Chapter two ~ Intruders and ambush

It took me only ten seconds after I had raced off to realise how much of an idiot I am. What was I thinking?! I had just seen something, three weird, demonic somethings, two-hundred metres away in the forest, listened to a couple unhinged voices in my head, and sprinted off with my sort of friend and mortal enemy chasing after me.

As best as I could, I ignored all of their completely rational questions they were screaming at me and continued running. Where, exactly? I have two words for you : who knows?

Looking back on it, it was a miracle really that no one in the school had noticed, although I was a little concerned that they were that focused in their lessons that they couldn't see three teenagers screaming their heads off as they thudded down the corridors. But I was eternally thankful, because I didn't know what I was going to tell Rhys or Serenity, let alone the whole school.

"Aleksander Wolfe!'' Serenity screamed at me. I jerked my head to the left, narrowly avoiding the rectangular object that she had launched at me. "What, in Jupiter's name, are you doing!? Are you insane?"

Yes, I thought. I am so very close to throwing myself in a mental asylum because I have been acting like a possessed anime character since my scare in the forest. Were those monster things even still chasing us?

I risked a glance back, looking past Rhys and Serenity. My eyes burned again. My muscles felt weak as I zoomed in on the forest for the second time, and I realised I couldn't keep doing whatever I was doing unless I wanted to lose consciousness pretty quickly.

My eyes had barely reached the edge of the forest when I saw the creature again. Now that it was out in the open, I was able to see it clearly.

It had the body of a giant human who was covered in thick, black fur. The creature had the head of some sort of demon wolf, its red eyes gleaming and a fat trail of black venom seemed to be dripping from its stained yellow teeth.

Then the smell hit me. And I wished I was noseblind. It smelt like a decayed wet dog that had been stabbed with daggers made from garlic and was left rotting in the warm sun for about a month. My eyes watered at the stench.

Four more creatures darted out of the forest behind, forming a sort of arrowhead formation as they ran. The four newcomers had the same orange eyes as the other two from before.

My heart pounded, a bead of sweat rolling down the back of my neck when I realised they had almost doubled in size. This wasn't good.

All of the moisture had evaporated from my mouth. As I continued watching the creatures, I realised, for the first time, they were running on four legs instead of just two. A shudder passed through my whole body when the realisation dawned on me. Werewolves. They were werewolves.

CRASH!

Serenity let out a blood-curdling scream. I bit down a curse, struggling to contain the panic in my breathing as I continued to run. The five demon wolves paused on the English stairs where we had been previously. Great, I thought sarcastically. Not only do they have razor-sharp claws, but they also happen to be fast.

How convenient.

Rhys, sensing the danger now, also turned around to look at what we were seeing. I almost cringed when he let out a strangled screech of, "What the actual fuck?!"

The wolves' heads snapped towards us. I thought we were gonners the second they pounced, racing towards us.

'Think,' I silently pleaded. 'Think, think, think.'

We were currently stood at the end of the corridor which should take approximately fifteen seconds considering the distance. There were five large, ruthless monsters on out tail, and there were only three of us.

Shit.

Apparently, the female voice in my head came to the same conclusion as me : 'you have to split up'.

I swallowed hard. "Rhys go left. Serenity go right. Don't question it, it's the best chance we've got."

Surprisingly, they both obliged without any fuss. I turned, sprinting straight ahead. I knew I had taken the dangerous path. While Rhys and Serenity now relied on simply running and hiding, I was out in the open depending on my speed and stamina alone. It was a straight one hundred metre dash before there was an escape route. That meant I had to outrun at least one of these demons.

I didn't turn around to see how many were following me, however from the sound of footsteps alone, there were at least two.

My limbs felt like they were going to fall off. I tried to wrack my brain back to that one gym lesson where we were doing running. Keep your arms tucked in close to your body, try keep your posture upright, breathe through your nose.

''Your plans are futile, half-blood." The voice of the alpha was cold and cruel. I knew it would feel no remorse for brutally shredding me with those dagger-like claws. "We'll catch you before you even meet the stairs."

Fifty metres. The stairs were fifty metres away. They were in sight. But still... my vision blurred as the eye-watering stench became more apparent. Goosebumps crawled up my skin. They were getting closer.

I didn't want to look back. I knew how ridiculously stupid my idea was, but it was the only chance I had. I knew the wolves weren't bluffing when they said they'd catch me before I reached the stairs. And even if I made it, there was no guarantee I would be able to keep running forever. I had no weapon and no way of killing the creatures.

So I slowed my pace. I jogged on, deliberately letting the wolves gain on me while I took the opportunity to catch my breath.

"I thought you'd put up more of a fight, pup.'' The alpha growled. ''It seems they were wrong about you." A maniac chuckle escaped his lips, most likely sensing my confusion.

Pup?

That was the second time I'd been called that, and I didn't like it. They were acting like I was some sort of rabid dog like they were. Wait.. Were the voices rabid dogs to? Were they demon wolves (yes, I called them demon wolves. Cut me some slack. My brain's not braining right now), too? If so then they could forget about being saved. I had a strong gut feeling that it was because of them that I was being chased.

Ten feet away from you, the male voice informed. Get ready.

I focused on my other senses instead of my vision. I wasn't about to turn around and possibly make them suspicious of my plan. I had to make it look believable.

The footsteps got louder as I continued to jog. The stench increased, making it hard to breath. I held my breath. Five feet. Four feet. Three. Two. One.

I dropped into a crouch, tucking my head against my knees. The looming shadow of the alpha passed over me, its toe-claws trimming the top of my hair. The demon wolf landed on the floor in front of me, having been too slow to react. A sigh of relief almost left my mouth. There were two wolves behind, I finally realised. They slowed to a stop, probably feeling smug because I was now trapped.

Now the painful part. I turned ninety degrees, now facing the classroom window. Sending a silent prayer, I charged, diving head first through the glass.

CRASH!

Tiny fragments of glass dug into my skin like little needles. I kept my hand over my eyes to reduce as much damage as possible. The warm trickle of blood rolled down my arms and legs and the back of my neck, however I didn't pay it any attention.

I shot to my feet, quickly scanning the room I had landed in. An empty classroom, thankfully. Wading in between the tables as fast as I could, I tried to make it as fast as I could to the emergency exit door on the other side of the room.

A fierce howl erupted from behind me. My head automatically turned to see the three wolves snarling at me. The alpha gestured to one of the others. An orange-eyed wolf pounced forward into the little archway that I had created, claws extended.

My hand fumbled blindly, trying to grab something, anything. Shit, I thought. With one hand, I gripped the back of one of the stools. I waited until the wolf was in range, swinging the chair at it with all my might.

Snap!

Dammit, I thought. The chair broke. On the bright side, the creature seemed dazed. I took my chance, spinning on my heel and dashing towards the door. I flung it open, slamming it shut and snapping off the handle.

I was now in another hallway, yes there were hallways on both sides of the classroom. The school was seriously an overkill, although I couldn't complain because it was currently saving my life.

My lungs protested as I took off into a sprint down the corridor. I gasped as I ran, trying to get as much air into my body as I could. For some reason, my brain told me to run back towards the English stairs instead of my original plan of heading towards the science labs. I don't know why my body listened, but I guess it was too exhausted to protest.

The only thing I could think of as I ran was, 'I hope the others are okay...'

Rhys~

Rhys couldn't believe his luck. First, he almost committed arson three days ago and narrowly avoided a prison sentence, next, he broke his PS4 last night, and now he was currently on the run from what appeared to be a possessed, rabid dog.

A deep snarl echoed down the corridor behind him. He cursed under his breath, which was probably a mistake, seeing as the creature seemed to have radar ears.

CRASH! BANG! CRASH!

Yup. The mutt heard him alright. Rhys clambered up the stairs leading to the science labs. If he had any chance of survival right now, poisoning the beast with dangerous chemicals seemed like a shout.

His eyes widened in glee when he noticed his favourite lab was unlocked. Now, you might be wondering why Rhys had a favourite science lab. It's a long story, one that involves hydrogen bombs and a near-death experience.

You know what? It might be better if that story doesn't get out to the police. Or principle Hudson, idealy.

Rhys fumbled in the teacher's desk for the key to the door. His fingers paused at a box of matches. They would be useful. Rhys shoved them in his pocket, quickly grabbing the key and rushing over to the door.

The faint click did something to calm some of his nerves. He felt safer knowing the wolf was locked out. Now it was time to set up his plan.

At the back of the room, a lever was hidden in the bottom left corner. Rhys jogged over to it, ignoring his science teacher's shrill voice in the back of his mind yapping on about how there was to be no running in the lab.

Rhys pulled the lever, which successfully turned on the gas taps. A grin tugged at the corner of his lips, adrenaline buzzing through his whole body when he realised all those endless nights of him studying instead of sneaking out to play hide and seek were paying off.

Don't get cocky, he reminded himself. You haven't won yet.

Bunsen burner, tripod, heat-proof mat, tongs, splint ... Rhys checked off the items in his head as he placed each piece of equipment on his desk. He scratched the back of his neck. Was that everything? He could've sworn he was missing something...

''Don't second guess yourself," he muttered. ''It's probably nothing."

Rhys attached the bunsen burner to the gas tap and placed everything else in position. He flicked the gas tap on, holding his breath slightly when he heard that familiar hissing sound.

"Matches, matches,'' he muttered to himself. Rhys rumaged through his pockets for a few seconds until his hand grasped the small box. "Perfect."

Just as the tip of the match touched the bunsen burner, Rhys heard a raspy chuckle. ''Fire. Maxie likes fire."

Rhys jumped a foot in the air. His head snapped up to the open door, a wince appearing on his face. "Idiot." Rhys gritted his teeth. He forgot there were two doors.

Maxie, the orange eyed wolf, walked further into the room. He raised his chin up so he was staring at the ceiling. Then Maxie sniffed. A frown settled on his hairy face. "You smell funny. Not a normal half-blood."

Half-blood?

An irritated scowl replaced his expression of self-loathing. Half-blood? How much more racist could he get? First, he had the nerve to make light of his fire trick, then he told him he smelled, and now he was addressing him by his race? Rhys was sure gonna torch this mother trucker.

The blazing blue flame reminded Rhys that he had better hurry up. He placed the matches on the desk, trying to reach behind him without looking too suspicious.

"So-o,'' Rhys cleared his throat awkwardly. "You normally chase teens through their school in daytime? I thought werewolves were like, nocturnal."

Maxie sighed through his nose as if he was used to his prey asking stupid questions before he killed them. "We are not normal werewolves. Followers of Lycaon's pack are blessed with the ability to roam whenever we want." Maxie explained, as if Rhys should have known the answer already. "And this is a special feast."

Feast? Rhys tried for a friendly smile. "How ... appetising?"

The wolf, Maxie, rolled his eyes as he leaned back on one of the desks. ''No! It's not appetising. You three smell weirder than normal demigods. You don't smell very nice."

Three? Was he talking about Alex and Serenity, too? And demigods? Rhys was starting to get the hint he was missing a major chunk of information here.

His hand landed on the tray of magnesium. Rhys tried to sneakily grab a handful of the reactive metal, however his arm was already mangled in an awkward position so when he tried to retract his wrist, the tray clattered to the floor with a small 'Bang!'

Rhys winced. Oh, dear.

Maxie narrowed his eyes. ''What are you doing?"

Rhys clenched his hand around his small handful of magnesium. "Oh, just catching up on some homework. I'm meant to have a test next period and, you know, science is really hard to understand."

"Hmm," Maxie fixed him with a scrutinising glare. Rhys didn't move a muscle. "Science ... huh?" Rhys nodded his head frantically, not trusting his mouth. Maxie took a step forward so only the desk was separating them. He opened his mouth, and Rhys recoiled at the eye-watering stench. He tried his hardest not to heave.

"Maybe ... '' Rhys looked up at Maxie hopefully. "Maybe,' Maxie repeated. "Maxie should kill you now. A science test is torture." Maxie muttered to himself.

A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Rhys's face. ''Oh, there's really no need for that." Maxie narrowed his eyes again, a glare forming on his face. He opened his mouth, but Rhys quickly continued. "I'll never learn if I don't try."

Maxie wrapped his paw around Rhys's neck. "But you'll also never learn if Maxie rips out your brain."

Rhys closed his eyes on instinct. One movement, one swift movement. His free hand snatched the tongs from the table. He tried to grab a piece of magnesium from his left hand without making too much movement.

His heart hammered in his chest. He almost dropped the tongs as his hands were shaking that much. A little bit more, just a little bit ... Done!

Rhys kept the tongs enclosed around the minature square of magnesium. Now he just needed to hold it above the fire ...

"Maxie has decided!" Maxie announced cheerfully. Rhys cracked an eye open to look up at him. "Maxie will eat you now so Maxie doesn't get shouted at by the boss!'' The idiotic wolf grinned from ear to ear, looking at Rhys like he expected him to be happy too.

"Like hell you will." Rhys snapped. He lunged forward, holding the tongs above the flame. The fire seemed to spread a knew warmth inside Rhys, giving him more strength, more confidence. ''Look at this."

And Maxie, like the moron he is, turned to watch the reaction happen. It took a few seconds, but once the magnesium had reacted with the oxygen, the magic happened. A bright light erupted from the fire, momentarily blinding Maxie.

"Argh!" Maxie wailed.

Rhys, taking advantage of the distraction, plied himself from Maxie's grasp, shoving the light in his face. He snatched the matches from he desk and rushed to the other side of the room. He paused in the doorway that Maxie had come through, turning back to watch the wolf.

Maxie wailed in pain, hands clasped over his eyes as he stumbled blindly around in a circle. Rhys lit another match, tossing it as far as he could in the room.

Then he turned and ran.