My Match (Watty Awards 2013)

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

I couldn't move, couldn't run, couldn't think straight. The eyes disappeared and my knees buckled.

"Someone catch her!" Kassia shrieked, and I felt a pair of strong arms grab me right before I hit the cement.

Max's concerned blue eyes searched my face. "Hanna! Sh*t, are you okay?"

I managed to murmur, "The eyes. They're coming," before a wave of nausea washed over me.

Everyone exchanged confused glances and their chatter rose. I noticed that the town center was suddenly abandoned, and I didn't see a single person left here except for us. Heck, all the stores were dark and the majority of the cars were gone. This was getting creepy...

"Wait!" Brandon hissed. "You guys smell that?"

I wanted to get his attention somehow and tell him to stop acting all wolfy; Kassia was standing right there! I quickly looked over at her. She didn't seem to think that something was weird about his comment, so I silently willed her not to notice any other werewolf things that they might do.

Taylor lifted her nose. "Smells like..." her eyes widened. "Rogues," she snarled.

A chorus of growls and hisses alike came from our group and I mentally groaned. There was no way I could explain this to Kassia later, if she asked.

Max helped me to my feet and tightened his grip on me. "How many do you guys think?"

"More than one," Juliette confirmed. "Maybe six to eight?"

"Well," Max said, his face grim, "there's one for each of us."

I felt the blood drain from my face. Oh God, the last time he fought a rogue...

His expression softened when he looked at me. He'd probably been reading my mind again. "Hanna..."

"I don't want you to fight," I whispered.

"I have to. I can't let the rest of them handle the rogues on their own. If I don't fight, we'll be outnumbered."

I sniffled and he groaned. "Hanna, please don't cry. You know I have to go."

I wiped my face on his shirt and sighed. "I know you have to. Promise you'll come back to me?"

"Pinky promise," he held out his pinky and I grabbed it with my own.

Brandon and Juliette were locked in an embrace, as were Taylor and Jonathan. William and Kassia stood to the side, and appeared to be having a civil conversation. I smiled slightly at that.

"Just for luck..." Max trailed off and brought his mouth to mine. His lips were slightly chapped from the cold weather. He lifted me off the ground and acting on instinct, I wrapped my legs around his waist and I felt him grin. We broke apart too soon for me, and he set me back down, but not before pressing a kiss to the corner of my mouth.

Then he and everyone else trudged off to the woods. Well, almost everyone. William stayed behind and I looked at him questioningly.

He sighed. "I'm staying to protect you two," he gestured to me and Kassia. "Can't have you two all by yourselves, now can we?"

"We'd be fine just hiding here," Kassia grumbled.

Wait...she didn't ask what rogues were? Did she know? What the hell was she hiding? But I didn't question her. I wanted her to tell me; I didn't want to have to pry into the matter.

An ear-piercing howl echoed through the night and I cringed. I checked the clock hanging inside of Pizza Hut. It was nearly nine o'clock. The full moon was visible in the sky and a whitish fog was rolling towards us. This was like a scene from a horror movie.