Colors

Darkness was the only thing Zack Edwards could confidently identify; whatever they pumped him full of dulled all his senses, all he could really make out was something was over his head and that he was moving.

“Got another one for you,” A man sneered before as Zack hit the ground. “Have fun.”

“Ohmygosh, are you okay?!?” The soft girly voice cried before removing whatever was over his head, the sudden juxtaposition between the light and the dark was too much for
Zack’s eyes and a sharp pain exploded in his head forcing him to quickly close his eyes before he really could any real shapes.

“W-wh-where?” Zack struggled to get his tongue to form the proper words in his dry mouth.

“Sshh,” The girl pulled Zack’s head into his lap, placing something at his lips. “Here drink.”

Realizing it was a straw Zack took a gulp, letting the water coat his mouth and run down his throat before trying again. “Where am I?”

“I wish I knew,” The girl whispered running her fingers threw his hair, trying to comfort him.

“Wh-who are you?”

“Oh gosh, where are my manners? I’m Ellen and you are?”

“Zack Edwards.”

“Well its nice to meet you Zack Edwards, I just wish it had been under better circumstances.”

“What? Wh-whats going on?”

“Well umm” Ellen paused in her movements before letting out a sigh, “it’s a long story, love.”

“Just tell him Ellen, tell him his worst nightmare has come true.” A third voice growled out, “That he’s been captured by a group of hunters intent on learning to destroying our kind by experimenting on us, torturing us, and doing whatever thought crosses their sick twisted minds.”

“Matthew!” Ellen shrieked, the high-pitched sound causing him to flinch.

“You’re going to have to tell him eventually, better now than later.”

“H-hu-hunters?” Zack stuttered out, a sense of dread overcoming him.

Growing up Hunters were the evil villains in every fairy tale used by the elders to teach young wolves about restraint and to respect their alpha who protects them from the hunters. For children Hunters were the monsters hiding under your bed, the figure you could sorta make out in the dark, the evil hiding behind every corner, but everyone eventually outgrew that fear. Sure a small part of them still feared hunters but the bigger part – the part people saw – trusted their alpha would keep them safe and eventually their fear was forgotten.

Recently rumors that the hunters had somehow gotten bigger and stronger had spread across his pack, but Zack never really worried until today. Hunters were things over packs had to worry about, things of fairy tales and nightmares – and yet here he was – living his nightmare like Matthew said.

Zack could hear someone taking a deep breath before Matthew’s voice cut through the room again. “You’re still a pup, how old are you?”

“I’m fourteen, changed about tw-two weeks ago.”

“Oh, sweetie,” Ellen cried softly.

“Growing up you must have heard all the stories, hunters kidnapping young wolves learning their weakness’, torturing them” Matthew’s voice broke a little but he kept going, “Until they give up their packs secrets.”

“Matthew! Stop! You’re gonna give him nightmares.”

“Shut up Ellen someone needs to tell him,” A new female voice hissed.

“W-who’s that?” Zack asked.

“Melanie but you’ll call me Mel if you know what’s good for you.”

“Ignore her, she’s just likes to pretend she’s tough.”

“I’ve been here longer than you Matthew,” Melanie sneered.

“And I’ve been here longer than both of you,” Ellen growled out ferociously, the venom in her voice causing the other Zack and probably the other two to flinch. “I’ve seen things you couldn’t even imagine in your worst nightmares.”

Zack took the momentarily silence to open his eyes and finally take a glance around. As his eyesight slowly came back he noticed he had been thrown into some kind of cellar with the only light filtering in from windows much to high to reach but too small to crawl through anyway. Based on the musty stale smell he assumed the windows were at ground level while the floor of the room itself was below ground, a later addition so no one knew about this room. From the little light from the moon he was able to make out several cots pushed to one side of the room and a glint of light told him there was cage on the other side but he couldn’t make much out.

“H-how many of us are there?” Zack mumbled out, starting to feel tired.

“Four.”

“Five.” Mel and Ellen answered at the same time.

“You can’t count that – that thing.” Mel growled, disdain dripping for the last word.

“She’s one of us Mel! They made her into that, but she’s still our sister.”

“No! Any wolf that kills another for game isn’t my sister.”

“She doesn’t want to Melanie! They force her just as much as they force us, you don’t know Emily like I do.”

“You don’t know her as well as you think you do, she’s a monster Ellen.”

“She saved me Melanie! Explain that one.”

Melanie opened her mouth but a low growl tore through the room shutting the two up instantly.

Ellen faked a yawn pulling Zack up with her and helping him into a cot, “Come on we should probably go to sleep.”

Zack frowned trying to make out where the growl had come from. Whatever they gave him messed up him sense of smell but he couldn’t believe he had missed a person. As sleep slowly overcame over him Zack wondered about that growl – he had heard pups growl louder and stronger and this one lacked any real power so why did it scare the others?