The Beasts of Baye Road

In The Soils of The Town

Blanca wanted to come back and spend another few hours in the secret room. She heard doors slamming and voices. The guardians were back.

No one would know she was in there if no one knew about the secret room, though she didn’t want to take chances. She put everything back the way she found it and slipped through the door.

Karl took the last step and ran in Blanca. Blanca pressed her lips together and shifted away from the door.

‘Blanca?’ Karl's face twisted in surprise. ‘I didn’t see you. Anyway, have you seen Matteo?’

Blanca scratched the back of her head, ‘You mean he isn’t back yet? He left with Franz after the guardians left for the cat people.’

‘Where did they go?’ Karl asked.

Blanca shrugged, ‘He didn’t say.’

They went to the dining room where the guardians dug into a fully dressed table. Gianna didn’t spare her a glance.

Conversation about what happened at the cat people territory rang around the table, but no one mentioned any facts in front of Blanca. By the time everyone went to bed Matteo still wasn’t back. What played on her mind the saykei wolf she discovered in the books from the secret room. The half demonic face of a wolf with very little information about followed her into her dreams.

She was drenched in sweat and stuck in a terrible nightmare when Matteo finally slipped into the room. He sighed. It was three in the morning. All he wanted was to shut his mind down and have all the thoughts doubting Blanca melt away.

He ripped off his shirt and slipped under the covers.

***

Matteo crawled out of bed early. He had to hear the report on the cat people. Hopefully it was all clean and they could move on from them. He filled a mug and found Karl, Debra, David and Cam in the upstairs library.

‘Please tell me you found nothing and I can forget about those feline shifters.’ Matteo ran a hand down his face.

Debra shook her head, ‘It seemed good for a while then the sun set. It’s seems they’re planning something during the full moon.’

‘It isn’t good bro.’ David said.

Debra relayed everything they heard the leader say. Matteo was boiling by the time she was finished. He couldn’t believe their audacity. The guardians didn’t need another war on their hands it was better to take care of the fire before it spread.

‘Get ready we’re heading over there.’ Matteo ordered.

To an outsider the small quiet community was nothing, but that though it’s soils carried much bloodshed. Matteo glanced at the seemingly humble people go about their simple lives and question how they had the guts to go to his territory and spit in his face. All good faith had been chucked out the window.

‘Where is she?!’ Matteo barked.

Karl, Debra, David and Cam stood behind him. Gasps emerged from the few people outside their cottages. Matteo eyed the houses waiting for the white haired woman to step out. Instead Lexi strolled out of a cottage in a black dress.

‘Matteo, honey we didn’t expect you back so early. Come to a decision yet?’

‘Where’s your leader?’ He growled.

Lexi flipped her hair behind her shoulder, ‘My aunt's resting come back when you’re in a better mood.’ She turned to walk back into her cottage, but Matteo zipped to grab her hand.

Some on looking people watched and stared while a couple men marched up to the cottage in challenge.

‘You don’t want any trouble here Alpha!’ A tall blond man spat.

‘I’m not scared of any of you!’ Matteo roared, his bark coming through and his eyes slightly changing. Still the cat people didn’t back down.

‘So, desperate to see me Alpha I must assume you have come to a conclusion.’ The white haired woman walked out of the same cottage as Lexi. She wore an army green dress that ran down to her legs.

‘I should run you all out!’

The woman’s eyes turned to saucers.

‘You can’t let them do that Aunt Katrina!’ Lexi yanked her arm from Matteo's grip.

‘No one will remove us from our home. Baye Road belongs to us more than any other creature!’ Katrina’s eyes sharpened and glowed like a cats.

‘So, you think that’s reason enough to take over the lands of other innocent beings?’ Matteo asked.

‘We deserve much more! You and your guardians stole so much from us.’ Katrina pointed.

Matteo remained still. The others were right all the wolves set to this area were gone.

‘What have you done to my wolves?’ He growled, Lexi stood in front of her aunt.

‘This is our land. I cast them away.’ Katrina said.

‘Then why hasn’t anyone heard from them?’ Karl folded his arms.

‘I don’t need to remind you what caused the slaughter of your people. You only survived because of my ancestors.’ Matteo narrowed his eyes at her. There was no reasoning with these people. ‘You have until before the full moon to leave Baye Road. I know I can’t stop your plans, but I will force you to leave.’

The ground shook beneath them and Matteo stumbled down the steps to the guardians.

‘What the hell?’ Debra said.

The cat people convulsed, their clothes ripped from their skin, fur sprung forth as well as claws on their hands and feet.

‘We aren’t going anywhere! You’ll leave before any of us do!’ Lexi pointed her long claw at them.

‘You don’t want this fight.’ Matteo folded his arms, bored by their little scare show.

‘Against outnumbered guardians? Ha! We’ll do to you what we did to the others. What a mighty catch you are Matteo honey.’

Matteo shared a glance with Karl and a smirk spread on his best friend's mouth. The others caught the hint too.

Matteo grabbed and on rushing man and chucked him over the cottage above Katrina’s head. It took a couple kicks and punches to knock the others down. The outnumbered guardians had faltered the confident army.

‘Leave my land!’ Katrina growled.

‘This land actually belongs to my people. You lost your claim years ago. Like I said leave I’m planning on opening a theme park there.’

Katrina boiled with the heat of a thousand suns. ‘You will regret this.’

‘No, you will if you’re not gone by the time the sun sets tomorrow.’

***

Blanca sought her sister in the one place she knew she’d be. In the kitchen making a sandwich. Gianna shot her daggers and Blanca rolled her eyes.

‘I’m still not talking to you.’ Gianna said.

‘You might want to rethink that. I found something.’

Gianna set the sandwich down and leaned forward.

‘What? What? Tell me?’

Blanca took Gianna to the staircase and ordered her to be quiet. She left a little gap on the door and turned on the overhead light.

Gianna's eyes turned to saucers. ‘Holy—’

‘Quiet Gianna! I don’t think anyone else knows about this place.’

‘It’s so old,’ Gianna trailed her hand along the painting on the wall of a silver wolf. She walked to the bookcase at the end of the room while Gianna sat the desk.

Gianna tested the floorboards. She knelt down and knocked on the floor then on the wall.

‘What’s wrong?’ Blanca asked.

‘There’s something down there. I think this is another door.’

Blanca stood and touched the wall around the hollow space. There wasn’t a button or a knob. Gianna rammed her body into the wall.

‘Gianna!’ Blanca gasped.

‘Don’t you want to know what’s on the other side?’

Blanca looked at the door that was slightly open and again at their latest discovery then nodded.

Gianna rammed her body into the door and this time it slid forward a little. The girls pushed the door the rest of the way in and were confronted with immense darkness. They pulled out their torched and stepped inside.

‘Gross!’ Gianna said.

‘What’s that smell?’ Blanca covered her nose.

The light landed on decayed leather beds and busted wooden boxes.

‘What is this some sort of laboratory?’ Gianna swung her torch across the tubes and cups on a wooden table at the far corner.

‘I think it’s a torture room.’ Blanca swallowed. Her gaze landed on a wooden torture rack.