Meadow Falls - Book One

This Is It

“Nate! Where are you?!” I scream in the dark cold woods. That’s when I hear another cry of pain from him.

I run towards the west to see a wounded Nate, a dead Anna and five hybrids surrounding his fallen form. Nate is crying over Anna’s dead body.

“Get the hell away from him, you beasts!” I yell at the hybrids, shooting at one of the hybrid’s neck. The hybrid that I shot falls on its knees, so I can jump over its head while kicking it.

I point my crossbow towards the hybrids, but there are too many!

“Melanie,” Nate chokes out. Blood starts to come out from his mouth and wounds.

“Hang on, Nate,” I say through my gritted teeth. Two hybrids try to claw me but I manage to take a step back in time or I would have been cut into half with their sharp claws.

Something behind the hybrids snarls out loud, making the hybrids glance at the moving bush. I take their distraction to take out one hybrid from behind.

Three more hybrids left.

A shadow comes out from the bush.

It’s Gwen in werewolf form, snarling at the hybrids with saliva dripping from the side of her mouth. She looks like she has rabies.

‘I can’t tell you what, but you have to be careful. I know that you would sacrifice your life for mum and dad,’Victoria had said.

Gwen bites one of the hybrid’s leg. Unfortunately, the hybrid kicks her away, making her fly towards me and Nate.

‘You died protecting mum and dad. Aunt Cass told me all about you when you were alive.’

I look at Gwen who is nuzzling a pale-looking Nate. The impact on Gwen was so hard that she’s limping.

‘You didn’t really die. You just disappeared off the face of Earth. Gwen sent out pack warriors to search for you everywhere. Three years after the search, Antoine, who is Alpha already, stopped the search and announced your death. They even did a funeral for you. Nate was in a depressing mood for weeks, even after Nicholas was born. No one was able to get him out of the room until I barged into his room and yelled at him about how you didn’t want him to waste his life this way,’ Future Cassie told me.

I throw my crossbow at one of the hybrid’s head since I’m out of bullet. The hybrid growls at me with a dangerous look in its eyes.

I throw the only gun I have at Nate and take out my silver knife.

“Shoot if there is any hybrid that comes too close to you,” I command him.

“Four more days before you die.”

Nate looks at me with fear. He knows what I’m about to do.

“Remember, Mel. When you hear Nate cry for help, don’t – ”

Now I understand what Cassie was trying to warn me. She’s trying to avoid my death.

But I can’t do that. If I hadn’t come here, Nate would have been dead instead. Gwen would have been dead instead. If they die, Victoria will never be born. So will Nicholas or little Melanie. No one will steal the potion to come visit me in the past. No one will encourage Cassie to also visit me in the past. Without the kids, Cassie wouldn’t have the will to move on after Rick’s death.

Cassie might just kill herself by then.

“Gwen,” I say sternly. “Get Nate to the pack house now.”

“No!” Nate says, coughing towards the end.

Gwen whimpers, looking at me with her huge brown eyes.

“Gwen. Now!” I throw one of the knives at the hybrid closest to Nate and Gwen. Gwen shifts to her human form and tries her best to carry Nate. She’s wounded, but not as bad as Nate’s.

“Melanie, come home safe,” Nate tells me when they are out of the danger zone. The hybrids pay no attention to them since I’m busy yelling and throwing knives at them.

I give him a sad smile. “I love you, Nate.”

“Don’t you dare – ”             

With a loud battle cry, three hybrids jump on me. I fall on my back, unable to get up because of their heavy weight on me. I try to move my arms to punch one that is too close to my face but I feel pain on my upper arm, causing me to scream in pain.

“No!” I hear Nate screams from a distance.

I’ve done my duty. Nate is safe. Gwen is safe. The future is maintained.

I kick one of the hybrids in the stomach.

A set of teeth plunge into my wrist, making me scream in pain again.

My hand automatically reaches my belt, only to find that I’m out of knives and weapons.

Great, just great. How am I going to take on three hybrids weaponless?

I feel exhausted suddenly. I don’t want to fight anymore. I just want the hybrids to kill me instead of change me.

A hybrid kicks me. The other scratches me. Another just stares at me with an evil look in its eyes not far away from me.

I hear howls from the north. It sounds like a victory howl. I smile a little; at least they have managed to kill of all the hybrids in the north.

Just the hybrids in the west that’s still needed to be killed.

The hybrid that was staring at me hisses at the two hybrids, making them stop attacking me. It is as if this hybrid is their leader.

The leader step closer to me and grab me by the neck. I choke for air and my leg is not touching the ground. I still can’t move my numb hands. I’m going to be dead very soon if I don’t get out of its grip.

The coldness of the harmonica in my pocket reminds me that I need to survive. I need to be alive and not dead for Nate. I need to live.

“No,” I whisper, using my last breath. It’s too late. I can’t do it, even if I don’t want to. Death is my only option or else I would become a hybrid myself.

The thought of killing innocent human disgusts me. I’m not going to be a hybrid no matter what.

This hybrid is doing me a favor. It is killing me instead of changing me.

Blackness surrounds me before I’m able to do anything.

I’ll accept death with open arms.

Author's Note

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-M.