The bedroom window shatters when Daryan ducks to the side, Chuck flying past him, most of his clothes falling off. His adrenaline pumping hard, his senses fully awake, he jumps to his feet, spinning to face the attacker.
Standing just inside the window is a man holding Chuck by the throat who is desperately trying to free himself. Wearing business attire, his suit hangs off his frail body. His eyes are dark like a bottomless pit, his hair white and thinning, his skin wrinkled and pale like an old man who has lived a full life. In quick succession he flashes Daryan a grin, bears his razor sharp teeth, then sinks them into Chuck's neck who yelps at the sudden pain.
Tossing Chuck into a wall, knocking him unconscious, he pulls out a red handkerchief from an inside pocket, dabs it around his mouth, then tucks it back inside his jacket. His hair becoming thicker, and darker, his skin regaining a healthy color as his body transforms into a muscular middle-aged man. His bottomless pit of eyes becoming more alive.
Daryan rushes forward, deflecting the vampire's hand that reaches out for him, grabs the collar of his suit, spins, and slams him into the wall above Chuck's body. Keeping hold of his collar, Daryan releases a primal growl. Every nerve in his body wanting to tear this vampire apart.
The man laughs as his feet dangle in the air, "You'll have to do better than that, ol' boy."
Glass breaking from downstairs can be heard, followed by snarling and growling. Jake obviously has his own encounter to deal with.
Daryan punches the vampire in the side, causing him to sharply exhale as his ribs break. No longer laughing, a menacing look overcomes his face right before Daryan launches him into the chest of drawers that shatters beneath the impact.
Not relenting on his attack, Daryan rushes forward straight into a kick that breaks his healing ribs, and shoving him back several feet. He protectively covers his ribs with his arm, raising his other arm in front of him.
The vampire gets back on his feet, ready to charge Daryan when Chuck starts to stir. Stopping short, the vampire grabs the base of the chest of drawers and throws it at Daryan.
The piece of furniture crashes into Daryan, breaking apart on his arm. A fist then slams into his face as the vampire rushes by and jumps out of the window.
Chuck shakes his head as he gets back on his feet, then runs out of the bedroom door, Daryan following close behind. The front door and windows are intact when they reach the living room, snarling emanating from the kitchen.
In human form, Daryan isn't as quick as Chuck, injuries aside. Chuck crashes into the kitchen, violently barking then muffled growling immediately ensuing as he attacks the intruders.
Daryan enters the kitchen just in time to catch a glimpse of someone disappearing through the window. Another vampire appearing to be in his fifties, wearing a t-shirt depicting the grim reaper, and black jeans stands defensively, his arm having been thrashed upon.
The kitchen table is broken into several pieces. A younger vampire lies lifeless in the middle of the debris, his throat having been torn out, blood pooling around him.
An enraged wolf with black fur stands over the lifeless form with blood dripping off his muzzle. Jake stands with a paw on its chest, his left leg bloodied and injured, held close to his body.
Upon seeing Daryan enter the kitchen, a look of hatred contorts the vampire's face, and he dives for the window. Chuck lunges towards the window, catching the vampire's lower leg. Growling menacingly, he thrashes his head back and forth, front paws pressing on the wall just under the windowsill trying to drag the vampire back in.
The vampire is losing blood fast, his skin starts to wrinkle with age. With a blood curdling scream, a loud thud sounds out as the vampire kicks the wall with his other leg, freeing himself from Chuck's grip at the cost of his calf muscle.
After peering out of the window for several moments, Chuck turns around searching the floor. He darts forward snatching up a water bottle and pierces the plastic with his teeth. As the water flows into his mouth, he shakes his head side to side to flushing out his mouth.
"We need to find a safer place to rest," Daryan states.
Jake shifts into his human form, his injury becoming much more apparent. His arm was broken, a piece of bone protruding slightly out of his skin. "I agree. Chuck and I scouted several places to fall back to."
Chuck nods in agreement.
The injury to his arm was serious and needed to be stabilized before moving out. How Jake was standing there, talking with little pain sounding in his voice, no expression of discomfort on his face, amazed Daryan. But there was no time to stand around and chat.
Daryan walks over to a cabinet above the freezer and pulls out a medical kit, placing it on the counter. He opens it up and pulls out a roll of bandages.
"Your memory returning?" Jake asks.
Daryan looks confused for a second not realizing what he just did. "No... I just knew it was there," he replies, "brace yourself."
With a quick, precise movement, Daryan sets the bones in Jake's arm, forcing a grunt from him. Grabbing two pieces of wood from the broken table, two that did not have blood on them, he splints and bandages his arm.
After describing a few safe places, they agree to move to a building across town that resembles a post office.
Jake and Daryan gather a few supplies, putting them in a backpack while Chuck stands watch. Chuck's ears perk up and he looks at the front door suddenly, Daryan and Jake also picking up the sound of a group moving their way. They must have heard the fighting, or the vampire's scream. Either way, it was time to leave.
As the trio moves into the kitchen, Jake grabs a bottle from a cabinet under the sink.
"Open this and throw it at the front door, it may slow them down a little," he says tossing the bottle to Daryan.
Daryan looks at the bottle of ammonia, then at Jake.
"The fumes will cover our scents a little in case one of them is a sniffer."
Not fully understanding, Daryan does as Jake requested anyway. As the contents splatter on the door, then spill onto the floor, Daryan has to cover his nose as he retreats back towards the kitchen. Jake and Chuck are already out back waiting for him by a tree off to the side of the property, Chuck barely noticeable above the tall grass. He notices there is no fence around the backyard, and the property butts up against the woods.
Suddenly the world starts spinning as Daryan's head feels like it is about to explode.
"What's wrong?" Jake asks.
Chuck crouches down on his front end defensively, looking between Jake and Daryan.
Daryan stumbles despite his effort to keep his balance. His head throbbing hard as memories play in his mind. He is aware of Jake and Chuck standing in front of him, staring at him. He waves them off, "Go," is about all he can say.
Chuck disappears into the woods without hesitation. Jake lingers a moment watching Daryan before turning around and running.
As Daryan follows Jake, he remembers walking out of the backdoor with a large plate of uncooked hot dogs, hamburgers, and racks of ribs. He ducks under a tree branch as he sees Alex swinging on a tire swing that hangs from a branch on the large oak tree growing in the backyard. The throbbing continues in his head as he follows Jake through the woods, but it's easier for him to push through this time, just barely. Running further into the woods before turning slightly right, he sees Sierra working in a large vegetable garden that grows on the far side of the yard. Gaige is manning the grill while Koda is speaking with a small group who will be initiated into the pack. Catching a glimpse of Chuck who quickly disappears around a tree, he remembers Aria who was about to go and stretch her wolf legs. As Daryan handed the plate of food to Gaige, Sierra looks up and a large smile spreads across her face. Glancing to his right, Daryan can see the edge of town outside of the woods. His momentary glance costing him his footing, he trips on a root sticking out of the ground. Keeping his momentum, he curls into a ball and rolls back onto his feet, just before Jake peeks over his shoulder. He remembers Sierra running over to him, to Jake, who was leading more pack members around the side of the house into the back yard. With that last glimpse of his memory, the pain fades away.
Jake slows down to a stop. In a hushed voice when Daryan stops next to him, "We are almost there, we'll talk then."
Daryan nods at Jake who then starts moving again. Following his lead, Daryan can still see the edge of town through the woods to his right. His ribs protest as he runs along, each jolt causing an electrical wave of pain. His body is nearly exhausted, his muscles aching, only his adrenaline keeping him moving.
Jake starts to slow down to a steady jog, the bandages on his arm that he holds against his body soaked with blood. Further ahead Daryan can see a naked figure crouched behind a tree. As they draw closer he can see its Chuck back in his human form, peering all about.
Jake kneels down next to Chuck, "Is it clear?"
"Yeah. I took those meat bags hanging around for a run. We should jet before they get smart and come back," Chuck replies. "The inside is clear too. I left the door by the dock open."
Just beyond the edge of the woods, Daryan can see a small lot that wraps around a building in a 'J' shape with a single car parked in it. The right half of the building extends back further ending with a single loading dock and another metal door next to it.
"Let's get moving," Jake says.
Chuck takes point, followed by Jake, then Daryan as they run out of the woods towards the loading dock door. Upon reaching the door Chuck had indicated, they slip inside.
"Be right back," Chuck says right before leaving the room. A soft glow appears in the hallway from a side room, then Chuck appears again in the hall and jogs further down. From around a corner, another soft glow emanates into the hallway.
Jake secures the door, "we have a small supply room set up down the hall," he says indicating the door across the room before heading towards it.
Following Jake's lead, Daryan looks around at the room they were in. Although the outside of the building looked like a post office, the inside shows differently. There were a handful of long tables set up on either side of the room, metal folding chairs surrounding each one. Boxes litter the shelving along the left wall and various work sheets and coloring books lie about on the tables and floor.
Just outside the door on the right was another door leading to a small kitchen. Inside there is a small table with a couple chairs around it, a refrigerator, minimal counter space with a sink, microwave, and a few cabinets. A lit candle softly glows in the room.
Jake and Daryan drop their backpacks on the table. The pain in his ribs lessens slightly without the extra weight on his shoulders.
"We also set up a couple rooms to sleep in further down the hall around the corner," Jake says, removing the bandage on his arm.
"You have a high tolerance for pain," Daryan compliments.
"When you have been around as long as I have, and experienced what I have, you tend to toughen up," Jake answers, his voice sounding slightly hollow. Before Daryan can respond he continues, "It seems like centuries since then. Before your father took me in. But that's a long story for another time. Your ribs are broken again. You should get some rest."
Daryan didn't argue, Jake was right, he needs rest. He was still recovering from being unconscious and malnourished for nearly two months. With his adrenaline rush wearing off, he starts to feel the effects of severe exhaustion settling in.
"We talk when you wake up," Jake states as Daryan leaves the kitchen.
Looking over his shoulder at Jake, Daryan nods before continuing down the hallway. His episode when they left the house probably had Jake questioning his health. And who knows what Chuck is thinking about it. He was too occupied earlier learning about who he is, and what has been happening, it didn't cross his mind to mention. It was the third time these episodes happened at the wrong time, but now it not only endangers him, but others as well.
Turning right from the kitchen, Daryan follows the hallway past a couple rooms before turning left. The vestibule, at the turn of the hallway, is crowded with tables and chairs, blocking the view to the outside world. Turning left the hallway runs almost the width of the building with several doorways on either side of the hallway, and turns left just before another blocked exit.
Chuck walks out of the last door on the left fully clothed. Seeing Daryan near the main entrance, "You can rest in one of these rooms," he says indicating the three rooms with open doors. "These rooms," he points to the closed doors on the vestibule side, "have large windows. We covered them as best we could and locked the doors."
Daryan gives Chuck a nod, "Thank you."
Chuck walks past as Daryan checks out the first room. A desk was pushed against the wall, leaving an empty space in the middle of the floor. The walls were covered with various papers from a coloring book, each colored in with one color, or a mesh of colors.
The next room had a sign on the door reading Sensory Room. Inside is a long padded table, and various objects used to develop a person's senses.
Not bothering to check the last room, Daryan sits on the padded table. Confident it will hold his weight, he slides back and lies down. He guesses by now the sun is probably starting to peek over the horizon. Exhaustion fully sets in as he lies there. Every muscle burning, every joint aching, his head starting to pound, but his eyes remaining open. The attack from the vampires plays in his head. Vampires don't normally feed on werewolves. But this group seemed intent on doing just that. Is it that bad out there that werewolves are now their preferred choice of food? Those vampires all shared similar scents. A sign they were from the same coven. Daryan feels he knows the scent, he just can't place where from.
Chuck had done well. Although he has been nervous and unsure when interacting with Daryan, he showed no hesitation in the presence of the vampires. His actions probably saved his life. Something he won't soon forget. Chuck also seems more at ease around him since the attack, more confident in himself. As thankful as Daryan is, Chuck's uncalled for attacks when they first met were still fresh in his mind.
It will be a couple days until Jake and Daryan heal completely. A setback he wasn't happy about.
Daryan's eyes start to feel heavy as he thinks about Sierra and Alex. He thinks about the memories that have returned to him, trying to will more memories to surface. His wife's and son's smiles are his last thought as he drifts off to sleep.