Locked

Eric was back where he had started, meters from where Robin had tried to attack him. The vans: that of Elias and Jacob was still parked there, one behind the other. The people, however, were gone. Only about a dozen or more dogs stood there now: big dogs with shiny fur and teeth that looked capable of ripping out flesh. They had various colours of fur, and although brown and black were pretty common dog fur colours, there were also some unusual ones, like silver and red.
They looked like stray dogs, although Eric couldn’t really tell. They were much cleaner and looked much healthier than stray dogs though, and Eric narrowed his eyes, unable to see much in the darkness. Curiosity got the better of him and he took a step forward, snapping a twig in the process. One of the dogs’ head shot up and looked in his direction, and he saw the eyes of the dog glow. That’s no ordinary dog, he thought.
The dog was the one with the reddish pelt, and the eyes that looked in his direction looked uneasily like that of a human. They were grey, he could tell that much in the darkness, and suddenly he remembered staring at a pair of grey eyes mere hours ago. A rushing feeling filled his ears as he realised what was staring at him.
But before he could have time to process the thought that had flashed through his mind, the-dog-shook its head and turned, following its companions. Eric could see that they were heading to the opposite side of the forest, on the other side of the road, in pairs of two, with a much larger dog at the head. The formation seemed almost humanlike, and Eric pushed down the feeling of dread in his throat and followed stealthily before he could lose them.
☆
Back in the facility, Lauren and Katherine were still locked up in their confinement. Lauren couldn’t tell how long they’d been there. A day? Two days? A few hours? They had been served food twice though: toast and tepid coffee for breakfast and pepperoni pizza that made her sick to her stomach. She so hated the smell of pepperoni.
She occasionally heard voices outside their metal walls: whispers that she’d strained to hear, despite her wolf senses. She guessed that was the most her wolf ears could do, and the voices would have been missed by mere human ears. She only picked up a few words, however. Some science-type parlance that she couldn’t understand and a few times, the name Makovsky, said with a sort of fear and reverence.
Apart from that the walls blocked away any other sound. She couldn’t tell what was going on outside the facility: whether it was raining or sunny. The metal grate that served as a door had been opened thrice already, by sullen guards who poked their heads and looked around, ignoring Lauren when she asked questions.
Besides the exclamation of “mom” that had slipped from her lips when she was brought in by Dr Makovsky, Lauren had practically avoided her mom since she got there, only looking up once in a while to see the pride etched on her face and, sometimes, regrets and a longing sadness. They’d sat on different ends of the room: Lauren on the floor, Katherine curled up on the bed, barely saying words to each other. Sixteen years was a very long time.
Now Lauren watched as her mother dozed off on the bed, her brown hair framing her face, dressed in a white shirt and drawstring pants that were too big for her, her folded feet in equally white socks. She almost looked young like this: young and peaceful, like she didn’t have any care in the world. ??? ????? ???? ??, Lauren thought.
She herself was still in the hoodie she’d worn on the day Beth had come to pick her up from school. That seemed like a lifetime ago now.
She swiped at the tears that had long since dried up on her face and sighed, thinking about her friends and wondering how they were faring. Eric crossed her mind and she closed her eyes. She so hated lying to him; she really wanted him to know about this part of her life. He was such a kind soul, had been nothing but good to her since she came to Beacontown. He’d been her friend without asking any questions, and had looked out for her more times than she wanted to count. Protected her from bullies from her school, protected her from expressing the worst version of herself, even looking out for her when Aidan came into her life, albeit quite jealously.
Aidan, damn!
Lauren had refrained from thinking about him since she’d been brought here, but she couldn’t help it. She couldn’t help the way her heart still leaped at the thought of him. She hadn’t seen him since he’d handed her over to Dr Makovsky, but her heart still followed him, wondering what he was up to. She still felt betrayed by his actions, but deep down she also felt pity, and a deep sadness for him.
?????? ???’? ???? ???? ??? ????? ????????, she thought.
Her mother stirred, mumbling under her breath. Lauren looked up, startled, then stood and shuffled towards her mother, her stiff legs screaming in protest.
She picked up the crocheted blanket that was folded at the foot of the bed and covered her mom with it, bending to fold the blanket around her shoulders. Katherine woke with a start and looked around.
“Frank,” she whispered in a husky voice “Is that you?”
“No, mom. He’s not here. Just me.” Lauren said. Her mother sat up and rubbed her eyes, still dazed by Lauren’s intrusion. Her eyes met Lauren’s at the foot of the bed and were filled with recognition. Lauren, seeing that her mother was fully awake, pursed her lips and moved back to take her usual position on the other side of the room but the older woman grabbed her wrist, forcing her to come back to the bed.
“Sit with me.” She said, patting the bed beside her. Lauren sat awkwardly on the bed and avoided her eyes. She didn’t know what to feel, much less what to say to a woman who’d abandoned her for sixteen years.
“I know you’re mad at me-” Katherine started.
“I’m not.” Lauren murmured, bending her head. Curtains of brunette hair covered her face “Really, I’m not.”
“I would understand if you hate me, Lauren. I wasn’t part of your life up till this point, and I made you believe I was dead, but i hope you understand that I did it to protect you. Infact, I think I would feel relief if you hate me. Anything other than this hurtful silence we’ve shared since you got here.”
“I don’t hate you either, mom.” Maddie had said. “I just…”
“Don’t trust me,” Katherine finished for her “I can’t blame you. I should have been there. Maybe all of this wouldn’t have happened.” She touched Lauren’s shoulder lightly and seemed encouraged when the girl didn’t move away. “I really did wish we would meet under entirely different circumstances.”
“I know.” Lauren said, a hint of sadness in her voice “I’d always dreamed about meeting you, for as long as I could remember. Not this way, though.”
“Shut up in a stuffy cell by a manic scientist?”
“Not even close. I’d imagined a rose garden with stone benches, or better still, showing up to my school and whisking me from a dreaded science class.” Lauren clapped back and her mother chuckled, the corners of her eyes crinkling with mirth. She was so relieved that they seemed to be making light of their situation.
“How could you fall in love with him, though?” She blurted after her mother had calmed down “He’s a-a…”
“A freak? A monster, maybe? Call him what you wish, Lauren, but once upon a time Frank Makovsky wasn’t the beast you think he is today.” Katherine chuckled bitterly “I used to love him, so much. He was so charming and good to me when I really needed it.” She paused and looked around their room “Alas, see where it led me.”
“I haven’t had much encounters with him, but the little time I’d spent with him…” She stopped, remembering when Aidan had handed her over to Makovsky and the man had smiled at her, but the smile was icy and his eyes were cold and calculating, devoid of the warmth she’d always seen in Mike or Beth’s eyes when they looked at her. At that moment she had wished with all her heart that Mike had really been her biological father.
The walls of the room were made of metal, but they could hear the voices of guards and scientists on the other side. Lauren couldn’t think of anything to say. She sat in silence as she felt her mother’s comforting hand on her shoulder.
“So.” Katherine said, trying to sound upbeat “Let’s forget about your father for a while. Tell me everything about yourself. I want to know everything about the sixteen years I’ve missed.”
“I don’t know…” Lauren said.
“Come on!” Katherine cut in. Lauren looked at her mother’s face and smiled at the excitement she saw there. Deep down she was still feeling like the worst, but she tried to forget everything and share in her mother’s momentary happiness. For her sake.
And so she told her everything, pouring out all sixteen years worth of information. Her mother listened with avid attention, both her hands clasped over Lauren’s.
The guards beyond their room had fallen silent, and Lauren’s hand had grown warm in her mother’s by the time she stopped speaking. Katherine had listened to her lengthy explanation with a nearly impassive expression, only gasping when she got to the part about her Change and Aidan’s betrayal.
When she was done speaking, Lauren cleared her dry throat, suddenly craving a glass of water, and detached her hands from her mother’s own.
“I knew it.” Katherine said, her eyes shiny with tears “I knew Frank would do something irreparable to you and Mike.”
“Mom, my being a werewolf changes nothing, as does-Mike’s.” Lauren paused. She found it strange calling someone she’d known all her life as her father by name. “My change isn’t as painful as it once used to be. I’ve grown used to it, really.” she continued, scared at the sad look that had surfaced on her mother’s face.
“It’s not just that.” She cut in “Don’t you see it? Frank-Dr Makovsky never does something without having an ulterior motive. He Changed Mike for a reason.”
Silence followed Katherine’s last statement. Lauren frowned, trying to follow her mother’s thoughts “But-”
Katherine closed her eyes, remembering when Frank had told her about dark times that were coming. Was this what he meant?
“Mom,” Lauren urged, eyes searching her mother’s face “Speak to me.”
“I don’t know too.” She swallowed, not meeting her daughter’s eyes “I can only guess.” She drew her daughter into an embrace as the latter laid her head on her mother’s shoulder and they comforted each other with their presence.