The pungent scent of blood filled my nose and drenched my clothes. My shoes slipped around under my steps as I ran through the woods, the wet leaves crunching beneath my feet, drawing the monster towards me.
This isn't how my night was supposed to go. I was just supposed to drive into town, park my car in the storage unit Chris had rented for me, and meet back up with my family to be like "Hey guess what? I know I was missing for 10 years, but surprise! I'm not dead. Can I live with you now?" Still not exactly a normal Saturday night, but that would have been better than having to distract a freaking werewolf from eating the townsfolk. Yet here I am, hoping to earn another tally mark tattoo to the list, rather than more scars.
Trying to shake off the frustration, I pulled my knife from my hip holster and slashed it against my palm once more. Wounds close quickly for me and I needed to keep the wolf in a state of bloodlust to lure it into my makeshift trap. As much as I hated the feeling of blood soaking into my clothes, it would keep the wolf running on pure instinct, making this chase quite dangerous for the both of us really.
Only for me, it wouldn't be fatal.
Rubbing my bleeding hand against a tree to mark my path, I took a sharp left, breaking towards a nearby cliff and pulling my stun gun from my weapons belt. Holding my breath in for a long moment, I slowly turned around in a semicircle as I waited for the wolf to show itself. The sound of running caused my senses to perk up and become even more alert. The heavy footsteps didn't sound like the wolf was closing in on me; rather it sounded like it was running away towards something else. Or someone else.
Letting out a groan, I realized it was probably one of the cops, or worse, those two idiot kids that had followed them out here. Didn't they have school or something? Ignoring the fact that their stupidity was ruining my trap, I tore through the woods after the wolf's thundering footsteps and swapped my stun gun for my crossbow and shock arrows. They explode on contact, sending out bright sparks that can daze a wolf due to their sensitive vision and hearing, and they almost always send them running the other way.
It took me a few minutes to catch up to the wolf, but when I finally did, I saw it leaning over a body with it's teeth digging into the body's side. Wait, not a body. A person. A live one that was screaming in pain.
Quickly lining up my arrow, I launched it into the ground near the pair, slightly upset to see that the kid was around my age. Sparks erupted across the ground, causing the wolf to let out a fierce growl as it dropped the boy and tried to cover it's eyes. Sprinting towards it, I grabbed the guy's shirt and pulled him to his feet, shoving him away from the creature behind me but making sure he stayed on his feet. "Go!"
"B-but what about you?" the kid sputtered out. A large howl from the wolf distracted me and the swipe of it's paw left a sharp pain in my side. Pushing through the pain, I dropped to the ground and kicked at the wolf's front knee while pulling my knife from my belt.
"Just get out of here!" I exclaimed, thrusting my knife towards the wolf. It tried to dodge, but I still managed to burry the knife into it's shoulder. Letting out another howl, it reared back, growling angrily as it's eyes shifted to a deeper red before dropping to all fours again.
Behind me, I could hear the guy take off. 'Finally.' I thought as I circled the wolf towards the other direction. It tried to pounce at me, and I jumped back, tripping over an especially large tree root in the process. The wolf tried pouncing at me again, it's large teeth snapping towards where my neck would have been had I not rolled away just in time. Quickly jumping to my feet, I started sprinting off in hopes of finding a better spot to fight it. I was getting tired now, having driven two days to get here and then heading straight into the woods when I heard the scanner say that the Beacon Hills police team had found a body in the woods, and at this point I was more than ready for a nap. I swear, had I not been so tired, the wolf wouldn't have caught up with me until I was ready. But it did.
With a slash of it's claws to the back of my left leg, it brought me tumbling to the ground. Using the momentum of my fall, I quickly rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding becoming the second course and sending a quick kick to the side of it's head before standing again. My leg was torn up pretty badly and it was about time for me to get out of there. It was getting late, and the sun would be up soon. The wolf wouldn't want to risk sticking around much longer, and I wasn't excited by the thought of a random jogger witnessing our battle either. Shuffling backwards away from the growling beast, I pulled out another knife from my belt, my eyes locked on it's large body.
I'd be surprised if the guy that'd run off had even gotten a good look at the thing. It was huge, but it's thick black fur helped it blend into the shadows the dark forest cast. It moved like the lethal weapon it was, hardly making a sound with the exception of the twigs snapping beneath it's feet. Their eyes glowed a dark red and it's yellow teeth dripped with drool and blood as it snarled at me. Overall, it fit the role of the predator it was supposed to be perfectly.
My job was to kill monsters like this. I'd been training for a decade to perfect my craft. Thanks to The Organization's serum, my body was enhanced in ways few humans were able to share with me. My eyesight and hearing were up to par with a werewolf's, my speed and agility being even better. I'd mastered a multitude of fighting styles, and I can use pretty much any weapon you can think of. I was molded into a warrior who could take on two or three werewolves at once. I could do this.
The wolf charged at me, swinging it's paw out in an attempt to tear open my stomach as I spun away from it's first attack. My knife slashed across it's outstretched arm, causing an ear splitting roar to tear itself from the beast's throat. It recovered quickly, snapping it's head forward and grabbing ahold of my ankle and dragging me to the ground once more. Feeling it's teeth leave my ankle in preparation to try and tear my throat out, kicked at it's face with as much force as I could muster. A crack echoes in the space between us, and it swatted at me with it's large paw, sending me flying through the air. Shaking off the stars in my vision, I looked up to see it stalking towards me as I collided with a rather thick tree.
I rolled over on the ground, coughing roughly as my sore lungs worked to take in the air that had been knocked out of me. I let out a scream as it's teeth sunk into my arm, dragging me towards them as I struggled to recover, it's paw raised up and ready to deliver a killing blow across my neck. Frantically digging into the bag on my hip I save for emergencies like this, I grabbed ahold of the silver dust and threw the powder at the wolf's face.
It roared in pain, rearing back and shaking it's head in an attempt to disperse the burning powder. I could see it's fur and skin start to sizzle as small bit flaked and fell off. Realizing I was packing a mix of ground silver and dried wolfsbane, the monster turned and ran, barreling through the woods as it fled. I didn't bother chasing it. We were both injured and weak, and with the burn marks on it's face, I'd easily be able to figure out who it was as a human. Sure it may have gotten away from me this time, but our game of cat and mouse was only just beginning.
***
Walking through the deserted streets of Beacon Hills brought forth an odd sensation. I vaguely remembered walking these same streets as a little girl, feeling completely alone. Sure, I had my twin brother Jackson, but it just wasn't enough for me. Yes our adoptive parents loved us both very much, but I just hadn't been able to let go of the thought that maybe our birth parents were out there somewhere and regretting giving us up. I was a child then, always longing for just a little bit more in life.
No matter how nice the things our parents bought us were, I just couldn't help but feel like I was missing something, and when I found out what it was, I hadn't hesitated to take it. The power that came with my improvements was unbelievable. There was no way I could trade this life of adventure and danger for endless days of gym class and useless literature. Soon after waking up in that cold, sterile room, I realized that I had finally found what I was missing, and lord help anyone who tried to take it from me.
Even though I hadn't been focusing on where my feet were taking me, I'd managed to find my way back to my old neighborhood, distracted and in pain but still ready to fight at a moments notice. You'd think nearing my childhood home would make me feel safe, but it did nothing for me. There was no panic that my family wouldn't accept me or sadness about the normal life I'd missed out on. There was hardly an emotion inside me at all, and as terrible as it sounds, that was just how I liked it.
Stopping at the front steps of my family's home, I realized it really hadn't changed all that much. The grass was cut short, stopping just at the edge of the perfectly smooth concrete stairs. The house itself was pristine and modern with a light grey exterior and large windows letting in lots of moonlight. The windows overlooking the front yard that Jackson and I used to mirror each other through had the curtains open, letting me glance around the living room. It didn't appear much different than I remembered.
Rushing up the steps in a poor effort to get out of the rain, I rang the doorbell twice and starting wringing out my wet clothes as I waited for someone to answer. After waiting a couple minutes, I let out a grunt of annoyance and rang the doorbell again, just as someone cracked it open. Behind the chain on the door, I could see my adoptive mother standing there, her obviously dyed blond hair stacked in a messy bun atop her head as she wrapped her night robe more tightly around herself. Her expression turned from one of curiosity to confusion as she took in my appearance, keeping the door open as little as was politely possible.
"May I help you?" she questioned, her tone implying she didn't actually actually want anything to do with the current situation. I couldn't exactly blame her considering I'd shown up in the pouring rain, and all of a sudden she's being woken up to a girl in a tight black tank top and ripped black pants, carrying a black bag that unbeknownst to her was filled with cash and weapons. Oh and let's not forget the blood and gashes covering my shirt and pants.
I shifted my weight from one leg to the other, pulling my hands behind my back as I stood up straighter, trying to think of how to best introduce myself. I caught sight of Sarah's eyes widening as she noticed the blood all over my clothes and had to fight back a smirk as the color drained from her face while she started inching the door further closed.
"Hey Mom, been a while huh?" I asked, rocking back on my feet. Sarah's face darkened as she scoffed.
"Is this some kind of sick joke? My daughter is /dead,/" she spit back as she started shutting the door in my face.
"No Mom, listen," I said, forcing myself to sound pleading as I slid my foot in the small remaining gap. "It's me, I'm not dead. Don't you recognize me?"
Sarah's narrowed eyes studied my face for a few moments before she blinked in shock a few times, a shaky hand rising to cover her jaw-dropped mouth. "Morgan? Is that really you?" she breathed.
"In the flesh."
***
An hour later, I had showered, gotten changed into a pair of shorts and one of Jackson's shirts that was still in the dryer, and had fed my parents the load of bull story I'd cooked up to make them not think I'm a psychopathic murderer for hire.
"So the guy was trying to kidnap Lindsey and I when her dad came in, and they started fighting. He uh, he shot him, and I think he got spooked because of it, because he ended up grabbing me and running off. I saw him throw something in the house, and all of a sudden it was on fire as we were driving off. I remember screaming, and crying that I wanted to go home, and then he hit my head against the window and knocked me out.
"About a year or so ago, he had this girlfriend that started coming around. He'd leave me alone when she was there, I don't think he wanted her to know about me. But when she moved in, she'd come down to the basement to put some boxes down there while he was gone, and I heard her in there on the phone and knew it was my only chance. I just started kicking the wall and screaming and doing everything I could to get noticed. She heard my screaming and found the door that lead to the room he kept me in. She was freaking out and called the cops right away, the guy got arrested and the police set me up with a plane ticket. And here I am," I finished with a half hearted smile.
Sarah looked at me with a horrified expression on her face. "Oh baby, when we saw on the news that the Hale's house had burned down we were devastated. We thought you died. The police said they couldn't even tell how many people were in the house because of how long it burned. I'm so sorry we didn't look for you baby," she sobbed. I just sat there twisting my hands awkwardly, not used to people crying when they weren't begging for their lives.
"Well at least I'm here now," I tried to say sympathetically. I don't think it worked out too well though.
"So why were you covered in blood?" That was the first time David had said a word since I'd arrived back here. All he'd done when he saw me and registered what was going on was to wrap me in a hug and not let me go for a solid five minutes.
"I got attacked by a werewolf because I was trying to save the lives of two teenage idiots. That's sort of what I do now. I save people; I hunt things. I'm like your regular Winchester."
Yeah, that would go down well.
"I got mugged at the airport," I lied. David and Sarah looked upset all over again, so I flashed them a smile and tried to comfort them. "I'm fine, really. I just got a bloody nose from it and didn't have anything besides my shirt to wipe it on. Sorry to scare you." They still didn't look convinced, but that was about all I could give them. There's no way they could ever know the truth or The Organization would definitely kill them.
A loud thud from the hallway made my head snap towards the stairwell, and I shook my head with a small laugh. The single bag I had set by the stairs, and Jackson trips over it. I was glad to see that even after ten years he was still a bit of a clutz.
"What the hell is this bag doing here?" I heard Jackson kick my bag before yelping in pain. "What the fuck?" I heard his loud stomps coming towards the kitchen as he rounded the corner while rubbing his foot, causing me to roll my eyes and turn back towards my food. He always had been a bit of a drama queen. "Who is this, and what is she doing in my clothes?" He asked as he entered.
I turned around with a smirk on my face, one that only grew when his eyes widened as he studied my features. "Wow Jackie, I thought you'd recognize your twin. I haven't changed that much," I said with a laugh. It was pretty comical watching his jaw drop as he tried to form words.
"M-Morgan?" he stuttered. I nodded, and that seemed to be all he needed to snap out of it. He rushed forward, wrapping me up in a hug, picking me up off the ground and spinning me around in the air. "Oh my god Morgan, I can't believe it's you. I spent so long saying you were alive, and everyone tried to tell me you had died in the fire, but I swear I could feel you. I'm so sorry I didn't look for you," he said, his voice cracking as he stared at me intently.
Hearing how torn up he was caused a pang in my heart I hadn't felt for years. Thinking of Jackson was the only thing that got me through all the tests and punishments in the first few years. They'd managed to strip most of my identity, but they could never strip away how much I missed Jackson. Before I grew to love it all the perks of being this strong, all I could think about was going home when I was done and getting to be reunited with my twin, and now I'd finally gotten that chance. I hadn't ever put much thought into the fact that Jackson probably felt the same way thinking I was dead.
"Hey, it's okay. You were a kid too. I could never blame you for that, it's okay," I soothed, gently rubbing the back of his head as I hugged him back tighter.
"Oh I never thought I'd see the two of you together again!" Sarah cried, wrapping her arms around the both of us. I felt David join on the group hug, and I have to admit, it did feel really nice to have us all together again. However I couldn't shake that little voice in the back of my head that wondered how long it'd be able to last.