Chapter 6
"Little pig, little pig, let me come in."
"No, no, not by the hair on my chinny chin chin."
"Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in."
20:00
Scarlet was busy organizing the weapons she had found in the Lang family's shed.
1 hatchet, 3 different shotguns, a pistol, and a taser
"Not much, but I don't suppose the boys will know how to handle these," she raised the pistol in her right and the hatchet in her left hand.
She was naturally wild and sexy, effortlessly turning him on. He often wondered if it was possible to be crazier about her than he already was. He was leaning against the wooden door watching her inspect the ammunition. They had already circled the property setting laser traps. He was able to sniff out the places the creature had been and track his movements. The trees behind the Lang's home were etched with long claw marks. He growled in disgust finding one at Adrien's windowsill.
"Would you like to hear a story of the lone wolf who killed his Thaumaturge?"
"Killed his Thaumaturge? Was he lucky enough to have a redhead lover too?" She thought of the day she walked out of a moving spaceship to shoot Jael in the chest. The sweet feeling of reprisal washing over her. Scarlet peered at Ze've from the corner of her eye. She noticed his legs hadn't stopped fidgeting since talking to Adrien. On one hand, she was happy to have gained the trust of her neighbors; on the other hand she never expected it would be at the expense of another fight, another killing, another situation where their own lives and the lives around them would be in danger.
She hoped the whole thing would go quickly. The Lunar wolf would reveal itself and Scarlet would shoot the damned thing to death with one or two shots. No biting, scratching, or wrapping up wounds the next day. Thinking about Ze've in danger again made her stomach churn. She felt the need to protect him as much as he did for her.
"It's an old wolves tale. This story had circulated the packs, but we never spoke about it when the Thaumaturges were around…" Ze've ripped his gaze away from Scarlet and gazed at the darkening clouds that began to gather, indicating rain.
"Before Levana had begin enlisting young boys into her militia, she had long been doing other experiments- using other genetic mutations, not just with that of a wolf…" He continued, "She would choose her guinea pigs from the most fortified prisons we had on Lunar. One man in particular would fancy her interest. A man who was placed in the psychiatric ward for killing multiple people. What put him there was not the murders, but how he did so methodically and always without any reason. He was a monster before Levana touched him, and this pleased her…"
Scarlet shuddered. She thanked the stars Cinder put an end to that crazy bitch's reign.
"They named him 'the Bat'. His face resembled no identifiable animal or lunar. They removed his lips so that all yellow, sharp teeth would always be visible. They gave him long sharp fingers, long ears, and his skin was black and leathery. After he woke up from his transformation, he slaughtered every doctor who had worked on him present in the room while Levana laughed, watching behind impenetrable glass doors. In the end, it took a powerful Thaumaturge to control him."
Goosebumps popped up on Scarlet's arm and she buttoned up her plaid shirt. The temperature dropping while more dark clouds gathered above them.
"Nobody knows how he escaped his confines, but he came after his Thaumaturge in his own home- patiently waiting at the foot of his bed until the moment the Thaumaturge would wake up. It took the guards hours to find all his parts scattered around the room."
"So is this story true? What ever happened to this creature?"
Ze've stratched behind his ear and look back at her, "No idea- but if he couldn't be controlled, then Levana would've just killed him. Another disposable experiment,"
"You think we are dealing with one of her rogue experiments?"
"No, but I sense this one is different…" He looked to the direction of Adrien's windowsill. "He smells more Earthen than Lunar and from the look of the claw marks on the trees, he likes the height advantage...untypical of a wolf."
"Well I'm not particularly interested in exchanging life stories with him..or it..or whatever," Scarlet packed the weapons in a large duffle bag.
In half a second he was centimeters away from her. His speed did not startle her.
"You don't have to join me," Ze've cupped her face towards him.
"And who exactly decided this was your job in the first place?" She played with his disheveled hair, "What's the big deal anyway? We've faced bigger monsters, with numbers too. What's the point of trying to scare me with wolves' tales anyway?"
"You aren't afraid of big bad wolves?" He inched closer, putting his hand around her waist. Heavy raindrops hit the aluminum roof.
"Afraid? If you knock, I'll gladly let you in."
He pulled her waist closer and she leaned in for a kiss. Before he could plant his lips on hers, her a loud beep signaled her portscreen.
"The laser trap on the north-west field has caught something!"
"Quick get on my back! It's faster!"
She didn't like the idea, but she didn't protest. She threw the duffle over her shoulder, and carried the gun in her hands. Outside there was hardly any light, only the automatic lamps around the house were lit. They dashed through the tall wheat stalks, breaking down the ones standing in their way.
They came up to the blinking red light that indicated the trap had been activated.
It was dark, but the red light allowed Scarlet to see something caught under the red laser net.
Scarlet hopped off Ze've, pointing the gun towards the animal. She didn't dare take a hand off the gun to remove her soaked hair stuck on her face.
Its back facing towards both of them, it was breathing and…whimpering…?
Steadily, Ze've walked around the net to look at the catch closer. A wolf.
Nothing more than an Earthen wolf and it was dying. Ze've eyes focused on the wolf's stomach, its intestines protruding out as if a large incision was made from under its' belly to it's front legs.
Ze've clenched his fist. He looked at Scarlet, her face full of fear looking past him up towards the trees. He jumped around, at a ready stance. Two big, yellow eyes staring at him from the highest branches of the trees.
Scarlet pulled the trigger, but the creature jumped from out of the trees, over their heads, and into the fields darting to the direction of the cobblestone home.
Ze've snarled. Scarlet jumped on his back and they were off again chasing the monster. They caught sight of him again clearing the fields. The creature jumped on top of the tree closest Adrien's windowsill and jumped through the closed window, shattering the double glass.
Ze've's heart began to race. "Go to them!" He let Scarlet down while he climbed up the tree.
Scarlet ran to the front of the house. Both hands pounding the door, she screamed "Let me in! Let me in!"
It was no use. The family had confined themselves in the basement.
"COMM POLICE- EMERGENCY" she screamed at her portscreen on her wrist while she aimed the shotgun at the door handle.
Ze've jumped into Adrien's room. The creature had torn the door from Adrien's room leading downstairs to the living room. Ze've rushed out, seeing the creature dashing through the living room, looking for the entrance to the basement where it knew they were hiding.
After destroying the door handle, Scarlet kicked the door open- entering the house her gun aimed and her finger ready at the trigger. Light on her feet, she made her way through the house.
"Behind you!" Ze've yelled. It took a half a second to recognize Ze've's voice from up the stairs. She turned, finally face to face with the creature.
It felt like something was crawling up her throat. Her pulse was racing. In the house, the creature was exposed. Its face looked like it had been mutilated. The skin on top its snout had been torn off, exposing the top row of teeth. His pointed ears reached passed the top of its head. What frightened Scarlet the most was its eyes: the eyeball completely yellow, except for the large black pupils looking straight into hers. She pulled the trigger, the bullet hitting its chest.
It roared. The sound shaking the whole house. The sound was deafening for Scarlet. She pumped the gun, but before she could shoot, the creature backhanded her and she flew, her back bouncing off the wall with a loud "thud". She fell face forward on the wooden floor. "No!" Ze've cried, propelling himself with the ramp, he landed by her side.
Following the scent of the children, the creature found its way to the basement door.
Are you ready to play now?
It tore iron door out from his hinges and jumped down the stairs.
The mother screamed.
"I'm fine!" She coughed up some blood "Go!"
Ze've growled, his eyes full of hatred. This has gone too far. Reaching the basement, he saw the mother sprawled out on the floor, unconscious. The creature was only meters away from the children. Adrien was shaking as tears rolled down his face, his his arms extended outwards as to protect his crying brother cowering behind him.
"There's only one exit out of here, and you have to go through me. I suggest you fight me now before you think about touching those kids!" Ze've shouted.
The creature froze, his ears twitching as if to consider this.
Hungry, so hungry. Inaudible to the children, who only heard low growls- Ze've could understand the creature speaking to him.
He creature slowly turned to Ze've, his head cocked to the side.
I've been waiting, patiently waiting…
It made slow steps towards Ze've.
Growing hungry…
It lunged towards him, Ze've slipped underneath him- exchanging places in the room.
"Ze've!" Scarlet's called out. Now she was at the stairs. The creature paid no attention as it readied itself to lunge again.
Another gunshot, this time hitting right ear, blowing it off. It roared, turning his head 120 degrees towards Scarlet who kept her back against the wall as a leverage to keep herself from collapsing.
While it was distracted, Ze've kicked the creature in its chest, forcing the creature to fall to the ground.
Scarlet pumped the gun once again and aimed her shot between the haunting yellow eyes, "Die already." She pulled the trigger, blood splattered all over the walls.
It was dead.
The children cried harder, their emotion and adrenaline too overwhelming. Ze've rushed towards them. Each child hung on to him, their heads buried in his chest. "He won't hurt you," He said, gently tightening his grip over the two. "It's over now".
Scarlet slowly slinked down against the wall, resting on the step while she caught her breathe. She stared at the dead beast and spat out some blood and saliva pooling in her mouth.
"Thank you…Thank you…" Adrien whimpered, his hand grabbing the extra fabric of Ze've's shirt. He would not let go his savior for hours.