The Werewolf Keeper

Alone

"The church! Quickly!" Sarah cried out.  Together the family sprinted passed the crumbling tombstones and hurtled into the cold sanctuary of the village church. 

They stopped when they reached the altar, their footsteps echoing horribly in the silence. They huddled together praying, hoping and waiting. None of them dared to make a sound. Suddenly a huge crash tore the air followed by the shattering as all the church's beautifully glazed windows exploded - sending shards of glass across the stone floor. They screamed. As one they dropped to the floor, shielding their faces from the flying jagged pieces. 

The ghostly form of Elizabeth hovered in the air above them. They knelt at her feet - all equally horrified and at her mercy.

"Liz, please don't-" Daniel pleaded. Elizabeth's expression was cold and merciless. Her mouth began to chant though the apparition made no sound. Suddenly the pews began to move, scraping against the stone. 

The pews headed toward them - barricading the exits and herding them. Hope screamed and clutched onto her daughter. Sarah scrambled for her mobile that was stuffed into her pocket. She called Hannah.

"Hannah! It's Elizabeth she found us. We're at the church. Please, come qui-"

**

"Hannah no! You are no match for Elizabeth." Russell grabbed hold of Hannah. "Love, you're the werewolf keeper here we have a werewolf, you don't leave its side until it's human once more!" The Wolf was down - it was still conscious but severely wounded. Russell was right. Hannah had a job to take care of Lucy.

"I'll be fine here. Please you go - go and save them!" Hannah pleaded but Russell just clenched his jaw firmly. "Why not?!"

"I value my own life. Witches are dark and powerful creatures..." 

Hannah was becoming hysterical. Echoes of Sarah's scream resonated across her mind. Vampires were dark and powerful creatures. Sarah on the other hand was so incredibly fragile. "She can't kill them, love. It's part of being a witch - they have to be more creative about death. Even using a wolf they can only manage a slow kill. A witch has to use others to kill for her."

"She can still hurt them!" Hannah argued. Russell had no reply for that. Hannah sagged a bit and Russell took her weight, embracing her fondly. He rested his cheek against her head as he stroked her long hair. 

The wolf whimpered. It had tried to move. Hannah pushed Russell away roughly. He looked surprised.

"If anything happens to them, I will never forgive you." He tried to protest. "Leave me Russell."

 "But-"

"Leave me alone!" Hannah screamed. Russell looked confused but then he ran away vanishing into the darkness. Hannah crumpled once he was gone and just fell to the floor beside the wolf. She had never felt so useless or alone. She picked up the phone and called Sarah. No reply. She kicked the wolf until its eyes shut. 

The temptation to run to the church now was strong. Hannah racked her brain, trying to formulate a plan.  She could tie the wolf up. But she had to dismiss each idea. What if someone came upon the wolf? What if it woke up and escaped? What if it hurt somebody? And what the fuck could she do at the church anyway. She wasn't strong enough to fight Elizabeth, not without Russell's help. Being a werewolf keeper meant sacrifices, but she was not the one paying this one.

Hannah remained with the wolf the entire night, unable to get in touch with Sarah all that time.

**

Sarah screamed. She dropped the phone and clutched her head. The searing pain left as suddenly as it had struck her. Sarah's phone floated into the air and burst into flames. Once again Sarah was thrown from her feet but this time she remained in the air - dangling upside down up in rafters of the old church. Sarah screamed flailing about wildly in the air. Hope shrieked. Sarah tried to work out what was going on below her but her view from above just left her with a confusing perspective.

Hope was entirely restrained. She had tried to run as the drapes sprang to life but one slight trip and they were tight around her - pinning her arms to her sides and painfully squeezing her chest. Hope panicked, trying desperately to exhale and inhale oxygen but the drapes were restricting her diaphragms movement. They started to squeeze her, becoming tighter and tighter. 

Sarah watched the ghostly form approach her dad. He cowered on the floor, rocking on his heels. He clamped his hands over his ears as we wept at the apparitions feet. 

"No, no, no." Daniel moaned. He let at a whimper as the ghostly form towered high above him. "Get out, get out of my head. Stop talking in my head. No, no, no. I won't listen." Daniel was now rocking furiously. 

Sarah's ears were ringing as all the blood rushed to her head. Daniel let out a high pitch scream.

**

Dawn finally broke through the night. The spinal damage Russell had inflicted on the wolf meant that the transformation lasted longer than usual. Hannah watched. She had reached an odd, hollow calm after crying for the past four hours. Once the transformation was complete she was left standing in front of her naked cousin. Yet it was a girl she didn't recognise - never had Lucy's expression been so cool, her smile so cruel or her eyes so knowledgeable.

"You're good werewolf keeper, I'll admit it." Her tone was harsh. Hannah flung the clothes at her. "But the games are just beginning." Hannah shivered and ran away from her, much more frightened of her than she'd been of the wolf. 

Hannah ran straight for the church. What she discovered there was a crime scene. She stopped at the yellow tape, her heart hammering painfully in her chest.