Chapter Twenty-Three: In The Woods Somewhere

(The Belly Of The Beast, Part 2)

***

Rage.

That was all Allison could feel right now, rage and purpose. Rage against the monster that had bit Nick and turned the boy she'd fallen for into a monster, and purpose—purpose in finding the werewolf that had bitten Nick and killing it with one of her arrows. In saving Nick and curing him, returning him back to being a human, along with Sarah.

And if Laura got in the way...

Well, Allison had more than one silver arrow in her quiver.

As they tracked through the woods, rain pouring down—Allison hated the rain collecting in the bottom of her quiver, praying it won't make her arrows warp too bad when she needed to shoot—she eyed the woods warily for any sign of werewolves, fingers twitching to draw an arrow and shoot. And as she looked at the woods, she wondered if Nick and Sarah were in there. If she and Nick were walking in the same part of the woods right now.

Nick...

Allison's heart ached. God, she wanted him back. She wanted to see his smile, to see his eyes and hear him say that it would be okay, that he was safe and okay. She wanted to hold him and never let him go and kiss him breathless, to say fuck it to whatever said their relationship would never work and just make it work, to have them endure whatever trials and tribulations came their way together and be stronger for it, to just simply hug him and know that he was here, that he would always be here. She just wanted Nick back.

And she would, once the werewolf that bit him was dead. She'd get Nick—the real Nick, not the one twisted by the curse—back. Just like Hayden would get him, her brother, back. Just like Nora would get Sarah back.

"You really care about him, don't you? Nick, I mean."

Allison turned back to Laura, eyes automatically narrowed at the infected girl.

"Yeah," Allison said curtly. "As much as you care for Max."

Laura looked at her, before she sighed and said, "I know I sounded harsh—"

"Oh, you think?" Allison snarked.

"But I was just trying to make you understand that if it comes down to it, then you might need to—"

"No, I don't!" Allison snapped, turning to Laura as she glared at her. "I have as much of a chance to save Nick without killing him that you do with saving Max! You're just being a hypocrite if you say that I don't, that I have to kill the boy I love and Hayden would never see her twin again, or that Nora won't see her girlfriend again. And while I agree with you that we have to kill Chris Hackett, and I'll shoot him in the heart myself if I have to, don't you dare say I should kill Nick or Sarah, that they're a lost cause. Because if they are... aren't you and Max a lost cause, then?"

Allison turned away, stomping forward, fists clenched so she couldn't do something stupid. Footsteps sounded behind her as Laura whispered, "You're right."

Allison turned, not trusting the other girl as Laura sighed and admitted, "You're right, Allison. You have as much of a chance to save them as I do with saving Max. And I shouldn't have implied that you can't. Because yeah, I'd be a pretty big hypocrite if I did. I actually admire you a little."

"You do? You hardly know me," Allison retorted, but the edge was duller now.

"Yeah, but from what I've gathered, you're loyal, tenacious and pretty badass with a bow and arrow," Laura complimented. 

"Uh, thanks," Allison mumbled, looking down as she admitted, "You're pretty badass too."

"Thanks," Laura replied.

A beat of awkward silence, before Allison asked, "You think Ryan will let us kill Chris? I mean, I know he sees him as a father figure, but... Nick, Sarah and Max will be cured if he's dead."

"I don't know. You know him better. Will he?" Laura asked her.

Allison thought it over, before answering honestly, "I don't know. But that isn't gonna stop me. Chris may be a nice guy, but he turned Nick into something he isn't and would be horrified at being. I can't in good conscience let him stay stuck like that—him or Sarah or... or Max. If there was any other way, I'd take it, but..."

Allison looked at her bow, swallowing back everything inside her screaming about how being a doctor meant doing no harm, much less murder, before she finished, "I'll shoot him in the heart without hesitation if it meant freeing Nick."

Looking at Ryan, Laura murmured, "On that, I agree."

They continued to walk in silence, the rain and spine-chilling howls the only noise to break the quiet, before Laura stopped and asked Ryan, "Are you sure this is the right way?"

"Pretty sure, yeah," Ryan answered as he stopped as well along with Allison.

"Pretty or definitely?" Laura insisted. 

"It all looks the same to me," Allison muttered.

Turning fully to Laura, Ryan demanded, "What do I look like? A tour guide?"

"Have you actually been there before?" Laura asked, voice softer than her usual bark.

"I mean... no," Ryan answered.

"Wait seriously?"

"I know as much as you or Allison do," Ryan said before he turned back and kept on walking. Allison followed in Ryan's lead, casting a look back at Laura before focusing on walking.

As they kept walking, Laura asked Ryan, "How well do you know Chris Hackett?"

"Mr. H? Pretty well," Ryan answered.

"Like you're 'pretty sure' we're going the right way?" Laura insisted.

That had Ryan stop and turn before explaining, "When I first came to camp, I was going through some... personal shit, and Mr. H helped me sort it out. He's a good guy. You don't know him like I do. You don't know him at all."

"Okay, okay. Jeez. Teacher's pet," Laura mumbled.

Allison shot her a sharp glare as she moved to Ryan's side, holding his arm and squeezing in comfort. Because Allison was certain she would kill Chris to save Nick and Sarah, she could understand this was hard for Ryan, that Mr. Hackett had been like a father figure to him—shit, he'd been like a second father figure to Sarah. She couldn't imagine how this must feel for Ryan, that to save his friends he would have to kill the man he looked up to.

"Ignore her. She doesn't know what she's saying," Allison murmured. She knew that Ryan knew she would kill Chris without hesitation, but she hoped he understood she got why this was hard for him. 

Ryan's hand resting over hers told Allison he did as he asked Laura, "Why are you like this?'

"Yeah, you couldn't have been so... bitter and revenge-driven," Allison noted, while also observing that Laura's harshness, her ruthless dedication to curing Max—even if it meant killing a werewolf that wasn't Chris Hackett—was like an eerie mirror of Allison. She wasn't like this, especially not before tonight and hopefully not after it was over and Nick and Sarah were normal.

Was she?

Laura hesitated, as if thinking it over, before answering, "Look, I don't think anybody 'knows' anybody. Not really."

"Well, I know Mr. H. And-And he'd never hurt any of us," Ryan insisted.

"Unless the curse made him want to," Allison pointed out gently. "Like with Nick. He'd never hurt me or Hayden—and yet, he did because of what the curse twisted him into."

"Well, I know for a fact he's not the 'good guy' you think he is," Laura retorted, before adding to Allison, "Curse or no curse."

"Hey, lay off for a minute," Allison warned, defensive over Ryan.

"All he does is try to help people! That's what his whole camp is all about. To help the kids," Ryan argued.

"Yeah, I don't doubt that," Laura said, before she gave him a pointed look and asked, "You know what I have to do, right? What me and Allison have to do?"

"I know," Ryan admitted. "But only if we can't talk to him. If we can't find another way."

Allison bit her lip. For her, there was no other way. Just like Laura she knew, deep in her bones, tonight was going to end with either them dead and Nick, Sarah and Max still cursed... or Chris dead and they were free of the curse and she got Nick back—normal, mild-mannered, funny, kind, amazing Nick. Her Nick.

There was no other option than didn't end with a silver bullet or a silver arrow shot through the heart of a werewolf tonight.

And looking at Laura, she knew it too, as she only said, "Lead the way."

Ryan gave her and Allison another look as he continued walking on. As they did, Allison grumbled, "We better not have gotten lost, Ryan, because I swear..."

Laura snickered.

"What?" Allison snapped.

"Nothing. Just... that was kinda what me and Max talked about. Before..." Laura divulged, face shadowing and Allison knew—before the car swerved off into the woods. Before the cop and the storm cellar. Before Max was turned into a werewolf. Before their lives turned into a supernatural shitshow.

Allison looked back, moving to Ryan as she murmured, "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah," he muttered. "Fine."

"She doesn't know what she's saying, okay?" Allison murmured. "I mean... I can't see a way that ends with us curing Nick and Sarah without killing Mr. Hackett and I wish there was, for both you and Sarah, but... you know what my choice is gonna be."

"I know," Ryan murmured, because he did.

It was Nick. Allison's choice would always be to save Nick, no matter what monsters she had to slay to do so.

Allison just wished this monster didn't wear such a familiar face.

Still, Allison slid her arm around Ryan's waist in a side hug as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, slightly awkward with the quiver but Allison didn't care as they hug-walked for several seconds before pulling, offering comfort and support before they would have to face the inevitable, before they would have to make their choice like Laura already did.

At last, their destination arrived and as Allison saw it, her skin crawled, because while she never watched a horror movie due to hating horror and being unsatisfied with how fake-looking the blood and guts often were just like in medical dramas—she and her dad would make it a competition of which medical drama got actual medicine, surgery and hospital procedure wrong the most before he died—and was fully aware of the irony since now her life was a horror movie, this house looked perfect for one.

It rose out of the mist, backdropped by woods and the full moon half-shrouded with clouds, surrounded by a fence. It looked almost Gothic and extremely creepy—all it needed was the cliché lightning flashing over it and bats flying around the roof. Not that the moon was already doing plenty for that.

The Hackett house definitely looked like the house a werewolf would be hiding within.

"There it is. Hackett house," Ryan announced.

"That's definitely a place a werewolf would be at," Allison murmured, staring at it.

"So he lives in some redneck mansion with his redneck family in the asscrack of the woods?" Laura questioned dubiously as she stared at it. "Look at this place!"

"I have to agree with Laura. If we weren't already in a horror movie, this would be the perfect place to start a horror movie. Either Nora or Sarah would say so if they were here," Allison commented, folding her arms.

"No, but... it's where his mom lives, I think," Ryan explained. "I've never been there but if we're looking for answers, it's probably the best place to start."

Allison nodded in agreement. It really was. 

After all, what other options did they have before the sun rose?

"So, uh... wait. How do we get there?" Laura questioned.

"What do you mean?" Ryan asked.

"How. Do we get. To the house?" Laura repeated.

"Do I look like I know? I've never been here before, let alone seen inside it," Allison replied, sarcasm heavy in her tone.

"That's a really good question. Maybe we just don't," Ryan responded.

Laura looked at Ryan incredulously. "Look, I understand Chris is your friend—"

"If there was another way, I'd tell you," Ryan interrupted.

"Sure," Laura said, not believing him.

"Why would he lie about something like that? I want to kill Chris to save Nick and I can tell you I believe him when he says there isn't a way in," Allison defended, glaring at Laura.

"Thanks, Allison," Ryan said in appreciation before he looked at Laura and went on, "Laura... Chris is a good man."

"This isn't about good and evil, Ryan..."

"Just... how can you be so certain?" he asked.

"If I let my conscience slow me down now, everything gets a lot worse for everyone. Believe me, if there's another way, I'm all for it," Laura argued.

She was right—Allison knew she was right. But that didn't mean she would not stop standing with Ryan and would offer him support after either she or Laura did the job.

Ryan was her friend, after all. And she'd always stand by her friends, no matter what.

But the full moon had Allison remember they weren't exactly travelling with someone who was fully human anymore, and Allison walked away. Ryan did so too, the both of them putting as much distance as they could between Laura as Allison made certain if it came down to it, she could draw and shoot fast enough to save hers and Ryan's lives and avoid them being infected.

"Hey, where are you going?" Laura questioned, noticing their increased distance.

"You're on a timer, remember? There must be another way across somehow," Ryan explained.

"And if we can't find it... I'm not risking me and Ryan losing our lives or getting infected as well," Allison divulged, grip tight on her bow.

But that was when she heard creaking.

Looking down, she saw they were on a wooden platform—a platform that was creaking and bowing under their combined weight.

"I got you!" Laura yelled as she grabbed both Allison and Ryan.

"One of us move off this right now!" Allison shouted.

"Careful! It's gonna go!" Ryan yelled—and the minute the words left his mouth, the planks gave way.

They plummeted, a scream trapped in Allison's throat as they fell and fell, rock walls blurring around her, until she crashed back-first into water.

Cold needled her as she kicked to the surface and gasped for air, before she began to swim for shore, the movements slowed by her quiver and bow but she didn't care. She'd have to check that she hadn't lost any arrows, but right now all she wanted was to get out of the water.

Allison reached the shore just as another splash sounded and Ryan yelled, "Holy shit. Are you okay?"

"Fine," Allison got out as she lay there, gasping, before she swung the quiver around and checked. Her heart plummeted as her count came short of five. 

Five arrows, lost to the water. She only had eighteen silver arrows left.

She had to make each one count, with no missed shots.

She couldn't afford not to.

"Laura?" Ryan called out, and that was when Allison realised she hadn't resurfaced.

"Oh fuck. Laura! Are you still alive?" Allison called out, worry trickling through her. Just because she didn't like the girl didn't mean she wanted her dead.

That was when there was a large splash and Laura resurfaced with a gasp before wading to shore and hauling herself up onto the land, staring at the water as Ryan followed suit. He helped Allison up as they moved to Laura, who stared at her arms and said, "It stalks your breath but shuns clear water."

Allison gulped, looking at the water, now remembering what that meant, thinking of Nick in the pool. If Laura was getting her allergy to water, did that mean...

"Oh my God, Laura."

Allison turned and her eyes widened as she saw the bite on Laura's arm had disappeared.

"Jesus, Mary and Jazzhands," Ryan breathed.

"That does not comply with anything medical wise," Allison muttered, staring at the skin where an open wound should be.

Instead of freaking out, Laura just grinned.

"Here's a thought," Ryan said, but Laura flinched away before he could touch the eyepatch.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Yeah, what are you doing, Ryan?" Allison asked, frowning.

"Relax. Look," Ryan said, before flipping off the eyepatch—and revealing an eye and unscarred skin underneath.

"Whoa," Allison breathed, staring at Laura's regenerated eye and healed skin.

"What big eyes you have, grandma," Ryan joked.

Allison rolled her eyes in exasperation and elbowed him. "That was terrible, Ryan."

"I know," Ryan replied.

Laura, however, seemed to be in a state of shock and delight that her left eye had returned, grinning as she waved her hand in front of it. "No shit!"

But the smile soon dropped as she stepped forward and asked, "Can you see yellow? in my eyes?"

Allison looked and she gulped at seeing Laura's eyes had turned fully yellow—just like Nick's and Sarah's had before they turned.

"Uh... how nervous should we be if the answer is yes?" Allison asked nervously as she stepped back.

"Define 'yellow'," Ryan said, nervousness colouring his voice as well as he also stepped back, an arm protectively in front of Allison despite her holding a weapon.

"Shit. We haven't got much time," Laura revealed.

Squaring her shoulders and pushing her fear down, Allison raised her bow as she said determinedly, "Then let's end this."

Hoisting her gun in response, Laura, Allison and Ryan walked around the cave, looking for a way out before Allison noticed some mining tools.

Laura noticed it as well, crouching down as she observed, "These must've been from the quarry days."

"No duh," Ryan said.

Allison winced, the words reminding her of her and Nick at the quarry sign, of the conversation they shared that felt like weeks ago, but had only been hours.

How did it go so wrong so quickly? Why couldn't it have just stayed like that?

Pushing the despair away, Allison retuned as Laura commented, "No one's been down here for years."

"Well, until we literally crashed through the ceiling," Allison pointed out dryly—just as an inhuman noise sounded.

Grabbing an arrow and drawing, Allison's heart pounded in her chest as they turned to a set of stairs. The roaring faded off, but Allison did not put her arrow away.

Instead, she and Ryan followed Laura as she snooped around, finding an old lunchbox and taking out an old letter inside it.

"Yeah, this was definitely part of the old working quarry," Laura noted.

"Makes sense," Ryan said as he shrugged.

"Picked that up from the tools but sure. Whatever," Allison muttered, eyeing the space around them warily, nerves tense after that roar.

They returned back to the stairs and, for once, they were in unanimous agreement as they walked up them.

And to whatever they might find.

***

Me before writing Allison's character: Oh boy she and Laura woukd get along well since they're both willing to murder the werewolf who bit their boyfriends if it meant freeing them

Me after writing Allison's character and realising how naive I was in thinking their personalities would mesh well/get along:... Oh

But yeah, Allison is now down to murder Chris for (seemingly) biting Nick and Sarah and getting Nick back, with nothing going to stop her from accomplishing that. And yeah, I like Laura, but she and Allison don't get along much not because their personalities but because they ARE similar—except, Allison will only kill the werewolf she's sure bit Nick and Sarah and is sympathetic to Ryan's turmoil over Chris. She's just hanging in there

But now, they're about to head into Hackett House! Things are gonna get exciting >:)

Please read, comment and vote!

GhostWriterGirl out!