Wolf's Bane

Chapter 8 Pt. 2

Gage sat there and watched her sister walk away from the living room. She then looked towards Sam as she held one of her toys. The toy was one of the rare ones that were not torn up. She put the toy down before trying to go to her sister, but by the time she got to her, Luna had already shut the bathroom door. "Sister, want to watch a scary movie?" She stood at the door with her hands on it flat. She could hear Luna start the water in the tub after removing the clothes from them. Then it was silent.

"After I get cleaned up, okay?" She said after a few seconds. It almost sounded like she was trying to compose herself. "Go ahead and pick the movie." Gage tapped the door in reply before she walked away to the movie rack.

He gave her a single nod before she got up. Turning to the table, he rested his head in his hands and growled. You're such an i***t, Sam. Why did you think she'd be okay with that? Sitting up, he pushed the chair from the table and stood. Before he moved anywhere else, he pushed in the chairs that had been pulled out. He had watched Gage move down the hallway and heard the conversation. She's too young to protect her but old enough for a horror movie? Sam couldn't understand Luna's mind, but he stood near the bathroom door after Gage had left. He was silent as his blue eyes moved over the walls. "Luna, if you want me to go home, I will. I'm sorry."

Luna stood in the shower for a minute or two before hearing Sam. She couldn't help but sigh at his statement. "Sam, I'm fairly good at speaking my mind. I never said I wanted you to go." She spoke loud enough so that he could hear her over the shower noise and through the door. She decided to sit down in the shower. She held her knees to her chest and let the water hit her head. This caused her hair to become a soaked mess. "Just give me a moment, okay?"

Gage listened to them as she picked out one of her favorite movies. She wanted to pick something Sam would also like, but she didn't know what that would be. Her eyes landed on 'Scary Movie 3,' which caused her to laugh a bit before putting it next to the tv to watch when Luna came out.

Sam stood there in the hallway near the bathroom door. He could hear the squeaking of plastic as skin met with it. Even under the rush of water from the showerhead, he could hear her clearly. "I'll be in the living room with Gage then." His voice was soft but loud enough for her to hear. Turning away from the door, his eyes caught on the doorway to the back bedroom. He could feel the presence but wasn't sure if it was the same. He mouthed, 'I'm sorry to the wooden door and tried his hardest to appear happy as he walked into the living room. "So, what did you pick, Gage?"

Gage looked towards Sam and smiled. She grabbed the case to show him what she had picked. "It's not that scary." The front said 'Scary Movie 3,' but everyone knew the movie was more humorous than scary. "Is sister mad?" She slowly lowered the film into her lap as she asked the question.

He chuckled before sitting on the couch next to her. "I don't think she is mad. Though, I don't know how she thinks all that well." Pulling out his phone, he went to his text messages. His mother had texted him, but it didn't seem necessary. He sent her a response and looked toward the hallway.

Gage watched Sam text on his phone before tilting her head sideways. "Who's that?" Gage was always nosy. Anytime Luna had a message, she'd try asking her questions too. Her hair was still a massive mess from the past few days. She hadn't been able to wash it since swimming in the lake. "Is it someone important?"

"Just my mom." He responded toward Gage as he typed on the old-style flip phone. He sighed soon after as the phone vibrated with a new message. It was from her again, but it was about his father this time. "He is in town."

Gage decided to stop prying after that answer. There was no reason for her to get into his family business. "Is your mom nice?" Gage decided to find her way to the couch to sit on. She had managed to pick up another toy from the floor she had been playing with.

Sam looked at Gage and gave a smile. "She is the nicest person you could ever meet." Closing his phone now, he looked at the toys in the box and the one in her hands. "You need new toys."

Gage smiled at his answer before she began to play with the one she had on her lap. It was a small car that seemed to be one of the toys that appeared to be in the best condition. Hearing his comment about the toys, she shrugged slightly. "Sure, they are broken, but my mommy and daddy bought them for me." She smiled a bit as she made the car do some sort of weird flip with her fingers. It wasn't long until she heard the bathroom water turn off.

Sentimental, and it was cute. Sam understood why she and Luna never threw them out. Looking to the hallway, he makes a cup of coffee and stirs in the sugar and creamer. Rinsing the spoon, he took a sip of the beverage and leaned against the archway.

Walking out of the bathroom was Luna. She had put on some different shorts but kept on the same shirt. She didn't feel like giving it back to him. Luna was drying her head with a towel when she walked out. When she looked up, she noticed the silence. "It's quieter in here with more people? What's wrong with you guys?" She laughed a little bit before looking at Sam. She didn't know if he really planned on leaving or not. She was about to keep walking when she suddenly looked towards her room door. The room was cracked open. She hadn't touched the door in years. "Sam... I think I know why the door was unlocked." She was quiet because the person who came in was still inside. She didn't look away from the door.

Blue eyes moved past Luna to the door as she spoke her statement. Putting his cup on a counter, he opened a drawer and grabbed a knife. Moving to Luna now, he leaned close to her. "Take Gage to the kitchen, and don't leave till I return." It was a simple command, and he didn't stop for any sort of response. Moving past her, he crept down the hall and reached the door.

The scent of fear struck his nose as he approached the door. The crack of the door cast a small beam of light into the room, and he knew that if someone were in there, they'd be able to see his shadow. There was no hiding now. Sam stepped through the archway and flicked on the light, opening the door all the way. The room brightened now and showed Sam that it had been ransacked. A deep, guttural growl left his lips. It was more animal than human as he began to search through the room. "Come on out, mutt. I can smell you."

A whimper sounded from under the bed. "S-sa-Sam?" The male stuttered as he shook under the four-post bed. Sam knelt down and lifted the dusty blanket to peer underneath. As his blue eyes brightened, his gaze caught sight of a quivering teen with shaggy brown hair. "Bradley?" Reaching under, Sam grabbed his shirt and dragged the boy out. "What the f**k are you doing here?"

"I-I followed your scent. You never made it to the woods on Friday, so I went searching. You weren't at home last night."

"Course not. We had a meeting last night." He wondered why Brad wasn't there. I guess this was the reason. Sam shook his head as he pulled the male out of the room. "Found our culprit," Sam growled as he threw Brad to the living room floor. The teen yelped as he hit the carpeted floor. "What do you want to be done with him, my Moon?"

Luna was waiting in the kitchen with Gage when Sam brought out Bradley. Luna was more than angry at the boy hiding in her room. It was more of her mother's than her own. This only made it worse. Luna's face was red. Gage could have sworn her eyes turned darker. "I don't... I don't care what you do to him. Just make it worth it." Luna looked at Sam before looking at Brad. She then walked past them to the room they had left. She was going to check everything to ensure things got back in place. It wasn't too hard because it hadn't changed for years.

Gage walked up to the person she had never met before, looking down at him. She didn't like anyone who irritated her sister. Her being small, Gage knew there wasn't much that she could do to him. Instead, she threw her toy at him before returning to the couch.