Another hour passed before we made it to a forest. Because of what happened with Kade, Raven made sure to take things extra carefully. For her, this meant pausing every thirty seconds. I didn't complain, though. In all honesty, we were lucky it was Kade and his brother that wandered in on us. Had it been werewolves, we'd have been screwed.
Knocking them out was fairly easy. Titus was already unconscious, and Kade didn't put up a fight. He knew when he'd lost. We ended up leaving them inside the small dumpster, and Raven did most of the work in putting them there. It was actually her idea in the first place. She wasn't concerned with their safety, but it would have looked suspicious for two humans' to be knocked out in an alleyway.
Raven inched closer to me as we scanned the entrance of the forest. The trees were skinny and tall, the green leaves vibrant despite the ending of summer. A small breeze swayed them lightly against each other, as they were placed close enough together to almost be touching. There was, however, a small gap in the trees. That was where both of our gazes were trained. It was as if we were magically expecting Will to waltz out of the forest, completely unharmed, and still human. Judging by our luck so far, that wouldn't have been too foreign of a notion.
But, we both knew it wouldn't happen. Another echo of screams only solidified this knowledge, pushing me forward to act.
"Come on." I pulled against Raven's arm, lightly. "Do you still know where they are?"
She nodded, but pulled out of my grip, keeping both of us planted firmly in our hiding spot. We were in yet another back alley, this one much like the last. Brick walls lined the buildings, and the concrete beneath our feet was old and stained.
"I don't like this," she murmured, almost too softly for me to hear.
My eyes darted between her and the trees as I bit my lip. "Why? What do you hear?"
"Nothing. Nothing new, anyway."
I listened again for Will's cries. They were less frequent now, but there was no promise they'd ever stop.
"Then what's wrong?"
She hesitated. "I don't know. This was too easy-"
"So, you've mentioned."
Raven scowled. "Am I wrong?"
It was my turn to hesitate. I couldn't answer her. We both knew she was right. But, if I admitted it, then we'd be further away from getting to Will.
"We'll be fine. I've got a gun, remember?" I waved it in her face for good measure. It was awkward in my hands, but I tried not to let it show. Neither of us really knew how to work the thing, but I'd watched Margaret pull the trigger a few times, and figured I could manage.
"Do you even know how to use it?" Raven's voice rose an octave.
"It's easy enough. You just pull the trigger."
"This is a bad idea," she groaned, bringing her fingers to massage her temples. "I just have a bad feeling. We should really think about this. Something could be wrong."
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Of course, something's wrong. My brother is dying."
Her lips pressed firmly together once more and she shot me a glare. When she didn't speak again, we both turned our gazes back to the forest to watch for movement. I don't know what I was expecting to see, or why we were still waiting. Perhaps I thought Kade would follow us. Maybe another wolf would be guarding the forest. Maybe Raven was right.
"Let's go," I told her, standing up before I lost my nerve. I hadn't heard Will in a while, and I was beginning to grow anxious.
Raven hesitatingly followed my actions, and this time, I was the one to lead us forward. At this point, there was only one direction to go.
We entered the line of trees, and I was immediately thrown back to the day I left town. Flashes of painful memories threatened to flood my senses, but I pushed them away. They would do me no good. All the images reminded me of was the fact that I'd failed once, and it was very likely it would happen again. But this time, it wasn't only my life at stake. I wasn't running through the forest to escape town or a person. I was heading into danger because Will was already there.
The light around us quickly faded the further we walked into the forest. Trees grew thicker, foliage hung over our shoulders, and every uprooted tree limb threatened to send me flying to the ground. I walked with high knees, no matter how painful it was, in order to make it around the brush. Raven, however, acted like this was her second home. Of course, it probably was.
Sometime into our journey, she'd resumed the position in front again. Her head was constantly tilted to the side, and wherever it tilted, that was the direction we would walk. Eventually, I started to hear glimpses of what she did.
The sounds of Will's screams of agony were no longer solitary. Each cry was accompanied by loud voices, two of them, that I immediately recognized. I couldn't make out the words, nor did I care to. Their tone spoke enough. They were rough, demanding, and wary.
When I was on the verge of making out the words the familiar voices spoke, Raven suddenly stilled. She crouched low to the ground, pulling my elbow to bring me down with her. I complied immediately, cautiously scanning the surrounding trees for movement. My nerves were on edge, but it seemed I only knew this from the erratic beating of my heart. I couldn't pay attention to myself at the moment, for fear I would miss something around me.
Raven turned to me, bringing her lips to whisper in my ear. Even then, I could barely hear her words. "If we go any closer, they'll know we're here."
I nodded, turning my gaze back to the direction the voices were coming from. They were stagnant, for now, not moving further into the forest. The agonizing screams of Will's misery had died down momentarily, as well. We were both silent for a moment longer as we listened for anything to tell us to stop, any sign of danger to warn us away from what we were about to do.
Then again, even if there was one, I wouldn't have listened.
When the silence continued, I stood. It was slow and careful and went against everything my mind wanted to do. I wanted to run, screaming, to the spot I knew Will would be. I didn't care about Riley, or even Samuel in the moment. I needed to see Will. I needed to help him. But, the minuscule rational part of my brain reminded me I needed to be careful. Even if this was my brother. So, in the end, I listened to my body.
My feet padded softly against the fallen leaves. I made no sound as I walked across the damp, dead, material. Raven, behind me, did the same. My gaze constantly searched the trees, the opening between trunks, the ground beneath me. At any moment, I could come upon them, and I needed to be prepared.
The moments dragged on slowly. When I was sure time had stopped, and I wasn't even moving anymore, the trees parted just enough to allow me to glimpse carefully around an overgrown bush and into a clearing. The moon shone directly above it, brightly illuminating everything it could. Directly in the middle of the clearing, the moon flashing a relentless glare across his back, was my brother.
He was broken. Literally, broken. Every limb was displaced and bent the opposite direction it belonged. His face was buried in the ground, and I could see the bones of his spine protruding from his back. It was arched at a terrible angle, reminding me more of a bell than a body.
It was then I noticed the hand upon his back. I recognized the hand. It was the same one that held mine, that comforted me so many times before, even when I didn't want it. And it seemed in this moment, my brother held those same feelings for Samuel. Will was alternating between digging at the ground beneath him and clawing at Samuel's hands on his back. With his arms breaking with any movement, it wasn't difficult for Will to land strikes upon Samuel.
Each time Will got a hold of Samuel, a large gash would appear on this flesh, and Samuel would jump back momentarily. When he'd jump back, he'd come to stand next to Riley. Samuel was never by his side for long, and the minute Will stopped lashing out at him, he'd go back to his side.
Riley stayed still. He was barely a foot away from the other two, and he was clearly on edge. His body was tensed, his eyes were glowing, and his gaze never left my brother. His thick arms folded tightly around his body, and each time Will would thrash at Samuel, he'd flinch forward. But, ultimately he never moved. He stayed in his position, watching the scene unfold with an unforgiving scowl.
I took one more step forward and looked back to Samuel, who was kneeling beside Will, again. His face was hard as stone, laced with concentration and determination. His lips moved too quick for me to read, and he was so absorbed in Will, it took the snapping of a twig to bring him back to reality.
My gaze flinched down to my foot. Sure enough, and as cliché as it could get, I'd stepped on a pile of broken branches. Raven had almost done the same, but my folly had saved her from moving forward. When I looked up, not even half a second later, every set of eyes in the small clearing was pointed at me. They each held different expressions, and each screamed at me for different reasons. Once again, though my mind pushed me forward to Will, my body stayed still. It wasn't my move; it was theirs.
As if in answer to my thoughts, Will suddenly screamed again. His confused gaze broke away from my face, as he buried his face in the ground once more. Terrible and heavy cracking broke forth from his legs, and it was enough to cause me to flinch backward. By the time the noise was gone, Will's legs looked broken in the middle, almost as if he'd formed another bone there.
Will didn't move. He breathed heavily on the ground, groaning loudly into the dirt. The minute he stopped moving, Samuel stood abruptly and stared me down. He didn't wait for me to speak, though. Instead, he balled his fists at his side and stalked towards me. I was tempted to cower, but my body held firm. Even if Samuel didn't want me here, I was. And, I wasn't leaving.
"What are you doing here?"
Samuel came to stand before me. His face was shadowed from an expression, but I didn't have to look into his eyes to know what they held. His voice told me everything. He spoke to me through his teeth with clipped words sharp enough to cut my façade of bravery.
"Samuel," Riley suddenly called out. There wasn't a hint of sarcasm or humor anywhere near his voice. When I looked around Samuel's frame, I could see that Riley had moved from his stiff position to kneel at Will's side. However, Samuel ignored the both of them and forced my gaze back to his own.
"I'm here for my brother."
As if on cue, another round of screams and breaking bones ensued. My eyes darted around Samuel and I got another glimpse of Riley kneeling at Will's side before Samuel harshly gripped my shoulders.
"I told you to stay home. You have to leave. This is dangerous, Samantha." He looked past me for a moment, eyeing Raven behind me. If possible, his voice darkened even more. "And you. I specifically told you to keep her safe. You shouldn't have been able to even leave the apartment, dammit!" By the time he finished, his voice was much louder than a snarl. He screamed his last word, and this time, I couldn't hold back my flinch. I was still gripped tightly in Samuel's arms, and he didn't seem intent on letting me go.
"I'm not leaving," I ground out. I tried to sound determined as I pulled harshly against Samuel's grip. "Let me see Will. I can help him."
Samuel bowed his head, but I knew it wasn't out of submission. The muscles in his neck tensed even further, and he seemed to be holding himself back. His hands tightened on my shoulders.
"What is this?" Samuel suddenly asked, one of his hands slipping down to grip my wrist. He lifted it, revealing my hand that held the gun. I gripped it tighter, and Samuel didn't fail to notice. However, instead of ripping it from my hands, he forced a sigh and dropped his hands from my wrist. "Raven, take her home."
"Samuel!" Riley shouted this time, his voice demanding attention. Samuel flinched his gaze back to him for a moment. "Get over here!"
Samuel tensed again and raised his head. He stared at me for a long and hard minute before dropping his hand from my shoulder and looking pointedly at Raven. She immediately obeyed his unspoken order and shuffled forward.
"Stop!" I half turned to her, keeping my glare on Samuel. "I'm going to help him. Let me help him!"
Samuel clenched his jaw, matching my glare. He didn't say anything though, and when I felt Raven's hand grip my elbow, I snapped.
My hand flew behind me, immediately connecting with Raven. It was the hand holding the gun, and when the metal hit her flesh, she cried out in pain. I didn't turn around to see where I'd hit because, in that moment, Raven released me and Samuel growled. I didn't waste time in dodging around him, flying towards my brother as quickly as possible. Samuel was on my heels in an instant, but before he could grab me, I was on my knees next to Will.
I wasn't there for half a second. The moment I landed at Will's side, something changed. His back arched further than before, and the broken limbs seemed to solidify. Vaguely, I registered Riley shouting as Will raised his face off the ground and looked at me. For a moment, his eyes held everything I remembered about my brother, but this time, a silent plea lingered there, too.
Then, he broke.
His eyes abruptly turned a bright, ruby, color. A mangled noise escaped his lips. It was a sound caught somewhere between an animal, and somewhere between a storm. The limbs that seemed so feeble and broken just moments before, tightened and tensed. I stole a glance at Will's face again, but what I saw wasn't my brother. It was a shadow of a human, a soul being taken over not only outwardly, but inside, as well.
He lunged.
The world seemed to move in slow motion. One minute, I was staring at the broken soul of my brother. The next, a feral half-human was bearing down on me, teeth elongating the closer he came. I scrambled to lift myself off the ground, but it was too late. By the time I got a hold of the dirt, Will was inches from my body. My eyes closed of their own accord, and I waited for the impact.
I heard the thudding of two bodies colliding. Pain shot up my leg. Feral, wild, and vicious snarls echoed in my ears. But, teeth never sank into my flesh. I waited and waited for the impact, but it never came. Instead, I felt a heavy weight settle on my chest. It refused to move, and after a moment, I forced my eyes open.
Riley was laying across my chest. His back was to me, and in the distance, I saw Will curled into a ball next to a tree. He was breathing heavily, panting, sobbing. Immediately, I pushed against Riley, but again, he wouldn't move.
Samuel was there in the next moment. I watched him sprint to my side and push Riley's heavyweight off my chest. Riley groaned at the movement but made no action to move, himself. Instead, he rolled off my shoulders and fell to the grass. He fell on his back next to me, and when my gaze landed on him, I realized why he wasn't moving.
There was a large chunk of his chest missing. Blood was quickly oozing out of the wound, staining what remained of the shirt he'd been wearing. My world seemed to still for a moment as I watched his chest rise and fall erratically. The rest of his body was completely still, as if moving any other limb would send him over the edge. His eyes were wide open though, and after a moment, he parted his mouth. Unspoken words lingered on his lips, and he desperately scanned his vision, looking for someone to tell them to.
Samuel never stilled. He didn't waste a moment. The minute Riley was off me, Samuel had taken off his own shirt and was ripping it to pieces. He wrapped the material tightly around Riley's wound, his knuckles turning white with the effort. The entire time he worked, he didn't take his eyes off Will, who stayed cowering in the brush. Riley, however, was using the last of his strength to feebly try to catch Samuel's wrist. It seemed as if Samuel was the one those unspoken words were meant for, and Riley was determined to speak them. Even if he knew this, Samuel tried to ignore Riley. Ultimately though, he couldn't. Riley caught his gaze, and both of them stilled.
Now that he had our full attention, Riley let out a short breath. He trained his gaze on Samuel, moving his mouth quickly. Though his speech was cracked and barely a whisper, his voice was just enough to deliver the words he seemed so desperate to speak. It was the same sentence, over and over again, repeated until Riley was sure one of us caught it.
"You can't lose her."
The words eventually died off as nothing more than a whisper of Riley's voice. He leaned his head back, seemingly content, and closed his eyes. His body stilled, though his chest was still rising and falling. Every now and again a shudder would run across his limbs, and when it did, it only caused his rapid breathing to increase.
Samuel didn't stop. When Riley finally laid back, Samuel pushed himself to find every gash, every torn piece of flesh, and knit it together with his shirt. Riley was still for the entire endeavor, and the longer this took, the more frantically Samuel worked.
"Raven," Samuel suddenly shouted. She appeared almost immediately. He was about to shout another demand of her, but the minute he opened his mouth, both of their heads snapped to the line of trees behind Will. The world seemed to hold its breath as the two of them suddenly ducked low to the ground.
Gunshots rang out. They seemed to come from every direction, and it was almost possible to see the bullets cutting through the air. I fell to my back, covering my face and ears with my hands, and buried my body as low as it could go into the brush.
As the weapons continued firing, a heavy weight fell upon me. It forced the air out of my lungs and buried me deeper into the earth. It seemed to envelop my body entirely, and I felt as if I was suddenly invisible to the outside world. Large hands were placed next to my ears, on top of my own, and the stubbly jaw of Samuel pressed against my cheek. His body was stiff, and still, across mine. Gunshots still rapidly split through the air, and even Samuel's hands atop mine did little to dull the earsplitting noise. In a moment of absolute madness, I slipped my hands from underneath his and placed them on his own ears. If we were going to die, I didn't want him to hear it, either.
The shooting seemed to go on for hours. In reality, it was barely a minute. When the deafening noises finally died off though, no one moved an inch. The silence was thick, and it seemed as if it were broken, if I stood, everyone around me would be dead.
A small whimper eventually broke the silence. It came from across the clearing and was barely louder than a whisper. Ever so slightly, and without moving my body, I raised my eyes off the ground to find the source. They scanned the trees before landing on my brother, who was curled into the fetal position. Blood was splattered across his naked back, and his figure shook violently.
I closed my eyes, registering the ringing in my ears. I was also suddenly aware of the weight on top of me, crushing any remaining air from my lungs. It was hard to breathe, and each time I attempted, I only came up with small gasps. I did nothing to push Samuel off me though, as the reality of what just happened was beginning to sink in. He'd thrown himself on top of me, and because of that, could very well be dead.
A tear escaped the side of my eye, though I hardly noticed it. Softly, hesitantly, I broke the silence. Having Samuel on top of me was torture, and I needed to know if he was alive.
"Samuel?" I breathed.
Nothing.
I realized my hands were still on his ears. Carefully, I pried them away and tried again. My voice shook, and another tear slipped into my mouth. "Samuel?"
This time, he stirred slightly. A soft groan escaped his lips, falling on my ears. "Samantha?"
I choked on a sob. "Are you alright? What happened?"
A moment of silence passed before he abruptly lifted his weight off me. I breathed in a large gasp of air, and Samuel surprisingly did the same. He didn't move from my body but braced himself to hover above me. As he did this, I watched his gaze move across the clearing, and eventually, I did the same.
Will was still curled into a ball, but now, his trembling had turned into fits of tremors. The trees around him were broken and splintered, and dust was falling from their midst. I turned my head to the side and my gaze landed on another figure. This one was unmoving. Blood coated them completely, and when I saw their disembodied face, cold and lifeless eyes stared back at me.
Riley.
I let out an involuntary gasp, and Samuel immediately hushed me. My hand plastered itself over my mouth, and I tore my gaze away from Riley. Samuel was staring at the same spot, but unlike me, he wouldn't look away. His face was hard. The only emotion leaking onto his expression was one of caution.
Something stirred in the trees behind us, and Samuel immediately whipped his gaze to the noise, growling. He tensed above me, closing the distance between my body and his own.
A soft voice cut out, "Beta?"
"Raven," Samuel breathed, though he didn't relax.
I lifted my body up, twisting my head to find Raven. She was standing behind us, peeking through the line of trees. Parts of the forest were embedded in her skin, hair, and clothes, and she looked as if she'd just been eaten by the earth.
Her eyes lingered on mine for a moment before she scanned the clearing. When her gaze fell upon Riley, she flinched backward and gasped. This action seemed to wake Samuel up further, and though he kept a wary eye pointed towards Will and the tree line, he jumped almost immediately to Riley's side.
His hands worked quickly. He scanned Riley's body, tilted his head, pressed fingers against his neck. After a moment, he cursed harshly and began pumping his palms against Riley's chest. Every few minutes, he'd lean down over his face, and Riley's chest would rise with air. Then, Samuel would continue his pumping, never ceasing to try and breathe life into his best friend.
It didn't work.
Endless minutes of Samuel beating against Riley's chest, cursing at him, screaming for him to breathe, did nothing. He was dead. And whether it was the wounds Will inflicted on him, or the foreign gunshots piercing the rest of his body, we would never know.
***
...
...
Ok. Thoughts? Questions?
I just have no words. I promised crap would hit the fan, did I not? Y'all should have seen me writing this chapter...pretty sure my neighbors think I'm crazy from all the screams, to be honest. This was also the longest chapter I think I've posted, yet. A whopping 4,180 words. (I usually average at about 2,500 per chapter.) Just a thank you for reaching 100k reads :)
On a side note - I've started putting songs into chapters. Right now, they're in chapters 19, 31, 35, and 29. I hope to add more soon!
Stay amazing! Love you all - THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!!!! <3
Mquistey