"I'm outside," Clarisse said. She didn't wait for a response and ended the call. Her gaze moved ahead, and she tapped on the steering wheel. They were wasting too much time. Did she really have to go and get back up? What if they were hurting Chris because it took too long?
The passenger's door opened, and Clarisse turned her head. Reyna got in the car with a duffel bag on her lap. She put on her seatbelt, and Clarisse gunned it down the road. She spoke, "Lycaon and Ma Gasket decided to fucking kidnap Chris. They didn't tell me why and just told me to come alone."
"What's the plan?" Reyna asked. She was wearing a hoodie and pants. Her hair was tied back in a loose bun, and it looked like she had just rolled out of bed. Her hand, covered by a glove, moved to the duffel bag. She opened it.
"I'm going to kill those motherfuckers," Clarisse seethed as she turned a corner so hard it nearly bowled her over into Reyna. The werewolf grabbed the handle on the roof to keep from flying. As Clarisse slowed down for the next corner, Reyna placed both hands on the duffel bag.
"I have two guns loaded with silver bullets, and a knife made with silver. Along with a shotgun. One made for Ma Gasket's kind," Reyna detailed.
"Where the hell did your sister get the armory?" Clarisse grunted as she tried to keep her mind off her boyfriend.
"Her car," Reyna replied. "She had left it near the edge of town, so I paid a visit and got what supplies she had in there. We didn't want anyone to find it, and she feels more comfortable with a gun in her hand for some reason."
Clarisse grunted and gripped the steering wheel. Reyna looked at her, "He's going to be okay, Clarisse. I promise. You helped me save Hylla, and I'm going to repay the favor."
"What if Lycaon smells you? Clarisse muttered. "This was a bad idea."
"Hylla had scent block too. I used one. It lasts two hours and feels weird as hell," Reyna explained. "Clarisse, trust me. Okay?"
"I do," Clarisse admitted. She took a deep breath. "I should drop you off down the street, though."
"You should," Reyna agreed. She grabbed a gun from the duffel bag and slipped it onto a belt on her holster. A knife was placed there as well. "I can take out any guards they have on the perimeter. I'll meet you near the door."
"If you hear shots, get your ass in there," Clarisse ordered, shaking her head. "Fuck it. Just get your ass in there. I'm going right for Chris. I don't care what happens to me."
Reyna nodded. Clarisse stopped the car and told Reyna the address. She even pointed to the building and hated how much her hand shook. Reyna nodded and threw her hood over her head. She slipped out of the car and disappeared into the alley.
Clarisse took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She grabbed the extra pistol and checked the magazine. After making sure it was loaded and the safety was on, she slipped it into her pants, tucking it into her waistline. Her hand grabbed the two different knives. The shotgun rested on the seat, and Clarisse knew she wouldn't need any extra ammo.
The drive down the street was the longest of Clarisse's life. Her hands were shaky, and she was so scared for Chris. Not a fucking thing was going to happen to him, though. Clarisse stopped outside the building and studied it.
The building was two stories tall, and most of the windows were broken, with the rest having cracks. Graffiti covered the building. No one went to this part of town. Clarisse parked the car and looked around. It didn't look like there were any guards outside. She still grabbed the shotgun and carefully tucked it into her jacket.
Clarisse got out of the car and made her way toward the building. As she made it to the busted-in door, she found two of Lycaon's men waiting for her. Clarisse spoke, "Where the fuck is Chris?"
"Upstairs with the boss," one of them sneered. His gaze moved to the side, and Clarisse stabbed him in the throat with the silver knife. The other started to yell, but a hand covered his mouth as another knife stabbed through the back of his throat. Clarisse finished off the second asshole.
Reyna removed the knife and slowly looked at Clarisse. She pulled the hood off of her head, "Ready?"
"Yeah," Clarisse said. It wasn't hard to find the stairs as most of the walls were gone. As she made it to the stairs, carefully climbing up. The last thing she needed was to fall through the damn stairs. As she made it to the second floor, her shoulder slammed into the door, and her eyes scanned the room.
Her heart dropped to her stomach as she saw Chris sitting in a chair, hunched over. He was tied to it, with pain etched into his face as he slowly looked up at her. Ma Gasket stood next to him with a bloody pipe.
"You fucking bitch!" Clarisse snarled with hatred as she rushed forward. She heard a commotion next to her and turned. Claws nearly tore through her face, but Reyna slammed into Clarisse's attacker, knocking them away. Lycaon fell back in surprise and scrambled to his feet.
Clarisse didn't hesitate to launch herself at Ma Gasket. The two collided and fell to the ground. Clarisse rolled on top of Ma Gasket and punched the bitch in her eye. She felt a hand grab her shoulder and try to rip her away. Clarisse slammed her head back into theirs, and they fell away.
Clarisse turned and raised the pistol. She shot her attacker in the head, capped a second in their stomach, and then focused on one that had thrown Reyna off of Lycaon. She shot them in the head, and the werewolf collapsed. A look around showed that Lycaon had run out of backup.
The gun was thrown away, and Clarisse grabbed the shotgun from her jacket. She turned toward Ma Gasket but froze. Ma Gasket had both hands to Chris' head, ready to snap his neck. She seethed, "Cut it out now!"
"Get your fucking hands off of him!" Clarisse demanded heatedly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Lycaon had backed far away from them, and Reyna was getting to her feet as she watched.
"You fucking killed my sons!" Ma Gasket spat as she stared at Clarisse. "Then, you tried to frame Lycaon. I'll kill you, bitch."
"I didn't kill anyone!" Clarisse snapped. "Is that why you took Chris?! I didn't have anything to do with killing them!"
"Don't bullshit me! You killed my boys, so I'm going to return the favor," Ma Gasket spat.
"I didn't!" Clarisse yelled.
"I killed them."
The room fell silent as Clarisse slowly turned to look at Reyna. Ma Gasket did as well, and she slowly let go of Chris' shoulders. Reyna repeated herself, "I killed them. Clarisse had nothing to do with it. I killed them with no help."
Clarisse stared and felt her heart drop to her stomach. Part of her suspected it was Reyna, but she didn't want to believe it. She felt the shock quickly being replaced by anger. Reyna stared at Ma Gasket. Every single one of her muscles was tense.
Then, Ma Gasket launched herself at Reyna. She moved at a speed so fast it impressed even Clarisse. In fact, Clarisse had never seen a Cyclops move that fast. But, it didn't matter. Before Ma Gasket could collide with Reyna, three claws tore through her face. A scream of agony escaped the Cyclops.
Clarisse stared at Reyna. She had seen werewolves before in her life, but she had never seen one transform like that. In the army, most werewolves transformed before they went into battle, and once she was out of the service, she only interacted with Jason. He always had to stare ahead for five minutes with a look like he was going to shit himself as he tried to transform.
But, Reyna transformed in an instant. One moment her body was tense, the next, she had grown a few feet, had fur covering her body, and was tearing her claws right into Ma Gasket's face, nearly hitting her eye. Before Reyna could complete her kill, a transformed Lycaon slammed into her.
Clarisse ran to Chris' side and cut the rope. Chris slowly looked at her and tried to speak. Clarisse shushed him and picked him up quickly. Her gaze moved to the side, and she saw Lycaon and Reyna still grappling against the wall.
"It's okay, babe," Clarisse whispered as she moved Chris to the opposite corner and handed the shotgun to him. She kissed his forehead. "I'll be right back."
Anger consumed Clarisse as she turned back around. She saw Ma Gasket trying to get to her knees with both hands to her face. Clarisse walked towards the fallen lead pipe. She grabbed it and raised it above her head. Her gaze moved to the side, and she saw that Reyna had torn her claws into Lycaon's side. He hissed and pulled away from her.
Then, Lycaon launched himself into Reyna. The two slammed into the broken window, and the rotted wall had no chance as two werewolves plowed through it and outside. Clarisse swore under her breath and then looked at Ma Gasket.
"I want to make this slow," Clarisse growled. "Consider this your lucky fucking day."
Clarisse slammed the pipe as hard as she could into Ma Gasket's head. Maybe killing, maybe not. She didn't know, and she didn't give a shit. Clarisse ran back to Chris' side and gently picked him up. She hurried down the stairs.
"Clar...I..." Chris started to cough, and blood trickled out of his mouth.
"Chris, I have you," Clarisse promised. "I'm calling an ambulance as soon as I'm sure Lycaon isn't murdering Reyna. It's going to be okay, babe."
As she made it outside, she gently placed Chris against the car. Then, she turned to the two werewolves that had thrown themselves out the window. Both of them were no longer transformed, and Clarisse saw way more of Lycaon than she ever wanted to.
Lycaon had blood pooling below his head. Reyna was slowly getting to her hands and knees. Her hand was against her side. Clarisse took her jacket off and flung it at Reyna. Then, she grabbed her phone and knelt by Chris. Clarisse cradled him against her as she called an ambulance.
"Chris, stay awake," Clarisse whispered as she held him close. The anger simmered in her chest, mixing with concern. "You're going to the hospital, and everything will be okay."
"Clarisse," Reyna began. She sounded winded. Clarisse barely spared her a glance. "I'm sorry."
Clarisse just ignored her as she checked Chris for injuries. There was nothing visible that looked terribly bad, but those bastards probably gave him internal bleeding. Did she have enough time to kill them before the ambulance got there?
"I'm really sorry," Reyna continued. "I didn't mean to-"
"Leave me the fuck alone!" Clarisse spat.
"Clarisse," Reyna began.
"Leave. Me. The. Fuck. Alone!" Clarisse enunciated through gritted teeth. "Just sit there and shut the fuck up!"
Clarisse closed her eyes and took care of Chris. She didn't care if Reyna killed Ma Gasket's boys, but she did fucking care that her boyfriend got dragged into it. Clarisse kissed Chris' forehead and tried to calm down. Her boyfriend would be okay, and that was all that mattered.