Chapter 3: Instinct
Mary led the way, slowly and carefully so as not to slip down the stairs. The other girl kept stopping. She looked tired, or in pain, or tired of being in pain, Mary did not know which. "Come on," she urged. The girl turned and made to walk down the last few stairs to the first landing. "Good." But she fell. She took one misstep which sent her falling into the wall. Mary saw the syringe fall to the ground, through the spaces in between the stairs. "Shit," the word was muttered under Mary's breath. She could hear movement below, Ginger and/or Sam.
She knelt down, looking for the little needle, and spotted it. Forcing her arm between the wood, she reached for it but missed and did not have time to try again. There was a weak yell from below, stifled quickly. "Sam." Both girls said the name and looked at each other. "Come on," Mary said again.
She walked down the rest of the stairs and looked to her right. Sam was sitting up, his back against the wall, Ginger beside him. By the light of the other girl's flashlight, they saw that most of Sam was bright red. Mary's grip on the chain in her right hand tightened and she almost ran forward right then. Loved ones came first in all situations according to her instinct. Protect them, and if you can't, basically kick the shit out of whoever had hurt them. Feeling nothing but rage, and yearning for vengeance but still in control of herself, Mary walked forward.
"Ginger," said Ginger's sister, to which Ginger responded by growling. Mary understood the growl to be Ginger's new way of saying her sister's name. Bridget knelt and crawled forward, which was probably a good idea, unless Mary wanted to be able to use the chain. She stayed on her feet, walking beside Bridget. She knelt down when she reached Sam. His breathing was shallow and labored.
Her hand twitched again around the chain as she looked at him up close. Bridget did nothing but look at him, until another, more aggressive sounding growl from Ginger brought her back. Her eyes left Sam's face and fell on the blood on the floor. Protecting Sam by keeping Ginger happy was her only chance, and therefore her motive as her finger's made contact with the pool of blood. Mary stood up, not wanting to watch. Ginger seemed content as she put her face back down.
Sam looked panicked. Sitting between the two of them seemed to be scaring him. His eyes were fixed straight ahead, looking at Mary. He recognized her. Ginger looked up again, this time at Mary, whose eyes were on Sam. She growled again, and this time, Mary paid attention. She had lived with a group of werewolves for the last year, and as her transformation had taken her further and further into the instinct she had come to understand what each sound meant, and eventually communicated with them. "Hey! Eat, or get the hell out," Ginger said to her.
"No," Mary said, trying to sound calm. "I'm, I don't want to."
"Fuck!" Ginger screamed at her. Then her eyes fell again on her sister, who was throwing up, bright red blood.
"I can't!" Bridget said, getting to her feet and wiping blood and spit from her face with the back of her hand. "I won't!"
Ginger yelled with anger and frustration and lunged toward Sam. "No!" Mary shouted as she brought the heavy chain down on the back of Ginger's head. The strong blow knocked Ginger sideways, and she looked to Mary instead of Sam.
Mary gathered the chain up again, found the end, which was a huge metal clasp. Even angrier now, Ginger launched herself at Mary. As she realized what was about to happen, Mary found part of the chain with her left hand and held it in front of herself. Ginger's feet hit the ground on either side of Mary, who raised the chain just in time to prevent Ginger's fangs from sinking into her skin. The chain was folded, and Mary could feel it biting into her fingers. Blood and spit hit her face as she pushed with all her strength against Ginger. She flipped them over, pressing hard on the chain to hold Ginger's head.
"Bridget!" she shouted over Ginger's angry roars. "Get the syringe!" She fought with all she had in her, human, and wolf, strength and vengeance, love and regret. She felt something on her stomach and realized, too late, that it was Ginger's back foot. Ginger kicked out, throwing Mary across the room, sending her into a bookcase. Her back hit the wooden shelves and she fell to the ground, feeling and hearing books crash around her, and feeling blood pulse through the wound she had nearly forgotten about, the one from hitting the counter.
"Oh fuck," Mary said as Ginger advanced again. "Ginger," she said, talking to her from the floor. "Ginger don't! I'm trying – we're all trying to help you." She saw Sam's eyes move toward her. He was looking at her strangely, and she knew why now. When she spoke to Ginger, her voice became like Ginger's, the same growling, roaring everything that she heard from Ginger came from her own throat.
Ginger ignored her and a yell escaped her bloody mouth as she leapt again. Mary reached over as quickly as she could and grabbed hold of the heaviest, thickest, hardest book she could find. As Ginger hit the ground this time her face was met with the front cover of the book, which then flew out of her hands. This sudden burst of moderate pain distracted Ginger, or perhaps was an integral part of her plan. Almost looking as if she had felt nothing from the book, she lunged back at Mary.
This time, Mary had nothing in front of her, nothing to deflect the blow. She felt Ginger's long ruthless teeth pierce the skin near her collarbone. She yelled, tried to push Ginger away from her, but it was futile. Trying to push herself to her feet, she fell sideways and, unable to push Ginger an inch, fell on her back.
Mary felt blood soak her skin and clothes, searing, burning pain where Ginger's jaws were locked tightly into place. She shut her eyes tight, trying to block all of it out, the pain, the warmth, her own desperate screams, Sam's gasping breath, Bridget's panicked hyperventilating but it was useless. And now, thinking more wolflike that she ever remembered, the idea came to her. Mary kicked off her shoes, and dug the claws on her feet into Ginger's stomach. More warm blood, Ginger's this time, drenched her legs and she tried to push Ginger away with her feet. She felt the grip of Ginger's teeth loosen, but knew that was not good enough. Using her hands and weapons now too, she reached up to Ginger's neck and stabbed, deep as she could. "Get off!" she shouted, now finally hearing her voice as a roar instead of words. She kicked again, sending Ginger back a few feet.
Heat flooded her wound, numbing it, making it bearable. Still, she would have gladly laid there on the floor until the wound healed. Instead she scrambled to her feet before Ginger could really move. Pining her front legs and staying clear of the back ones, she held Ginger where she was. "Come on!" she yelled a third time to Bridget, impatient now almost angry and fighting against the impulse to take her pain and Sam's pain and Bridget's terror out on Ginger's throat. Bridget hurried over with the syringe and stabbed Ginger in the side. The effect was almost immediate. Mary felt Ginger stiffen, then go limp beneath her.
She scrambled past Bridget, who was watching her sister, and hurried over to Sam. She put her arms around him in a gentle hug, not thinking about her own injuries or the blood on both of them. "Oh my God." She held his head close to her own. She knew once his injuries had healed he would be fine. Tired until his body could recreate the blood he had lost, and sore from being dragged down the stairs, and in need of a dose of whatever was in that syringe, but fine.
She felt him move, then his hand on her arm. She sniffed, fighting tears, and kissed the top of his head. "Ginger," Bridget said, sounding relieved. Sam and Mary both looked around. Sam seemed to have some of his strength back. There was a groan from the corner where werewolf Ginger had been. Now there was a girl. Her eyes were yellow and pulled in at the corners, her teeth and nails were long, she had blood on her, ten little marks on her neck, and ten on her stomach but they looked almost healed.
"Don't hate me," Mary said defensively, "You were gonna take my head off. I had to do something. Neosporin ought to help." Sam laughed and then Mary felt his chest jolt as he coughed. She put her hand on the side of his head, holding him, comforting him, until his coughs had subsided. "You okay in there?"
She felt him nod, "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, I'm okay."
Now it was Mary's turn to let out a sigh of relief. She smiled and held him a little tighter. Bridget looked over and smiled, but Ginger looked angry again.
"You jerk!" she said, getting to her feet. Mary let go of Sam and turned to face Ginger, who was standing right in front of her. "What about B? Huh? You just going to leave her alone now you've got her?" She nudged Mary none too gently with her foot.
"Hey," Mary said, trying to calm her down. She knew this was still that instinct talking. Ginger was protecting Bridget, more fiercely than ever.
"Hey what!" Ginger shouted.
"Don't start this now," Mary said, trying to be the calm voice of reason that she knew would not last long if Ginger really did snap. She got to her feet. "He's not doing anything. Look at Bridget, she smiled, she's happy he's okay. Don't do this now."
"Don't tell me what not to do! You bitch!" Ginger struck Mary across the face, her nails biting into her skin, drawing blood.
"That's it!" Mary knocked Ginger to the ground, landing on top of her. She heard Bridget's frightened squeal and Sam's quiet protest but finally she was able to block something out. "I know you're coming off the biggest high of your life, but get a grip. Don't you ever touch me or Sam again, you got it ever!" She shouted the last word. She knew the attacks had not been Ginger's 'fault' per say, but she didn't forgive her for them just yet.
"Get off of her!" Bridget yelled, pulling at Mary's arm. Allowing Bridget to bare some of her weight, Mary got to her feet.
"Let Bridget speak for herself. She's a big girl. See?" She turned away from Ginger, who was still lying on the floor, looking stunned. She bit her bottom lip as she looked at Sam, who looked slightly afraid. "I need that cure," she told him. He nodded. "We should get out of here," Get the hell out of the dark, bloodstained, basement…who would have thought? "Can you stand?" he looked around for a moment, but Mary held her hands out to him.
"Your fingers are bleeding," Sam commented, not taking her hands.
"That chain cut into them. I'm fine, come on." He reached up took her hands, and allowed her to pull him to his feet. He looked dizzy as he stood up, and Mary realized she was too. She placed her hands on his shoulders, steadying both of them. Sam smiled at her.
"Let's go. I guess all three of us need this stuff don't we? You, Bridget and me," Sam said, and Mary nodded. "You okay?"
"I'm fine, I just realized how much blood is all over the place."
"Of course you did, come on then."
"If you're having a blood phobia you're the most fucked up monster I've ever heard of," Ginger said, walking up the stairs behind Sam and Mary.
"Thanks, Ginge." Her head pounded, and the bite marks on her neck and shoulder stung and burned. She knew the scratches across her stomach would not have healed by now, but she hardly felt them next to the pain in other parts of her body.