Gwen crouched away from Heather's lifeless body. She glanced up at the assailant. "Lindsay? Why?"
Lindsay ran the dagger along Heather's shoulder, wiping the blood off. "It's like you said: eternal night happens, I'm still number two. I found the dagger, I saw an opening and I went for it." She sighed. "I've always wanted to be alpha."
"The whole pack is dead. Who exactly are you going to be alpha to?"
"Oh, Gwen, you think so small. There's a whole world of people out there, people to turn into wolves and I will rule them all."
"What do you even know about leading a wolf pack? You don't even pump your own gas."
"You know, you'd think that there were bigger things to worry about right now."
"Like what?"
Lindsay smiled, but this was far from the bubbly socialite smile she wore so often in her human guise. This smile dripped with malice. "There's still a virgin on the loose."
"And that's something else that would make me a good alpha: I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty, especially when it comes to thinning the herd."
"You killed the other girls?"
"Well, I had help with most of them, but Eva was all me. Killed with her own silver bullets. Tell me that's not hilarious!"
In the midst of this, the door in the ceiling of the elevator car was slightly ajar, as if someone had made their way up there.
The door flew open, a mild growl emanating from behind it.
Lindsay dragged Gwen by her hair down the hall. Gwen shifted to wolf form to break away, but Lindsay, her arm growing to wolf strength, kicked her legs from under her.
"Gwen, I don't want to kill you, but you really should think before you tell me 'no'."
Gwen changed her head to human form. "What possible reason would I need to join you?"
"What else do you have in your life? Who else do you have? No family, no love life to speak of. Really, it's me or nothing."
Gwen scowled up at Lindsay. "I'll take nothing."
Lindsay extended her paw. "Do you miss Courtney?" She reared it back, ready to swipe. "Good to know."
A claw-tipped paw dug into Lindsay's flesh. She yelled a little and turned around, causing her to drop the dagger.
She stared in awe at what was behind her. It was a bipedal wolf creature, but with black hair on its head. Interestingly, it was built much like a male.
The wolf stared straight at Lindsay, drool dripping from its jaws. "LET. HER. GO!"
Gwen took a good look at the creature. "Trent."
"Virgin?! You turned out hot! I almost hate how much I'm going to enjoy this." Lindsay's face pushed out into a lupine snout. Hair grew out of her body. A tail swished out just above her backside. Muscles appeared all over. "ALMOST."
Lindsay pounced on Trent, her claws digging into his neck. With a growl, Trent knocked her arms away and smacked her ears with his balled fists.
Lindsay grabbed her ears and growled in pain. Taking advantage of the distraction. Trent crouched his body backwards and launched his body, feet first, at Lindsay's torso.
Lindsay grasped her stomach, the wind knocked out of her. As she struggled to regain her breath, she glanced over to the dagger on the floor.
Trent stood up on his lupine feet. Gwen ran up to him. He turned toward her suddenly, his growling softening at seeing her.
"Are you all right?"
"FINE."
"You sure? I feel like I ruined your life with this-" Trent tossed Gwen aside as Lindsay charged toward him, dagger bared.
Trent bolted past Lindsay, knocking her down. Lindsay started to chase him, but turned toward Gwen.
Gwen changed to full wolf form and rushed into an empty room. Lindsay followed her and backed her into a corner.
Lindsay punched the wall next to Gwen. She shifted her head. "I don't know what Heather saw in you to be part of the pack. You're way too weak."
The necklace that had been hanging by a splinter in the floor above fell loose and landed on Lindsay's back, causing her to scream.
Lindsay shook her body for all she was worth. The necklace clattered to the floor.
Trent appeared in the doorframe, having heard Lindsay's bloodcurdling scream.
Gwen looked at the necklace. "SILVER."
Lindsay put her paws on her hips. "Well, what are we gonna do, now? None of us can touch that necklace without this happening." She showed the fresh burn mark on her back. "What do we do now?"
Trent snorted. He extended his paw. "COME."
Gwen pushed past Lindsay and took his paw in hers.
"I'm sorry. Are you walking away from me?!"
Gwen simply looked back, a scowl on her face. "BITCH."
The two of them walked down the hallway. Lindsay growled a low growl at them. She ripped up a piece of floorboard and picked up the necklace with it.
She stepped into the hallway, her foot hitting something cold. She glanced down at the dagger.
Lindsay smiled as she took the dagger and stuck it in the clasp of the necklace, twirling it like spaghetti caught in the tines of a fork.
She set her sights on Trent's back and hurled the dagger as hard as she could.
Trent's ears twitched. He quickly spun around and caught the dagger by its handle. He peered at the necklace wrapped around it.
Lindsay's eyes widened. A gasp came out of her snout. It would be the last sound she'd ever make.
Trent tossed the dagger. He wasn't very fond of doing harm to women, but women who wanted to kill him were, in his mind, a special case.
The dagger made a sloshing sound as it landed in Lindsay's gut.
She fell to her knees, tears welling up in her eyes. She collapsed, her body convulsing and spasming.
Gwen and Trent watched as Lindsay's body darkened. Moments later, her body lay on the floor, the color of ash.
Suddenly, it exploded. Trent shielded Gwen from the flying bits. The bits that hit Trent evaporated on contact.
Trent and Gwen continued to walk. Trent stopped suddenly. He rushed up the stairs.
Gwen glanced after him. "WHERE. GOING?"
"CLOTHES!"
Gwen nodded to herself before rushing upstairs. It was a long way home from here and the sight of two naked people walking the streets - much less two werewolves - would raise concern.
The bits of Lindsay that landed on the walls and floor started to flare up…
"Just calm down. Think of something calm." Gwen - back in human form, but not yet dressed - spoke calmly to Trent, still in wolf form.
She caressed his cheek and leaned into him, his fur feeling good against her naked body…and vice versa.
Trent growled as his body started to shrink. Claws retreated into his fingers. His muzzle shrunk into his face, as his ears did into his head. His tail retreated into his spine. His fur was pulled into his body.
Within moments, Trent was back to his human form, Gwen still holding onto him.
Trent looked down. He was naked…and, judging from a certain part of his anatomy, quite happy at being held by a beautiful woman.
"Whoa!" Trent backed away a little.
Gwen giggled as she picked up her dress. "It's okay. Nothing happened."
"So…I'm a werewolf, now?"
Gwen sighed. "Yeah. Every full moon, you'll get the urge to change and run free. Every so often, to shed blood…and mate." Gwen mumbled the last part.
"And what?"
"Mate."
"Is that so?"
Gwen covered herself by putting on her dress. "I feel like I've ruined your life now."
Trent grabbed Gwen by her shoulders. "My spine was messed up. I couldn't move. I might've spent the rest of my life in a hospital bed or a wheelchair and that's if I lived." He wrapped her in a hug. "If anything, you saved my life."
As Trent broke off the hug to search for his clothes, Gwen glanced down at Courtney.
Trent put on his pants carefully. Having burst out of his underwear, there was nothing protecting him from his zipper. As he put on his shirt, he saw Gwen standing over Courtney, her pinky hooked with that of the deceased.
"So, what's the story with you and her?"
"Well…" Gwen sniffed. "You smell that?"
Trent took a sniff of his own. "Smells like smoke."
Gwen gasped. "Fire!"
"We better go." Trent grabbed Gwen's hand, but she slipped out of his grasp. She went to pick up Courtney. "What are you doing?"
"The other girls here deserve to burn, but I won't leave Courtney here!"
"And if someone sees us carrying her dead body, what then?"
Tears stung at Gwen's eyes. "I'm not leaving her!"
"Gwen?"
She looked at Courtney's body. Suddenly, its head raised. Gwen gasped.
"You must go."
"But I don't want to leave you. I'm so sorry about-"
"Living in the past isn't living. You have a future. Don't waste it. I'll always be with you."
Gwen nodded tearfully. "Okay."
"Okay what?"
"I was talking to Courtney", Gwen said as she wiped her tears.
"Well, she wasn't talking back."
Gwen glanced up in shock. Trent took her by the hand.
The building and its contents went up in flames. Trent and Gwen watched from a distance.
The two of them glanced up. They were in front of Electro Light's, which was still open. They looked at each other. They weren't in a drinking mood.
Trent hurried down the street. "Where are you going?", called Gwen.
There was a subway station a couple blocks ahead. As the bus that took her past her building wouldn't run until the morning, Gwen figured it would've been nice to have a place to spend the night.
"I don't think we were properly introduced. My name's Trent."
"Nice to meet you, Trent. My name's Gwen."
"That's a very pretty name."
"Thank you."
