Blood

 

Joshua jogged back from Charlie’s house; he continued down the street and headed towards his own house. He proceeded to the side of his home underneath his bedroom window, he then started climbing up vines and wood attached to the wall. Joshua felt like a young kid again who wasn’t supposed to be out this late but he didn’t want to disturb his sleeping grandmother by entering through the front door. The truth was, although his grandmother wasn’t completely strict, she still wouldn’t approve of him being out this late nor would she let him venture back out. After all he was still only seventeen.

Joshua opened his window and climbed into his room, he looked around in his wardrobe to find a clean shirt that wasn’t ripped, he then proceeded to wash away the dry blood that had come from his head and no longer after this he climbed back out the window. Joshua took a left, rather than heading towards town he took off towards the edge of the forest behind all of the houses not thirty minutes away.

Joshua began to run and didn’t stop, he wanted to get to Kumai as fast as he could but he feared he wouldn’t be able to before Caleb caught him. Soon Joshua reached the forest, he stopped to take a little time to scan through the trees. Caleb and his pack of dangerous animals could be anyway within the forest he thought. Joshua drew in a deep breath and started running again, heading in the direction he remembered Kumai taking him. He ran as fast as he possibly could, which was five times faster than any normal man could run, praying Caleb wouldn’t find him.

Beat, beat. Beat, beat. Joshua’s heart pounded against his chest hard as he passed many trees. All he thought about was that he was lost and that he wouldn’t be able to find Kumai, if he couldn’t then Joshua was surely a dead man he thought. He was even sure that with the grief he has caused the pack, and not to mention Adam, that they wouldn’t let his death be an easy one.

After a ten minute run through the forest Joshua came to complete halt. He looked around and placed a hand on his forehead with a sigh, he was defiantly lost. He cursed under his breath and thought about what to do next, but as he did it occurred to him that he didn’t even know which way was home. If he chose a direction he could be making his way closer to home or further away, but he couldn’t just stand there until the forest around him weathered and died. Joshua had to just guess so he chose a direction and took off once more.

Eventually Joshua slowed to a stop again; he heard a noise not too far away from where he was standing, a rustle coming towards him. The sound grew louder and faster towards where he was, he panicked thinking that they might have found him. Caleb was finally gaining on him and with him there was sure to be Adam. Joshua knew that Adam wasn’t done with him yet and he was most likely to be even more pissed that Joshua nearly beat him to death.

Joshua span on the spot looking all around him. The noise seemed to be everywhere, they surrounded him, and then finally there was silence. There was not a sound to be heard but the wind blowing through his ears, this was making Joshua more nervous than the sounds he heard gaining on him. Unexpectedly and all at once Kumai and some other tribesmen popped out making him jump. Joshua sighed with relief; he looked around at the men in tribal clothing standing before him, there stood Kumai in front along with four of his friends.

‘You scared me half to death.’ Joshua said out loud, Kumai responded to that comment with a smile. ‘What are you doing here?’ Joshua asked.

‘You needed our help did you not?’ Kumai replied.

‘Yeah but how did you know that?’ Joshua was baffled.

‘I’ve been watching over you for seventeen years, it’s my job to know. I’m just sorry I didn’t know about it sooner.’ Joshua knew what he meant by sooner, if he was around earlier then maybe he wouldn’t have killed Lola and Adam wouldn’t have nearly killed him and Charlie. But something else had occurred to him, how did he know about that too?

‘I’m confused.’ Joshua said truly puzzled.

‘An old and powerful warlock told me what he saw, about the predicament you were in.’ Kumai explained to Joshua.

‘I see.’ Joshua responded a little speechless, he thought about what Kumai was trying to say. Did he mean that someone had a premonition about him, that couldn’t be what he meant could it?

‘So where are the skin-walkers now and how many are there?’ Kumai asked.

‘I thought it was your job to know.’ Joshua made a lame joke, he saw that Kumai wasn’t impressed and quickly continued to change the subject. ‘There were five but I...killed one accidently, so now there’s four. And I’m not sure where the others are but I know where one is, or where he was last.’

‘Good, we’ll start there.’ Joshua explained where the abandon hotel was in the town and Kumai led the way, seeing as he was lost in the forest. Once they had made it back into town Joshua took them across to the other side. As they walked through the town centre Joshua realised that neither of the men, including himself, had said a word since he met them back in the forest. He also recognised one of the men as a close friend to Kumai, he remembered him from when he stayed with the tribe. Apart from when they were sleeping Kumai and his friend were inseparable; you could say he was his right hand man.

Joshua, Kumai and the four tribal men made it to the hotel; they stopped outside with all of them looking around for any sign of human life, or werewolf life. Joshua looked up to the dirty broken hotel, he thought about how much creepier it seemed to be at this time of night, and not knowing what or who was still inside.

‘Remember, no one makes a move until they do.’ Kumai said aloud to the men around him, Joshua guessed what he meant. It was Kumai who entered the hotel first, followed by three of the tribe men, Joshua, and then Kumai’s closest friend behind them all. As Joshua entered he looked around and the first thing that drew his attention was the chains that remained on the floor by the large pillar in the middle of the room. He then looked to the area on the floor where Charlie was tied. The image of watching her helpless returned to him.

Kumai stood facing the pillar, Joshua stood at his left and his friend stood at his right, the rest hovered around them. They weren’t through the door long enough before Caleb showed his face, walking down the grand set of stairs and coming to stop in front of them. He was smiling as he always did; only now Joshua came to believe he only did this to try and make himself seem more intimidating.

‘We’re here to ask you to leave.’ Kumai directed at Caleb.

‘Well if you’re asking, then...no.’ Caleb replied thinking him funny but Joshua couldn’t see it.

‘Leave now and there won’t be any trouble, this isn’t your town, you’ve caused enough problems here already so move on and find somewhere else to stay.’ Kumai’s right hand man did the talking now.

‘Oh I don’t know, I was thinking about settling in here, making it a permanent home.’ Caleb replied teasingly.

‘If you do then you’ll be making a mistake.’ Again it was Kumai’s friend.

‘You don’t belong here, you know it and we know it, so leave town, tonight.’ Kumai said. Caleb and Kumai stared at each other like they were in an old Weston shoot out. As they stared Joshua noticed that Caleb’s friends began to show themselves from around the room, Hugo appeared from the front desk on the left, Lacie from the hotel entrance behind them and Adam came down the stairs where Caleb had. The sight of Adam made Joshua’s spine shiver, he gave Joshua a look like he was going to kill him and this time maybe he wasn’t going to waste time.

Before Joshua could blink everyone in the room ran at each other, Caleb, Kumai and his friend ran towards each other first, while Hugo, Lacie and the three tribal men began to fight themselves. Joshua backed away from the group of bodies smashing into one another; he was facing them the whole time and had forgotten for only a moment that Adam was behind him. Adam jumped over Caleb who was fighting off Kumai and his friend, landing right behind Joshua. Adam grabbed Joshua and spinning on the spot he then threw him hard into the wall next to the front desk. Joshua smacked his head and the force in which he did so knocked him out.

When Joshua came to he was witnessing a huge battle taking place, he couldn’t believe this had happened to him again, at least he wasn’t bleeding this time. As far as Joshua could tell his side was winning, but then what did he expect, they did out number them. Adam struggled as three men held him down and was pounding on him; Joshua wasn’t surprised because he considered Adam to be the most dangerous. Caleb was fighting Kumai who was just about holding him off, and then Kumai’s friend was throwing Hugo across the room.

Hugo came crashing down to the floor and then continued to slide into the front double doors of the hotel, as he did Joshua saw a dark brown wolf jump up from behind the sofas and attack Kumai’s friend. Joshua watched the wolf start clawing and biting the man as blood seeped out of his wounds, he wanted to help him but it was as if he was frozen to the floor and couldn’t get up.

‘No!’ Kumai shouted out. He too had seen this happen at the same time as Joshua, only now that he got distracted from the situation Kumai was knocked down with a punch to the face. Caleb looked pleased with himself but that look didn’t last, now very angry Kumai got straight back up, he kicked Caleb in his balls and punched him in his jaw. In seconds he stepped forwards to stand behind Caleb, he then wrapped his hands around Caleb’s head and with ease he snapped his neck. Kumai then picked up a broken piece of wood and headed towards his friend. He took a swing at the wolf who was still biting into his friends flesh, and hit her off the bleeding body. Joshua watched Kumai instantly turn into his wolf form before going to battle with the wolf Lacie.

Joshua was shocked; he slowly began to stand whilst sliding up against the wall. His body ached with pain from being thrown into a brick wall. Joshua kept his eyes on Kumai’s friend, he wasn’t moving and Joshua was sure that an attack like that wouldn’t leave someone alive. Joshua now noticed Hugo also getting to his feet, but Hugo being the coward that he was saw that if he stayed he was dead, so he ran off out of the door. Joshua looked around to see if anyone else had noticed Hugo escape, no one had so Joshua decided to follow after him.

Outside he could see Hugo head into the forest; he chased after him and stayed close behind. Joshua shouted out after him but Hugo never stopped running, Joshua gained on him inch after inch until he was but a few steps behind him. And then just before he could reach out to grab him Hugo tripped over making Joshua fall over him seconds later, both of them eventually got up to face each other. Joshua didn’t know what his intentions were, he had no desire to kill another nor was he up for a fight, so they stood not saying a word for a long time.

‘Go.’ Joshua finally said. He didn’t know why he was saying this but he was.

‘What?’ Hugo was confused.

‘Just go, and don’t come back.’ Joshua said again.

He watched as Hugo shuffled backwards unsure what to do, and then he ran off further into the forest whilst Joshua made his way back to the hotel. When Joshua returned he saw Kumai and his tribal friends hovering over the dead body that was Kumai’s close friend, the lifeless man was covered in huge cuts and blood. Kumai was back in human form; Joshua didn’t question where he got the extra set of tribal clothes.

Joshua looked around to see bodies lying on the floor. On the stairs he already knew Caleb lay dead, and Lacie’s now human and very naked body was resting not far from where Joshua stood. He continued to look around searching for that certain someone, the only one Joshua feared the most. He began to move around but it wasn’t long before he noticed another dead and naked body lying on the floor behind the sofa’s on the right. He sighed with relief as he discovered the body was Adam. It was a strange feeling though he thought. Joshua did not by any means want people to die, before all this wolf business Joshua neither saw nor was he involved with any kind of killings such as these. He knew though from the very beginning when he discovered he was a werewolf that nothing would ever be the same. But at least for now, the battle was over. Joshua was safe again, and more importantly so was Charlie.

‘Where’s the other one?’ Kumai asked.

‘He got away.’ Joshua answered. ‘But don’t worry; I don’t think I will be seeing him again.’ Kumai nodded in response. Joshua really didn’t believe Hugo was a fret, and they had far more important things to do now then to chase down a harmless and lonely werewolf Joshua thought.