SET IN STONE

Chapter 2

Just as he was about to let his guard down, a four legged creature leapt into the air charging straight for Nicholas and took a bullet through the chest for its troubles. The shot would have temporarily rendered any man without the ability to move if not completely killed but this creature whimpered and howled into the night before retreating to the woods.

"To the car, go now!" He barked tossing the car keys to his wife who caught them with trembling hands.

"What… what about…you" she stuttered in fear as she held tightly to her son who was still shaken up by what he had just witnessed.

"I'll be right behind you, GO!" he yelled on top of his lungs yet the fear and worry was evident in his voice. He c****d his weapon, ready to fire at any moving thing other than his wife and child.

He took several steps back, his eyes still glued to the place where that creature had retreated to. That creature? Adam knew well what human-like wolves were called but his brain was still struggling to accept that they exist. He could hear the patter of his wife and son's running feet as they raced through the woods, he was about to turn and face them when the creature attacked again.

One second there were only trees in sight, the next there was a black blurry image and in the next…he was within melee range with a wounded wolf. He had incredible combat strength but that was when compared to normal humans not rapidly regenerating beasts. His rifle knocked off his arm with one punch, Adam was being wrestled to the ground by a stronger, faster opponent. His knowledge of judo, karate and every other martial arts he learnt while training to be a decorated officer like his father would fall him and he would have no response to the several punches that invaded his chest at breakneck speed. That was not all, his opponent was evolving before his eyes and soon human fists turned into wolf claws and the next thing he knew, a row of fangs were dropping unhindered, to one side of his neck.

It is over, the hero is dead, evil triumphs for the first time over good and the darkness of night over the light of love…. or do they?

There, with huge fangs buried into his neck, Adam was ready to go. He had lived quite a life so if death came sooner, he would have been just as ready as he was now, or would ever be.

As early as 15, he had gotten the license to carry firearms due to some strings pulled by his dad, the big American hero. Two years down the line, he would use that firearm to thwart a bank robbery in progress. Who would have guessed that a 17 year old had an AR- 7 in his backpack and knew well how to use it? Adam made the news for weeks, the headlines carried "CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK" alongside a photo of Colonel Roger and his son. Every single force in the country were seeking to recruit and train him, his father's office and their home at that time received unending calls from the heads of departments of Police, Navy, Air force, Marines and even the FBI. To the disappointment of these forces, he later chose to join the Army like his father and thus began a thrilling career, putting his life on the line for his country.

Merely seconds before death, he smiled as he had always thought he would. Adam closed his eyes, bracing himself for the unknown and that was when he saw her. Her green eyes held a charming smile, one he had come to love more than any other sight in the world. He was dying and she might die too, along with their six year old Nicholas. He could not let that happen.

Like a jolt of electricity ran through him, he reached for the knife in his pants and stabbed at the beast on top of him, the knife missing its heart by an inch. The creature growled in agony as it took several steps back which allowed Adam to reach for his gun. Seeing this, the beast retreated again to the safety of the woods. Adam was crazed and was about to chase after it when he heard the sound of an all too familiar voice

"Noooooo!" Mary cried out as Nicholas was taken from her arms by these same hideous combinations of man and wolf.

Running towards the direction of the scream with blood sipping down his neck, arms and chest, Adam first observed the scene before his eyes. Mary was on the floor, her right hand bleeding profusely, those monsters had literally tore through her to get her son. Nicholas fared a little better although he was hoisted up in one arm by one of those monsters as if he weighed nothing, no one made any attempt to hurt him. The pack of three wolves were too busy trying to decide what to do with their victims that no one paid attention to an armed man that was slowly taking aim.

A shot was heard echoing through the woods and before any of the creatures could react, brain, blood and flesh spread through the air as the head of the one that held the child was blown into a thousand mushy and bloody pieces. The other wolves howled into the night with mixed emotions of fear, anger and confusion. It didn't take long for one of them to notice him and as soon as one of them saw Adam, the same got a bullet straight to the heart leaving the last wolf running away petrified.

Adam came out of the bushes to once again reunite with his family. Mary was sobbing ceaselessly on the ground. He felt his heart sink with every tear that left her eyes, it was all his fault. He was more blinded by his ego than convinced through logic that creatures like werewolves did not exist. He vowed to be more cautious next time, if the daunting pain in his neck will give him a next time.

Fighting to stay alive and awake through the pain and immense blood loss, Adam squinted his eyes again as he looked around, not wanting to be caught off guard by anymore beasts. He could afford to lose his life but not that of his family.

"Mummy stop crying, daddy saved us" Nicholas said shocking his parents. He got up without any aid from anyone and brushed off the blood and brain guts from his clothes.

Adam stared at his son, the one he believed will one day take over the Stone legacy and become one of the most decorated members of the armed forces of his generation like he and his father was. In that moment, a warm feeling engulfed him and he could not feel any pain from his neck or body. He just smiled at his son, went forward to hug him and then father and son both stared at the woman they cherished most in this world.

"I won't blame you if you choose to divorce me after this but we need to leave now" he said the words straight from his heart. He knew he messed up and was ready for the consequences of his actions even if it meant a separation from the love of his life and the disbanding of the one thing he lived for before honour and his country.

"What?" Mary rolled her green eyes in confusion, her face still soaked in tears. She had been crying for the state her family was in, not that she blamed Adam for anything. Who would have known there was a great quantity of truth in the rumors that people went around spreading all over Autumn Hills? Divorce? If anything Mary was happy that she was married to a man that could protect his family even against things that were not human, things that would have scared any other man away from his own family. Her lips curved into a smile of admiration as she turned to look at her husband, her eyes almost jumped out from their sockets from what she saw "You…you are…bleeding"

"And so are you" he said pointing at her arm " Come on, we'll stop at the hospital before we reach home" With that he signaled for her to take Nicholas inside the car while he provided cover. There was still one werewolf lurking in the shadows and he was determined to take the beast down.

One more time, he was side stepped by this human monsters and as soon as his back was turned away from his wife and child, they were attacked. The sole surviving wolf returned with nothing but vengeance in his heart for the other members of his pack that Adam had killed either by a stab to the chest, a shot to the heart or one to the head.

With super human speed he arrived behind Mary and dug his claws into her back, Nicholas was not spared this time as the monster thrust the six year old into the air and he landed on the glass of the car's window which broke by a fragment on impact.

The werewolf did all this within seconds. They were an incredibly fast breed and this one was no different. However, fast as it was, he could not escape a shot to his spine or another aimed at its heart. The beast just growled in agony until it was put out of its misery with one final shot to his skull.

The events of a few minutes ago repeated itself with pieces of brain and blood left splashing in the air, in the bodies of Mary and Nicholas and their car before it hit the ground .

Adam somehow got his wife and son into the car and drove well over the speed limit to the nearest hospital. He himself losing a significant amount of blood every minute, he could only hope he reached the hospital before he passed out or died.

By some grace the Stone family made it to the hospital without Adam passing out or dying. Unfortunately, someone did. The glass of the window had cut too deep into young Nicholas' head and there was not enough blood in the six year old and he bled out even before they arrived at the hospital. Husband and wife were then taken to the ER awaiting blood transfusion. Before any new one could be pumped into her, Mary's blood gave out and she died leaving Adam all by himself.

Opposed to logic or anything the medical practitioners had seen in their lives, Adam who had suffered from the most amount of blood loss tarried on to be the sole survivor of his immediate family.

He woke up a few hours later wishing he had died. His father, best friend and some other friends and family came by to support him but he just wanted Mary and their son Nicholas.

It had been twelve years and to this day he still longed for his family. He longed to look into Mary's green eyes like the ones that belonged to a lady he saved today from the claws of amateur wolves that seemed to be experiencing their first full moon after being turned. He could sense their inexperience from a mile away when they were circling the green eyed brunette on a deserted alleyway.

Adam did not need to do much, the mere sight of him was enough to make them recoil in fear at one minute and chase him all the way to hell in the next.

Walking away from Wallwood the place where it all began, he smiled to himself thinking about how easily he was recognized by three wolves he had honestly never seen or heard of before. He could only guess the tale of what he did to one of the strongest Alphas in history, was told to each and every wolf within Autumn Hills and beyond