I dont even know when I fell I asleep but that thirty minutes I mentioned turned into hours and then when I woke up, Kasan was out of sight. I didn’t hear anyone downstairs either so the place was quiet as hell.
Considering that this empty house is a rare occurrence, I get the feeling something might’ve happened. They must have numerous enemies to clean up or perhaps they’re handling some kind of drug deal… anything of that sort. It had been too quiet around here for far too long, I guess.
Well whatever. First things first… bath!
Throwing the messy sheet off my naked body, I climbed out of bed and practically bounced all the way over to the bathroom. I was feeling happy for two reasons: One, no one was here to nag me and two, Lucas wasn’t present either…
I don’t think they would’ve left him behind, would they?
Nah.
On another note, I still can’t believe Lucas has been one of Kasan’s lackeys all this time… especially after all that’s happened to us both. I never thought he’d even try to make friends to begin with, much less be apart of the most infamous group around! … or should I say ‘WAS’ apart of?
Minutes later, I was soaking wet in the tub whilst sluggishly flicking at the moving water. I had already washed my hair and scrubbed myself clean. All that was left… was to simply idle away time.
Some loud music would be good right now. And I’m sure Kasan has liquor stashed away somewhere around here too…. that would also be super good.
I could have my own little party here till I get wasted and fall over!
But sadly, I don’t own any device at all so music is out of the question. And neither do I know where Kasan hides all the good stuff… so liquor is also out.
Saddened by my thoughts, I allowed my body to sink deeper beneath the water till the ends of my hair was the only thing peeking out.
I should get Kasan to buy me a phone atleast. I’d be less boring that way. And maybe I could also get him to b—
A sudden slam of the bathroom door had my lips parting and my nose taking breaths that it definitely shouldn’t have. Startled, I quickly emerged from beneath the water in a coughing fit and cursed under my breath, my fingers pinching the tip of my stinging nose.
If that’s Nate, shit bouta go down, I swear!
By now, I’m positive that Kasan will ALWAYS leave that no-brain with me rather than any of the others. He’s cool enough to be my bud but he’s also pretty annoying.
I get why he doesn’t leave Kenley instead tho. We’d claw each other’s necks like cats and dogs, no doubt.
Stomping out of the tub, I grabbed a random towel from the rack next to the door and quickly wrapped it around myself.
The knot on the towel wasn’t too tight under my arm, but like the uncaring person I was, I stepped out anyway, my fists clenched at my side and my nostrils breathing fire. The dribbling droplets from my skin and hair left a trail behind me.
“Can you NOT frighten me like t—”
I clamped my lips closed when to my utter annoyance, Nate was nowhere to be seen and the room was exactly the way I left it… well almost.
“Vrrrrr…. Vrrrrr!” A sudden soft vibration pulled my gaze down to my feet and my eyes immediately settled on a small button phone that DEFINITELY wasn’t there before.
It’s ringing? What the fuck?
“Whosoever the fuck is messing with me, I’ll have you know that I was fucking meditating in the tub!”
Silence….
“Nate?”
Silence….
Annoyed, I kicked the ringing phone to the side and trudged further into the room, my slippery feet taking cautious baby steps as I walked.
“Kasan? That you?”
Silence….
I’m suddenly getting that freaky ominous vibe.
That’s not good.
Did someone break in and maybe drop their crappy 1980’s phone? But nothing was stolen… And then again, who the fuck would break into Kasan’s mansion of all places? That’d be suicide.
Unless this is some kind of sneak attack?
Darting my eyes over the room, I grabbed an elastic from the nightstand and quickly tied my dripping hair towards the back so it was completely out of my way. Then, I stooped down and stretched an arm under the bed, my fingers grabbing ahold of the rifle Kasan had given me.
I was half convinced that either Nate, Kasan or both were playing some kind of stupid trick on me, but I’ll keep this close…. just in case.
“Vrrrrr…. Vrrrrr!” The vibration started up again and I guided my gaze to the spot where I left the phone, a ton of uncertainty weighing on my shoulders.
Should I answer? Or should I get the fuck out of this creepy ass room and make a beeline for the stairs?
My brain said the latter was a pretty good idea, but on the other hand, my curiosity was boiling. I couldn’t just ignore it.
Instead of heading for the door, my feet stomped over to the phone and with a frown, I snatched it off the floor. I didn’t bother continuing to uselessly contemplate between answering or not, I simply placed it close to my ear, my thump pressing down on the green button that would answer the call.
What could possibly be the harm in picking up a call?
A hoarse voice came from the other end within moments. “I’m not really one to give others the heads up… but I’m feeling good today so I’ll tell you this…. Leave while you have the chance.”
I scowled. What the hell?
“Leave? What? Who the fuck?”
“I know everything there is to know about you, Clara Henry. Instead of lowering yourself to one of those mutts, I’ll give you the option of leaving of your own free will or simply to join us on our quests. It’d be a waste having to kill someone like you. I’d say Robby trained you well, though I’m not sure why he never mentioned you. We could’ve used your skills.”
Considering the croaky voice, this person must be somewhere between the ages 40-60 years. But age and everything aside, if I’m not mistaken, he just made mention of my dad! How does he know him? Who the heck is he?!
And the biggest question is…. is he an enemy?
“Who are you? How the fuck do you know my father?”
“I thought you’d be smarter than that, kid.” A chuckle met my ears. “Robby and his gang was one of our most trusted new additions… that’s until he failed his job and we had to take some precautions. He and your mother has been in hiding for months and I heard that mutt currently has them under his protection, yes? Unfortunately, they know too much so it’ll be a matter of time before we know exactly where they are. But!” He said, and I could hear the maliciousness of his voice. “If it is that you do as I say, I might just let them be. Take your pick, Clara. Either you leave… join us… or stay with him and die. I trust you will make a wise decision.”
With the last bit echoing in my head, my fingers convulsed around the small phone and I held my breath, trying my best to restrain the dread that was beginning to flow in with waves.
Am I… Am I being thrown into another situation where I have to choose? This time, between my family and Kasan?
Yeah, things were definitely too quiet. I should’ve known it wouldn’t last.
The Riders… there’s no doubt in my mind that it’s them, but why contact me before making a move? Why make it known that they are planning something? Do they think I know some secret of theirs? No, it sounds more like they are set on me and Kasan being apart. Why?
‘It’ll be a matter of time before we know exactly where they are’
That line bugs the fuck outta me. I’m getting the feeling they have an inside man? How else would they know Kasan isn’t here right now? How would they know he’s protecting my parents? Better yet, how else would they know I’M here at this very moment?!
Something’s definitely going on! This is the wrong time to be doing business, Kasan!
“A-Are you telling me to betray him? You… This is a coward move, you fucking geezer!”
I did my best to keep my voice neutral and minimize my pumping rage, but with my parents in danger and Kasan possibly having a spy here… I don’t think anyone could’ve pulled that off perfectly.
I bet he could easily hear my anxiety.
“Coward? How? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not asking you to kill him in my stead. Rather, I simply do not want you caught in gunfire. I’m asking you to leave for your own good.”
I clenched my jaw. “Why do I think that’s not all it is? After you Riders killed so many innocent civilians, you want me to believe that you don’t want me to die a useless death? Why?”
“The past shouldn’t repeat itself, it’s as simple as that… Besides, as a human, you have nothing to do with this.”
“The past? As a human? Do you even know what you’re saying?”
“Then let me ask you one last question…” The call went completely silent for a few terrorizing seconds. “… Do you think werewolves exist?”
And with the mention of one single word, my face instantly drained of colour.
W-We–Werewolves?
“W-What?”
“Take my advice… A beast will always be a beast. What he has for you isn’t love… but simply a dangerous obsession. One wrong move and you –and everyone around you— may just become his prey.”
“Beeeep!”
And just like that, the line went dead and the phone slipped through my fingers.
My brain was battling to understand even a small bit of what he was sprouting but the part where he mentioned ‘werewolves’ threw me off completely. The way he asked told me that he was certain I knew nothing of such things…. but on the contrary, I knew exactly what they were and the horrors that they were capable of.
That said, what is the tie between the Riders, Werewolves and Kasan?
That one question lingered in my head, but I had little time to ponder. Something moved from the corner of my eye and on instinct, my head flew in the direction of the glass windows, locking on a vague figure wearing all black.
My head screamed danger and my fingers tightened around my gun but before I could even lift my arm, they had made their first move. First, it was the window splattering to pieces before my eyes and then, it was the feel of something piercing through my shoulder.
My arm immediately went lax and in a second, my strong grip had retracted and the gun had reluctantly fallen from my grasp.
Blood oozed like a river and the world darkened around me within seconds. A loud, earth-shaking growl immediately came from the woods near the mansion, a growl that shook the walls with it’s rage.
I didn’t know what creature it was, but I suppose the ruckus had triggered it’s unrest.
And with my vision going dim, my eardrums ringing and my shoulder rendered useless, I couldn’t find much interest in such trivialities.
I’ve had a few gunshot wounds before now, but this somehow felt different…. worse actually. It was as if my consciousness was forcefully being sucked out of me by the second! And not to mention the extreme pain that surged through me!
With so much blood evicting, I’m definitely in grave danger. But even so, without thinking, I found myself whispering the name of the first person that came to mind whilst I stumbled to the floor.
“K-Kasan…”
As if on cue, the sound of Kasan’s worried call resounded in the air as he entered the building.
“Clara!”
In seconds, a million footsteps came rushing up the stairs.
Relief instantly washed over me…
I only spotted a single assailant outside, so with them here, everything would most definitely be okay…. well, atleast that’s what I thought.
“BLOOD!” Another animalistic growl filled the air along with the sound of the door slamming off it’s hinges and tumbling to the floor a few feet beside me. This time, the growl was not from a distance…. almost as if it came from within these very walls.
“Alpha, calm down!”
“You need to breath!”
“Don’t do something you’ll regret!”
“Control your wolf!”
“Alpha!”
Voices came flooding in from many directions… but I paid them no mind. I could already feel myself getting ready to black out any minute, but before that, I need to tell Kasan that there’s a mole! I need to tell him that my mom and dad are in danger! And he needs to know that they’re planning something major!
Sucking in a breath, I placed all my weight unto my left side and whilst trying hard to ignore the pain, I rose my head, looking towards the busted doorway.
What I saw, however, had my words stuck in my throat. This standing before me…. was not the Kasan I was used to seeing.
… Sharp teeth… long claws… bulging veins…. and rage-filled golden eyes which were eerily focused solely on my bleeding shoulder.
No human had such characteristics.
That…. was definitely a werewolf…. the same kind of bloodthirsty creature as my brother!
‘Take my advice… A beast will always be a beast’
…. C-Could Kasan be….. that beast he mentioned?…..