!" barked Lionel. Clark nodded and followed him.
Ellem gave a strange wolf-chuckle and uttered strangely, "You won't get far!"
But from the trees fell a mighty beast, Lance. "They will if I have any say in this."
"Ah, brother!" chuckled Ellem. "Has the wild been treating you good?"
Lance turned and yanked an enormous tree several feet tall out of the ground and slammed it into Ellem's skull. "Don't call me that!"
Ellem groaned and slowly reverted back to his human form. "Afraid of the truth, Lance? Maybe now's not the time to be sharing stories, but it's been so long since we last talked."
Two werewolves tackled Lance and kept him pinned to the ground. Ellem smiled, "Much better. You know, I always did wonder why I could control my transformations and you couldn't."
"Oh, this is one of those conversations?" spat Lance. "Kill me now and spare me the dramatic dialogue"
Ellem chuckled again, evilly, "Sorry, brother. Just trying to rub it in, O' Damned One."
Lance roared and threw the two wolves pinning him down off of him. He leapt high into the air and landed on a branch above him. He waved his fist and yelled down at them, "My clan will not be happy! You haven't seen the last of me! And the next time we fight, it shall be the last!"
"No, it will be this time," chuckled Ellem. He reached into his tattered coat pocket and pulled out a revolver. Using his transformation abilities, he altered his eyes so he could take better aim and fired two shots.
They missed Lance narrowly, who leaped off the branch and swung to another tree, and then another. Ellem fired round after round and finally, on his sixth shot, hit Lance in the back of his neck. He shouted out a cry of pain and fell, transforming back to the human he once was in mid-air, and hit the ground, already dead.
Ellem gave a bow. "Farewell, brother. You were... well, what does it matter? You're dead. Go ahead, my brothers! Feast on his body. I'd join you but, well, I'm watching my weight."
And then he laughed maniacally.
The first casualty was Jack. The bullets from his M-16 assault rifle pummeled slug after slug of lead into the werewolves' chests. Finally annoyed, the savage wolves marked him as the most potential threat and decided to take the threat out.
Willows and her troops tried to delay the advance, but their handgun ammunition bounced harmlessly off of the wolves' fur. The first wolf to reach Jack was fifty percent larger than him, and had thick gray hair. He pulled back his paw and slashed the barrel off of the rifle. Jack glanced at his rifle, then up at the wolf. He yelled over the wolf's soldier, "Go! Get out of here!"
Lionel took his order and ushered the troops back through the way they came, despite Willows' protests. "We cannot leave him behind! No troop of mine gets left –"
"He just did," growled Lionel.
Instead of going out directly the way the came, though, they took a path that led around the wolf den that they hadn't seen on the way in. Huddled together, they made their way through. Lionel borrowed one of the troops' handguns and gripped it tightly, expecting for a wolf to pop up at any moment.
"Keep going!"
* * *
Clark was eating berries that he'd picked off of a tree when he heard Ellem calling him. "Ellem? Is that you? What are you doing here?"
"Clark, I'm sorry, there was a raid on the village. A wolf picked you up out of your room and was going to take you to the pack, but I shot him. He dropped you just outside of the gate!"
Clark was confused, not willing to believe that he could have slept through it, but continued to listen to him. He turned to consult Lance, but he was nowhere to be seen. He returned his attention to Ellem.
"Something chased the wolves out of their nest. They're out in the wild! We must take refuge!" Ellem led him through the woods, and although he didn't know it, Clark was being followed by Lance, who leapt from tree to tree silently.
They arrived at a large cave entrance, nestled deep inside the woods. Clark instantly recognized it as the cave Lance warned him never to go into.
"Ellem, I thought you said the wolves were out looking for us," whined Clark.
"Yes, yes, and we must hide here!"
"That's where the wolves sleep, isn't it? Won't they come back eventually?" he asked.
Ellem was silent for a moment, curious as to know how Clark could know this. He finally murmured, "Lance."
"What?"
Suddenly, Clark could hear gunshots coming from inside the cave. Moments later, Willows and her troops exited the cave, followed by Lionel, who was frantically shooting wildly into the entrance. It slowly dawned on Clark. "You betrayed me!"
Ellem feigned confusion. "Clark, what do you mean? And who are you people?"
Robinson perked up at the sound of Ellem's voice. "I know that voice."
"There was no raid. You purposely left me outside the gates, probably for them to come pick me up. You led me here."
"And you led us here," added Derrick.
"I don't know how, but you're working for them, aren't you? Why?"
Ellem chuckled. "Remember I told you that there is no certain rule to the curse of the werewolves? Did you think I was kidding?"
Ellem's grin seemed to pull itself back as a snout began to grow out from his nose. His eyes became wolf-like and acute. His ears migrated from the side of his head to the top. In moments, he was a werewolf, just like the ones the troops had just fought. And behind him, a dozen werewolves stepped out of the cave's mouth. In a hoarse voice, he uttered, "Surprise."
"Run!" ordered Clark. The troops decided to listen to the seventeen- year-old teenager and turned to run. Clark was going to stay and fight, but Lionel grabbed him by his shoulder.
"Are you crazy? Let's go!" barked Lionel. Clark nodded and followed him.
Ellem gave a strange wolf-chuckle and uttered strangely, "You won't get far!"
But from the trees fell a mighty beast, Lance. "They will if I have any say in this."
"Ah, brother!" chuckled Ellem. "Has the wild been treating you good?"
Lance turned and yanked an enormous tree several feet tall out of the ground and slammed it into Ellem's skull. "Don't call me that!"
Ellem groaned and slowly reverted back to his human form. "Afraid of the truth, Lance? Maybe now's not the time to be sharing stories, but it's been so long since we last talked."
Two werewolves tackled Lance and kept him pinned to the ground. Ellem smiled, "Much better. You know, I always did wonder why I could control my transformations and you couldn't."
"Oh, this is one of those conversations?" spat Lance. "Kill me now and spare me the dramatic dialogue"
Ellem chuckled again, evilly, "Sorry, brother. Just trying to rub it in, O' Damned One."
Lance roared and threw the two wolves pinning him down off of him. He leapt high into the air and landed on a branch above him. He waved his fist and yelled down at them, "My clan will not be happy! You haven't seen the last of me! And the next time we fight, it shall be the last!"
"No, it will be this time," chuckled Ellem. He reached into his tattered coat pocket and pulled out a revolver. Using his transformation abilities, he altered his eyes so he could take better aim and fired two shots.
They missed Lance narrowly, who leaped off the branch and swung to another tree, and then another. Ellem fired round after round and finally, on his sixth shot, hit Lance in the back of his neck. He shouted out a cry of pain and fell, transforming back to the human he once was in mid-air, and hit the ground, already dead.
Ellem gave a bow. "Farewell, brother. You were... well, what does it matter? You're dead. Go ahead, my brothers! Feast on his body. I'd join you but, well, I'm watching my weight."
And then he laughed maniacally.