Fifteen

Abandoned Train Station, Valiant, Human Territory

The illusion of no sound broke with a bang as gunshots and yelling were heard.

Alice griped her walkie so tightly the plastic groaned in protest, and she lifted it to speak in a hurried rush.“What's going on?” Alice asked. “Loki, Henry?”

No reply.

More gunshots. Then silence once again.

Elizabeth ran out from between the trains, already covered in blood. She crumbled to the ground, clutching her stomach, blood spurting out.

Alice looked away from her as she bled, busy shouting orders into the walkie.

“Orion, help out Elizabeth.” She snapped out to another Pack member. In her

walkie she said, “Whoever is able, track down Henry, Loki and Patrick.”

“What do we do?” Lana asked, staring at the bleeding form of Elizabeth as Orion aided the wounded werewolf.

Alice gave her sister a look, trying to hide her annoyance and fear for Lana. “Just stay back. We'll let the others handle this.”

Lana didn't look at her, staring at the train car the others were now prowling towards, some in wolf-form. She did roll her eyes however, the only answer she gave.

Alice felt a growl in her throat, a result of her instinct to discipline a

insubordinate pack member. The idea of Lana rolling her eyes now, in the middle of a combat situation... She held the anger down instead, looking towards the train car.

One pack member, a young man with bulging muscles who thought himself a great warrior, was first to the carriage. With the casual confidence of the young and dumb, he knocked on it's door.

“Room

service!” He called out, laughing as he reached for the handle.

The next movements were a blur even to the superhuman senses Alice was gifted with. The top of the train car's door suddenly bent inwards. Then, pulled by an irresistible force from within, the door was ripped off its attachments and thrown inside.

A voice uttered. The sound was... horrible. Eldritch. Like a being from a plane unknown was speaking, it's voice echoing on not just the air, but the mind and soul itself.

“

Good. 

I love my meat raw.”

Lana screamed, clutching her ears and falling to her knees. The pack members either ran or rushed to attack, their instincts overwhelmed by the voice tearing into their minds.

A pale furred hand as big around as a car's hubcap and tipped with serrated claws stabbed into the muscular man who'd knocked with frightening ease, keratin tearing through his throat. The man coughed blood, unable to scream.

Another pack member in wolf form rushed forward. His feet cracked the ground

as he rushed, his speed was incredible, beyond any mortal being on earth.

The ease with which the creature inside tore him in half before the wolf-formed pack member could even reach him was a spectacle.

“Akinrinade!” Alice barked. “Lana, now!”

“Right!” He rushed forward, grabbed Lana's near insensate form, ignoring her

whimpering. “Fine day for a field trip!” The dark-skinned young man grumbled as he pulled the girl along.

Alice appreciated his attempt for levity, even though his clenched teeth and wide eyes showed exactly the same emotions she felt.

This was no simple beast. This was something wrong. Something they could

not have prepared for.

As Alice's wolf instincts screamed, Lana screamed as well.

“Alice, Alice, what about you!?” She shrieked as Akinrinade ran off with her under his arm.

“I keep it's attention.” Alice said simply, unsheathing her blade.

Simple words. But not easy to back up. The creature inside stepped out, licking the viscera and blood off its fingers with little sighs of joy. It was enormous, covered in white fur.

And that was all she could tell. For some reason, the true face and shape of the being was impossible to discern, even in the bright sunlight of the train yard. All she could tell was claws, blood, jaws, death-

Alice shook her head, gritting her teeth as she held her calm to her as tightly as a shield. Regaining herself, she rushed forward.

“

Oh?”

 The voice echoed once more, amusement and blood lust. “

You've

come to feed me. My thanks.”

The attack came in a casual blur. Alice raised her sword, ready to slice the claw before it could reach her. Then, in a movement she couldn't understand, the claw became a wing, then jaws, then a simple hand. She couldn't focus, couldn't see.

Her jaw was bashed in by a finger. She'd gotten lucky. Her instincts, honed by hours of combat and training, had been enough to dodge the blade-like claws aiming for her, and the streak of blood on her sword spoke to her success in striking back.

At the same time, she went flying, her jaw shattered, into an arc that landed her into a train carriage with enough force to pierce its metal wall and dent the next one. Her body screamed under the abuse, unable to understand what was happening.

The last sight before blacking out was the creature leaning down towards one of her pack members, and the last sound she heard was someone swallowing.

------

“You. Run.” Akinrinade said after putting Lana down.

Lana stared at him wide eyed and wild haired. “Wait, what? What about you?”

“I can't leave Alice behind.”

“Where do I go?”

“You pick any direction that isn't here.” He said pointing down. “And you run in that direction.” He gestured in a wave towards the general direction of the city, then turned to rush off.

He was about twenty feet away when he stopped and rushed back to her.

Lana breathed a sigh of relief. “I thought you were really going to leave me here alone.”

“Well, I'm sorry to break the bad news but I just had to make sure you understand that you don't stop running until you find safety. That's what I meant. Not just running, but doing it with purpose. Understood?”

She nodded once, her expression somewhere between offended and horrified. Akinrinade smiled awkwardly and once again ran off in the direction they had last seen Alice.

Leaving Lana, shivering and cold, by herself.

------

Alice woke up, the sun shining brightly on her. She blinked slowly, a loud annoying noise echoing in her ears as a dull black shape moved above her. Then, slowly, she recognized the sound.

“-ice!

Alice!” The shape yelled, shaking her shoulder. “I'm not a doctor, so I was hoping yelling your name and shaking you would help.”

“Through the power of being an annoying twit?” Alice asked in an aghast tone, wincing as a headache revealed itself with a splitting pain.

“Well it worked.” The shape resolved into Akirinade, looking down at her in relief. “You okay?”

“Where's Lana?” Alice asked sitting up.

“I sent her away.”

“Why would you send her off on her own?!” She shouted at him, anger in her voice.

“I-”

Alice shook her head, realizing that Akinrinade had only done it because he would be most useful here; helping her.

“It's fine, you did well.” She said. While intellectually she knew that was true, a part of her was filled with rage and fear at the thought of Lana being in the same vicinity as the monster that had attacked.

Ignoring that, she looked outside. “The pack. Are they...”

Akinrinade, seeing her face go still, looked away. He'd clearly already seen the bodies. What was left of them.

“...Come on.” Alice said turning her back on the scene. It wasn't easy. Her pack, the one that had followed her loyally and expected nothing in return but her protection, was dead and ravaged by a beast, some of them having left scratches across the ground where they had clawed, trying to pull themselves away from their devourer.

But she turned away. Mourning them would do nothing but prolong things.

She took a deep whiff of the air. The scent of the creature, as maddening as the sheer presence of the monster, filled her sensitive nose like raw meat spilling blood into sewage.

She drew her sword and ran forward past the train cars, leaping over

tracks as she followed the scent. Akinrinade followed her, keeping up

easily with her.