"Move it!" One of the werewolves, a supervisor, snarled harshly at me as I struggled to push the cart filled with rocks. I bit my tongue and focused on the job ahead. Dirt smeared my forehead and my palms were sliced open from the wooden handles which I gripped.
I could feel the angry glare from the supervisor as I pushed the cart along the narrow area where I had piled another set of rocks.
As I was dumping them from the cart, soft whispers from the girls beside me who were also dumping rocks, caught my attention briefly, before I returned back to my work. I heaved the cart around to retrieve more loose rocks when I looked up and caught one of the girls' eyes.
Behind the tiredness and sadness which was evident, I could see also the fear in them. When I glanced around, I realized that all of the persons walking nearby held that same striking terror in their eyes.
I swallowed hard and licked my dry lips. I wondered if I should ask them what was wrong, but quickly changed my mind when the supervisor walked by us, narrowing his eyes sharply.
"You humans aren't working hard enough. I can easily have you all fired." He threatened. No one moved. His body moved in a slow circle, hands behind his back, making sure we were all listening. "Let me make this clear to you all. If you don't obey me, or any werewolf here for that matter, you and your family will be thrown out of town and will have to fend for yourselves. And judging by how weak you people are, you'll easily be killed by a blood lusted werewolf."
He stepped forward, causing most to cower in fear. I however, didn't, standing my ground and meeting his eyes. He noticed immediately, coming right up to my face, raising his eyebrows. Not in surprise, but instead tauntingly.
I stood still, pressing my lips together, never breaking eye contact.
There was silence and I watched as he contemplated me silently. He scowled, as his walkie talkie clicked. His eye twitched, face paling and without a word, turned and walked away.
I watched him leave. This wasn't like him. Usually he would throw a comment towards me about how disgusting I am, how much of a low-life I was.
I knew something was definitely wrong. The fear that was showcased in the eyes of the people and my supervisor's strange behaviour made it more clear that something was not quite right.
************
I later found out that evening whilst eating with my mother what was wrong.
She said that few of her friends told her that someone very important was visiting the different areas in town, and most of the werewolves were nervous.
"He's an Alpha," She told me, slicing a piece of bread. "He owns and controls how things operate in town, even though he is hardly ever here. He tells the werewolves the tasks he expects us humans to carry through and they ensure that we do so." She paused, taking a bite of her bread and chewing hungrily. She wasn't able to have breakfast this morning because she was called in to work earlier than usual. I wait patiently for her to continue speaking, listening to the sound of Alyssa's laughter from where she sat with George.
After my mother swallowed, she continued. "The Alpha has been in many vicious and violent wars with some of his rivalries. And he always wins. He's supposed to be coming sometime this week and the werewolves are on edge."
My breath caught, fingers digging into my palms, wincing as they touched the cuts. I had heard many werewolves converse about the Alpha, about the high numbers of people he had murdered.
Mother looked at me, worry etched onto her face. "The first place he will be visiting is the mine."
I coughed, grabbing a glass of water, hands trembling. The water sloshed over the side of the rim, dripping to the floor.
"N-no." My voice was hoarse and I raised the glass to my lips and drank, the cool liquid calming my throat.
I looked back at my mother. "He'll kill me, mother. He'll kill all of us humans!" My voice rose in panic. I shook my head furiously. "I can't go to work tomorrow."
Tears brimmed in my mom's eyes. "I'm sorry, Rebecca." Her voice cracked as she placed a hand over mine. "There's nothing I can do to help you."
I hung my head. She was right, there was nothing she could do. If I didn't turn up for work, the werewolves would come and drag me there anywhere. And if I tried to hide and they find me, I would be exiled from town for disobeying the laws put in place.
I leaned over and wiped away the tears from my mother's face. "Don't worry mom. Everything will be fine."
My words which were not true, but were said to make her somehow feel comforted. They fell on deaf ears and she cried even hard.
I let her weep, my hand rubbing her back soothingly. When the tears finally ceased, I guided her to her sleeping area. As she laid down I pulled the thin sheet over her, watching as she slept.
*********
When morning came, I dressed for work, ignoring the sting from my tired eyes. I was unable to sleep last night, worry keeping me up no matter how hard I had tried to rest.
My mother held me in a hug tightly before I left. The twins joined in and I held back tears, stroking their kinky soft hair.
Sander watched from outside when I eventually left the house, making the journey towards the mine, nerves wracking my entire body.
Once I reached the mine, all of the workers were immediately told to line up and wait for the Alpha to arrive. Rain began to fall and I shifted on my feet, groaning softly as my clothes began to plaster against my skin, momentarily distracting me from my panic.
A low growl of an engine sounded, followed by a sleek black car pulling up to the front of the mine.
There was silence. No one moved, no one spoke. All of us just stared at the car, waiting for what was to come.
A man got out, the driver. He was a werewolf, judging by how bulky and muscular he was, a trait that all male werewolves carry.
His eyes flickered over at us before he moved over to the door.
My supervisor along with other supervisors stepped forward to the car, hands behind their backs, heads bowed slightly.
The driver was about to open the door, but the person inside the car beat him to it and shoved it open instead.
His broad shoulders filled out the cloak he was wearing. The hood of the cloak covered his head, protecting it from the rain. He was tall, taller than the other werewolves. Large fists clenched and unclenched as his silver eyes locked unto the driver's, as if conveying a message to him silently. He wore no expression on his face, his eyes cold as he looked down at the driver. He was handsome, but in a rugged kind of way.
Then, he turned to face the supervisors. They bowed further, murmuring their gratitude for him being here. The Alpha said nothing, just watched them silently. His lips curled, revealing large fangs. The Alpha was getting impatient.
He pushed past the supervisors and made his way towards the mine.
His aura of powerfulness and strength was overwhelming and I had to look away, like most of the humans were.
I kept my head lowered until he finally entered the mine, the supervisors scurrying after him.
I frowned and glanced at the others. What were we to do now? Stand up in the rain for the rest of the time he stayed in the mine?
My internal questions were answered when my supervisor came marching back out into the rain.
He looked scared, his face pale and his eyes darting around nervously. "The Alpha said to come inside. He would also like to talk to the people assigned to digging in the east side of the mine." He turned and left, hurrying back inside.
I sighed in relief. I worked nowhere near that area.
I could hear the sniffles of a person beside me. He looked young, only fourteen. He had huge brown eyes which were filled with tears and was very skinny. I think his name was Brandon. He obviously did work on that side. I hesitantly placed a hand on his shoulder, offering comfort.
He looked up at me, his bottom lip trembling in fear. He reminded me so much of my little brother and I had to fight the urge to hug him.
I watched as he followed the rest of the group who worked on the east side down another path, his low sobs echoing throughout the mine.
The rest of us got back to work, our fear still evident. But we would all be fools to let the emotion overrule us and halt us from doing the duties.
A shrill scream sounded a few minutes later and the rock I held dropped to the floor. The humans began to rush outside and I, automatically did as well.
The Alpha stood outside, a revolver in his hand. He was pointing it at a young, human, woman. She was on her knees before him, her head low. A trickle of blood dripped down her forehead, slid down her cheek.
"I'll only ask you again." His deep voice was deadly calm, his hand steady as he directed the gun at her head. "Did you steal some of the food supplies?"
Tears streamed down her cheeks, mixing with dark color of blood and her body shook with fear. "N-no."
His eyes darkened, glittering dangerously. "Then explain this!" He shoved across a laptop provided by a werewolf. On the screen clearly showed her and the young boy who I saw this morning run towards a pantry and stuff their pockets with food.
"You shouldn't have lied." He snarled.
She wailed in despair, knowing that she was caught. Her eyes pleaded up to him to have mercy.
The Alpha's face was devoid of any emotion as he pulled the trigger. The noise of the gunshot pierced the air, along with gasps of horror. The dead body of the lady slumped forward.
I swallowed down the bile rising in my throat, my hand shaking violently as I lifted it to my lips.
The Alpha simply stepped backwards and turned to a supervisor. "Bring the boy."
My blood ran cold as I saw Brandon being dragged forward. He sobbed, his tiny shoulders shaking as he was pushed to kneel before the Alpha.
The Alpha pointed the gun at him and placed his finger on the trigger, a snarl curling his lip.
Before he could pull the trigger however, I shot forward, desperate to somehow save this young boy's life. My sneakers sunk into the wet mud as I came to stand before the Alpha, blocking him from shooting Brandon.