The First Evil

The urgency on my face must have finally gotten through the fear that had been freezing her in place. I was sort of surprised at how scared she was considering that she was a decorated police officer in one of the most crime ridden cities in the country. I actually think we maybe the reigning murder capital of the country. Go us. Maybe it was the whole supernatural aspect of it that was throwing her off her game.

She bolted in the vague direction of my house, and not a second later the twins and I joined her. I kept expecting my battered body to put up some protest, but... nope, nothing. I felt the best I ever had with none of the ache or burning that had always echoed through my muscles following strenuous activity.

I heard a wolf howl in the distance, it was maybe a mile away from us now if we were lucky. Of course why should my luck change now?

More baying and howls, closer now. I knew the sound wasn't a warning but an outpouring of the exhilarating rush of the hunt no longer able to be contained now that the chase was on.

I was worrying myself at how much I could empathize with the creatures pursuing us. It was far too easy to imagine running with a pack, the heady excitement riding the wind. Bodies rubbing against each other literally edging you on. The hunger drives you to run faster harder, pitting you against your quarry in a life or death contest. Where you earn the right live by being physically better and mentally more acute.

The imagined sensations were both a blessing and a curse because while it was distracting me from my own escape it also reminded me that I am the hunter. Not the other way around.

There will be retribution for chasing me through my own city like some prey animal.

I threw myself forward, running faster than I ever had, and saw the buildings begin to blur. I passed Rachel and was just deciding to turn and try carrying her when she picked up speed and was again level with me. The twins were at the head and the rear of our group respectively. Both flowing forward so fast I couldn't say with perfect certainty whether their paws were actually touching the sidewalk or not.

Another excited yip joined the others behind us, somehow more enthusiastic than the previous ones. I thought they might have just found my scent or the twins', either way it was time to push it. It galled me to be running away from danger but without a better idea of what I was going up against I wouldn't just blithely put Rachel's life in danger.

How can we lose them? I thought at the twins, running too fast now to speak aloud. It almost occurred to me to wonder that I was suddenly so comfortable speaking mind to mind like this but I shoved that on the too full shelf for later and hoped everything didn't topple on me before I could deal with it properly.

Can you and your friend Run?

I assume you mean something more than what we're doing now. Look yesterday both of us thought we were normal so as far as it comes to the supernatural world treat me like a child. I know nothing about Running or Were's or Wolves or Vampires or anything else. Besides I'm getting sick of all this emphasis you guys keep putting on words that yesterday just had simple definitions. I could feel the disbelief and confusion swirling through both of them to me. No time for confusion about how, just teach.

Imagine the air at your back pushing you forward. The earth beneath your feet rebounding every step so that you almost bounce forward. Feel every breath you take pull you forward faster. Let the power flowing through you make you strong and push yourself.

It feels like falling but in the direction you want to go instead of down. Like freedom made movement.

It surprised me that the twin who was so challenging and irreverent was also the more poetic one. I could imagine everything he was describing so perfectly I could feel it. That quickly I was flowing forward like they were. Rachel began to fall behind and without thinking I reached out for her hand and let the poetry of Naughtys words flow through me to her. Apparently our long friendship could act as the same sort of connection I shared with the twins now. Who knew?

For a moment it almost seemed as if her eyes started to glow but then she smiled and I was distracted by how beautiful she could be without all the artifice she used to disguise it. Her smile was like the dawn breaking over the horizon. Like I had set her free. She shot forward ahead of me almost even with the forward twin, unbearably graceful. I wondered if I looked like that.

Yes. Beauty and grace, shining with power.

Hey don't try and make nice now, I thought irritably but I still blushed and struggled not to turn and look at the wolf behind me who I now realize is Naughty. I forced myself to concentrate on the labyrinthine path we were creating to confuse our pursuers. I "told" the twins where we should be heading by sending them pictures of land marks and street signs in that general direction.

In my mind I was vacillating between just going to my house or getting my truck. Somehow I knew that my house wouldn't just remain untouched simply because I avoided it tonight. I decided to compromise. I would get my truck now to go pick up Juliet then we could all go back to my house. It wasn't perfect but this way at least I could grab what's most precious to me and try to hide anything too large to carry on a getaway. Eventually, I know they are going to end up at my house trying to find clues to my current whereabouts.

Tears clogged my throat as I imagined the state of my house after it had been violated. My house had always been sacrosanct. Not even Jules or Rachel had ever even been there. Oh, they both know where it is, even what it looks like, but they've never actually been inside of it. There's just too much of my life, my real life not the one I'd made up for camouflage, in every room. That house was the first thing I'd ever purchased with money I earned from my paintings.

A sharp but small nip on my calf derailed my train of thought.

Stop thinking about what might be and focus on now. Now we are trying to survive with our bodies and freewill intact. Worry about later then.

Anger hit me so fast I realized that it had never really gone anywhere merely taken a back seat, temporarily, to a stronger emotion. I almost turned to attack him when I realized it wasn't his fault that my house is going to get trashed. Or that a pack of vicious monsters were chasing us. Or that my life got so turned around in just a little bit of time that I no longer even understood what manner of creature I was. It was nice to have a convenient scapegoat to direct all of my anger at but I've never been one to just spew at who's closest. I've been on the receiving end too many times and I've never been one to simply pass along hardship.

The hungry sound of the creatures behind us had faded as we kept up the faster speed. I decided it was safe to head in the right direction when I realized we were actually already at the lot where I park my truck when I am not using it. Which, unfortunately, is most of the time. Good thing I have a contingency plan for needing it without planning to. I was already shimmying under the truck bed to get the spare key before Naughty even reached us.

"You two stay in Wolf form until we have a chance to grab Juliet and some clothes that will fit you," I was speaking out loud as much to include Rachel in the conversation as to try and steal some small iota of normalcy back.

"Actually, I was gonna suggest that if we need to get out of town, I go get Juliet, our car and some stuff. Then just meet you at your house after we're all packed up," I was formulating arguments before the sentence had even finished. I didn't want to split up. My gut was screaming for me to keep everything I cared about within arm's reach. I was already fighting off hyperventilation thinking about Juliet home by herself.

"Look, I know what I heard and I could see that those aren't normal wolves even if you weren't just speaking to them like people. If something like them is what's been chasing us then we are all taking a mini vacation far away from this city," I opened my mouth to protest again but was silenced by an authoritative upraised palm.

"I had already arranged for both of us to take two weeks off when I thought you were dead, so unless you're going to have a spontaneous resurrection, or Jules and I suddenly stop having been your friend for five years, we still need to take that time. I for one am not trying to sit trapped in my house for that time waiting for the huffing and puffing to start," My instincts were screaming at me to say no, to stop her, to knock her unconscious and roll her in the floor mats if need be. I probably would have done just that if I couldn't hear her heart pounding and smell the fear clinging to her skin, instead I pasted a brittle smile on my face and nodded.

"Ok, yeah that sounds like a plan," I fought to keep the tremor from my voice, "You call me when you leave your house and I'll call when I leave mine that way we don't just rush past each other," I couldn't stop tears from filling my eyes. I guess even after all this I still don't have enough self-esteem to stop the words, floating amorphously at the back of my mind from escaping my lips.

"If you don't want to meet back up, that's fine," I couldn't maintain steady eye contact while I said it but I forced the words past the burning lump hovering somewhere between the pit of my stomach and the back of my throat. "Just let me know so I don't die waiting for you to come out of your house or something," I laughed nervously trying to relieve the tension looking at anything but her. She was silent for so long I thought she was trying to gather her thoughts to blow me off until white hot pain snapped my head around. My cheek throbbed with my pulse but I was almost too shocked to feel it.

"Don't you fucking ever..." a small sob bubbled up from the back of her throat, she seemed to be trying to gather her thoughts and catch her breath." I left the love of my life at our house alone to come back and help you face some giant unknown monster with nothing more than my off duty piece...," she took a shuddering breath, "I am gonna go to my house throw some shit in a bag and be at your place in fifteen minutes if I have to knock Jules unconscious and pack for her. You are going to stop being stupid. I love you, I would never abandon you," she wrapped her arms around me pulling me in for a tight hug.

I started to tense up like I normally would with this much physical contact but then I made myself relax and hug her back. She startled then squeezed tighter before letting go and racing off back down the ramp to the street. I blinked the tears from my eyes and opened the door for the twins to get in before hopping in on my side. I turned the fan on in the car to get some circulation. It felt weird not to just put the windows down in weather like this but I didn't want to leave any more of our scent around than I needed to. I was staring out at the sleeping city wondering why the air wasn't blowing and realized I hadn't actually started the car. I went to put the key in the ignition but the key kept missing the wavering keyhole.

The scarred back of a masculine hand entered my field of vision. The touch to my hand was tentative and gentle as he guided the key into the slot and turned the engine over. I raised my eyes and stared into the compassionate eyes of Nice. I shook my head and turned away. As much as I appreciate the probably-necessary concern we didn't have time for the hovering breakdown. If I could just last a few more hours then I'd be able to indulge but not till everyone is safe. I heard another ominous howl in the distance and knew we weren't there yet. But that shelf in my head was about to collapse under the weight of everything I hadn't had time to process since my miraculous resurrection.

I glanced out of the corner of my eye at the too beautiful man and the giant Wolf squeezed into my passenger seat and decided to come up with some better coping mechanisms because I don't think I've hit the bottom of the rabbit hole yet.