Shaya

Chapter 24 - Red dawn

" I'm not saying that we're dying. I'm just saying that there's a high probability that we'll die."
Ruby sighed at Victor's words, rolling her eye. " Always positive, uh?"
Whale shrugged. " Well, I never get disappointed."
Red glanced at him, admiring his unusual macho appearance in that body armor and with the Tommy gun in his hands. He had to feel her gaze, because he glanced back at her, and with such an alluring smirk that Red had to look away to remember that they were going to fight and kill people and that that wasn't the time to have sex behind David's pick up in the middle of the road.
" The white coat or the body armor?"
The girl gave him a quick, confused look. " What?"
" Which one is sexier? The doctor or the soldier? The white coat or the body armor?" he asked, always smirking, and then winking at her as she leaned her eyes on him, feeling her cheeks flush and something similar to an electrical shock between her legs.
" Goddammit!" she whispered, making him stifle a laughter. " Are you stupid or what? If Steven hears you..."
Victor brightly smiled in the grey fog, moving the Uzi as to show it to her. " He'll find out that lead maybe can't kill him, but it surely can tear him up to pieces if a proper weapon shoots it."
" Victor..."
" Trust me." he interrupted her, still smiling. " I'm a doctor."
Ruby opened her mouth to answer to him, but a now well known smell almost made her choke. She turned and stretched to the window to watch the road, disappearing in the fog in a few meters, her heartbeat crazily accelerated, still unable to see him, yet sure that he was there. The air brought her other smells, unknown people, full of adrenaline and weapons, judging by the iron smell.
She turned towards her right, looking for Regina's eyes. The brunette almost immediately locked gaze with her. Ruby nodded once to her.
They're here. came the steady and silent voice of the former Queen in her mind, as in the other's.
Ruby turned her head to the road again. The fog was thick, transforming the sky in a solid grey surface, randomly glittering, confusing their eyes, hiding the young sun, the buildings, the enemies. Granny and Snow couldn't help them.
She herself couldn't help them.
Not in that form.
Ruby shut her eyes, awakening the wolf, herself. The animal, crouched in the middle of her soul, raised her head. Their eyes met for a heartbeat before that they became the same thing, before that their skins mixed, her fur protecting their body, her fangs opening their mouth, her feral warmth filling their heart.
Red opened her eyes, seeing the apparently empty road over the window of the pick up, now at her eye level. She felt the cold asphalt under her paws, the wet air invade her nostrils, bringing all kind of smells and sensations to her, vibrating in her tensed ears, the steps of the enemies reverberate in her deep, light growl.
Still. Regina ordered. Red immobilized, yet she couldn't not foretaste the flesh and the blood between her jaws. She started to drool, her eyes on the close horizon, waiting for the order.
Minutes passed, and nothing happened. Everyone was immobile, waiting for Regina's voice in their mind. The werewolf could feel their growing tension.
Steven was right there, just a few steps behind the grey curtain of mist. His brothers were with him, their smells were similar. And they were all still. Waiting, just like them. She knew that he had felt her.
Regina gave her a quick sign of understanding as she caught her thought.
There was a second of silence, the blink of an eye, then everything became a burning hell: the remaining cars on the sides of the road, surrounding the Lost Boys and the Three Little Pigs, suddenly exploded in an unbearable flash of light and heat. The screams filled the air, smell of burnt flesh, of blood, of death. Red opened her eyes, licking her whiskers.
" Gather, idiots! Gather! " a tall boy, covered by a strange armor and holding a sword, was screaming to the others. Half of his face was disfigured by a wrinkled scar. The surviving Lost Boys assembled behind him, nervously holding their weapons.
Meanwhile, the Three Little Pigs had started transforming. Steven was the first to tear up his t-shirt, screaming, howling. Red had never seen someone transform that way. He was getting taller, larger, his face a haired hybrid between a human and a wolf, as the rest of his enormous body. He threw away the t-shirt as the transformation was apparently completed, leaving him in that terrifying form between man and wolf, tall like two men, dangerous as ten.
Attack! Regina yelled, together with Pan, in their mind and with her voice, already sending balls of fire against the enemies.
Red jumped over the pick up, landing on a brave boy who had ran to the wall of cars, immediately ripping open his throat. She gave a brief glance to the enormous black hybrid that Robert had become. He was trying to reach Cruella, but Rapunzel and Regina were holding him with magic.
Red looked around, trying to find Steven, but the fog had hidden him. Screams and growls from her right, though, made her understand that he had to be there.
A girl appeared from the grey curtain of mist running against her and jumped, grasping at her neck, a little axe lifted, ready to hit her back. Ruby rolled on the ground, breaking her armed arm, crashing her ribs under her weight. She looked at her for the time to realize that she was still alive, struggling to breathe, before tearing her head off with a single bite. She then turned, ready to fight, or so she thought: Steven was there, a mountain of muscles covered in blood. Whom was that blood? Red felt a sudden rage invade her, and fiercely growled at the reddish werewolf. A sort of smile contorted his face, showing blooded, long fangs.
" My little, ferocious mate..." he said in a bark, stepping forward. Red snarled at him, biting the air as an advice, but he laughed. " It's a pity that I must kill you now..."
He bent his legs, preparing to jump on her, but a burst of gunfire threw him on the ground before he could make a move.
Ruby turned to see a grinning Dr. Whale holding the smoking Uzi, ready to blast away again against the werewolf.
" You should make the most of the opportunity." he loudly said glancing at her.
Red turned back towards Steven, laying on the ground but trying to stand up. Another burst of gunfire impeded him to, almost tearing him in two. Their eyes met. There was rage in Steven's, and pain, and fear. Red jumped, opened her jaws and clenched them around his throat.