Valerie almost collapsed. Her body was broken, her will power, destroyed. She wished some kind of angel of death would decend from heaven or rise from hell and remove her breath from her living body and stop her still-beating heart. Eye watched her from the trees. Bloodshot eyes of her fellows, her equals, werewolves like herself.
The leader of them was still standing in front of her, Ethan still behind her. The mistress of the werewolves smiled down at her. "You don't believe it, do you?" Valerie naturally shook her head, but she knew now, because it all sudennly fit.
"Then, let me offer you proof. We've been watching you since you arrived Valerie. You had no memory of whence you came, an obvious side effect, not of drowning, but of trauma. The cuts and scrapes all over your body were not made by the jagged rocks, but from the werewolf that attacked you and left you to die. How about the silver? The only thing that can kill a werewolf is a silver bullet. Naturally, you skin cannot com anywhere near contact with silver during the few days the moon is full enough to affect us."
Everything made sense. She remembered her dream of the night previously, it seemed like much longer ago now. The refection of the moon in the water was full, she had used the light to see. She looked up into the present day sky and remembered what she had noted when she had left home, the sky was grey and overcast, filled as far as the eye can see with thick clouds. Gluping, Valerie looked at the mistress and nodded, a sign to continue.
"I'm sure you've realized by now, you see everything you do when you've trasformed as if you were a bystnader in a terrible dream. It is your mind, portrayed as it really never comes out in your physical form. You body willingly goes through the carnage, but, in dreams, you are reluctant. You hesitate. You're even appaled, angry with yourself. You run from what you've done. In the morning, you're left with guilt, regret, and so on. The cycle never ends until the day you die."
"But we," she continued, "Our orginazation has come to accept it. Our mind willingly commit these acts. We see ourself, not shocked, but triumphant in these dreams. This way, we are free from guilt and free from pain. That is why you must join us Valerie. Fake your death and come away with us, murderering freely once a month. This is the only way you can excape the death from guilt and pain the will eventually consume you."
It was a long and bleak monolouge, and Valerie listened intently. She believed it now, entirely. It made sense. The choice was laid out before her, and the outlook looked grim. Kill others, or die. It was time for her to ask some questions of her own. "There is no way to cure it?" The werelady laughed. "Do you, in your expertise of werewolf lure, know one? If so, please share it." Valerie furrowed her brow in distase. She didn't approve of sarcasm in the current mood she was in.
"If I refuse," she said, sadly, "how long to I have before, as you so vividly put it, the grief and guilt drive me to madness and..." She took a deep breath, "death?" She couldn't believe she was contemplating her own demise. One week ago, she would have laughed at the prospect. Now it seemed real, and close enough to be tangible. "It's not a matter of time, persay," the werelady responded, "We cannot have you opposing our plans. We'll take you out ourself. You can run, but I'll expect you have a matter of hours. The price for insubordination is death."
"I long to die!" Valerie shouted. "I may be a killer, but you will not make me an instrument of your terror. I'll fight you all, to my last breath! I have nothing left to lose!" She backed up, away from them all. They were closing in. She glanced up at the sky, the clouds thick as ever. Would they still attack to kill if not transformed? Someone grabbed her forearm from behind. It was Ethan, and his grip wasn't threatening, but pleading. "Please," he said, kindess in his bloodshot eyes, "Reconsider." Valerie shot him the most genuinely dirty look she could possibly muster. It was quite plain that she wished a painful death and an eternity of torture in the depths of hell upon him. Upon them all.
She turned and ran. Ran through the trees the way she had come. She heard the lupine mistress shout behind her, "After her! I want her dead body in my hands before the night is up!" Valerie redoubled her speed, leaping over branches and brambles. Every breath tore her throat and lungs, and the stitch in her side was like an icy knife between her ribs, but she dared not slow. She saw light ahead. She ran as if it was air, and she was underwater, fighting to breathe.
She broke the trees with a leap and tumbled to the ground. Gasping for air, she stood up. She could hear them behind her, they weren't far away. She cloudn't outrun them, she needed to hide. But how long can I hide? She turned and tore along Alexa Avenue, running pell mell towards the direction of her home. She slowed up slightly, against her will. Her body was giving into fatiuge.
Suddenly a hand shot out from a nearby alley. It grabbed her arm and pulled her into it's depths, the other hand closing on her mouth. She longed to fight him off, but her body completely shut down. She drew great rattling breaths, choked with tears. Am I going to die? Is he going to kill me? She felt hot breath in her ear as her captor spoke.
"I was looking for you. I heard you screaming something and I followed your voice." The voice that whispered in her ear was familiar. She couldn't make herself stop crying to breathe a sigh of relief. It was Nat. She could see the werewolves race past her hiding place, looking for her, but they didn't see the pair in there. Nat was trying deperately to calm her, without sucsess. "Stop crying!" He hissed, or they'll hear you!" But she couldn't. He romved the hand from her mouth, hoping it would calm her, but her sobs redoubled in volume. She was trying her best to stop them, too, but she couldn't.
"Nat...I'm going to die. Before the week i-is over. I-I'll probably b-be dead."
Nat turned her around and looked into her tear filled eyes. She was still crying. "We're both alive right now. But not for long if you don't stop crying." She shook her head. Suddenly, Nat rolled his eyes, as if he was being forced to do something he wanted to do, but it was still his last resort.
Her sobs were suddenly silenced as he kissed her.
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