Blood…
The pungent scent bombarded me without mercy, I smelled it even before I opened my eyes.
The second thing I noticed was that the throbbing pain I felt before I passed out was still there but barely, it wasn’t drastic at all. And the third was the shadowy figure looming over me.
My body was laid across their lap with one of their arms wrapped around my shoulder tightly as they kept me secured in their embrace.
Who is it? Who is this person?
“What…d.. did…” I cleared my throat and gulped slowly, trying in vain to get rid of the dryness as well as the unmistakable metallic taste on my tongue. “What…did y-you do…. t-to my f-family?”
My blood…I’m certain they took it, tons of it. Mom…dad…they’ve already used it on them, haven’t they? The next time we meet, will they have any humanity left? Will they curse me to the pit of hell just as how Lucas did? Or will they pretend its fine, despite knowing that I am nothing but a monster, despite hating me deep deep down?
Shit.
I’m useless. Truth be told, that fight wasn’t even a fight. Even in such a moment, I’m still beyond weak.
Tears welled up in my eyes and coupled with my already blurry vision, I ended up barely able to make out anything.
“Clara!”
A shout came from the person who held me as his hand tightened around me.
His scent…And that voice…is it…
“L-Lucas…?”
Shivering, I blinked once then twice then rapidly, and gradually, my vision got clearer and clearer. Just as I thought, I looked up into Lucas’ tired blue eyes. A wave of emotions instantly ran through me… a mix of relief, confusion, shame and sorrow.
The air suddenly got thicker, I found it even harder to breathe. I wanted to speak but my lips just wouldn’t open. What would I say? What would words do?
“They’re already dead, please drop the chains! Are you in complete control?”
Chains…?
Control…?
Dead? Who’s dead?
What is he talking about? How did he get here?
I attempted to move my hand, intending to clutch his arm to aid me in sitting up, but to no avail. My hand didn’t budge like I wanted, instead, I could feel Lucas’s fingers holding both my wrists together. And there’s something else…I think some kind of metal is in my grasp. What is it?
Noticing my confusion, Lucas quickly released my wrists and gently helped me up, his hand on my back keeping me upright.
My eyes drifted down to my hand as soon as I sat up, and silently, I looked down at the bloody chains in the center of my palm. Why…am I holding this?
Panicking, my head snapped up, neck twisting whilst my gaze frantically swept over the room. This…isn’t the one I’d been in before, the clear difference in the bright ceiling light and the walls were obvious. But that wasn’t the odd part…
Scattered over the room, were the amputated limbs of both men and women, and multiple lifeless bodies piled up atop each other…fresh bodies with both teeth and claw marks? The whole place looked as if an animal had just ran through and left.
But instead of how and why, my attention was more focused on the figures trembling over in the corner with arms wrapped around each other and frightened eyes staring in my direction… mom and dad.
My blood ran cold, eyes instantly glossy once again. H-How?
“What…h-happened? M-Mom?”
Their eyes widened as soon as I spoke, mom’s trembling hands slipping down father’s shoulder. They eased away from each other, a look of utter relief crossing their features. They were still wearing the same clothes I last saw them in, and as far as I could tell, they didn’t look any more battered than before.
But even so, the big question still ran through my mind: ‘Are they human?’
“Clara…?” Mom’s lips quivered as her voice surged through the air, shaky and barely above a whisper. One after another, tears started to run down her face in an endless stream and father quickly clutched her hands in his when she attempted to move forward, his own wary eyes looking as if a dam was about to break.
“Is it really you? Clara?”
I sucked in a shaky breath. I could feel it, the sudden uneasiness that stemmed from the way they were looking at me. For some reason, it made me dread knowing exactly what took place here.
“She won’t harm you. It looks like she’s back to normal.” Lucas spoke up again, and I flinched. I’d forgotten that he was behind me.
Tossing the chains, I tore my gaze away from my parents and smacked his hand off me, shuffling back. “What happened…to them?” I glanced at the bodies, “Did you kill them? I told you I don’t need you to save me!”
“Who said I saved you? Your wolf did all that work.”
“My…what?”
“Sorry but I have no time to explain that to you now. Are you alright? I’ll carry you if you’re h–”
“No…before that…” I cut him off. “…please tell me that they’re human… Mom and dad, they haven’t changed, have they? Are they hurt? Did Nate try anything with them? What about you? Did they hurt you? Did—”
“We’re fine but changed what? What are you talking about?”
I released a breath I didn’t know I was holding.
So…it didn’t happen after all? I’m glad.
My palms pressed against the bloody floor and I forced my limbs to push me up onto my feet. I staggered a bit, then caught my balance not long after. Dragging my feet across the floor, I grabbed at the first gun my eyes caught sight of tossed atop the bodies, and swiftly checked if it was loaded.
The sight of all these torn up limbs and decapitated heads makes me want to hurl. I’m thinking there’s over a dozen?
I’m confused as to how Lucas took on all these people and it’s unsettling how Nate’s body is not among them, but this is no time to ask questions. Right now, I feel fine, even my broken wrist moves around completely normal. I must get us out of here before more danger arrives.
“Lucas, you stay here with them.” I cocked the gun on my shoulder and turned my feet towards the exit, the gazes on my back making me extremely uncomfortable.
I should leave now…
“I’m not hearing anything, but I’ll go look for the exit and check if the outside is clear. Please don’t leave this room until I say y-”
“I’m going with you.”
I turned my head to glare at Lucas who’d spoken. “What?”
“I said I’m going with you.”
“No. You stay here and I will check. Once everything’s clear, you can take them both to somewhere safe while I get to Ka–”
“I’m going with you.” He took defiant steps forward and came to stand beside me, grabbing my wrist in his grasp before I could move it. “They can stay while we go check.”
“Fuck!” I yanked my hand out of his and backed away. “I’m telling you to stay, why can’t you listen?! What if someone else comes in and–”
“You’re the one who’s in danger, not them. I’m going with you.”
I gritted my teeth, “I can take care of myself. If I’m in danger, let me be! If I’m about to die, let me die! I don’t need you running behind me like a dog all the time!”
His hands clenched at his side, eyes staring me down intensely. He wasn’t going to back down no matter what I say, I could tell. Is he trying to make me feel even shittier than I already do?!
“It’s either we all leave this place together or we stay here yapping until Nate and the rest of his goons come back. Your wolf has already taken out most of the guys, we must leave now if we want to report to the Alpha.”
“No, I wo-”
“We’re…we’re fine.” Father’s voice cut my words short. Our eyes quickly drifted to the corner of the cell where they were both now standing side by side, mother’s arm slung over father’s shoulder. “We can move as well so lets do as he said.”
“We don’t know what awaits us outside this place or even where we are for that matter!”
“Still, we’re not useless old geezers who need constant protection. All we need are guns.”
I dropped my gaze to my feet, glaring. They’re not going to back down, are they?
The door seems to already be falling off its hinge, I can’t even lock them in even if I wanted to. And I have no time to waste convincing them all.
“Fine.” I frowned, “Grab the guns and let’s go.”
We need to make sure we get to Kasan before Nate does…