Chapter 12: Deadly Silence

Recap:

A knock at the door stopped us in our tracks.

“Who is it?” Carter called out as he stared at me.

“It’s me, It’s important.” Josh called out through the door.

I signed heavily and rolled my eyes as he got up from the bed and stepped away from me and walked over throwing the door open with his shortening temper.

“What?!”

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“About twenty wolves have broken through the boarders and made it out of the woods; they’ve started attacking some of the families on the edge of our boarders. We have to act now.” Josh quickly blurted out, sounding out of breath by the end.

“Gather the men.” Carter said before stalking back into the room and picking up his shirt, slipping it back on before pulling on his shoes.

My heart started to ache and my lungs felt starved of oxygen as an unexpected panic set in, but it wasn’t panic over the attack, it was something that I couldn’t quite pin point.

Scrambling out of bed I followed Carter down the stairs and out of the front door.

“Don’t go.” I said grabbing onto his hand, stopping him from moving anywhere. He looked back at me with a concerned look on his face, his brow creasing and his eyes shinning down into mine.

“Why, what’s wrong?” He said taking a step closer.

“I just, I have a funny feeling, something isn’t right.” I said my eyes boring into his as I begged him not to go. “Carter please.” I begged my voice barely a whisper as I felt the damp tears sprouting from my eyes and begin to rush down my check.

He snaked an arm around my waist pulling me to his chest and into a close embrace. I buried my head in his chest in an attempt to stop the tears. I wasn’t weak, but at this moment I felt utterly helpless and weaker than a dead twig in a summer’s heat, crushed to dust under the slightest pressure. He buried his head in my neck taking a deep breath as if he were trying to memories my smell and the way I felt in his arms.

“I have to go Mel.” He whispered in my ear before pulling back. He looked me deep in the eyes, his hands cupping my face while his thumbs whipped away my tears.

“Please don’t.” I tried once last time but I knew it wouldn’t be enough to get him to stay.

He looked at me with an apologetic look and I knew my answer before it even left his mouth.

If this was going to be the last time I spoke to him then I might as well make it count. “I love you.” I whispered my eyes finally drying of the unshed tears as the words left my mouth. I knew I had been side stepping around these words for a couple of weeks now, but now that were said it was as if I had opened myself up completely, more than I ever thought I would. Saying these simple three little words to him told him more than their meaning itself, it said I forgive him, it said I trust him but most of all it said that I actually gave a damn about him, that I cared.

By the look on his face I knew that those words had registered as well as all of their hidden meanings. He leaned in catching my lips with his in an intense moment of pleasure. My lips parted under the pressure and he deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue over my bottom lip and into my mouth which I gladly welcomed.

He pulled back and rested his fore against mine; his hands still holding me close against his chest. “I've got to go Mel.” He whispered again, but this time it seemed as if he said it with a heavy heart.

“I know.” I swallowed the lump in my throat and let my eyes flutter shut.

“Hey” he said lifting my head back up to face him and making me open my eyes once again. “I love you too.”

I felt a sudden relief wash over me with those words. He had left me hanging long enough.

Placing one small final kiss on my lips his hands dropped and I suddenly felt the cold lonely winds hit my skin. Slowly opening my eyes from the kiss I watched as he disappeared into the cars and out of sight. I stayed there hugging myself, trying to stay warm in the brisk cool air finding it hard to move.

“Mummy?” I heard Harley’s voice from behind me. I turned and found him in his pyjamas clutching his teddy and rubbing his eyes showing just how tired he was. Taking a deep breath I walked up to him lifting him into my arms and carried him back up stairs. I walked into his room and tucked him back in, rubbing his back slowly to sooth him to sleep.

I slowly stepped out of the room and saw the lights on in one of the other rooms. Frowning my brow I slowly opened the door and saw Will and Jack. I walked in and sat on the bed seeing a very fast asleep Jack next to a very wide awake Will.

“Hey, you ok?” I said looking at him.

“Yeah, I just can’t sleep.” He said, his eyes looking tired and absolutely exhausted.

“Me neither.”

“You feel it too, don’t you?”

“Feel what?” I asked him knowing exactly what he meant.

“That uneasy feeling that something isn’t right, I’ve had it once before when my father died. It was raining and I couldn’t sleep, I kept tossing and turning so I got up and went to get a glass of milk. When I got down stairs I saw our beta dragging my father out into the middle of the field, my mother was screaming for them to stop as they held her back. I watched them when they ripped my father’s head off, my mother dropped to her knees clutching her chest like her heart had just been ripped out. She got up and ran inside, grabbed me by the shoulders and told me to grab Will and run so I did.” He told me while staring out the window at the dark clouds threatening to open up and rain down on us all.

I grabbed his hand and ran my thumb over his knuckles trying to comfort him. “I promised you that nothing would happen to you remember. And I keep my promises.” I stood up from my seat and tucked Jack into bed placing a small kiss on his forehead. “Try and get some sleep Will.” I pushed his hair back and kissed his forehead before silently stepping out and closing the door behind me.

I walked into the Master bedroom and just laid down on the bed. I watched as the rain started to fall down making pitter patter sounds as the rain drops hit the window. I knew something was going to happen but I didn’t know what to do, all I knew was that I had to make sure the boys were safe.

Giving up on sleep I looked out the window. It was hard to see anything out passed the rain but I swore that what I was seeing was true. There were numerous dark shadows along the horizon line and my heart rate picked up.

I all but ran out the room and into Harley’s room, slowly shaking him awake I picked him up, cradling him in my arms and walked into the room that housed Will and Jack. Will jumped up at the sound of me entering and as if reading my mind picked up his brother and followed me out of the room. I led them to Carter’s study remembering something he had once told me about a safe room. I didn’t know what else to do.

I looked around the room frantically, checking the shelves and every nook and cranny that could have hidden a leaver or something.

“Mummy” Harley struggled out of my arms and walked over to the picture of Harley on the mantel by the fireplace. “Time to play hide and seek?” 

“Harley not now.” I said ignoring him and looking around the desk for a button... or something.

“Mel I think you should look at this.” Will’s voice came from somewhere distant in the room. Sighing heavily I looked up and saw the boys by the mantel. I walked up to them and saw Harley trying to reach the picture.

“Honey what are you doing?”

“Hide and seek, like daddy said.” I frowned slightly confused and reached up, grabbing hold of the picture. Bringing it forward I saw the Doctor Susses book in between all of the other boring books that were lined up. I pulled out the book and saw the key that fell on the floor. Harley grabbed the key on the floor and moved over the side of the fireplace. Following him I saw the little nook in the side that no one would ever find unless it was pointed out to you. Grabbing the key off of him I slid in the key, turned it and watched as the bookcase slid over to hide behind the fireplace. It opened up into a small room with two sets of bunk beds and a couple of blankets.

Bringing myself back to reality I pushed the boys in the room telling them I loved them and ordering them to stay in there until someone they recognized came and get them. closing the door behind me I took a deep breath, letting my eyes flutter shut for a moment while I tried to clam myself down and think. Opening my eyes once again I walked out of the study being sure to shut the door behind me before walking over to the staircase, cool, calm and collected like I wasn't truly going insane inside. Coming to the first step I slowly descended the stairs, taking a breath in with each step and out with every other whilst running my hand down the railing.

Coming to the end of the stairs I stopped seeing Tory frozen by the window in the entrance, her dressing gown was tied tightly around her and the glass she once held was shattered in a million pieces, the contents split all over the floor in a puddle.

"Tory?" I called out breaking the silence, but she didn't answer.

The uneasy feeling spreading through my body. I took the last few steps and continued until I was standing beside Tory, I turned my attention from her to what she was staring at. The shadows I had seen on  the horizon just a moment ago where close and getting closer as they gained ground, approaching at a furious pace, the mist from the rain made it hard to see any detail, but they were big and their looked to be at least fifteen of them, maybe more.

The lump that had been forming in my throat started to chock me. I watched helplessly as the introduces got closer and closer until finally the few guards Carter had left behind came to stand in the drive way just in front of us. There were only six, there was no way they were going to win, and they knew it. They rolled their shoulders and tried to relax their muscles as they prepared to shift and time seemed to slow down, almost stop as everyone waited in anticipation.

And then it seep up.

Within moments the intruders were at our door, jumping up in the air and shifting into massive wolves, with thick fur, sharp, snapping teeth and large paws that could crush your throat with the slightest pressure. Our protectors answered the threat by shifting themselves and even though they were smaller than the others, they had the home field advantage which they were sure to take advantage of. The other wolves seem slip and slide in the mud, falling over and struggling to land a clean blow, while our guards used the mud to their advantage, riding it like a wave and attacking, aiming straight for the jugular. For a moment I thought they might actually win... For a moment anyway.

Things seem to turn like the tide as the lack of numbers really started take its tool, our guards started dying off like fly's as the intruders adjusted to the soft mud on the ground and decided to gang up them, two against two, it was a lost cause.

"Run." I heard Tory whisper as she too watched the slaughter.

I turned to her confused. "What?"

"You have to run. Now." she said briefly before turning to me, gripping my arm and pulling me towards the back door. "You have to run while their distracted."

"I cant just leave!"

"Yes you can. And you will."

"The boys?"

"Their safest where they are. You have to leave now, head for the woods, Lilly will help." She said shoving me out of the door and shutting before I had the chance to protest further. I knew I didn't have time to think and I trusted Tory words but it didn't make it any easier to leave them, knowing that I may never return, knowing that this may be the last time I ever see the boys. Hearing the howls of pain I knew I had to run now.

Willing my body to move one foot in front of the other I started running as fast as I could for the woods, hitting the edge of the trees I kept going ignoring the lashes and cuts that the twigs and branches were leaving in my skin. Running out of breath I came to a stop, partly because I had no idea where I was going and partly because breathing was now a laboured process. Looking around the woods looked peaceful and quiet, they showed no trace of the horrid events that were unfolding just a few miles away.

With my head spinning in all different directions and my mind going a hundred miles an hour I caught a glimpse of Lilly's white dress and my eyes focused on her. Her bright blue eyes were wide with panic as she simply put her finger to her lips telling me to be quiet. We both looked off into the distance for a moment, waiting. That's all we could do, was wait.

I waited hearing the sounds of paws on the ground echoing through the forest, the loud, laboured breaths of my enemies approaching at a fierce speed. I looked back to Lilly and saw a panic look cross over her face.

"Run. Now" She said to me in her small innocent voice while see pointed me in the right direction. Not wasting my time I ran, praying that I didn't run into a tree.

I heard the intruders gaining on me and I knew I was out of time. Quickly looking over my shoulder I saw a big brown wolves nipping at my ankles, trying to trip me. crouching down I threw myself into a commando roll making the wolf fly over me and hit a tree, quickly picking myself back up I smiled to myself at my clever thinking before turning around to run and coming face to face with a giant near black wolf with yellow eyes that seemed to be glowing. Shit.

It growled at me, baring it's teeth and for a moment I let myself be afraid, very afraid. The wolf pounced on me sending me falling backwards, hitting my head on a tree log and the next thing I knew the darkness seemed to flood my vision and the sounds of the whispering woods turned to nothing but silence, a deadly silence.

Hello lovely readers, sorry for the lack of updates, year 12 has been a bitch but now its all over thank god for that. so i promise a lot more updates as I am aiming to finish this book before the new year. Thanx for being patient with me. xoxo