Lycanthrope: Cover of Night
Cut Within

If it hadn’t been for restless sleep for the past few nights, Roxanne would have unplugged her laptop and shut her books, but she knew attempting sleep would be pointless unless she found something useful. She took a sip of her warm mug of green tea while nose deep in computers and books in the library of Ipsum. The tea helped a little, but she was still a bucket of nerves.

Someone came in to break her away from her studies. It was Zaac.

Roxanne smiled and beckoned him over to her desk. “Hey there. Come keep me company,” she invited, relieved for a pleasant distraction.

“Don’t mind if I do. Are you the only one here?” he asked.

“It would appear so,” Roxanne shrugged. “I guess it’s too late for even the librarian.”

“Maybe, but no distractions can help concentration,” he pointed out.

“You’re probably right,” she replied. “If it were Hans, he would devilishly try something. Zaac’s a bit more reserved. It’s kind of nice.”

“Well, maybe a little distraction is okay,” he grinned, as he flipped on the radio to a song by Alice Cooper. “I replace 80’s classic rock works well for montages.”

Roxanne laughed. “Sure, even if it is with my nose in a book.”

“So, comparing our modern advantages to the prior trial attempts is always a good start,” Zaac noted, looking at the large, leather bound books.

“Obviously our technology has advanced since Roman times. Unfortunately, something always went wrong,” Roxanne said, biting her lip. “All three times.”

Zaac sat down beside her.

“I doubt Grexis could have prevented the fall of Rome.”

“Yeah, but being outnumbered and weakened by barbaric tribes didn’t help. Nor did being forced into Allosfaire and going rabid to avoid the black plague during the second wave,” Roxanne grumbled.

Zaac studied the print. “What’s the excuse the third time? Civil war? Women’s suffrage?”

“The last agent from Grexis to try was Eric Frasanco. Everyone believes he was close to replaceing the cure, but he never returned from Allosfaire.”

“Killed? Rabid?”

She shook her head.

“Nobody knows. The trail went cold and no remains were ever found. Such a waste.”

Zaac tapped his fingers against the book.

“Well, modern medicine has wiped out a lot of diseases. You’ve gained support of various shifter packs for safety in numbers, and Grexis’s economy might become financially stable pulling away from the black market. Seems the odds are in your favor.”

Roxanne smiled as she paced the room.

“Not only is your musical taste and company welcome, but so is your optimism,” she replied, sipping her tea as she looked out the window. “Unfortunately, adapting to survive and compete is never one sided. The game is always upped.”

Her gaze became glued to the glass as the oil lamps reflected the room back to her. The mirroring window was so clear. It looked like she was staring at a vivid reflection.

A little too vivid . . .

Her heart skipped a beat when her reflection grinned at her.

Roxanne couldn’t move in time as the familiar reverted back to her own form and crashed through the window. Ramming head on into the werewolf, the nimble Sphixes propelled Roxanne on to the floor and flattened her against the shattered glass.

“Come to up the stakes indeed . . .” she whispered to Roxanne.

The blow left her stunned and briefly immobile. Zaac saw the danger and grabbed a sword displayed against the wall.

The familiar whipped around and gripped his neck in her claws while forcing him to meet her eyes.

“That trick doesn’t work on me, boy,” she growled.

Sphixes planted him to the ground next to Roxanne.

The room suddenly swarmed with vampires at the snap of Sphixes’ fingers.

“Take the boy, but leave the dire blood alive. I prefer to have her in the game a bit longer.”

Roxanne felt small grits of the broken glass itching her skin. She lifted her head to gaze up at Sphixes.

“Why…how…did you replace us?” she asked, dazed and shocked.

“Know thy enemy,” she coldly replied. “Olaf isn’t wasting any time using his resources to sniff you out.”

“Time is no longer a luxury you can afford. After you replace your friends, I’ll be waiting for you in the Ravenous Woods,” she said turning to leave. “Nothing like a little chaos to show where your limit is.”

The last thing Roxanne saw was the familiar leading the captured Zaac from the room right before the vampire brought the sharp corner of his knuckles to her temple.

***

Simmering head pain was the first thing to greet her as she regained consciousness. She pulled herself to her feet and felt her head.

“Great, another concussion.”

It took her a moment before remembering what had happened. After she composed herself, she finally noticed something written on the wall. A grotesque message inked in blood, followed by a crude cat face drawing, was displayed for her to see.

“Start Running.”

Roxanne’s heart beat faster once she remembered.

“Zaac …”

The sounds of screaming caused her to glance out the window to see what was happening.

Flames erupted through the darkness. Vampires and werewolves fought in a bloody battle below her. The stronger wolves bought the others time to escape before being captured or mowed down.

“Mother Wolf. How did Olaf replace us?”

Roxanne closed her eyes and tried to focus on her mentor and not the throbbing of her temple. “Axel? Axel, where are you?”

No luck.

She whipped around at the slamming of the library’s doors being forced opened.

“Check all these rooms! Take whoever you can,” ordered a familiar voice from below.

The werewolf had no weapon on her and there was no way she could take out a horde of them on her own, even in her furs. The young Lycan’s heart pounded as she pondered on what she should do.

Every second was precious and it wouldn’t be long before they found her.

Running her fingers through the cuts on her hands and neck, she began making a blood lure around the stacks. The trail snaked toward the back of the library, to the spiral staircase, and up to the third floor before making a bee line back. The footsteps were right outside the doors when she hid herself in one of the cubbies.

The door slammed open as Roxanne held her breath.

Slow, calm footsteps on the linoleum floor were nerve wracking as she smelled them approach closer and then stop.

“’Guess that cat freak likes to play with her food,” came the particular male voice.

“You think this was meant for the dire-blood?” the female vampire asked.

“She is the one she’s set her mark on all this time. Wouldn’t surprise me.”

Roxanne could have sworn that it was Merez speaking.

“You think after being in her head she could have found this place awhile back,” she asked.

“Are you kidding? She’s always known this place was here.”

“Would have been a lot more convenient to let us know a bit sooner since those wolves made an intrusion at the ball.”

“What do you expect from a familiar? They’re half mad. I doubt they even make sense to themselves.”

“Who cares? Anyway, we’re here now. And likely the bitch is too.”

Roxanne used every ounce of her skills and senses to avoid the vampires. She moved from behind the stacks, over cubbies, and around the pillars, whatever she could do to keep out of their line of sight. Glancing frantically, she searched for any type of animal distraction, but the place was free of any creatures.

“Of course, when you want vermin, they’re nowhere to be found,” she grumbled.

Luckily the blood lure misled the vampires as Roxanne maneuvered amongst the shadows. The vampires took the bait as they pursued the trail to where she needed them to go.

Like a shadow, she made her way out the building unseen.

Though several trackers were there out in the open, she was able to surprise one.

Keeping on her haunches, she stealthily knocked out one of them when his back was turned. Grabbing his tranquilizer and any bullets that he had, she pulled his body into the bushes and made herself scarce.

Limited ammo forced her to keep to the shadows. Only when needed did she use her wolf form against the numbers she had to face. Through struggle and stealth, she made her way down the street.

The trackers were making their way around, setting off gas bombs as vampires fed on anyone that weren’t quick enough to get away.

Roxanne crept closer and knocked out a few to clear a path. She didn’t know how long they would be unconscious so she crept away quickly.

Axel’s voice crept into her head.

“Roxanne! Thank God,” said the welcoming voice. “What’s your current position?”

“Just came from the library,” she stammered. “Oh Axel, they took Zaac, that fam was with them.”

“Oh, hell fire. . .” she heard him say, but then he composed himself. “Roxanne, can you get to the Armory?”

“Yeah, I’m heading there now. Where are you?”

“I’m helping out the south side in the residential area. I’ve ordered a lock down and called in Magoro’s clan for help.”

“What about Hans? Have you heard anything?”

“He was sent on ahead. Don’t worry, he’ll be fine,” he assured her.

Roxanne exhaled sharply and ran her hand through her hair. “I hope so,”

“Listen, whatever you do, stay at the Armory. You and Lucille keep each other safe, okay?”

Roxanne complied reluctantly. “Okay, try to get here as fast as you can.”

Sharp shrieks sounded behind her. She turned to see a hyena pouncing on one of the trackers.

There was a brief struggle but the tracker was subdued. The hyena shifted back to his human form and kicked the tracker with satisfaction.

“Vermin follows you no matter what continent you are on.”

“Magoro!” she cried happily.

There wasn’t enough time for a friendly reunion before they heard children screaming up ahead. Amongst the fog they saw two young bloods trying to escape several trackers.

“Get away from them!” Roxanne growled.

Magoro rushed up in hyena form and mauled the one closest to him. Roxanne pounced on the other in a crude half form of human and wolf as she jammed her tranquilizer dart in his shoulder.

After they’d collected themselves, they addressed the young werewolves.

The little girl, around age seven, clung to her.

“It’s alright. You’re safe now,” Roxanne smiled, kindly.

“What’s happening? Who are these people?” the girl asked.

“Some bad people, but we’ll get to the bottom of this,” Roxanne assured them.

“Thank Mother Wolf you both came!” the little boy cried.

“Speaking of mothers, where are your parents?” Magoro asked, concerned.

“They said they were going out hunting late tonight. We got scared when we heard all the gun fire, so we came to see what was going on,” said the boy.

“Can we come with you all?” the girl asked.

“It’s too dangerous and you’ll be safer in your shelter. Plus, your parents will know to look for you,” Magoro told them.

The two nodded their heads bravely as Roxanne lead them over to the shelter door.

“Everything is going to be alright,” she assured the two children. “You just have to be brave and patient.”

They nodded and retreated into their shelter. Roxanne and Magoro didn’t return to the awaiting crisis until they heard the satisfying sound of the lock clicking shut.

“Thanks, Mags. There’s still the rest of the residential area to worry about. Can you and your pack patrol there?”

“Of course. Will you be okay by yourself?”

“Yeah, Axel told me to head to the Armory.”

“Alright then. Stay safe, Rafiki.”

She watched him go to the rest of the clan before heading to her own objective.

“Get to your homes! Barricade yourselves in!” she shouted over the commotion. Some of the residents strayed out long enough to provide her some back up before she convinced the braver ones to reluctantly retreat and take cover.

“Roxanne, please let us help!” one of them tried to persuade her.

“Help me clear these guys out and we’ll call it a pact!” she told them. “After that, protect the others.”

“There are more of them though, you can’t take them all out by yourself.”

“Look, they obviously want us alive for something. Do me a favor and don’t get yourselves captured,” she growled before turning away.

She crept near the Armory. The only trackers she smelled were sprawled in the walkway. They lay still and as she walked by, but one of their hands shot out and grabbed her leg. Roxanne shrieked and fired the gun she’d found. The tracker caught her other arm which resulted in a struggle.

She was losing her grip as he began forcing her pistol’s aim back on her. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. Clenching her teeth, she tried holding off against him.

A shot rang next to him and there was a spray of red. Lucille came up next to him holding her rifle.

“Someone should have played dead.”

“Thanks,” Roxanne smiled. “Just in time too.”

“Don’t mention it,” Lucille replied. With her back turned she didn’t see a tracker aim his gun from behind her.

“Lucille!” The dire blood leapt forward and knocked her out of the way. The tracker’s gun went off. Roxanne shielded herself with her right arm, allowing the bullet rip into it.

“ARRRAHHH!” Roxanne screamed before charging him.

Not giving him a chance to fire again, she knocked his rifle out of his arm and slammed her dire spur into the nape of his shoulder. His blood drained and the dislodged bullet clicked on the cement.

Roxanne knocked him out cold by bringing his head to her knee.

“That’s a nifty trick,” Lucille marveled as she approached.

“You’re welcome.”

Not wasting any time, the two women made their way inside the armory. Here, they could load up on fresh weapons. A few other lycanthropes had sought shelter with their families in tow.

“Everyone, I want you to head down to the barracks!” Lucille called to all of them. She ran to the Armory and loaded them with various forms of firearms.

“Come down with us,” one of the mothers pleaded.

“We need to keep an eye out up here too,” Lucille told them. “If we get cornered below, we won’t be able to send any help.”

Roxanne went to the windows and ran trip wire along the sills and doorway. “Should buy us some time.”

The two women brandished their weapons back-to-back as they stalled the unwelcomed guests. Both guarded an entrance as they waited.

Slowly but inevitably, the trackers tried forcing their way through. The werewolves opened fire. Roxanne’s explosive bolts thundered upon impact and Lucille’s rifle ruptured the air. It was all they could do to keep the trackers from sneaking their way in.

Lucille ducked for cover as they hurled in a bomb.

“Oh, that’s not playing fair,” Roxanne hollered.

Lucille ran forward at lightning speed and chucked it back outside.

“Lucille!” Roxanne screamed, afraid it would go off in her hands.

“Right back at ya!” the blond woman screamed, heaving it out the window.

Within a second the grenade exploded, sending debris and any tracker back within a ten-meter distance.

“Ten second rule,” she grinned at Roxanne.

The dire blood just shook her head but smiled.

“You could have blown off your hand,” Roxanne grumbled.

“Good, I’d have given the paperwork a break,” she replied.

From behind, one tracker managed to aim his assault rifle through the panes, while avoiding the explosive wire. A volley of bullets hurtled in, causing the two women to flee out of harm’s way.

Roxanne took out her crossbow and took aim at the wire once several more trackers tried wedging their weapons through to get a better shot.

“Think you’re pretty sneaky, don’t you?” she asked, before setting the arrow loose on the explosive wire.

By the time the coast appeared clear, Roxanne and Lucille were temporarily slightly deafened. They cautiously looked outside below.

“You think we’re in the clear?” Roxanne asked.

“I think it’s the eye in the storm,” Lucille replied.

“Where are Axel and the others?”

“Probably holed up somewhere,” said Lucille. “We’ll wait until they get back.”

Roxanne frantically glanced out the window again. From the woods, trackers appeared to be hauling someone, a young man, bound and blind folded.

“Zaac . . .” Roxanne thought.

She began thinking of Bethany, lying mangled and blood drained on the dirty sewer floor.

Without another thought, before Lucille could stop her, she hopped out the window and hurried after them.

***

She saw headlights making their way into the distance under the foliage.

“They’re trying to use the ranger roads,” Roxanne gasped.

Shifting to her wolf form she bounded toward a parked car.

The engine roared as she stomped on the gas pedal leaving any remaining trackers in the dust.

Clicking her seat belt in, she relaxed in the seat a bit more.

“Thanks for leaving the keys,” she smirked as the car roared down the road.

All of a sudden, the vampire Merez himself popped out from the back seat. Roxanne screamed and had nowhere to move as he swung his arm around her neck and steered the wheel with his other hand.

“Quite welcome, “Lilith”,” he smugly replied.

Roxanne struggled in his grip to swerve the car, but he firmly jammed the wheel with his other.

“Oh, you poor thing. Looks like you’ve cut yourself,” he soothed mockingly as he noticed a piece of glass that slivered her neck.

“It would be a pity to let it go to waste,” he snarled into her ear.

Roxanne recoiled in disgust as he ran his lips along her wound and lapped up her blood.

When she tried to pull away, he sank his teeth into her throat and noisily took in his fill. Roxanne screamed and with a jolt of adrenaline, she drove her feet into the gas pedal and forced the wheel to slip through his grip. With no control over the road, the car slammed into the side of the wooded bank. The blow caused him to let go and collide into the back of her seat.

Air bag triggered, Roxanne wearily unlatched the seatbelt and pulled herself from the car. Falling with a hard thud, the stars stared down at her as she lay with her back to the road.

Every second was time she needed to use to run. However, the injury from the crash left her dizzy and throbbing with a dull pain. Her neck felt cold from where the sticky blood seeped down her throat. She’d heal even without the spur, but she needed the safety of her home to provide time. Roxanne rose to her feet and let her instincts guide her downhill.

She didn’t get far. The moment her boot touched the edge of the road was the moment she realized she was surrounded by half a dozen pairs of eyes and glistening fangs.

Dreadful reality kicked in. She was a mile from the base, injured, armed only with a knife, and surrounded by persistent vampires.

Drawing her knife, she turned to face the ones in front of her.

One female fang walked out of the shadows and grinned.

“Bad move, huh?” she asked. The others snickered.

Roxanne tried to get a count, but she couldn’t even seem to pick her own scent. She was too weak to morph fully.

“Listen, the others know I’m here. They’ll come for me and fucking tear you to shreds,” she warned.

“Of course, but they’ll never arrive in time,” the female retorted. “Your little town is miles from the ranger trails.”

“Want to stay and replace out?” Roxanne challenged.

Behind them Merez had composed himself as he walked from the wrecked vehicle.

“As far as your other comrades go, they have either locked themselves like children in the town, or they’re in the trunks of our cars being shipped to that human, Olaf,” he declared. “You’re alone here.”

Roxanne just fixed him with a cold, defiant stare. Merez turned to the other vampires.

“I don’t know about you, but I want to have my fill on this one. Dire bloods are a rare treat.”

One vampire objected.

“Wait, didn’t that Sphixes thing say to leave her alive?”

“The familiars are fools to think that we’re going to listen to them,” he snapped back. “If she really was worried about her, she would have kept her out of sight until we were long gone.”

Roxanne wasn’t going to go without a fight. One vampire made a grab for her. She slashed the knife in his arm, leaving behind a deep, painful wound.

Roxanne ran.

Even though she was too weak to shift, she bolted as fast as her two legs could carry her.

“I can make it back to the valley,” she told herself. “Axel? Axel? Please, are you still here?!”

She meant to telepath, but it came out in a verbal cry.

As she ran below the underbrush, the oil lanterns of the town were growing visible. However, she couldn’t keep the pace up with her condition. One vampire had just come close enough to slash his claws in the back of her leg. Pain shot up and down her calf as she lost her balance and tumbled along the rough ground.

Still crawling, she tried to get away, but they were all around her at that point. Their cruel laughter echoed amongst the trees as they grabbed her by her ankles and violently dragged her back.

“Get off me!” she screamed as she kicked and scratched. “Axel! AXELLL!”

There were just too many of them as they managed to grab hold of her arms and legs and pin her down. Overpowered and held down, she helplessly waited as Merez approached her with a cold, smug smile on his face. She was like a rabbit that had given chase only to be caught in a corner.

“Quite impressive you survived Olaf,” he teased.

Roxanne struggled with all her might, but she couldn’t get enough momentum to pry herself from their vice like grip. Tears ran down her face as their nails dug into her skin to hold her limbs and yank her head back by her hair to expose her throat. The snickering of the vampires mocked her pain and fear as she was helpless to fight back against so many.

Merez crouched next to her and inspected her arm.

“But let’s see you heal without this,” Merez hissed.

Roxanne let out a blood curdling scream as he dug his nails deep in her arm, letting the blood flow freely for the other vampires to lap it up.

“No! Please STOP!!” She begged in agony and thrashed wildly.

No matter how she resisted, she was held down by the other vampire’s strength. As the pain only increased, Roxanne realized with horror that he was meaning to tear the spur straight from her arm.

A much deeper growl soared behind them.

Suddenly, a massive wolf leapt and flattened himself between the vampires. Before they knew what was happening Axel snatched their necks between his jaws.

One or two braver fangs tried to fight back, but Axel was out for more blood than all of them combined, and in the midst of his rage, they were doomed despite their numbers.

When the odds were turned to his favor, he faced the creature that held Roxanne in his talons. The loss of blood made Roxanne go as limp as a rag doll.

“Back off, wolf,” Merez hissed, as he held Roxanne in his grip. She gazed back. Her eyes were glazed over and her fate was completely in their hands.

The two made deadly eye contact, though the vampire began to falter from the gaze of the massive werewolf. Axel had called his bluff.

Merez let go of Roxanne and tried to flee in terror, but the wolf ran him down before he had gone twenty feet. Reverting to his human form, Axel caught up to Merez and threw him against a tree. Merez swiped his nails on the side of Axel’s neck, barely missing his jugular. The werewolf just growled and struck again. This time he landed with a hard blow against one of the branches.

The vampire’s head snapped back as he fell to the ground. Blood trickled from his head with the end of the wooden branch sticking out of his chest. He was disoriented and slowly crawling on the ground as he tried to collect himself. With the wound to his chest, Merez was at the end and Axel knew it.

In a cold, steely manner, Axel slowly walked behind him and placed one boot on his head. When Merez tried to come up that time, Axel stomped his head in with a rock wedged between the vampire’s mouth. There was a crack and blood poured from his gaping fangs.

His remains withered to the ground in a pool of his own blood, finally ending Merez’s wretched life.

Mixed with shock, blood loss, and being overwhelmed, Roxanne cradled her left arm and tried clotting the claw gouge.

Tears streaming down her face, she glanced up to Axel, her guardian angel.

The hard lump in the back of her throat made it hard to talk, but she found her voice.

“Thank you.”

Her voice was choked with tears. When Axel finally came to accept that they were no longer in danger, he turned to address her.

“Roxanne,” he said in a cold, direct voice. “What the hell were you thinking running off like that?”

Her voice went high up and shaky. “I…I…,” she stuttered, not knowing how to respond.

“Did you not think for one second that they were laying a trap for you?” he asked, his tone growing angrier.

“I’m sorry… I saw them heading out and I thought I could get to them before they made it out of the valley,” she miserably replied.

Axel scoffed.

“Right, just like you thought you could take Olaf head on?”

Roxanne sat there trembling, not knowing what to say.

“I don’t know what drives you to have the need to play the ultimate heroine, but you couldn’t have planned a better way to get yourself killed! This isn’t some fantasy flick where you can rush in like that and not expect to be ambushed.”

Roxanne wrapped herself in her arms as Axel continued badgering.

“PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIE! PEOPLE AREADY HAVE DIED! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANTED? FOR ME TO FIND YOUR CORPSE AFTER THEY WERE DONE WITH YOU!?”

Roxanne wished the earth would swallow her whole and have the decency to never spit her back out.

Finally, she gathered the courage to answer.

“Why do you think I ran?” she cried, with lips trembling and tears rolling down her cheeks. “When I was stranded in the middle, I wasn’t trying to play the hero. . . I didn’t stay and fight. I RAN BECAUSE I KNEW I WAS IN OVER MY HEAD!”

She saw Axel’s eyes were welling up. He was more scared of losing her than he was angry. Roxanne wearily staggered toward him. “If you hadn’t come along, I would have. . .”

She couldn’t finish the sentence.

Tear stained and overcome with guilt, she buried her face in Axel’s burly chest and sobbed miserably. She wasn’t sure how he would respond, but it came like a wave of relief when Axel wrapped her in his arms and hugged her back.

“If you want to expel me from Grexis, I’ll understand. Just let me help you get the others back.”

“That’s not necessary. Your place is here in the Pack,” he whispered. “I’m sorry for what I said. We’ve come so far because of you.”

“You had every right to,” she sniffled. “I was stupid for putting you and myself in danger.”

“You had the Pack in mind. I was just angry about what could have happened to you.”

“I’m sorry. I was just so scared for Zaac and the others. That goddamn fam has us every which way.”

“No. It’s the last act of desperation.”

“What about Bethany and the others?” she asked, regarding the recent tragedy. “They stuck them like pigs, and they’ll probably do the same to the others.”

“That’s not going to happen. We’re almost through this. We’re going to replace the others. We’re going to complete the trial, and we are going to make all of them pay.”

Roxanne nodded.

“But what do we do now?”

“We’ll come back from this, but right now we head back to base, tend to the injured, count our numbers, and gather supplies.”

Roxanne nodded and the two headed back down and supported each other over the mountainous trail.

Dawn was starting to break when Roxanne broke the silence.

“I’m starting to understand Mother Wolf a little more,” she stated.

Axel looked at her.

“Really, how so?”

“All this training, skill equipping, and alliances, I used to think this trial was just some petty test to see if we were worthy of her affection. In reality, maybe it is for our own survival.”

“If there’s anything that I’ve learned it’s that victory is meaningless without struggle or pain,” he told her. “So, it could be a number of things.”

“Speaking of pain, it’s too bad you killed Merez.”

“Beg your pardon?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s going to be a bitch letting this heal on its own,” she replied, holding up her arm to show him the gouge marks.

“Sorry, but I thought I was ridding ourselves of a burden.”

“Oh, you were, but you could have let me sustain myself before you curb stomped him,” she playfully whined.

“Tell you what, don’t rush off next time and I’ll let you have your way.”