The Lycanthrope Tails. Chapter Twelve.
The Lycanthrope Tails
Chapter Twelve
By Roofles
The car pulled up before the Animal clinic, screeching as it spun around in the parking lot leaving tire tracks and the smell of burning rubber in the air. The side door of the vehicle flew open and a large German man pulled himself out. Reaching in the next second to pull out the shotgun he favored with him.
"Hurry," Benjamin said already hearing the frighten scream of Tess inside the building. Only a few dim lights were on, but the parking lot had mounted lights along the chain link fence to deter robbers. It gave him a clear view of the building. He popped the end of the shotgun open to make sure the twin barrels each had their own shell before locking it back in.
Benjamin already was making his way around the car and to the back door leading to the garage. The very one Dakota had escaped from.
"Here we are," the man with him said slowly crawling out of the passenger seat. He dusted one arm off, brushing his white gloved fingers clean of dirt from the roof of the car with a handkerchief. "At the beginning of it all, as you so said." He had a slight french accent that made his words sharp and with a bit of a rolling growl at the back of his throat. "Where you first tracked the beasts to this town. And look!" He laughed, spinning around to face the building. His golden locks tossed as he spun around on the heels of his dress shoes. "We already found one! Marvelous. Just marvelous. Come back to the beginning of it all, what a brilliant idea if I do say so myself."
Code name Prince Charming, bowed his down and offered his hand inside to the driver. "Sebastian," he said to the driver. A man nearly old enough to be his grandfather, looked over at him. The older man was dressed in a black tuxedo. "My sword, if you kindly."
"Of course, sir." The butler gave a single nod and picked up the rapier from the back seat and passed it over to him. "Shall I accompany you, sir?" The butler went on to acquire in a manner most would find offensive, as if speaking down to a child.
"No need, Jeeves." Charming laughed, flicking his hair out of his face with a finger and tossing his head back. "And how do I look?"
"We really should be going." Benjamin said in front of the building now, looking back and waiting for the partner he had called in from home. Haven needed constant updates on the hunters to make sure they were still alive and doing their mission. When they found out they had failed, and lost a member, Haven only ordered for him to wait for back up to arrive before continuing the hunt. And this is the man he was given.
This frivolous man that was looking himself over within the side view mirror to make sure his hair had parted the way he had wanted it too. Wearing a black duster was the official uniform for a hunter, like the one Benjamin was wearing. And this other man, this "Charming", was wearing a white tuxedo as if he were about to go to a gala the Queen of England was holding. Not hunting the monsters of the night.
"It would be rude," Charming just replied. Tapping the top of the car and telling Alfred to keep the car running. "To not look my best when rescuing a fair maiden from the vicious claws of a dragon, would be insulting!" And he brushed his hand off once more, adjusting his tuxedo so the buttons were perfectly aliened.
"It's not a dragon though." Benjamin just replied with a deep frown that showed the wrinkles on his brow. One side of his face had been burned slightly and it was redder than the rest, looking more like a bad sunburn than from a fire. "I'm just going in." The larger man said turning towards the door and with a heavy boot kick, the door swung open.
"And take all the glory?" Charming gasped, his face falling as if truly appalled by the very idea. "I think not." And with that strode right past Benjamin who had moved aside.
Charming used his left hand to pull the silver bladed rapier from the sheath he had tied to his side. He weighed it, testing the balance before moving around the corner.
"Hark, foul fiend." He said to the werewolf crouching at the bottom of the stairs and staring towards him. The beast was mangy, with less fur than the others. Looking more like a stray than an actual wolf belonging to a pack. Such was a feral. A newly turned might as well be a mindless beast for all the good they were. "Engarde," Charming offered dipping the point of his blade down to the touch the ground.
The beast howled, screaming its head off as it's sickly black, crooked nails dug into the floor as it charged straight forward.
No finesse, no style. Just a brutish, mindless beast. And nothing in the world could be uglier to Charming as he took only a single step forward.
The rapier flashed, steel gleaned in the light as the silver tip (looking like a pointed thimble) on the tip of the blade bit into the beasts shoulder. Puncturing clean through it and ripping out the top of it. Blood flew in the air as Charming moved past, ignoring the shrieking wail of pain it let out. An inhuman howl filled the night air.
It's body slammed into the wall spinning around, planning on a second attack. It only had a split second to look at it's wounded shoulder before it's thick blood ignited into brilliant white flames as if it's very blood were made of gasoline and the beast burned from the inside out. Within a minute all that was left was a smoldering carcass on the ground. Black smoke rising off it as the smell of burnt fur and flesh filled the air.
"Disgusting." Charming just looked back at it with nothing but contempt in his eyes. "You don't belong in this beautiful world." And with a swish, he slashed the blade to the side as if to wipe the blood off of it. Not a single drop remained on the blade as he sheathed it at his side, adjusting his cufflinks after.
"Hello?" Tess said poking her head around the corner after everything went silent.
"Milday," Charming rolling his hand, crossing an arm over his chest and gave a bow, his beaked nose nearly touching the ground. "The cavalry has arrived..."
Back at Jared's place, Frostbite wasn't managing so well. His wounds had died down to numbing sores, fooling the werewolf that he had recovered far more than he actually had. In a middle of a fight, his adrenaline flowing, it only then dawned on him just how badly he had been injured.
Cursing his own weakness, he backed away, keeping his back towards the hallway and the bathroom door where Jared was hidden within. Frostbite could hear him inside. Breathing heavily, shivering in fear and that smell. The fear of the man just behind him made the silver fur werewolf shudder.
Frostbite clenched his jaws, eyes snapping shut as he pushed those thoughts from his mind. The smell of the human in fear was... tasteful. Like the sweetest of fruits touching the very tip of his tongue. It made him have dark thoughts, dark desires. He felt far hungrier than he really was. A insatiable hungry lust that weld up in his stomach.
It made it hard to focus on the task at hand.
So he grabbed onto that. Those demons that plagued him and used them to fuel his anger, his hatred and with it push the pain in his back and sides to the corner of his mind and out of sight, out of thought as he faced down the Six werewolves in front of him.
Two were still wounded, a third lay twitching on the ground holding its bleeding throat with wide eyes. Until finally, with a death rattle, the werewolf slumped to the ground and moved no more. It's fur shedding from its body and arms, showing the human flesh underneath it. As if the human was finally being released from the curse that infected them all like a flesh eating virus.
Frostbite opened one hand, dark gray claws extended on each finger and he bared his fangs at the group, daring them to come into reach of either or. The thick mane of fur on his back rose up as every strand of fur began to stand on end. And his eyes glowed with an inhuman amber light that seemed to burn in their very sockets.
Frostbite was already large. The thick fur only adding to this. The mane running down the back and sides of his neck was of a darker silver than the rest. Matching the clumps of fur on his elbows and ankles and the tuft of fur on the end of his chin. His chest was almost human, with defined pectoral pecs and a six pack. His sides were lean, making his shoulders and arms look all the larger. Thick muscle ran underneath the silver fur, down his arms and to massive hands that resembled paws. His hind legs were bent back at the ankle, allowing him to run on all fours if need be. And unlike Dakota, he had a thick tail that fell behind him and onto the ground.
He was no small wolf and as his hackles rose up into the air he seemed to tower over the others. His fur sticking out like icicles. And the very air around him seemed to have grown cold. Frostbite could see his own smoldering breath in front of his snout as the temperature plummeted around them.
Frost formed on the windows and along the couch closest to the silver fur wolf as he faced the others down.
"Ah," a voice spoke up. One that seemed to have held onto it's sentience during this hunt. A large black wolf moved past the others, stepping in front of them and tilting it's neck to one side looking at the silver fur wolf. "Frostbite. I never thought I'd see you again." And it cracked a smile. Unlike Frostbite this wolf's fangs were all evenly matched, with the exception of a single fang that jutted from the side of it's black muzzle and up along it's lip.
"Snarltooth." Frostbite greeted his former pack member with as much care as Snarltooth had for him.
"I thought you were dead." Snarltooth just replied. The large wolf was the only one still in their four legged form.
"I got better." Frostbite just replied narrowing his eyes and took a single step forward. The carpet under his toes cracked and froze.
"And to think," Snarltooth just shook his head. A nasty grin on one side of his face the whole time. "After all this time. Where would we find you? Aiding and abetting a human? Of all the things!" And it tossed it's head back barking a laugh. "How you've fallen, pup of the Tundra Wolves."
"I am the last of the Tundra Wolves." Frostbite just said back with a snarl. "My clan relies on me to survive, to go on! To continue our lineage!" That was what kept him here now. The thought, the need to keep his pack alive.
"And so you help a human?" Snarltooth growled back. "What madness has come on you! Why do this? If you tuck tail and come back, I'm sure the Alpha will take you in." Snarltooth calmed down as he spoke but his eyes told Frostbite of his lie, his words themselves were stained with it. "Come back. Forget this nonsense. This idea of a new pack. The Alpha-," but Snarltooth was cut off.
"It is because of the Alpha, that I do this." Frostbite growl only deepened. Then he spoke loudly, not to Snarltooth, but to the others. "Madness? Look at us brothers! Turning on one another. And what for? We should be fighting them," and he jabbed a finger towards the window and out on the town. "Not each other."
"Madness? Listen to yourself." Snarltooth shook his head once more. "You are helping!" He snarled the word. "Helping a human! You are the one who has gone mad!" And then the black wolf sighed heavily. "I looked up to you, when I was young. I wanted to be like you." And his words were soft as he spoke, reflecting on a time long since passed. "To be like you. To be praised by the alpha. And to be a part of this pack, an asset. And now?" Snarltooth eyes darkened as that wicked grin spread onto the other side of his muzzle, seeming to rip his very cheek as he smiled. "I can be." And he snarled at that, moving back behind the other wolves. They could do the dirty deed and he would get all the credit and then, maybe, he would be praised by the Alpha.
"All you do," Frostbite spoke looking down on the wolf. "Is lead us to our doom." And with that hunched down, bracing his feet on the ground and waited for them to come.
Frostbite didn't think his words would reach them. He didn't care if they did. All he needed was for them to doubt, to question. And to come at him one at a time. If they managed to pin him against the wall, they could take him down. But with the hall behind him and the kitchen to his side, Frostbite had room to move and this way they couldn't surround him. And now, he could fight even with an injured leg.
Frostbite shifted his weight, turning to the side and grabbed something behind him the wolves couldn't see as one of the younger ones, giving into his primal desires, charged forward. Taking the ugly vase like lamp in hand, Frostbite smashed it on the side of his face. The force knocked the feral wolf, in its mid-air leap, against the wall.
Snarltooth was waiting for that moment to move in. Like a viper he slithered acrossed the ground in a flash, snapping out with his fangs at Frostbite's exposed neck as the silver fur wolf lifted his head back up. Frostbite had just enough time to snap his muzzle shut and toss his head back as those teeth snapped just the fur of his neck, tearing out a small tuft of it as Snarltooth pulled his muzzle back.
Just in time as a wild swing swung at the obsidian black fur wolf. Frostbite moved back with the motion, bumping into the makeshift wall he had made to protect the bathroom door. Cornered. Sacrificing his own comrade to force Frostbite into a corner, Snarltooth gleefully watched as the other pack members began to close in for the kill.
They would swarm him with teeth and fang. Even if Frostbite wasn't injured already, he was corner and sooner or later one would get a lucky shot in and then Snarltooth could finish the deed. Just waiting for a single opening.
And so Frostbite gave it to him.
"Coward." Frostbite said the word aloud. "Hiding behind the others? What kind of wolf are you! Have you no pride?" The silver fur wolf quickly went on having caught the other wolf's attention. "You claim you want to be acknowledged by the Alpha? By hiding behind the younger members and waiting for them to do all the work? Have you no shame?" Frostbite sneered now, taunting him more. "How pathetic. It's something... a human would do."
And that hit the nail on the head.
Snarltooth howled in rage, flinging himself at the other wolf. "I'll show you whose human!" The wolf managed to spit out before Frostbite caught him in mid-air. Snarltooth eyes widened as his whole body was flipped around and his back was slammed into Frostbite's knee.
The wolf howled loudly until the sound of bone snapping silenced him. And with it silence fell on the house.
Frostbite picked up the limp body and tossed it forward in front of them.
"Anyone else want a piece of me?" Frostbite snarled at the others who had backed away now seeing their leader being dispatched so easily. The others just lowered their head, tucking tail and crawling backwards away from him. Take out the head and the body will die.
Or that's how it should have been.
One twitched, moving a step forward. Trying to stop itself before it showed its fangs to Frostbite. The silver fur wolf just looked at him as if he were insane. The other wolf had to know the risk of this, that this was suicide. And still it took another step forward, the mangy beast rising onto its hind legs and challenging him.
"The Alpha's orders..." It choked out in a raspy voice. "Are final." And then it lifted one arm, eyes wide and attacked.
Frostbite could have cleaved the younger wolf's head off but instead caught the wild swing with one hand, twisted it around until he heard the wrist snap and with the palm of his other hand hit the other wolf's arm bending it backwards. Lifting the broken arm up, he balanced back on his bad leg and with his good, gave a powerful kick to the wolf's stomach.
The blow sent him spiral back like a bowling ball, knocking over two of the others that had tried to join the fight.
Knowing they wouldn't stop until they physically couldn't, Frostbite chose to use non-lethal force. By picking up the couch and using it as a club to bash in the three that had been knocked down. Sweeping it along the floor with both hands, he hit one of the others sending it out the broken window and into the yard.
Turning the sofa around he slammed it down onto the fallen wolves before they could even collect their wits, stepping on it and pushing it down against them. Trapping the three under it. They snarled, mouths foaming as they snapped their teeth at him. Clawing the sides of the sofa and trying to get it off them.
"Such a pain." Frostbite grumbled, wondering if Dakota was fairing as well as he had been.
Raith had escaped out the garage, moving over the field behind the house and towards the trees Dakota had ran off too. He kept into the shadows, holding true to his clans name. Stalking after him, planning on watching the show.
What he found was anything but.
Carnage was the only word that came to mind as he came to the bloody scene. Blood splattered the nearby trees, draped over the bushes and covered the ground as if someone had taken several buckets of the thick blood and just dumped it everywhere. Limbs were scattered about, most still in their werewolf form. Others having been turned back to human. Some were gnawed on and others were missing fingers and large chunks.
One of the werewolf's had been ripped in half, the upper portion managing to crawl several feet away before finally dieing. Two had lost their heads and their bodies were crudely stacked on one another with several others that had been twisted and broken.
And in the middle of it all sat Dakota on all fours, looking up at the night sky.
His russet red fur was drenched in thick blood, giving it a crimson sheen in the moonlight. One of the wolf's ears twitched and Dakota rolled his head back, eyes wide and looked back at Raith. The side of his face pealed into a smile.
"I see you took care of the advance party, already." Raith said his words breaking, failing him as he kept his distance. He felt his knees trembling as he looked over the mess.
"Have you come to play, too?" Dakota asked. His voice was slightly high and he laughed afterwards, a hysterical sound as his muzzle opened and bits of fur and flesh fell from it. Drool ran down the side of his lower muzzle.
"No." Raith said now just staring at the other wolf. His own heart was thundering in his chest, breath ragged. "I came to tell you your human," he swallowed loudly still not even blinking. Not daring to take his eyes off the other wolf. "Is safe."
Dakota looked at him and then he blinked, the monstrous wolf's eyes seeming to relax. "Oh, right. Good." He nodded once, standing up onto all fours.
Dakota's body seemed to have grown in mass and as he stood up, his very shadow fell onto Raith, the moon rising behind him.
"But he's not safe yet." Raith voice cracked and he found himself sinking even closer to the ground, gritting his teeth a bit as his legs shook. "The Alpha." He managed to cough out. "So long as he's alive, your human will be in danger."
Dakota ear twitched and he turned away from the other wolf, looking towards where the wolf pack had gathered that morning. "Is that so?" Dakota asked as if his brain was desperately trying to process that knowledge into something he could comprehend. Then Dakota turned back to Raith.
Raith flinched and his whole body shuddering, shivering in the night as but he dared not move.
"Alright." Dakota just finished with, turning back and beginning to walk towards where the pack had gathered. "I'll take care of him." His voice was soft, calm and steady. And that made Raith just stare at him if he had gone insane.
Their were bodies around them. Buckets of blood. And Dakota hadn't even seemed to show any sign that he was bothered by it. That he had done the deed. Even covered in the stuff, Dakota seemed calm. Almost at peace with it all. And that scared Raith more than anything else.
Raith waited, making sure Dakota was far away before he dared moved. Heading back towards the home. This gambit of his was more of a gamble than he thought it would be. Dakota was a viable he couldn't predict and that was an issue. At least Raith had a way of dealing with such a threat.
Slipping in through the broken bedroom window, Raith made his way to the hallway. He frowned at the make shift wall Frostbite had made of furniture. He slipped up onto the top of it and twisted the handle of the door, breaking the door knob and breaking the door in.
Jared moved back as the door was forced inward.
"Greetings," Raith said slipping his head inside. "I have need of your assistance." He spoke in a casual, friendly manner and even offered a grimy yellow smile to the boy. "Do you mind coming with me?"
Frostbite was dealing with the extra two werewolves to notice Raith sneaking Jared into the hallway and through the bedroom and out the window.
"What's the meaning of this?" Jared asked finally pulling his way out of Raith's grasp and getting the wolf's hand off his mouth so he could breathe properly.
"Dakota asked me too." Raith lied easily enough. "The wolf needs your help. So I came to get you."
"And what could I possibly do in all of this...this!" Jared motioned back towards the house. Raith could tell he was afraid, smell it. He gave the kid credit for at least pretending not to be.
"Your presence is all I need?" Raith said. "He needs." He corrected moving towards the forest.
"Wait, you think I can keep up with you." Jared frowned now, he shook his head. "Let me grab my bike." The man said motioning towards the garage.
He had just enough time to finish his sentence before there was movement on the roof and something jumped down at him.
Jared fell to the ground, using his arms to shield himself from the attack. Raith had already moved, taking a single step forward, tail raising up above his head before turning his whole body around and using that zig zagged tail of his to club to feral werewolf off the boy.
The werewolf yelped, clutching the side of it's face. A massive cut covered its cheek and muzzle as if Raith had a hidden switch blade in his tail. Raith just grinned at the wolf.
"It's rude to interrupt someone while their talking." And he lifted a hand up, moving one finger side to side. "Tsk, tsk. You lot have no manners at all." The werewolf just snarled at him, baring its fangs and drooling profusely. "Disgusting." Raith just frowned a bit, annoyed that he couldn't just use his silver tongue to talk himself out of a fight. He hated getting his own hands dirty.
The wolf crouched down before bull charging the two.
Raith stood his ground, moving his tail down and pointing the very end of it at the wolf as if it were a blade. Then his tail moved, streaking out as if it had a mind of it's own and that sharp dug into the wolf's shoulder. The tail coiled like a rope, drooping down. The other wolf didn't stop as it raised it's hands up pushing into that tail now with his whole body. And Raith withdrew his tail, the edge of it slicing the werewolf's chest open as it went and spilling its guts onto the back yard.
The wolf didn't die instantly. It thrashed around, snarling in pain as it clawed out at Jared's legs. The man managed to move back out of it's reach as it struggled on the ground.
Raith lifted his tail up, aiming the very tip of it towards the werewolf's skull. And in an instant plunged it into the wolf's head. It's eyes widened, voice stopping and then fell over with a blank look as Raith withdrew his bladed tail.
Jared stared forward, jaw having dropped open. It took him several moments before he could speak.
"I didn't know werewolves could do that." He finally said looking over at the pale fur wolf.
Raith's fur seemed to have grown many shades darker and resembled the night sky more than the pale blue Jared had originally seen him in.
"A werewolf can't." Raith just said turning around and heading towards the garage.
"Wait." Jared called getting up to his feet quickly and running after him. "What do you mean by that?"
Raith didn't answer as he lead him into the garage.
"Your already suited up." Raith said taking a seat and looking over towards the door leading into the house. "Get your bag and bike and lets go."
"I'm still not sure what the hell is going on." Jared said bending down to grab the gym bag he had packed in case he needed to bring anything with him. It was a decently sized bag and he slung it over his arm like a backpack.
Raith growled looking over at him before forcing himself to calm down. "Your wolf is in danger, that's all you need to know. You want to help him don't you?" Raith still found his voice to be harsh. "Don't you?" He nearly shouted at the man.
Jared was a bit stun, but nodded. "Yeah. Of course I do."
"That's all you need to know then." Raith snarled getting up and moving towards the garage door that had been bashed open during the raid.
Frostbite managed to get into the garage after hearing the commotion, seeing the bathroom door broken open and cursed as he saw the bike take off towards the woods. It wasn't the fact that Jared had left, it was the scent that was with him. "Raith," he snarled the word and took a few more steps.
His leg protested loudly, a stabbing pain radiating all the way up to his hip. Frostbite clutched the wall for support as he nearly fell over, snarling at his weakness. His stupidity. For letting himself get caught up and letting Raith sneak in and take the boy from right under his nose.
Frostbite didn't have a clue what Raith planned to do with the boy, but knew it wasn't in his best interest that was for sure.
A car pulled out in front of the house and he knew it was best to get out of here. The locals must've heard the noise and called the cops and it was best if he wasn't here when they, and possibly more hunters showed up. So he fell back to his four legged self and limped out of the garage, quickly heading towards the forest and not even looking back at the house.
"Jared!" Tess called, jumping out of the car while it was still on and running towards the house.
It was a mess. The garage had been clawed up, forcibly pried open and the front door had been broken in. The front window was missing and in her panic, she didn't even notice the werewolf laying in the middle of the yard recovering from a serious head wound.
"Jared!" She called running into the living room and stopping dead in her tracks.
Three feral bodies were getting up off the floor. A dead man was lying just in front of the door and there was blood on the ground, walls and furniture which all were in different places than they had been that morning.
She stood there, stunned looking over everything. Her eyes scanning over everything and not seeing anything at the same time as she desperately looked for any signs of her brother.
Tess didn't get a chance to speak again as one of the bodies managed to get up and move towards her. She was gently pushed aside as Benjamin came into view, shotgun aiming down at the things head. And then a loud shot rang out and it's head exploded from its shoulders.
The werewolf in the yard was already on its feet and was moving in on them. It didn't get two feet before Charming moved in front of it, blocking it's view.
It snarled, facing him.
"Shall we?" He asked, dipping the rapier down in the same fashion he had with the other.
It only glared at him before turning around and planning to make a run for it. It ran snout first into the butler that had blocked it's path.
"Excuse me," the butler said as it looked up at him. And with a single palm thrust, bashed the wolf's skull into the ground as if the butler had instead swung a sledge hammer onto it's head.
"Well done, Angus." Charming said, calling the butler yet another name. "Clean up the mess. We can't let the authorities get involved." And with that took his rapier in hand and like a match, lit the end of it by scraping it along the concrete. The end ignited into a ball of flame. And with it he began dabbing the yard, the werwolf and the very house with it. Igniting each one.
"Jared!" Tess called inside, the sound drawing Charming's attention. He quickly moved over and into the doorway, looking inside.
Only one werewolf was left alive. One was missing it's skull, the other had twin buck shots in it's chest and the last was pushed up against the wall. Tess was threatening it with a baseball bat while Benjamin kept his, empty, shotgun trained on it.
"Where is he?" She shouted at the thing, holding the baseball bat with both hands. The very one she had used to threaten Dakota with earlier.
"Where who?" It managed to choke out. It was holding it's throat with a hand looking at her with a bloody nose that the first hit with the bat had caused.
"Jared." She glared at it now, clenching her teeth painfully. "My brother. My only family!" She cursed at him, raising the bat up. It winced moving against the wall and trying to raise one arm up to protect itself. "Where is he?"
"T-the human?" The werewolf managed to stammer.
"Yes! Where is my brother!" Tess said.
Then a sound of a soft chuckle met her ears.
She turned around to look at the broken body of Snarltooth. The wolf lay still on the ground, for all appearances appearing dead. One of it's eyes opened slowly and it looked over at her.
"This kid is as good as dead." Snarltooth coughed out. "All you humans are as good as dead." It tried to threaten, but paralyzed as it was it was only able to bare his teeth.
She looked down at him in disbelief, and not just because it was talking to her. "He can't be..." She said the words slowly, her voice shaking as she pushed the thoughts away. "He can't be dead!" She shouted at it. Moving away from the other werewolf. Whom of which began to sneak along the side of the wall, trying to escape. It managed to reach the hallway leading to the garage, vanishing around the corner and straight into the butler who was waiting for him.
"Leaving so soon?" The butler asked looking down at the wolf.
"You're lying!" Tess just shouted at it now. Her hands were shaking. "He can't be."
And then Snarltooth laughed once more. "And then what's that?" He asked, coughing some more. He tried to move his nose down to a discarded, bloody sweater that belonged to Jared.
During the fight Frostbite had lost the sweater, having worn it to draw the attention of the ferals. It was clawed up, bloody and now lay on the ground. The evidence was all Snarltooth needed to confirm the kill.
And it was all he knew before Tess brought the baseball bat down on his skull to silence his voice.
Charming came into the room, looking over the mess and covering his mouth with the white handkerchief. He saw Tess in distress, hugging Jared's sweater tightly to her chest and quickly headed over. "Here," he offered a hand. She refused to take it. Still he bent down and forced her to follow him out of the now burning building.
She didn't care as she collapsed in the yard, crying as she held the sweater tightly in her arms. "Why? Damnit why!" She cursed loudly, looking up into the sky as it began to rain. "How could you be so...so selfish!" She cried. "Leaving like this? Leaving me. Why? Just... just why...."
Charming laid his jacket over her shoulders and looked back at the mess. He could hear a few sounds inside before the butler came out with Benjamin, both of their hands were bloody.
"Where too?" The butler asked, giving a bow to Charming.
"Anywhere for now, Agni." Charming just waved him off and the butler went over to start the car once more. "We need to get out of here." Charming said over to Benjamin. The two looked down at Tess who had bowed her head, silently sobbing.
"What should we?"
"I'll handle it." Benjamin just replied.
"Right." Charming nodded before heading to the car.
Benjamin crouched down, offering his hand. "I know it's hard. I know it'll be impossible to get over." He spoke softly, in a warm tone as he consoled the girl. "It's not fair. It truly isn't. These monsters aren't part of His design. These monsters are..." And he stopped, closing his eyes. "You can stay here, grieve for his death. Or you can come with us."
Tess looked up at him, tears staining her eyes and running down her cheeks.
"And avenge his death." And Benjamin pulled out a dark gray, jagged knife and offered it to her. "Take it. And help us stop these monsters. So no one else has to suffer."
And Tess did...