Fenris

It was everywhere.

Splattered on the walls, pooled on the floor, in my hair, on my face, and staining my clothes. My breathing was shaky, my heart was racing, and tears were spilling from my eyes. The salty and coppery taste mixed into one, causing my stomach to churn.

It was warm and sticky, oozing between my fingers, and tainting everything. Fear raged within me, ripping me so easily. I’d never been so terrified in my life, I just couldn’t grasp what was happening, or why it was happening. This was not what I wanted, this was not what he wanted.

My lips quivered as a whimper threatened to emerge from within me. Slowly, cautiously, I crawled across the floor spilled with dark red blood. Each movement I made was steady as my eyes, blurred by tears, stared ahead at a lifeless body. Deep down, I was hoping, praying, and wishing that I could save them all, that I could rescue one of them from the darkness of death.

“Daleyza.”

My lungs constricted and I sucked in air. It was like I had forgot to breathe, I couldn’t wail, I couldn't feel, I just felt death pulling me to the other side.

“Daleyza!”

Suddenly, I could breathe.

“Look at me,” he growled, kneeling in front of me. His hands were clean, unlike my own that were covered in blood. “Daleyza,” he forced my face up, so I met his eyes. “Focus!” he snapped harshly.

“H...Henry?” I choked out.

“Good,” he whispered, and sighed in relief, stroking my face with his thumb. His touch alone, calmed me enough to breathe normally again. The tightness in my chest slowly faded away, and my tears had stopped falling from my eyes. “Listen to me, closely,” Henry demanded, staring deep into my eyes. “You have to stop him!”

“I...I don’t...how, Henry?” I sobbed, the tears burning again, rolling down my cheeks and dripping onto his fingers. He stared in my eyes and closed his own, letting out a defeat sighed. There was a lump in my throat, nearly choking me, but when I swallowed it moved away. “He...he did this...all of this,” I sputtered, sobs wracking my entire body as I curled over my knees and screamed.

“No, stop,” Henry forced me to sit up. He climbed to his feet and held his hand out to me. “Take my hand, Daleyza,” he commanded as I stared at it for what felt like hours. I licked my lips, tasting that salty, coppery taste once again and closed my eyes tightly. There was still hope inside, I just had to find it. Slowly, I lifted my hand and placed it into Henry’s.

He pulled me onto my feet, and I opened my eyes. “How can I stop him, Henry?” I asked, looking around at the dozen bodies laying mutilated on the floor, limbs ripped from their bodies, throats slashed by fangs, and fear still glowing in their lifeless eyes. My knees began to buckle, but Henry held me up.

“Somewhere,” Henry began, “deep inside, Fenris is still human. And that part of him...still loves and cares and hopes to defeat his inner demons. You have to find that side. Wake it up, make him fight. Give him a reason to wake up.” Henry’s hazel eyes burned deep into my amber ones, and I took in a sharp breath.

“And if I can’t?” I asked, a single tear falling from my eye.

Henry wiped the tear away and pulled me into a warm embrace. “You have to,” he whispered into my ear. “You have to.”