The Bloody Masquerade

Something woke me. I could hear movement downstairs, heavy thuds. I forced my eyes to open but only just about got them half way. It was bright, too bright. It hurt my eyes slightly and my head began to throb. It had to be early afternoon now and much too early for my body to move. The thudding downstairs continued. I tried my hardest to move but I remained still, completely immobilised on the bed. It took me a moment to work out that I had been moved shortly after I had fallen asleep in my corner by the door, probably by Alexis.

I gave up trying to move and just remained still, listening to the thuds that were growing increasingly louder. My head was so dopey it took quite a while before I began to pick up the sense of danger. Crashes echoed downstairs as china and glass broke, loud and clear for my ears to hear. My heart was picking up its pace now. I couldn’t move to see what was happening and I was extremely vulnerable. I couldn’t defend myself or Eugene while I was like this. It was Alexis’ job to do so. But he was out currently, trying to find the location of the scout. Everyone was bar Martha, Eugene and Elgar.

With much effort I tried to sit myself up and pull myself forward to squirm my way to the other end of the bed. My gun was placed back beside my blade which made me grumble slightly. I had kept it close for a reason. I had to collapse once I reached end of the bed. This was too tiring. I shouldn’t be moving at all at this time of day and my body hated it. After letting myself breathe for a little bit, I tried to lean forward and reach my large gun. My fingers were stretched at as possible but I only just about stroked its side. I couldn’t get a hold of it.

My flailing stopped sharply when quick footsteps came striding down the hallway. Someone was being dragged alongside the new comer and the metallic scent of blood was becoming heavy in the air. I waited nervously and trying my best to keep my eyes open against the pain and exhaustion. I remained frozen when the door was almost kicked off its hinges and a tall, black suited woman came striding in. I let my eyes only linger on that blank gaze framed by the long immaculately straight brunette hair before they flicked down to see Martha, bloodied and bruised, being thrown on the floor. She stirred with effort and didn’t put up a fight when the scout gripped her hair once again and violently pulled her head back, exposing her throat. She drew her sword and placed it against Martha’s bloodied skin and turned her gaze on me. My chest tightened at seeing this kind woman so beaten. She may cause jealousy to flicker about Eugene but I never hated her. She was too kind, too patient, for any form of hatred to appear.

“Where’s Eugene?” She demanded in a tone that was as blank as her expression.

He wasn’t here then. The scout wouldn’t have bothered in keeping Martha alive if she could sense the boy. And by the looks of things, Elgar wasn’t here either. Or he was dead. I hoped Elgar was the one who had taken Eugene away.

“Eugene. My brother. Where is he?” The scout demanded once again, pressing the witch blade firmer.

“Brother?” I managed to force out. Speaking was very difficult right now and my brain could just about think. This witch was an Allaway.

“Where is he?”

I shook my head heavily to say I didn’t know. The scout however took it as a refusal to answer.

“I will kill this cat if you don’t tell me.”

“Augusta does not know and neither will I tell you.” Martha said heavily, knowing that saying that would seal her fate. She gave me a determined look and a small weak slightly scared smile. “I don’t regret helping you, Augusta. Keep him safe.”

The scout stared down at Martha with disdain before she pushed her forward violently, forcing her on all fours.

“Then I won’t waste any more time with you.”

I tried to get up, to stop her, but I had barely moved by the time the scout raised her witch blade over her head and brought to down firmly. It cut through Martha’s neck smoothly and without hindrance, decapitating her efficiently. Blood squirted out from Martha’s neck as her head rolled onto the floor and her body collapsed. I ignored the fluid that sprayed onto my face and stared numbly at the body before me. I didn’t quite believe what had happened. Martha couldn’t be dead.

The scout sheathed her sword and turned onto me.

“I will continue my hunt.” She said simply and walked away, leaving me alone in the mess of the room.

I didn’t move. I couldn’t now. Both shock and the daylight had me completely frozen. I hadn’t wanted this. I never wanted to bring this to Martha and Badger. I vaguely picked up the sound of footsteps coming back shortly after. The scout had returned with a large can of gasoline, something I had seen sitting beside the bar, and began to trail about the room, pouring it over Martha’s corpse and around my bed.

“Ethelinda has become intrigued by you.” The scout said absentmindedly. “She wants to see you, to use you. She finds that a witch who becomes slightly vampiric during some days of the month and can’t go out in the sun quite interesting.” She said and stood by the doorway and dropped the can. I swallowed heavily. She knew about that, my inhuman side. “But I don’t particularly care for you. Using you or Eugene will give her great strength and to be honest, I would rather her use Eugene. Best to keep within the Family.” She drew out a match slowly, almost tauntingly. “If you die in this fire, it won’t be my fault. Ethelinda can’t be angry at me as long as I bring her Eugene.”

Without another word, the scout lit the match and let it fall to the floor. Almost instantly the room roared into life. Fire whirled about me, heating the room to an almost unbearable temperature and the roar of the fire just about drowned out the footsteps of the scout walking away. The stench of burning flesh and smoke filled my nose, causing me to gag. I was stuck though. I couldn’t move. I could escape through the window behind me but that would require moving my body. The fire caught the blanket and I stared as it began to eat away at the material, silently accepting that I was to die here.

Just as I closed my eyes, waiting for the fire to begin to consume me, there was an almighty crash as a large monster catapulted itself through the roof. Dust, smoke and fire billowed out for a moment before I could finally see a large wolf man standing beside the bed. He was much larger than a normal man and his fur was light, almost sandy coloured. His fangs were bared and his ears flat on his head, showing his rage clearly, but his cool blue eyes were fixated on me. If I hadn’t seen this form before, I would’ve known by the eyes that it was Alexis.

Alexis stepped forward and reached under the bed, quickly grabbing my suit and weapons. He whined slightly but ignored the pain of the heated metal against his skin and held onto them tightly. With his other abnormally large clawed hand, he scooped me up and threw me over his shoulder. Having gathered what he wanted, he turned and crouched down low, tightening his muscles, before launching himself out of the hole he had created. Once on the roof he wasted no time in getting away from the increasing fire and to a place of safety.

I squeezed my eyes shut as he darted from roof to roof as quickly as possible. The sun burnt my eyes and made my skin too hot and the image of Martha’s needless death kept replying in my head, making my chest hurt. By the time he let himself drop into a tiny alley, dark smoke was billowing in the sky, marking the destruction of Badger’s bar.

Gently Alexis placed me on the floor in the shadows where the light couldn’t reach me. Putting my weapons and suit beside me, he stood up, turning his snout into the air and sniffed a few times. I watched through half closed eyes as his tail swirled by his powerful legs and only looked up when I sensed movement.

Alexis didn’t bother to stop Eugene barrelling into me. The boy clung to my neck, almost suffocating me as he cried with relief, but right then I didn’t particularly care. We had lost another friend to the scout. A witch of the disbanded and lost Allaway Family.

“Alex, what’s happened?” Elgar asked quietly as he came to stand beside his cousin, looking up at the wolf-man hopelessly.

“The scout, she nearly killed Augusta.” Alexis growled darkly and snapped his strong jaws together hard.

Elgar looked alarmed then looked down at me. He sniffed daintily and his alarm turned to panic. “Why is Martha’s blood on you?”

“She’s dead, that’s why.” Came a rough emotionless voice. “Her body and my home burns.”

I forced my head to move and almost winced when I saw Badger walking towards us slowly. His shoulders were slumped in defeat and misery and the cigar that was clamped in-between his teeth was out. While his ragged scarred face his formed in a blank stare, his eyes showed a different emotion. Rage. Rage on a level I had never seen before. He was livid beyond belief and the bloodlust within him was at a terrifying intensity. He wanted to kill, bordering almost on need.

I remembered suddenly what Martha had told me only yesterday. Jaguars mate for life and are drawn to only one. Martha belonged to Badger. She was his other half. Now she had been killed, truly killed, before the end of her nine lives, Badger could lose it all together.

I grabbed Eugene and held him as tightly as I could while I fumbled to get a hold of my gun. Alexis noticed and his large wolf like foot on my gun to prevent me from picking it up. Instead he lowered his body to shield me slightly and faced the increasingly distressed Badger.

“The scout killed her, Badger. She nearly burned Augusta alive too.” Alexis’ voice rumbled out from his thick throat.

“And I intend to tear this scout limb from limb.” Badger snarled savagely, baring his inhuman teeth. “I will take her down or die trying Alexis. Take that kid out of here while you have the chance. I won’t let her follow you. Martha died to protect that warlock and I won’t let her death be completely wasted.” Without looking back, Badger launched himself onto the wall and scrabbled upwards, intent on starting his hunt.

Alexis shifted suddenly, letting his wolf lie down while his human self stepped forward. “Badger! You can’t fight her alone!” Alexis yelled after him. Badger didn’t listen and vanished onto the roof above us. “Badger!” He roared.

“I’ll go after him, Alex.” Elgar said weakly. He was shaking slightly, the fatal news of the woman he considered to be his mother having shattered his heart, but he was just about managing to hold himself together. “I don’t want to lose Badger too.”

“Elgar, I can’t risk you.” Alexis said firmly.

“I am stronger now Alex. I am not a child anymore. A witch won’t stand against both Badger and myself.” Elgar said confidently. “You need to get Eugene and Augusta out of here.”

“Elgar.” Alexis began to fell silent when Elgar reached up and patted his shoulder.

“I am special, Alexis. No witch weapon can hurt me easily.” He said softly in reassurance then smiled weakly. “Get your own family to safety. Let me take care of mine.”

Alexis was silent and watched with sad eyes as Elgar smoothly darted up the wall and vanished from sight. I didn’t need to be connected with Alexis to know he was in pain right now. It was written as clear as day on his face. He had brought trouble to kind people, people he loved and trusted. One was dead and the other on the brink of madness. I just hoped Elgar could help Badger before it was too late.

“Alexis, we must move Eugene.” I muttered, patting the boy’s head lightly. I was worried that Eugene hadn’t move, in fact he was stiff from shock, but addressing him would have to wait and for time I could move easily.

Alexis turned and pulled Eugene gently to his feet and brushed his shirt down lightly. “Lad, I need you to take Augusta’s things and hold onto them tight.”

Eugene numbly nodded and gathering my sword, gun and suit into his small arms, staring at Alexis with wide eyes, waiting to hear what he had to do next.

“Do you know where we’re going?” I mumbled as Alexis gathered me into his arms.

“The last resort.” He muttered darkly and pressed his mouth against my forehead firmly.

I didn’t remember much after that. Being awake during the strongest daylight hours had taken its toll and forced me to sleep. I could remember the sensation of being carried and a new familiar voice speaking hurriedly. After that I remembered nothing. Nothing but nightmares of blood and fire.