"Blakey, isn't it beautiful?" Mary asked, turning to her captive with a questioning smile.
He glared at her and struggled against his bonds, which didn't budge. Mary rolled her eyes.
"Stop doing that, you're just going to hurt yourself."
Blake growled at her. Typical werewolf.
Mary turned away from him, leaving him to watch the crowds from the window. In the other room Jessica and her daughter sat, the girl slurping down juice and cookies and anything sugary to keep her energy up.
Mary forced a faux smile, bending down to lock green eyes onto the girls brown ones. "How's it going?" she asked sweetly.
Clara nodded, pausing in her gulping. "It's going good miss. Vex has been really nice and helped a lot. Look what he gave me." She held out her palms where images of two scythes crossing had been imprinted. Mary knew it was increasing the girl's power.
"Wonderful," she said softly, letting her eyes flicker to Jessica. The dead woman wasn't looking as happy as her daughter. She wouldn't meet Mary's eyes and kept looking at Blake's bound form. Mary would have to watch that one. She might need to be disposed of.
She turned back to the girl who was smiling up at her. Mary smiled back. "Thank you for waking up all those people so quickly. I know I said it could wait but I got some very bad news and now everything has to be rushed."
'That's okay," Clara said with a shrug of her shoulders. "It was fun."
Mary grinned at her before standing upright and walking to where Vex stood. He was looking down at the school, where so many people had gathered. He didn't look happy or pleased, his face as blank as ever. He didn't look up when Mary approached, his eyes flicking to her.
"You were helpful too," she acknowledge, looking down at the barricaded people.
Vex gave her a hint of a smile. "I was more than helpful wolf."
Mary's eyes narrowed, "Tell me again why you've decided to be of aid?"
Vex flexed his shoulders. "Too get back at the council, the ones that governs over all reapers. I think it's rather ironic that they punished me for helping a necromancer, and now I using what their punishment has given me to help an even more powerful necromancer."
"Why did you help the girl's father all those years ago?"
He clenched his fists, making the names inked into his skin stand out on pale knuckles. "My wife killed my children, John and Lucy, than me and finally herself. In another life we lived in a bad era in history, in a bad country that wasn't safe, and I believe she thought she was protecting us. I became a reaper because I couldn't move on, but I always wanted to bring them back. I wanted John and Lucy to have a chance to live their life. Then I'm coming to reap a couple of werewolf enforcers and there is this man who can see me, which is amazing in itself. He tells me he needs my help, and in return he could bring me back. I didn't want to be brought back, I'd rather they were. So, I help him but before he can pay up on our deal I'm hauled off by the council. They punish me to become a demon reaper." He smirks.
"Down there I met a very nice reaper who'd been down there for millennia and he knew some very interesting things about how to stop death. At the time I didn't think I could do anything, but then the idiot council brings me back up because I have 'experience with necromancers'. That's their problem, always thinking that people worship them, that they are terrified them and won't rebel. I might have done as they said, but then I have a newbie reaper tell me that it was Julian's kid who stopped death, and that she was supercharged. Why wouldn't I go and help her, telling her a few things I'd learned in the underworld in exchange for my kids to be brought back."
Mary didn't say anything, simply staring out the window for several seconds before smiling at him. "I supposed I should thank\ this council then for my luck."
Vex grinned at her.
"The other reaper," Mary began, "Was her name Grim?"
He chuckled throatily. "Yeah, stupid name if you ask me."
"She looks young, black or maybe even blue hair, maybe some piercing holes on her face?"
"Yeah, black hair and black eyes, why?"
Mary smiled, "No reason."
She turned and walked out of the room, into the hallway of her hotel and to the next room. Adele was sitting amongst stacks of paper, looking at a laptop while she talked rapidly into a phone. When Mary entered Adele quickly said goodbye and hung up the phone.
"Hello mistress," she said wearily.
Mary picked up a stray piece of paper, looking over the map that Adele had marked. "When will they arrive?"
"That was Jeremiah on the phone; they're on the town lines and are just waiting for the dead to let them pass."
Mary grinned at Adele, "Excellent. What about the other project? The other group, have they been sent over?"
Adele nodded, a smile passing on her exhausted face. "They've arrived and are on their way. But apparently the deliveries are not being very corporative, putting up a real fight. The dragon killed three of us."
Mary pursed her lips; they were already so few enough. "It has to be done I'm afraid. Now, about the reaper, who calls herself Grim?"
"Yes, do you want her captured?"
"Of course, we're old school friends. It'll be lovely to catch up."
"We can't."
"There is literally no reason you can't."
"It's against all our laws."
"So, you're happy to just stay here and maybe die at the hands of mindless zombies?"
Ed Collins glared at her before turning on his heel and addressing the crowd of werewolves. Grim smirked victoriously behind his back.
"Everyone, everyone," Ed called. The wolves turned, falling silent. "I know everyone's confused and scared, and I'm not going to tell you not to be. The truth is that the dead have risen, and that they are everywhere. Our alpha has gone missing, and yes this Anya Royce, who many of you might remember as dying around a decade ago."
If it had been humans there would have been an uprising. Swearing and cursing, yelling and shouting, maybe even shoving and hitting. The wolves did nothing. Instead they waited for an explanation, for their beta to tell them how to fix the problem. Werewolves were good at taking orders, they were excellent soldiers and Grim knew they would not disobey.
Maybe this might work. Maybe this problem could be solved easily. Maybe they could break through and retake the town. Maybe Grim could find this necromancer and stop her. Maybe, just this once, she might have a little luck.
"Anya here, or Grim as she now goes by, has informed me that this is a witches doing. She doesn't know what this witch has planned but we've both decided that I cannot be good. I have decided, in place of Alpha Roget, that I will be in charge until he can resume his position. Using this authority I believe we have a duty to these people, these humans to protect them. This is why I have decided that all werewolves capable of shifting with do so."
This caused a stir amongst the people but Ed didn't stop.
"Those in fighting condition will help me take down the corpses, let's hope those horror movies were right about damaging the brain. Those who can't fight, the old or anyone under eighteen shall escort the humans out of the town."
"You want us to shift in front of humans?" One woman whispered incredulously.
"Not in front of them. Groups will go into the forest and when they come out they'll be wolves. The humans might wonder but everyone knows how oblivious to the truth they really are."
The crowd didn't like the plan and Grim stepped up. Eyes narrowed and people shuffled nervously.
"If you don't do this you'll probably all die," she said, looking them all over. "And trust me; it's not a pleasant experience.'
And then the plan was enacted. Groups begun separating and drifting off to the forest. The crowd of wolves thinned until only Ed stood next to her, his burly arms crossed and mouth pulled in a frown.
He glanced at Grim, "I hope to the goddess you're right." Then he ran off.
Grim turned and looked at the crowd. She couldn't help looking around, searching for Blake's mop of black hair. She scolded herself and looked back at the forest in time to see them arrive.
Werewolves really were magnificent beasts. The wolves were at least three times bigger than an average wolf, looking closer to a bear walking on four legs. Their fur was silky and sleek as they made their way forward, accessing the crowd with intelligent eyes.
As soon as they arrived people begun screaming. It was understandably really, giant wolves emerging from the forest and no means of escape, it must have been a bit scary. Grim watched as the human shuffled around, torn between each enemy. GO towards the undead or towards the wolves.
One slightly bigger wolf stepped forward and approached Grim, who stood there waiting. She knew this was Ed, they'd organised this.
She ran a hand down his silky fur, "Is the other group ready to attack."
The large moved dipped its head slightly and Grim smiled.
"Sorry about this," She whispered again as she walked to his side and threw one leg over his back and sat on him.
The screams stilled and Grim was aware of hundreds of eyes on her. The humans were bewildered.
"It's either the wolves or the zombies," Grim called out.
The choice was easy really.
"Mary," Vex called out, "You might want to see this."
Mary sighed and stalked out of the room to where Vex was watching something with bemusement. Mary stalked past Clara and Jessica, peering out the window and let out a growl.
Werewolves.
Dozens and dozens were streaking out of the woods and attacking the army of the dead, ripping them apart. Mary turned and saw even more wolves forming a protective circle around the humans and leading them out of the field, towards the town exit.
They were going the wrong way.
Her soulshifters were on the other side. This was all going wrong, all wrong. This couldn't happen. Mary's plans were always perfect, they always worked and she wasn't going to let mutts stop her.
"It's Grim."
Mary rounded on Blake, who gave her a twisted smile. "I told you to be afraid of her."
Mary swung a foot into chin, flicking his head back and knocking him out. She turned to the window and roared, smashing a fist against the glass which shattered underneath her strength. She rounded on Vex.
"Go and deal with this Grim, I want her brought to me- now!"
Vex looked at her incredulously, "I don't take orders from you."
"You do know," Mary hissed, gripping his throat with hands quickly growing into claws. "If you want that little necromancer to bring back those sweet little babies. Get going." She shoved him away and he faded to red smoke. She turned to Clara who was looking up at her fearfully.
"You're coming with me. Get everything you need. We'll be gone in five minutes, not a second less."
She stalked out into Adele's room. The girl had her nose pressed to the glass, looking down. She turned when Mary entered and her expression was of pure terror. Mary grabbed the girls face and made her look into her acid green eyes.
"Get me the other bodies now! Tell the army to speed the fuck up!"
She left Adele calling people rapidly on the phone. Mary took one last look at the groups of people walking in the opposite direction. No!
This was the wolves fault. She'd underestimated their coping without an alpha. She would have to improvise. Mary pivoted and entered her room, where Jessica was hurriedly packing spell books and potion ingredients. Mary approached Blake's unconscious figure.
She grabbed his chin and turned his lolling head to the side. She opened her mouth and wolf fangs grew to replace human teeth. She sunk those fangs into Blake's neck. He jerked and woke up, screaming.
Mary grinned.
She'd just marked him.