It was around nine o'clock, and Gray was still with Jody and Claire. Jody hadn't gotten a hold of their 'experts', which seemed to briefly worry her- but then she was busying herself with something else. Jody seemed rather worried that Alex, her adopted daughter, was not home yet as well. Claire, on the other hand, seemed oblivious to the situation. Jody had asked Claire to busy Gray, whatever that meant, so they were back in Claire's room. Bear was resting on the floor, his head resting on his big paws as his tail thumped against the ground. Claire was laying on her stomach on the bed, back on her laptop, her icy eyes staring at the screen. Gray was leaning on Claire again, her head nestled in the small of Claire's back as she stared up at the ceiling. Her memories came flooding toward her, as they always did when she let herself off guard.
"C'mon, I don't wanna do this." Nia said, wringing her hands together nervously. "I already said I didn't wanna see you anymore. You're crazy, you're twisted."
"Shut up." Marie snapped. "You're always such a whiny little bitch,"
"Don't call me that," Nia snapped. "You're the bitch. You said you just want to talk, why are we here?"
They were by the outskirts of the town, with Marie's crazy eyes staring at Nia in an odd, scary way. "Because we're talking," Marie spat. "How dumb are you?"
"I'm not dumb," Nia snapped, "you're just a bitch. I'm going home, I don't want to talk to you."
"You're not leaving me!" Marie yelled, grabbing Nia's arms. Her nails dug into Nia's flesh.
"Let go!"
Marie's eyes were crazy, bearing into Nia's soul. "You will be mine, Nia, forever. You said you wouldn't leave,"
"That was before I knew you were insane!" Nia growled, trying to break free, but it was useless. Marie was way stronger than Nia, almost inhumanly strong. Nia could feel the bones splintering beneath Marie's grip as the snarls of the creature in the thick throng of trees by the city made itself known. "Stop! Let me go!"
"Now," Marie purred, "you're not gonna like this one bit... but I will,"
"Gray, Gray!" Claire snapped her fingers by Gray's ear.
"Wha-?" Gray bolted upright a bit. "Claire, wha-?
"I was trying to get your attention." Claire stated. "Jody wants to know what you want for supper,"
"Oh, I.. I don't mind." Gray murmured.
"What's up with you?" Claire asked, sitting up. Since Claire was sitting up, it caused Gray to need to sit up as well, though the moment Claire folded her legs Gray found herself resting her head in the girl's lap. "What are you-?"
"It's comfortable." Gray said passively. She stared up at Claire, their eyes locking, and for that moment it seemed as though she and Claire were the only two in existence. Gray's wolfish instincts pulled her toward Claire, drove her to protect the girl... but still, Gray felt incomplete- like someone was missing. Claire's pale fingers began to run through Gray's frayed hair, gently wrangling the locks into braids. "What are you doing?"
"Braiding your hair," Claire said simply. "It's, uh, soft."
"Thank you," Gray murmured. She continued to stare into Claire's eyes, her gaze soft and curious. Claire returned the gaze, her fingers massaging Gray's skull. The action was almost enough to put the werewolf to sleep. Her eyes were half shut when she heard her phone go off, to which Gray sat up to grab the device. She nearly dropped the device when she saw the messages on the screen.
From: Unknown, 9:15 p.m. : i know u r here
From: Unknown, 9:16 p.m. : ive found u
From: Unknown, 9:16 p.m. : u cant escape me, wolfy, i have some1 of urs
"No," Gray murmured, dropping the phone. "No, no, no.." Bear began to whine, and Gray's actions began to worry Claire.
"Gray, what's wrong?" Claire asked, frowning. Gray bolted to her feet.
"Where's Jody?" Claire asked, "Or her daughter? Where are they?"
"Relax, Gray." Claire said, rolling her eyes. "Jody went to get food."
"Claire, c'mon, we gotta go check on them." Gray said. "Please, we just have to. You gotta trust me."
Claire sighed, but stood. "Alright, alright.. let's go."
Gray gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles turning white. Bear whined softly, almost as nervous as his master. Claire was chewing on her lip, wringing her hands together. "Gray, you're scaring me. What's up?"
"I.. I got a text,"
"Oh, wow." Claire rolled her eyes. "You got a text."
"I got a text saying someone had someone of mine.. I don't know what it means, but you gotta trust me." Gray said softly.
"Fine, fine.. but why did you have to bring the dog?" Claire asked, sighing.
"You'll see. Just trust me." Gray said. "Where did Jody go?"
Claire gave Gray the directions, and that was where Gray took them. She parked her truck in the parking lot of the fast food restaurant, taking a deep breath before she got out. Claire mimicked Gray's actions, watching as Gray grabbed Bear's leash. She hooked it to the dog's collar before she moved the seat to let the dog out, who jumped onto the ground and began sniffing. "Hey, there's Jody's car," Claire said, gesturing toward the vehicle with her chin. Gray frowned and jogged over to the vehicle, looking inside.
"Looks like there was a struggle," Gray murmured, "the food is still in there, but Jody isn't." Gray turned and found Claire holding something in her hands.
"This is a piece of Jody's coat," Claire said simply.
Gray frowned and approached Claire, taking the scrap of fabric and offering it to Bear. The dog sniffed it willingly, whining. "Good boy," Gray murmured, "go find them." Bear gave a soft bark before he began snuffling at the ground. He paused for a moment, gave a trailing howl, and began to run. Gray grabbed Claire's arm, pulling her behind herself and the St. Bernard.
"How do you know this dog knows what he's doing?!" Claire exclaimed, trying to keep up.
"I trained him!" Gray answered. "He's a tracking dog!"
"What does he track?!"
Gray paused, then answered: "The things in the shadows." Claire didn't answer after that, and Gray didn't say anything either. They came upon the woods, which seemed to frighten Bear. He stopped at the edge of the treeline, whining and pacing. "Good boy." She patted Bear's head, watching the forest. "Jody's gotta be in there,"
"We gotta go in." Claire said.
"Are you crazy?" Gray asked. "Bear won't go in, that means there's something in there. Something.. inhuman."
"You're inhuman, Gray. What's there to be afraid of?" Claire rolled her eyes and entered the forest.
Gray glanced down at Bear, who looked woefully up at her. "Yeah, I know, she's a crazy one." Gray sighed, pulling Bear into the forest with her.
It didn't take long for Gray and Bear to catch up with Claire. "You really shouldn't run off like that," Gray panted, grabbing Claire's shoulder.
"Shh," Claire hushed Gray, swatting at her. Gray frowned, opening her mouth to say something, but was hushed when Claire pointed to a decrepit cabin. It appeared to be falling apart, the ceiling caving in and the wooden walls and porch beginning to be eaten away by worms. Bear began to growl when he saw the cabin, his hackles raising. Gray didn't think she'd ever actually seen Bear like that.
"Bear, no," Gray hushed him, causing the dog to settle slightly and lick his lips. "Jody's in the cabin, isn't she?"
"I don't know." Claire admitted. "But.. I saw something go in there,"
"What was it?"
"If I knew what it was," Claire said, "I would've told you."
"No need to get all sassy," Gray frowned as Claire grabbed her arm, leading her toward the cabin. "Hey! Don't we need a plan or something?"
"We don't need a plan," Claire snorted, "we have a hunter, a giant dog, and a werewolf." Claire grabbed the rusty doorknob, twisting it. The noise the doorknob gave as it turned was high-pitched and attention-drawing. Gray winced, as did Claire.
Gray looked over at Claire, "You wanna draw all the monsters out toward us?"
"Hush," Claire said, frowning. "Nothing's gonna get us."
"Somehow I find that to be wrong," Gray muttered, pulling Bear inside as she followed Claire. The rotting wood creaked unpleasantly beneath their feet, causing Bear to whine and Gray's heart to race. She could smell something... familiar, something unpleasant and cruel. Gray held tightly to the leash with one hand, rubbing her arm with her free hand at the same time. She wanted to be home with the Samuels, with them alive, just watching old TV programs as Hattie and Ed exchanged stories of long ago, petting Bear's head, not having to worry about the position of the moon or anything else. Gray nearly walked straight off a drop off, but Claire grabbed her arm and held her back.
"Dude, chill," Claire said. "You almost fell down the stairs."
"Stairs?" Gray paused, tilting her head as she began to listen. She could hear someone breathing, someone crying. "There's someone down there."
"Let's go, then," Claire said, beginning to creep her way down the old rickety stairs.
"Claire," Gray whined. "We shouldn't. We should go, c'mon.."
"No! If Jody's down there, then we gotta get her." Claire insisted. "Don't be a baby." Gray frowned, but she followed Claire down the stairs. Bear whined softly, his tail between his legs as he followed his master and Claire into the darkness. Gray squinted, unable to see anything through the thick darkness of wherever they were, and she doubted Claire could see either. As an act of impulse, and maybe a little fear, Gray snatched Claire's hand in her own. "What are you doing?" Claire asked, seeming a bit more skeptical than the couple times before.
"I can't see. You can't see. We should stick together," Gray said. "Probably won't be good if we get separated."
Claire hesitated for a moment, then agreed. "You're right." She muttered, her fingers closing around Gray's. Bear whined uneasily, causing Gray to tighten her grip on the leash until she was practically holding on to Bear's collar. They wandered in the darkness for a while, their eyes adjusting to the light, until Gray was able to make out a familiar shape: a flashlight. She nudged Claire in the side gently, gesturing toward it. Claire picked it up in her free hand, turning on the light. Gray squinted, looking around, and found a small cobweb filled doorway.
"That way, I think." Gray murmured, pulling Claire toward it. She could hear the noises she had heard prior to coming down the stairs coming from the room, and it made her uneasy. "They're in there."
"'They'?" Claire asked, frowning.
"I.. I can hear their heartbeats. There's two people. One's crying, the other.."
"The other?"
"The other is alive, but just barely." Gray murmured. Claire kept a hold on Gray's hand as she led her toward the door. Gray could hear Claire's heart pounding in her chest, and Gray could feel her own heart pounding against her ribs. They entered a small, concrete walled room which stank of blood and rot.
"Over here!" Claire whispered, bending over. She let go of Gray's hand as Gray turned to see what Claire was looking at. There was a pit in the floor about six feet deep which was covered by a net-like mesh. Gray frowned and went to pull the mesh off of, handing Bear's leash to Claire.
"Gimme the flashlight," Gray said, grabbing it from Claire. She shined the light down into the pit, to find Jody laying still and silent. The crying had come from a girl around Gray's age, maybe a bit younger, who was hugging herself as she rocked back and forth uneasily.
"Alex!" Claire whispered. The girl, Alex, raised her head and looked up at Claire and Gray with bloodshot eyes. One eye, her left eye, looked like blood had pooled into it.
"Please, leave me," Alex whispered. "Please, please.. it got me.."
"What got you?" Claire asked.
"It's gonna come back," Alex whispered. "You gotta go,"
"No way." Gray said, leaping down into the pit. As a werewolf, the jump didn't hurt her. She grabbed Alex, who did struggle at first but eventually gave up, and pulled the girl into her arms.
"Please, it's coming," Alex whispered hurriedly. Gray heaved Alex out of the pit, setting her on the ground before she went back to get Jody, but Claire grabbed her arm.
"Jody's gone, Gray," Claire said. "Can't you see that? There's too much blood." Gray frowned and heaved herself up, turning to look at the scene. She squinted and saw the puncture wounds on Jody's neck and opened her mouth to speak- but was cut off as the sounds of footsteps were heard from upstairs.
"It's here," Alex whispered. "It's gonna get us,"
"No." Gray said. "It won't." She made her way toward a door, squinting. She saw a window nearly three feet above her, large enough for them to crawl out. But what about Bear? No, she would not leave her dog here. She refused. She went back, scooping Alex into her arms. "Claire, c'mere. You'll go first."
"Go first to what?" Claire said as Gray set Alex down. Gray gestured toward the window, making sure Claire had let go of Bear's leash first. The footsteps were growing closer. Gray heaved Claire upward toward the window, wincing as Claire bashed the window open and crawled through. The footsteps paused, causing Gray's heart to race uneasily. Gray heaved Alex up next, grunting as Claire pulled the girl out.
"C'mere, Bear," Gray murmured. Thankfully, her inhuman strength kicked in. She heaved the dog up, listening to Claire grunt as she tried to pull the heavy dog out. Thankfully, Bear fit. "Go to the truck, ask Bear to take you.. he'll understand."
"What about you?!" Claire asked.
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." Gray said. "I.. I gotta face this."
"Gray!" Claire hissed.
"Go." Gray snapped. She could hear Claire heave Alex upward with a grunt, and mutter something to Bear. They departed, but the footsteps had finally reached Gray. Gray sucked in a deep breath and turned around to see the familiar crazy eyes of her ex-lover.
"Ooooh, Nia," Marie purred. "Fancy seeing you,"
"That's not my name anymore." Gray growled. "It changed when I did."
"Oh, I bet." Marie rolled her eyes. "Look at you.. just as cute as the day you left me,"
"You're fucking insane," Gray snarled. "Look at you."
"Aw, you're so hurtful with your words.." Marie began advancing toward Gray. "Fortunately for you, I don't feel like fighting tonight.. but, I am feeling something else.."
"I'm not having sex with you," Gray spat at her.
"Aw, but you had so much fun last time." Marie pretended to pout.
"You raped me!" Gray said, though the memories brought back tears. "You raped me and you turned me into this... this monster!"
"Oh, you're so dramatic." Marie rolled her eyes. "You loved it."
"I'm going to kill you," Gray snarled. "I'm going to kill you!" She lunged for Marie, slamming against her. They thrashed on the ground, Gray's nails digging into Marie's skin and vice versa. Their angered, pained screams filled the air. Gray's nails raked across Marie's eyes, causing a shrill scream to escape her lips, but it was enough for Gray to disengage herself from the fight and run. She nearly fell when she reached the stairs, but she didn't let herself. Her legs pumped viciously to keep her away from Marie, her lungs heaving and heart pounding against her ribs as she ran. Where was the truck? Which way had she come from? She didn't want to have to rely on her animalistic instincts to save her, she didn't want to turn to that side of her. If she did.. she didn't want to think about it. She could feel the thickness in her throat form, the tears coming to her eyes, but a familiar scent rose to her nose: the scent of the heavens, and lilacs. Claire came rushing out of the underbrush alone, leading Gray to believe Bear and Alex were in the truck.
"Gray!" Claire said, rushing toward her. Gray's instincts were all jumbled together, she could barely contain herself. Her animal instincts were seeping in, despite Gray not wanting to use them. Claire's smell was overwhelmingly appealing, especially to the young werewolf- who had yet to realize exactly what was occurring in her young, wolfish mind: she was imprinting. The moment Claire was close enough, Gray grabbed Claire by the collar and shoved her lips against the blonde's. "Mmf!" Claire's eyes widened, but she didn't try to break away or anything. She didn't struggle either. Perhaps she was too surprised to try and fight off Gray's confused advances. After a few seconds, Claire even began to kiss back. When reality hit, Claire pushed herself away from Gray- almost as though nothing had happened.
"We gotta get back," Claire said. "I left Bear and Alex in the truck."
"I, uh, yeah," Gray agreed. "Let's go."