⥐ ⋞ ☽ ⋟ ⥐
| Jackson |
As hard as he tried, Jackson couldn't find the inimă.
With a frustrated sigh, he opened his eyes and shook his head before looking at Sebastien. "I can't find it. All I feel is this like...invisible barricade. Maybe it's too far away."
Sebastien, whose frustrated expression was worsening with every failed attempt, gritted his teeth and grunted, "Keep trying. You did it before, you can do it again."
It wasn't working; he'd been trying since Kane left, and that must have been well over an hour ago. But he couldn't give up. If Damon's escape plan was going to work, they needed the inimă. He knew that the Alpha had a backup plan, but Jackson liked the sound of the one where they had his demon ethos at their disposal much better, and he was sure that everyone else felt the same.
He closed his eyes and focused, trying to connect with the amulet the same way he had back when he was stuck in that hunter cage. Be connected with his demon ethos—the silver collar around his neck made it a struggle, but he managed—and then he tried even harder than he did last time.
But Jackson hit that invisible wall again. It was like all his senses just suddenly shorted out, leaving him feeling winded. He grunted and exhaled as he opened his eyes, and when he looked at Sebastien, he shook his head.
"God fucking damn it!" the white-haired demon exclaimed.
"I'm sorry," Jackson insisted as he started feeling guilty.
"I told you," Julian then said. "We're not getting out of here."
"Stop it," Tokala told them. "You're upsetting everyone."
Jackson dragged his hands over his face and exhaled deeply. He glanced at Damon, who was sitting with Remus. There was a pondering look on his face; was he trying to think of other ways for them to get out of there? Wesley and his Epsilons were watching the arena outside the bars, and everyone else sat with haunted looks on their faces...even Wilson. Jackson wanted to go to his friend, but he couldn't waste a single moment. He had to find the inimă.
He closed his eyes and concentrated again, connecting with his demon ethos. But his attempts were starting to make his head hurt. He didn't care, though. He wouldn't stop; his pack were relying on him. So, he frowned and tried as hard as he could to reach beyond the invisible wall that he kept hitting. The pain in his head got worse and made him grimace, but he didn't care—
The wall suddenly started giving way, but the sound of scraping metal, cocking guns, and grunting voices forced Jackson out of his focus before he had a chance to reach beyond it.
"Grab one of 'em," one of the ten men standing outside the barred cavern said as another guy slowly pulled open a door-like section of the bars.
Damon's pack burst into action, leaving Jackson with a confused, nervous look on his face as he jumped to his feet. He watched the Epsilons grab the two men who walked in, and Wesley grabbed the guy who opened the door. They snatched their weapons as they shoved the men away, and then aimed at the guys outside the bars, but in the commotion, one of the men outside managed to grab Bly and had her pulled against the bars with a gun to her head.
"Put the fucking guns down or she gets it," the man growled.
Bly grimaced and grunted painfully as the silver burned the back of her head. "Don't," she insisted.
Jackson's heart started racing. He looked at Damon, who stood between his armed packmates with a conflicted look on his face.
"Drop them!" one of the other men yelled as he pointed his weapon at Damon.
"Chief?" Tokala asked quietly.
For a moment, it looked almost as if Damon was considering sacrificing Bly so that the plan could go ahead. Would he really do that? Would he let one of his wolves die so that everyone else could maybe get away? Jackson wasn't sure, but when the Alpha's conflicted frown faded, he felt relieved.
"Put them down," Damon growled.
Although his pack looked hesitant and confused, they dropped the weapons and backed off. The guns' original owners cautiously grabbed the rifles and then hurried out of the cage while Damon's pack snarled at them.
"Let her go," Damon demanded, glaring at the man who was holding Bly.
"Well, that depends," came Ellis' voice.
Jackson tensed up as he watched Kane's Beta strut out from the left and then stood in front of the bars as the armed men made space for him.
"Are you going to give Alpha Kane what he wants?" the Beta asked.
Damon snarled in response. "I don't know where they are!" he insisted angrily.
"It's true!" Bly said but then winced as the man pressed the muzzle of his gun harder against her head.
"One more chance," Ellis threatened.
"Just tell them!" Julian urged.
"How can we tell them something we don't know?!" Lalo growled at Julian.
Sebastien glared at Jackson from the corner of his eye. "If you Alpha's holding back, you better get him to give up. We need to get the hell out of here—"
"Shut the fuck up!" one of the guards yelled, aiming his weapon at Sebastien.
"Clock's ticking, Damon," Ellis said impatiently.
"I said I don't fucking know where—"
"Bring her out," the Beta grumbled to the guard holding Bly.
Bly started fighting and panicking as the three guards inside the cage grabbed her.
Damon went to move towards her, as did everyone else, but the other guards aimed their weapons at them.
"Don't move a fucking muscle," Ellis warned them. "I don't want to shoot anyone tonight, but I will if you don't all behave."
"Where are you taking her?!" Lance demanded—
Ezhno grabbed him by his shirt before he could try to lunge at the guards, who dragged Bly kicking and screaming out of the cage.
"If you lay one fucking hand on her," Damon snarled.
Ellis laughed as one of the guards pulled the bars to seal the cage. "You'll what? You're in there...and I'm out here. Doesn't look like you'll be doing anything..." he started backing off, "...but watch."
Everyone rushed to the bars, and as Jackson watched them laugh and throw Bly onto the dusty ground, angst started enthralling his racing heart. Julian's dismayed whimpers didn't help, and when he saw all the wolves and people filling up the space which overlooked the arena, dread struck him like a fist. It was happening, wasn't it? Julian told them that Kane would slaughter them one by one here...and Bly was all alone out there.
"Bly!" Lance called in terror as he reached out through the bars.
Bly tried to get up, but the guards kicked her and laughed.
"Stop!" Lance shrieked.
"Dad, what do we do?!" Remus panicked.
Everyone stared at Damon for orders, but it didn't look like he had any. He looked like he was trying to think, but all of the commotion coming from the growing, cheering crowd might be making that hard for him.
"Damon?" Jackson asked, staring at him.
The Alpha snapped out of it and looked at Jackson. "Can you break the bars without the inimă? Can he do it?" he asked, shifting his sights from Jackson to Sebastien.
Sebastien shook his head. "He's just as useless as we are right now."
"But he could?" Wilson interjected, standing behind them all. "I-I mean you practically said you guys barely know anything about what Jackson could be capable of, so maybe he doesn't even need the amulet to do shit, right?"
Jackson was starting to feel a whole lot more nervous.
"Maybe, I don't know," Sebastien said frustratedly.
Damon moved past his son and Tokala and gripped Jackson's shoulder. "Can you do it?"
"I-I don't know," he stuttered. "I—"
"Try," Sebastien insisted. "Wilson's right; we don't know what you could be capable of."
One of the guards grunted, snatching everyone's attention.
Jackson trembled in response to his growing anxiety as he watched a guard unlock Bly's silver collar with a key while his skin melted against the metal. All three guards then kicked her again, and as she grunted painfully and spat blood onto the dusty ground, the guards hurried off and disappeared beyond what the bars would let the pack see.
"Bly!" Lance called again.
"Jackson," Damon said firmly.
As nervous as he was—and as pressured as he was starting to feel—Jackson nodded. "O-okay." He backed away from the bars, and once everyone else moved, he held out his hand...and focused on his demon ethos.
But nothing happened—he couldn't even feel something trying to happen. His demon ethos was as silent as his wolf walker ethos. He had to keep trying, though. So, he scowled, gritted his teeth, and focused harder.
Bly then tried to run over to the cage they were locked in, but someone from above fired their rifle at her feet, making her stumble back as Jackson and the pack flinched.
He tried to concentrate; he could hear Sebastien and Damon questioning Julian behind him, trying to get them to explain what the hell was going on, but Julian just kept insisting that there was nothing anyone could do now.
Not if Jackson could help it. He strained, trying to force his ethos to respond. He grunted when pain spiralled through his chest, but he didn't care.
"Come on, Jack," Wilson encouraged from beside him.
The pain started worsening, and he tried his best to bear it. He could feel something...was it his ethos?
However, the cheering outside died down, and Bly stood frozen as she stared at the pack from across the arena.
And there was something else. Roaring...growling, and clanging metal. Whooping and wary voices.
The ground shook lightly, causing the dust to pounce up, and then a loud, metallic banging drowned out everything else.
"It's coming," Julian said eerily.
Jackson kept trying, but when he saw the arena wall opening up dead ahead, he slowly lowered his hand as confusion struck him, and the pack moved closer to the bars.
The wall opened to reveal pitch darkness, but the strange roars and growls were coming from inside.
"What the hell is that?" Wilson uttered.
"What's in there?!" Damon demanded, looking at Julian.
"Bly!" Lance called.
And when a low, maniacal growl came from the opening, everyone started calling her name.
Jackson wanted to keep attempting to summon his demon ethos, but dread quickly snatched away any focus he might be able to grasp; a pair of glowing red eyes cut through the darkness...and they climbed higher...and higher...and when their owner made its way out of the murk and into the light of the arena, Jackson's heart sunk into his gut, and fear froze him once again.
The beast was massive—at least twice the size of Damon's Prime form. Its fur was navy blue, and it looked like a wolf...but it was built like some kind of beefy, wingless gargoyle.
Fearful, anxious murmurs came from the pack, and Bly immediately took her wolf form. But she was calling for help; she was terrified.
"W-what the hell is that?" Jackson stammered, watching as the beast prowled out of its cage, each stomp sending a wave of angst through his stiff body.
"That's an Amarok," Tokala drawled.
Lance gritted his teeth and grabbed the bars. "Bly!" he cried, ignoring his burning skin. "Get the hell out of there!" He then pulled his hands from the metal and looked at Damon. "We have to help her!"
But Damon looked just as horrified as everyone else. He did look at Jackson as if he was urging him to keep trying to use his demon ethos; however, he didn't speak.
Jackson raised his hand and tried again, scowling as the pain returned. He watched the beast stretch its limbs, and Bly raced to the left wall and tried to jump up. When she failed to reach the top and landed on the ground with a thump, the observing crowd laughed, and the Amarok let out a deafening howl.
The beast charged towards Bly.
Everyone started calling out to her as the crowd cheered and whooped.
Jackson tried his best to call on his demon ethos, but he couldn't. It wouldn't listen, and the pain got worse until it felt like someone stabbed his side, forcing him to grunt and stumble.
"Jack?!" Wilson panicked, grabbing hold of him before he fell.
But he didn't want to stop. He pulled out of Wilson's grip and continued, holding his hand out towards the bars, grunting, straining, putting all his strength into it. And when the pain returned, he growled in frustration and smashed his fist against the silver, but it burst his skin, and he swore his knuckles broke as a result.
And that was when he saw Bly running from the Amarok across the arena with tears in her eyes. It reached her before she could swerve, and when it clamped its huge jaws around her body, Lance's desperate calls turned into agonized wails. The pack tried to tell her to fight, but as her blood spewed onto the ground, one by one, they went silent, and the pain in Jackson's hand was nothing compared to that in his chest.
Why couldn't he do it? Why didn't it work? He'd done it before; why couldn't he do it again?
"Bly," Lance sobbed as he fell onto his knees.
"Who the fuck does this?!" Wesley yelled furiously.
Jackson watched the pack sink into despair, and as Damon turned around and walked away, he wanted to follow. However, not only did his own guilt and dismay keep him where he was, but so did the fact that Remus was following him with tears trickling down his petrified face. And...it was his fault, wasn't it? He should have tried harder—if only he wasn't so weak! He could have blown those bars off, the pack could have escaped and helped Bly, and...and....
He sunk down onto his knees, too. No. No matter how hard he tried, his demon ethos wasn't going to respond. Just like his wolf walker ethos, it was powerless against silver. And he was powerless without the inimă.
What were they supposed to do now? They couldn't break the bars, and trying to overpower the guards was useless, wasn't it? The silver collars took away all their wolf strength; they were as useless and powerless as humans.
Damon would come up with another plan, right?
Jackson looked over at the Alpha, but he was sitting with his back against the wall and a hopeless stare on his face. He...hadn't given up, had he? There had to be something they could do.
"Jack?" Wilson's voice broke through his thoughts.
He looked up at him.
"Are you okay?"
With a despondent frown, Jackson nodded and glanced out at the arena, but when he saw the Amarok devouring Bly, he shut his eyes tight and turned his head away.
Wilson helped him to his feet and took him over to where he'd been sitting with Sebastien. They sat down, and to Jackson's relief, Wilson didn't try to convince him that everything was going to be okay...because it wasn't. Nothing was going to be okay. Kane was a sick psychopath; he planned to send them out there one by one to get torn apart by that creature until Damon coughed up information he didn't know.
Jackson tried to muster the strength to attempt to come up with a plan, but his despair made it impossible. And anything he thought of had probably already been considered by Damon.
"We gotta do something!" Sebastien insisted as he looked around at everyone.
No one said anything, though. They all sat with their heads hung, some crying, others silent.
Sebastien went over to Damon. "Hello? Are you just going to fucking sit there and give up?! You're Thomas fucking Greymore's relative; you guys don't just give up!" he exclaimed. But when Damon showed no signs of reaction, the demon stormed over to Wesley. "And you? Can't you do something? You've got fucking fae blood!"
Jackson frowned at the revelation, as did a few of the others, but still, no one said a word.
The white-haired demon growled in frustration. "So you're all just gonna sit around here and wait to fucking die?!"
"Will you shut the fuck up?!" Tokala suddenly snapped.
Jackson gawped in surprise. He'd never expect that from the Zeta.
The orange-haired man stood up and gestured to the mourning pack with his arms. "Read the fucking room. It might be easy for your kind to just brush off the death of one another like nothing, but we actually give a shit!"
Sebastien snarled and stormed towards him. He grabbed Tokala's collar, and Tokala grabbed his wrists. "What the fuck did you just say to me?"
"You heard me."
"Enough," Damon called defeatedly.
Tokala growled at Sebastien but then pulled away and went back to where he was sitting.
"You're all weak," Sebastien exclaimed, but there was dismay in his breaking voice. "You're all...you're all just...fuck!" he yelled and then stormed over to the bars, where he slumped down and sat with his back to everyone.
Jackson understood his frustration. He'd have no way to make sure Clementine was safe now, would he? He was probably fighting the urge to cry...just like Jackson was.
He looked over at Damon, but the Alpha didn't have a look of pondering on his face. He wasn't trying to work out how to get away, was he?
And...there was no way out. They really were all going to die here, weren't they?
⥐ ⋞ ☽ ⋟ ⥐