JACK
“Mom, are you sure we’re gonna make it out here safe?” I inquire, feeling disgusted by the stench and foul odor exuding from the leaves. Dirty werewolves must have lived here in the past.
“You’re a warrior. Even your brother is quiet. You might even like to reconsider going back.” She responds.
“The response can’t be better. I know.” I say as I clip and now, we are in the middle of the jungle, exactly where Amanda brought Alec and exactly where I was taken for treatment and also close to where Jake was rescued.
“Hey Amanda” Jake calls for her. “We can take that route.” He points at the direction he could have emerged from then. I only saw him behind me, I can’t denote where he came from.
“Are you trying to teach me my work?”
As soon as Amanda asks this question, a werewolf rogue pounces on her suddenly. We scream on top of our lungs because it is one of the feral werewolves. I have heard about them. I have read about them as well.
A man starts to approach us now and he walks much quickly so as to reach us on time. Seems there’s an urgent warning he’s trying to pass across.
“Leave her!” He orders the wolf and it staggers away, heading back to the forest. The deep forest.
“Thank…” Mum says but he interrupts, placing his palm in air to stop anymore words from her.
“Don’t thank me yet. Amanda!!” He screams, hurrying to catch up with her.
“Are you well? Are you OK?” Mum seizes the chance to ask her questions too but the man sends her off with just his palm. He must be the head of the feral werewolves. Amanda is a silver wolf anyways, I’m sure she’ll survive any hurt that has been done to her.
“What’s your mission in the deep forest? A few people return after they enter there.” The man inquires, leaving Amanda to wake up herself.
“It’s best known to Amanda. But it’s kind of confidential. Can’t you just leave and we sort everything out?* I interrupt.
“Little kid, don’t seek to die prematurely. Hey folk, yes you, mother of two idiots, what’s the mission or you’re as empty headed as your kids?”
Amanda kicks him to the ground suddenly as she energizes herself, shrugging off the leaves that have glued to her clothes. He winces in pain on the ground but she signals to us, “start moving. I’ll join you pretty soon.”
I nod my head, holding Jake’s lips should he want to say a word. I can’t beat my chest for my brother’s intelligence, it’s shameful.
As we reach another junction, unsure of where to branch to, Amanda materializes and we sigh.
“You took so long. What stopped you?” I ask with a tone of care. I look deep down into her eyes, starting to feel chemistry, weirdly.
Mum’s sudden tap on my shoulder brings me back to reverie as I see my lips almost close to Amanda’s.
“You guys aren’t mates. What the—” Mum says as Jake chuckles, stifling giggles subsequently.
I shoot a disdainful look at both of them while I face Amanda but she stops me and we begin to walk away now.
“The other time…” Jake seeks to discuss the occurrence with me but I stop him briskly.
“The chance of survival is very slim. Would you still consider going into the eternal pack cells?” I ask mum but she rolls her eyes at me, saying, “I should be asking you that.”
Jake speaks for the first time, “according to the books I’ve read, visiting a pack cell requires you to be brought by a feral wolf or a certified pack cell officer.”
“Is Amanda not, loser?” I ask. He shuts up that same minute.
“Guys, we’re here.” Amanda says as we stand at the tip of a rock, glaring down at the furnace burning and people screaming. I squint my eyes but I realize that not a lot of people are being burned. Or maybe they are all being burned, but one after the other. I try to confirm but I see them jumping down one after the other.
My heart begins to throb as I can’t see any other option than to jump as well. Mum takes the lead, Jake follows. Even Jake! The coward! Why am I particularly scared? I’m sure others are scared as well but I’m particularly scared. Do I deserve to b here, unlike others?
“Jump. I’ll jump after you.” Amanda says.
“Why not you first?” I inquire, my lips shivering despite the hot air from the furnace beneath.
“If I jump before you, you’ll have to return home all by yourself. They will be expecting me as a legal guardian. Don’t waste anymore time please. Jump or start to leave. This place is not safe for you. You would have died a painful death if I wasn’t with you all way long.” She responds.
I sigh shakily, “I hope this is not a trick.”
She smirks, “it’s not.” The expression on her face suggests she’s trying to trap us in the furnace while she returns to the city or Alex’s pack. I muster courage within me to jump but she attempts to push me into the furnace.
“Jack! You’re not going to land exactly in the furnace. It’s deeper than you can imagine.” She exemplifies. I shut my eyes and when I open them, I jump down. She smirks and cackles at my fearful moves. As I land on the ground, I feel like I’m in a different world entirely. The eternal pack cell
“Now, is there a way to leave there?” She asks. I can’t say how I am able to listen to her despite the distance. I can’t even find Mum and Jake yet.
“Come quickly!” I scream.
“Don’t yell. You’d be apprehended soon.”
“Be quick!!” I yell, demonstrating obduracy.
“No! Sorry, I don’t want to be trapped forever.”
My eyes snap open at those words. Was my intuition right? She isn’t jumping down anytime soon. What’s really wrong?
I walk a few steps forward to find mum and Jack, so we can find Alex, maybe he can decide a means for us to leave. Afterall, we came here because of him. I stop moving immediately I hear the swishing of sword in the room I am planning to move into.
I peep through the window and I can see and hear them clearly.
“Did you dispose the dirt in the polybag?” Someone asks another. The questionnaire will probably be the boss.
“Not yet”
And then, I hear the sound again only to find the man in pool of blood on the floor. My breaths tremble at that but I promise to hold my peace.
Someone taps me from behind and I suddenly shiver, defending myself with fisted hands. I recognize the person as mum and Jake but their faces look a bit different.
“Come, let me show you something.” They request. They speak at the same time. Their voice match, their lips move at same frequency. I consider following them until I hear some screams from another direction, “no, never, don’t follow them!”
I realize my real mum and real Jake are just coming for me. The fake ones wanted to lure me into the furnace.