The Werewolf Hunter

The Pain

-Jake Holmes-

Even after Andrew spoke about what happened with Matt, she still felt distant. Becoming far away too many times during the day. She'd stare at nothing, or it would look like she was staring through things. The bite marks were still leaving nicks along her neck from Matt. Matt was still in the cell in the basement along, yet to shift back. Andrew didn't talk much about him or anything.

She'd spent most of her time refusing to be away from him. Sitting in on meetings, or just laying on the couch in his office when he was working. It was impossible to go on patrol as she insisted on being with him. He didn't mind her wanting to be close, he enjoyed her presence, it helped his own mind to settle when she was in the same room as him.

It was the middle of the night one night that he started to feel more worried than usual. He hadn't noticed anything strange when he'd gone to bed. What startled him was when he woke it was to the sound of her crying. Reaching out for her in his half-woken state his hand met a puddle of wetness. Shooting his eyes open and red spot of blood sat in the spot she usually slept. When he sat up the light to the bathroom was on, the door cracked a sliver. He could hear the water running and the sound of her sobs from within.

With his heart in his throat he stood from the bed to check on her. The blood on the sheets was alarming enough. When he pushed the door open she looked up at him, bewildered. "I-I'm sorry." She sobbed. "I couldn't stop the scratching. The feeling on my neck. It won't go away." She sat in the bathtub, the shower water running. Her hands on her neck. He could see her fingers scratching, blood on the floor and all over the bathtub, down her arms.

Immediately he was at her side, pulling her hands away from her neck. "Andrew, what happened?" He could feel her fear, her sadness, like smoke in the air. He pulled her against his bare chest, could smell the blood, iron heavy in the air. The smell reminded him of finding Elizabeth and if he locked on to it for too long he'd get lost. He needed to focus on Andrew. He could feel her nails digging in to his skin.

"Every time I close my eyes I see him, feel his teeth on my neck. The feeling won't go away. It's all I see when I look at myself in the mirror." Her words were mumbled, mixed with sounds of pain and frustration. "Your mark is fading away. Help." Her last word was a plead, he felt it in his stomach. A weight dropping.

"The only way I know to make it stop is to remark you." He reached for her neck and felt her hands fall away. Her sobbing quieting. She responded by bringing her neck closer to his face. "I need to be able to realign the old mark with the new one. I can't do that when you're covered in blood." He lifted her out of the tub and to the shower.

"Just make it stop." Her words were loud, he felt them in his soul. The water falling down over them he started stripping off her bloodied clothes and setting them aside. They'd need to be washed properly to get the staining out. He took the sponge she used to wash herself and started washing the blood away. She stood still as he did, her eyes void of anything. His heart hurt for her, all he ever wanted was for her to be happy but every moment they turned around something was happening.

When he was finished and sure she was clean of all blood he helped her out of the shower, trying to ignore the blood on the floor. She needed both of them to be sane right now, and all the blood could cripple him. He found her a change of clothes, telling her to put them on while he changes the sheets. Thankfully the blood didn't sit long enough for it to bleed through the mattress topper and onto the mattress itself. Once the sheets were properly changed he took a seat on the edge of the bed, pulling her closer to him.

"How are you feeling?" She hadn't said anything since before he'd gotten her in the shower. Her eyes were blank, her mouth set in a constant frown.