"So this is it?" Charlie asked his granddaughter, holding the vial. "You're sure it works."
"I've seen six dead wolves now," she said, looking at her feet. She hated all the adult eyes on her.
"And Eric?"
"Lost, for the time being. The wolves got him." She scuffed her toe on the tiles.
"Then he's gone," one of the older women said.
"Perhaps not." Nessie raised her brown eyes to those which they closely resembled. Her grandfather blinked and nodded.
"We won't know for a while though, right?" he asked her.
She nodded back. "Three days."
"What's in three days?" the woman asked, getting upset. "It does take that long for the infection to spread.
Nessie tried to think how to explain. "This poison might be able to burn it out of him, but it will infect him in a different way. I don't know if it will work, but if it doesn't…" she shrugged. They already knew what happened to bitten humans.
Heads nodded around the circle and vial passed from hand to hand. Mr. Smythe, the veterinarian, held it longest. "Dart gun?" he suggested.
"That's all there is," Charlie told him. "We can't make more and I don't think you want to mess around with diluting it, do you?"
The animal doctor shook his head. "No, certainly not. So... up close and personal. Who is going to volunteer for this job?" He held the vial to the light and sighed at the small amount of clear liquid remaining. "How much does it take?" he asked Renesmee.
She shook her head. "I know two mils is enough. I don't know if you can do with less. You might. They died quickly." She watched her grandpa, knowing he wasn't going to like this part. "I'm fast and small. I think that might be best for applying the poison."
"You are not!" he roared.
"Maybe one sprinter with three or four marksmen? They keep the animal down long enough to run in with the needle. It worked for me, with Eric shooting." She didn't look up, not wanting to see any expressions that moment, especially not her grandfather's.
"Four gunmen? That could work."
"How many shots do we have?"
"Do we know how many wolves there are?"
Renesmee dared to look up as the questions rolled. They didn't hate her plan. Grandpa's hand gripped her shoulder firmly. "You will not be a sprinter," he said quietly, but with authority.
"Grandpa," she nearly whined. "I can do it. I already did it. Three times! Really, with cover fire, I'll be fine."
"Your parents?" he asked, hitting her in her soft spot.
"No trace. I think the wolves must have completely destroyed them." She hadn't been adrenaline-free long enough to really consider that. First the wolves on the road, then Eric, now getting a battle plan ready; everything was important, except the dead.
"If I've lost Bells, I'll be damned if I'm going to lose you, too."
She raised her chin, meeting his gaze. "And I'm not losing you because the wolves are loose. I'm one of the best people to do this. Don't count us out because we're young. I'm sure there's at least one more 'kid' who is built for this job."
Charlie's frown was firm, but one of the adults offered a name. "Dustin Perry, he's fast." Another nodded in agreement.
Nessie dared raise an eyebrow, but her grandfather didn't budge. She finally rolled her eyes and headed for the vault. If he wasn't going to see reason, she couldn't make him. Also, they weren't going to hunt the wolves. She should rest before they attacked next.
Renesmee spent the next day getting to know the other children, particularly the older ones that were suggested as sprinters, racing with them. Six syringes lay on a dark cloth just inside the door of the vault, easily accessed. Nessie was ready when the alarm woke her in the middle of the night.
Seizing two of the needles, she barely saw the two high school boys behind her. She stopped at the door to the bank, listening to the shotguns firing and watching the wolves fall, get up, fall again. She heard the vault door close behind them. They all knew how to open it, though the wolves didn't, if they could work the mechanism. Still, it was unlikely they'd get it open before the wolves killed them, and less likely they'd want to, opening everyone inside to what was out here.
Nessie saw Jacob and Sam, the top two wolves, hanging to the back of the pack. Each had been hit only a once or twice, but they were her personal targets. She tried to make it to them, but Dustin grabbed her arm, yanking a syringe to hit a nearby wolf that was barely twitching.
"Come on, Nessie. You're gonna get hurt," he hissed, taking his remaining syringe and jumping on another wolf.
Shaking her head, she landed on the wolf closest to her, hanging to his back so he couldn't claw or bite her, injecting her shot into his neck. He was already badly injured and fell under her, nearly rolling atop her. She heard another wolf coming and scrambled, running for the bank door. There weren't enough shots for all the wolves. Dustin screamed as Sam and Jacob took him from either end, one biting into his feet, the other tearing off his arm. His speed wouldn't save him now. Nessie heard the syringe drop, though.
Ignoring everything else, especially the shotgun blasts interrupting the savage mauling, she ducked near, snatching up her weapon. When Sam collapsed, Jacob looked at her. His eyes were the same deep dark brown she remembered, the russet fur of his muzzle smeared with human blood. What had happened to him? He looked at her and turned away, slowed by the bullets continuing to pelt him. The only other wolf, lean and grey, ran after him. Nessie froze only a second before plunging the last dose into Sam and running back to the bank.
She hurt. She had rolled on the pavement, been tossed by a wolf, and bore the scratches and gouges to show for it. But she was alive, unlike Dustin, unlike the other sprinter, Jeff, who had been bitten and shot. The gunmen met her inside and opened the vault.
"They've gone, for now," one of them told those inside. "We lost two."
Dustin's mother and Jeff's sister both began to cry. Nessie didn't realize she was shaking with tears until Grandpa picked her up. "You reckless, stupid..." he didn't finish, his voice lost in her ringlets. "This was your plan. What were you thinking?" he asked.
"Kill the leaders," she said in a whisper.
"At least there won't be a next time. With only two of them left, they won't be likely to attack again, and you won't be a part of it at all," Charlie murmured, still squeezing her in a hug.
"Are there only two left?" She wasn't as certain. She wondered how Eric was doing. He should be nearly done with the transformation, if he wasn't already. How would she know? How long until he came to himself and found them here? Newborns were unpredictable. "Grandpa, I want to look for Eric."
He cringed, hating this plan. Sighing, a minute or two later, he relented. "We need more venom. All right, I'll find someone to go with you."
Nessie kissed his cheek. "Let's sleep for now. You look tired, too."
He shook his head, but took her into the vault to find a cot.
Nessie listened to her grandpa's even breathing and carefully slid from his chest. It had been so comforting, curled atop him, in his arms. She didn't want anyone coming with her now. Her scent was different from full humans; it might be enough to stop Eric's feeding frenzy.
The bank was guarded, of course, but aside from odd looks, no one paid her much mind. She sprinted to the forest, where she'd left him. The wolves' corpses were still there. She stopped to remember the boys they had once been, running fingers through fur. Then she sniffed where she'd left Eric, hoping to find and follow his scent. She was in luck. He must have stayed here for most of his change. Once she placed the florid vampire aroma, she found it all over the van. From there, he seemed to have headed back to Forks, but not the direction she had gone, not to the bank. His trail led to the old high school and residential area around it.
Nessie had never had a soft stomach. She ate animal meat raw and drank blood like her family, but she was nearly sick at the remains she found. Torn to pieces, no blood to be found, the once-human townsfolk littered the entire block. Keeping her hand over her mouth and nose, Renesmee held her head high, not looking at what lay in the gutter, not noticing when she stepped in something soft that made her foot slide from under her. She never fell, thank God, but she skidded several times before regaining balance. At the end of the street, she found him,sitting, hunched over something she couldn't see. His dark hair was no longer matted and oily; it shone in the moonlight and covered his head in waves. He looked up at her from whatever he held in his lap.
He stood, dropping what he held. Renesmee never tried to identify it, but noticed it was covered in cloth. He hadn't grown taller, but held himself straighter, towering over her. His eyes, blood red, focused on her, seeming puzzled.
"Nessie?" he asked in a new voice. His old had been higher, rougher, now it was smooth and low, inviting.
"Yes," she said, taking only one step nearer. It should be enough for him to smell her.
His face twisted slightly. "I did this," he said, looking behind her up the street. "You told me you'd make me a monster."
She took another small step when he didn't react further, his face smoothing as he adapted. "I did. You are. My family was." She held his eyes, wondering if he understood.
"The Cullens were... What am I, Nessie?"
"A vampire," she answered flatly. "You feed on blood. I'm only part-vampire. We can live like my family did, on animal blood instead of human."
He cocked his head, considering. "That's right. They were around us everyday. Dr. Cullen... he worked with people in the hospital. But..." He looked at the remains again.
"Give it time," Nessie suggested. "We couldn't have helped them anyway, and what did this to them is still out there."
"The wolves," Eric spat, his face hardening. "Yes. I could smell them after the burning. Their stench is horrific. I can kill them."
"Wait," Nessie called before he ran. "Take me with you?"
He stared at her, and then helped her onto his back. Once settled between his shoulders, she closed her eyes against the burst of wind that came from his sprint. He was so fast.
"Tell me more about what I've become," he asked as he ran. "Obviously daylight doesn't hurt."
"No. Direct sun will make you shine, though. People will know you aren't normal." She wondered if he was following a trail or just circling out. "You can't be killed either, only burned. The wolves can tear you apart, but that alone won't kill you."
He nodded. "Nice. So, how do I kill them?"
"Venom. It's probably in your mouth now."
He swallowed. "Yep. I just bite them?" he asked, incredulous. "How is it the Cullens didn't kill the wolves?"
"They got some," Nessie nearly wailed. Her poor family. "There were too many wolves. They were overwhelmed." She tucked her head into his shoulder fighting tears.
"Will they overwhelm me?" He stopped abruptly, everything going still around them. "Should I not be chasing them?"
Renesmee shook her head. "There are only a few left, and you are strong; stronger than my family. It's part of being a new vampire. I don't think they'll overwhelm you. Not if you're careful. Not if I can help you. Where did you leave the guns?"
He laughed. Nessie nearly wept at how much it sounded like Uncle Emmett's. "They're still at the van." Scooping her into his arms, Eric was running again. He was as flighty and easily distracted as she had been told new vampires were. Her mother hadn't been, but everyone had said Bella was different.
Renesmee felt much better armed. She fired the rifle once, just to be sure she could. Her shoulder ached from the recoil, but she held her aim for the second shot, making her mark. Eric praised her for it.
"Took me forever to get used to that. In the beginning, we just needed people to shoot. Didn't matter if they could aim well." He smiled and laughed again, emphasizing how much more handsome he was now. His skin was smooth and unblemished, his square jaw shadowed by the bit of stubble he'd never be able to remove now. It made him rugged.
"Well, shall we?" she asked, gripping his arm to hoist herself onto his back.
"Maybe we should swing by the bank. Reinforcements?"
Nessie cocked a brow. "Do you think you'll be able to resist feeding on them?"
His brow furrowed in thought briefly. "Let's try. If I start to lose it, we'll run."
She nodded. If she gave a warning shot, they might be able to stop Eric with gunfire. Maybe. When he came to Main Street, he slowed to human speed and Nessie slipped her pistol into her hand.
"You said that wouldn't hurt me," he joked.
"It's not for you," she answered snidely.
He nodded and continued walking slowly. When he was one building away, he stopped inhaling deeply. "That burns!" he complained. "You want venom?" he asked, with a bright smile. "I think I have a bucket full in my mouth right now."
"Actually, yes!" She jumped down and ran into the bank, returning with a cup and pair of syringes. She also had Charlie on her heels.
"Get back here, girl. How dare you..."
"Stay back, Chief," Eric warned, his voice loud and livid. "I don't know that I can stop if you come closer."
Charlie froze in place, staring at Eric. "Is that you?" he asked. "Just like Bella," he murmured. "You feeling alright?" he asked, watching Nessie closely. She didn't pause and Eric didn't stop her.
"Sore throat from hell," he joked, taking the cup from Renesmee and spitting several times. She filled syringe after syringe, pocketing two.
"Handy, that," Charlie said, smiling himself. "What's the plan?" he asked Eric, but followed the vampire's gaze to his granddaughter.
"We attack," she said with a shrug. "Eric suggested some of you come for back-up. It's risky though. They'll have a harder time killing him than... us." She didn't really know how difficult it would be to kill her. She'd never been attacked. Her skin was tougher than a human's, but she had blood, she could be infected, she assumed. It seemed Eric couldn't; his blood was no longer used in the same way. She was glad for that. It had been her first worry upon seeing the people strewn in the street.
"Shame we don't know where they are," Charlie said, stepping back to lean on the bank's outer wall. The gunmen on the roof were watching all three.
"We can follow at a distance," one, a woman, offered. "Stay back until needed. Once they start howling, we'll know where they are."
She was right. Charlie and Eric both nodded.
"Sprinters," Nessie said, bringing back the syringes.
"Not a chance!" her grandpa decreed. "With this much we can use the tranq guns that Smythe suggested."
Nessie nodded, having forgotten those.
"And you're staying here."
She opened her mouth but he grabbed her arm and hauled her into the bank. "I'll lock you in that vault, girl."
"It doesn't lock from the inside," she said insolently.
He glared back at her. "I'm not losing you."
"I'm the only one that can go with Eric, at his side. He can't be that close to any of you," she pointed out, jutting a lip. "Give me one of the dart guns. I'll stay out of the way, promise."
His grip on her arm didn't lessen.
"At least let me stay with him while you get ready. He's having trouble with all the people here."
Relaxing his hold, Charlie relented. "Fine. Keep him out of trouble. Try to do the same for yourself. More stubborn than her mother," he muttered shaking his head as he entered the bank with the syringes she'd filled.
"Let's get out of here," Nessie suggested, taking Eric's hand. "Where did you live?" she asked. She was safe from any other infected humans with him around. None of them stood a chance within reach of a vampire.
Eric smiled. "This way." He didn't run, taking his time in the streets. They did stumble on a group of the infected. Eric moved through them like lightning. He didn't dismember them, just biting and dropping.
He stopped and crouched in front of Nessie. "Doesn't that frighten you?"
She shook her head. "They're not much more than animals now. You looked like my dad taking down deer."
Eric smiled and touched her cheek, his bloodless hand cold against her hot skin. "I'm glad. I smelled a deer," he mused, nose wrinkling. "I can't imagine eating one."
She chuckled. "You get used to it."
He nodded and slid his hand down to hers. "Well, we're nearly at Mom's place. They do taste funny. I don't know how I can tell," he said, thinking aloud. "I mean, I've only had infected blood, but I swear I can taste it."
Before they passed the bodies, Renesmee put a finger into one wound that wasn't completely clean. Licking the spot from her fingers, she narrowed her eyes. She could taste it, too. She'd been nursed on donated blood, so unlike Eric, she had tasted uninfected blood. "A spiciness?" she suggested, "almost nutty?"
He nodded, red eyes widening a little. "Yes. I think that's it."
"It implies that it is actually in the blood and could be filtered out," she was thinking aloud now. Her grandfather had been a doctor, but she only knew a little.
Eric nodded. "That's what Gerandy said, before they killed him," his voice roughened with anger. "Where do you think they are?" he asked, eyes searching the horizon.
Nessie shrugged. "First Beach? Makah? Somewhere to the north. They'll be on their lands, the reservation. That's home to them." She followed Eric the last few steps to his home. "Just as this is for you," she said with a smile, passing through the door he held for her. This house hadn't been torn up like her grandpa's. A few things were toppled, but it looked like they'd just been knocked over in haste.
Eric righted a dining room chair and sat down. "How long?" he asked. "I don't think I can wait long. I'm itching to do something."
That sounded familiar, too. New vampires were anxious to move. Her mother had been able to stand perfectly still for hours, but again, Bella wasn't a typical new vampire, just the only one Nessie had ever known. She needed to distract him, keep him occupied.
"Tell me about your family. I didn't see any of them in the bank."
He hung his head. "Mom collapsed when she saw the wolves. Dad tried to fight one while I ran. I never saw either of them again."
"Where were you? Not here," she said looking around the relatively undisturbed house.
He shook his head. "We were on our way to the town hall. Everyone had been told to gather there. The wolves must have found out, though. That's when they attacked.
Nessie covered his hand with hers. "I'm sorry."
He covered the pair of her hands with his other one. "I'm sorry you lost your family. At least you still have Charlie." He patted and stroked her hand until his began to warm, telling her about his parents.
"I have to go, Ness. I can't sit anymore," he finished. She glanced at the clock on the stove. It'd been a little over an hour - probably enough time.
"Let's swing by the bank," she said, pushing back the chair she had taken.
Charlie and ten others waited in the few jeeps and quads they could find; ready to go off road if necessary. They each had a dart gun. "Ready when you are. North?" he asked, looking in that direction.
"Yep. Nessie figures they went home," Eric answered, raising his voice slightly to cover the distance he didn't want the people too close.
"We'll take the highway until we get a hint to do otherwise." Charlie slipped into the passenger seat of a jeep and the vehicles started off.
Nessie leaped onto Eric's back and he started to run, outpacing the jeeps quickly.
He slowed when entering the reservation, hands going to his face. "Well, they live here alright."
Nessie slid from his back, chuckling. "That's what my family always said. About the smell, they never came on the reservation. Can you tell if it's new?" Her sense of smell was enhanced, but not by much. "It all seems old to me."
Eric continued to take short breaths. "Yuck. Maybe something that way."
There was a howl and Nessie was knocked on her back by a pile of grey fur. As fast as she landed, the wolf was pulled from her by Eric, who bit into the wolf's neck, tearing the throat out. He tossed the animal down, blood dripping down his chin. He turned and spat on the carcass.
"They taste as bad as they smell," he complained, wiping his throat. "That one won't bother us anymore." He hadn't quite finished his sentence when another wolf came on him from behind, a chocolate brown blur that faded into shadows. His teeth sunk into Eric's shoulder, pulling it free. The vampire screamed, but all Nessie could do was roll out of the way. She wanted to help, wanted to stop Quil, remind him he was a man, but she could only get herself killed. So she cowered, and listened for the coming vehicles. They couldn't be too far behind.
Between the grinding of vampire flesh and werewolf teeth, the huffing and growling, she didn't hear the soft pad behind her, but felt a familiar whiff in her hair. She turned, terrified, to meet the large brown eyes of the man who loved her, her friend and protector. Eyes wild with the disease that had taken his mind.
"Jacob," she pleaded, tears in her eyes. "It's Renesmee. You remember me, don't you? You won't hurt me. Can't you remember, Jacob? You're a man, not a monster. Please! Come back to me!" In a move neither wolf nor girl expected, she threw her arms around his neck. He was her partner, her other half, the only family he had besides Charlie. "Please remember."
He tossed his head, shaking her loose and lunged, pinning her by the shoulders. Closing her eyes, she pulled one of the syringes from her pocket.
"Killing me will kill you," she warned him, opening her eyes and finding his wild ones. "And not just because of this," she stabbed, missing his chest. The venom would probably take longer to kill him.
He growled again, opening wide jaws with white shining teeth. Renesmee never knew what followed. The dripping saliva hit her face and everything went dark.
Eric dug his hand out from under an overturned truck. How had the wolf gotten it all the way over there? He'd been lucky the shotguns came. Not that the wolf could have burned him, but he was pretty completely dismembered by the time the first shots fired. He joined Charlie standing over Renesmee. His throat burned, but Charlie held a gun to Eric's head. That killed the blood thirst effectively.
"They went together," Eric said, not really understanding. "She shot him up and then, waited."
Charlie nodded, lowering the barrel. "They had a special bond." Jacob lay, human and naked, his arms wrapped around the girl, half her face a bloody mess, the other half covered in bronze curls. "How'd he manage to shift back?" Charlie wondered aloud.
Neither ever learned the answer.