Creature (CENTURIES series: Book #7)

26

Everything happened so fast I couldn't keep up. One second I was wrapped safely in Charlie's arms and his in mine, the next everything was chaos and war.

The SWAT team that had busted down my door had all gathered around Charlie who had curled up into a ball, shaking, trying to protect himself. The sound of a gun being fired made me scream.

"Stop! What are you doing?!" I cried as someone darted him with a small, yet noticeable arrow, whereafter someone else did same. This happened five times. "STOP!"

"The Creature is down," One of the SWAT men spoke into a mic, more footsteps sounding downstairs. "6402-C is sedated."

"What are you doing?!" I repeated, yanking the covers around my body. The graveness of the situation overruled the awkwardness of it. I couldn't care less that I was naked and that they had burst in on us like that and saw what they saw. My only focus was on Charlie who begun groaning and floundering on the floor, his eyes glazing over with a disoriented expression. The drugs worked fast.

"Ma'am, we need you to stay back until the Creature is restrained," The same SWAT guy from before said. The men in tactical suits were swarming around him like they were expecting him to lash out or explode.

"Stay back?!" What the hell was going on?! My mind was racing and throbbing as I tried to process the situation and figure out what the hell to do.

I got distracted when there came a throaty sound from Charlie, just as he shakily reached his hand out towards me. "C-Carly..."

"Charlie!" I shuffled forward to get to him.

"Stay back!" The SWAT guy yelled, and just then, he pulled out a small trigger from his pocket and pressed it.

Charlie immediately screamed and went into a new seizure.

I screamed as well as I watched his body go rigid again, convulsing on the ground in agonizing pain. Still, he struggled to reach for me and received another dart for that.

"STOP! You're killing him!" I shouted in tremors to the SWAT guy who stepped between us and made it impossible for us to get to each other. "I demand to know what the hell is going on here!"

"Ma'am, remain calm," The SWAT guy said, glancing back only briefly at me before he nodded to one of his men, just as he removed his finger from the trigger button. Charlie went limp with a hoarse whimper and sprawled out on the floor. "Start immobilizing the Creature. Restrain him and remove him."

"Stop, you can't do that!" I jumped up, but was then forcibly held back by another SWAT guy I hadn't seen sneak up behind me. He pulled me back as five other men approached Charlie and begun locking his hands and feet in those custom-made cuffs. They crisscrossed the chains and locked them around his throat, waist, legs and arms until he couldn't struggle. What the hell was actually happening?

"Creature is immobilized."

"Are you listening to me?!" I writhed in the SWAT guy's arms to break free. "I want to know what the hell you're doing and who's orders you're working on! This is my house and that Creature is my responsibility!"

"Not anymore," Said the first SWAT guy who again nodded affirmatively to his team who then lifted Charlie up and begun carrying him out of the room, down the stairs. He was barely conscious, loopy from the drugs. "Your time with Creature 6402-C has run its course."