Shadow Wolves

Sixteen

The blast from the rifle echoed through the frozen air just as Chloe was thrown back. The force of the shot knocked the she-wolf off her feet and she landed heavily in the snow, her head smacking against the rough bark of a tree.

For a few moments, everything was silent again except the ringing in her ears and the sound of her blood pumping through her vein. The world of white and grey tilted and spun, forcing Chloe to squeeze her eyes shut to prevent herself from reacting to the dizziness. The pounding in her head pushed away all thoughts and worries. She didn't care if the snow was melting into her clothes or that she was lying defenceless just yards from three very dangerous men. She wondered if she just laid here forever if eventually the earth would reclaim her and the moon goddess would welcome her soul into the moon's light.

Her vision blurred as she opened her eyes again but Chloe managed to focus on the naked tree branches above her right before a terrifying face filled her vision. The sight of bloodshot brown eyes and ratty looking beard had the blonde's breath sticking in her throat and her eyes widening in horror. She tried to get away from the putrid smell of stale alcohol and cigarette smoke but giant hands grabbed her in a vice like grip before hauling up.

"What do we have here?" The man sneered. "You should be more careful when shooting a rifle. You never know what trouble you'll end up in."

"Let go of me!" Chloe hissed, struggling as the man dragged her towards the cabin.

"Look what I found boys!" The man announced over Chloe's protests and someone cursing. "Found our shooter! A bit bloody but still pretty."

"That f*****g w***e is the one that shot me?" Someone snarled. "Get the other one inside!"

Chloe's terrified eyes landed on the owner of the voice only for her fear to increase. The man who had been tying Emily up was now crouched down with one hand wrapped around his opposite upper arm. Blood now stained the snow red and leaked from in-between his fingers. It was the look of pure rage that had Chloe panicking though as it was directed solely at her while the balding overweight one dragged a motionless Emily into the cabin. Meanwhile, in two strides the shot man was on her, his bloody fist plowing into her gut.

It wasn't the first time Chloe had been hit but it didn't make it any easier. The impact knocked the wind right out of her and she doubled over as pain radiated through stomach, her muscles clenching in protest.

"I'm going to make you regret what you little girl." The man growled above her. "I'm having her first. I will teach the f*****g cunt what happens when you mess with me!"

"Fine." The man holding Chloe chuckled and shoved the girl forward hard so she ended up falling into the snow. "Just don't f**k her up too much. I want a go too. Get her in the house with the other one. I'm in the mood to party."

“No!” Chloe cried, struggling to get away from the hands coming for her.

“Shut your mouth unless you’re going to use it for something useful.” The man she had shot snapped, grabbing her by the back of the coat.

The panic rose up in Chloe’s throat, blocking her ability to breathe as she struggled against her captors. Her eyes darted around her as she tried to find something to help her free herself or to use to defend herself against these animals but there was nothing but snow and rubbish. By now the snow had begun to ease off as the day grew brighter and yet the shadows inside of the small cabin grew darker, bleeding out from the corners in harsh lines like shards of glass. But with each step that Chloe was dragged forward with, the shadows grew thicker. They seemed to shudder like it was taking its first breath before swirling like mist.

The she-wolf thought she was hallucinating. She had taken quite a whack to the head but her eyes couldn’t leave the sight of the darkness swirling and creeping out from the crevices of the wooden structure. Even her terror couldn’t bring her to look away.

As they reached the top step, the black mass curled in on itself, manipulating itself into a shape that grew and began to gain definition. But the air suddenly thickened as if something was sucking the oxygen from it and Chloe felt her stomach turn violently. She snapped her eyes shut, blocking out the world around her.

“Oh f**k!” One of the men cursed when Chloe suddenly lurched forward and empty the contents of her stomach all over the dilapidated porch.

The heaving didn’t stop there either. Chloe continued to wretch as she fell to her knees. The roar of her pounding heart drowned out the sounds around her including the man cursing at her for getting vomit on his shoes. All she could focus on was her stomach tensing and spasming as it tried to propel whatever remained inside of it out. The watery contents began to slip between the broken floorboards and spread out until it began to mingle with the dirt and pool of blood growing beside it.

Blood?

Suddenly the heaving settled as Chloe dragged in cold air while she looked up, chest heaving from the effort and throat burning. It took a moment to process the scene in front of her before shock hit like a bucket of ice cold water and the blonde practically threw herself back to escape the grotesque scene.

The two men who had attacked her now lay prone on the ground, eyes staring up at the soft grey sky but they were empty, lifeless. That was because one head was no longer attached to the body and the other male was ripped open like he had been savaged by some wild beast. The coppery scent of blood hung heavy in the air, mixing with the scent of urine and s**t while steam rose from the opened torsos and fingers and limbs twitched. Before falling still.

It was the man Chloe had shot that had fared the worst. His ribs had been completely pulled apart, the white of the bone poking through the sinew and flesh while the man’s insides slopped out of him now that there was nothing to hold them in place. Blood and flesh coated the ground and walls and began to drip onto the snow below the porch, turning the flawless white blanket into a bloody mess. One leg had been mangled into a bloody pulp.

Yet despite the gore, there wasn’t a single drop on Chloe.

The silence was deafening. It was like time had come to a standstill. Chloe felt her mind shutting down as the horror scene filled her vision. The need to scream filled her body. The pressure built in her throat, constricting her throat. Before she could do anything, a hand clamped around her mouth, muffling the scream that finally escaped her.

“Chloe, it’s me.” Omar’s voice sent relief through the blonde. “I need you to be quiet. Can you do that?”

Chloe nodded, the movement jerky as the poor girl trembled like a newborn pup. She managed to relax a little when Omar’s hand moved from her mouth and the tall male helped her up onto feet. Her knees still felt weak and she sank against the male who steadied her.

“H-How did you find us?” Camille finally managed to ask.

“I heard the screaming and gunfire.” Omar frowned. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh goddess, Emily!” Chloe gasped, eyes widening. “She’s inside and there is another man!”

“Wait here.” Omar replied, helping the she-wolf to rest against the only wall not covered in blood.

Omar moved calmly, pulling a hunting knife from his coat pocket. The way the blade winked wickedly in the pale light sent a chill down Chloe’s spine. She decided there and then she had seen enough of weapons and murder today and turned away from the door, gulping in air. Her throat burned and the bitter taste of bile still haunted Chloe’s mouth. Above her the clouds were breaking and golden sunlight was now filtering through, casting long shadows between the trees. It was too beautiful for the gruesome scene.

The sound of Omar coming back out had Chloe whipping around, her heart hammering in fear when she saw that the male was alone.

“The other man is dead.” Omar spoke up, his green eyes giving away how troubled he was. “But Emily isn’t in there.”

“What?” Chloe frowned. “No, I saw them drag her inside. She has no clothes on.”

“I found some rope that looked like it had been cut or pulled apart but she isn’t here, Chloe.” Omar replied. “What in the goddess's name happened here? Why are you all the way out here?”

"You didn't do this?" Chloe frowned in confusion.

Omar simply shook his head.

“Emily ran off and I went looking for her.” Chloe replied, taking a shaky breath. “As for this…I honestly don’t know.”

“It looks like a wolf did this.” Omar glanced at the mess. “We need to get out of here. whoever did this might come back. All that racket and the smell of blood is going to start attracting a lot of attention.”

“We can’t leave Emily!” Camille argued.

“Chloe, she’s not here and I can’t scent her.” Omar reasoned. “Let’s get back to the others first and then I will go look for her.”

Chloe wanted to argue but she had no come back. She didn’t know how to track Emily now and honestly, she needed to get away from this scene before she started throwing up again. Letting out a defeated sigh, her shoulders slumping.

“Okay.” She muttered, turning to the stairs.

“Are you bleeding?”

“Huh?” Chloe glanced at Omar.

The male huffed as he grabbed Chloe by the arm and turned her so he could examine the cut on the blonde’s head. In all the chaos, Chloe had forgotten that she had hit her head but now the adrenaline was waning, she could feel the sting and throbbing. A headache was forming deep inside her head.

“It needs cleaning but I think you’ll be fine.” Omar finally spoke up. “Okay let’s go. The sooner we get back, the sooner I can go look for Emily.”