"We're alive!" Booker cheered with excitement as he grabbed Malcolm and lifted him in the air effortlessly, then pulled him in for an embrace.
Malcom was caught off guard by the gesture, never having been embraced or accepted by his peers. "I didn't really do much," he replied bashfully.
"What are you talking about?" Alley chimed in. "Without you, who knows how this would have gone."
"Honestly, to come up with a contraption that traps wolves in human form is amazing," Trill complimented.
"We survived a battle with Abel the Giant!" Alley exclaimed.
"Who?" Booker asked quizzically.
"Wait, are you saying that was Abel the Giant?" Kill asked, bewildered. "He's the single most notorious wolf there is."
"Wait till Dad finds out we survived a battle with Abel the Giant," Trill boasted in a better mood.
"Are you guys okay with moving on and continuing the battle?" Alley asked everyone.
They all agreed and headed deeper into town toward the main battle. Along the way, there were many corpses and injured people. Malcom stopped and helped multiple injured people with different medicines and pain pills he invented. They were all grateful to him.
Then he saw a little girl crying. He went to her and asked, "What's wrong, little one?"
She sobbed and replied, "I… I can't find my parents." She continued to wail.
He embraced her tightly. The group watched him with hesitant eyes. The girl was a wolf cub, and they didn't know what to do. "What's your name?" he asked her gently as he rubbed her head over and over.
"I… I'm Amanda," she answered.
"Amanda. What a pretty name. I'm Malcom. Why don't you come with us? We'll keep you safe."
"But you're hunters," she retorted. "You're supposed to kill me." She said with tears in her eyes.
Trill and Kill, even though they were bred to kill wolves, couldn't bring themselves to harm the little girl. She could have only been four years old.
Kill walked up and kneeled beside them and said, "No one is going to hurt you, princess."
With that, they were off, Malcom carrying the girl.
…..
A few miles deeper into town, Eddie led his team through a bloodbath of bodies—wolves and human limbs everywhere. "It stinks," Laylay complained, holding her nose with her face all twisted up.
It was a gruesome sight, with bodies torn apart and intestines spilled everywhere. Everyone was bothered by this but Eddie. He seemed determined and unfazed by his surroundings. It was almost unsettling how calm and expressionless the young boy was in the face of the massacre in front of him.
"There are two bodies closing in on us from the left," Kye informed everyone. "I don't know if they're enemies or not."
Everyone stopped, weapons up and ready for the approaching threat. Suddenly, two bodies came crashing out of the bushes. It was a man and woman who appeared to be in their early forties. Their clothes were ripped, and they were covered in blood and dirt.
"Is that you, Ms. Collins?" Cindy asked, allowing everyone to lower their guard.
"Cindy, baby!" the woman rushed and embraced the girl. Cindy started bawling her eyes out uncontrollably.
"I'm so sorry," Cindy sobbed.
"Sweetie, what's wrong?" the woman asked, rubbing her back. Cindy tried to control her crying and looked Ms. Collins in the eyes, and the woman knew instantly something was horribly wrong. "Have you seen Tyla?" she asked.
Cindy tried to open her mouth and just choked on the air as it became hard for her to breathe. She continued to sob. The realization started to hit the woman, and tears began forming in her eyes. "No… no, please nooo!" she screamed as she fell to her knees.
The man stepped up and embraced the woman as if they were long friends. "I'm sorry, Crista."
She punched the ground with enough force to leave a small crater around them. "Michael, I'm going to kill them all," she snapped through her tears.
Laylay stepped up and stood over Crista with her arm stretched out and something in her hand—a small tube with green liquid inside. "I'm so sorry for your loss," she said sincerely. "This will help heal your wounds."
Crista looked at Laylay with a curious look on her face. "Thank you," she said, taking the vial. "You're Jamie's girl, aren't you? I haven't seen you since you could barely walk."
"Yes, that's my mom. Sorry, I don't remember you," Laylay replied.
"It's okay, sweetie. You were so young," she said, sniffling, wiping her eyes, and began to drink the elixir.
Laylay also handed a vial to Michael. He thanked her and drank it immediately. The scrapes and cuts on them were healing and closing up fast.
"Where are you kids headed?" Michael asked. "The main team is fighting the alpha back there."
"We know. That's where we are headed," Eddie responded matter-of-factly.
"You kids are too young. You can't go there," Michael rebutted.
"We're going!" Eddie snapped. The aura around the boy was menacing. "I'm not wasting time with all this senseless killing. Once the Alpha is gone, we can all go home, and we don't have to kill all these wolves."
His words and tone caught the older duo by surprise. "Still, there's no way we can defeat an Alpha." Michael's voice fell on deaf ears as Eddie continued to walk, with his cohort following him.
"Well, I'm coming with you kids then," Crista stated as she began to follow them.
"Alright," Michael complained. "I guess we're doing this then."
"Remember, you guys have a future ahead of you," Crista stated. "Don't go throwing your lives away. Follow Michael and I. We will try to protect you the best we can."
Michael took the front, not feeling comfortable letting kids lead him into battle. They sprinted off toward the loud clashing of the battle and entered the battle zone in no time.
The surrounding scene was a sight straight out of a horror movie. There was blood being spilled all around them. There were wolves ripping people apart like rag dolls, clawing through their flesh like paper. There were also hunters holding their own, dancing through the wolves—clashing, smashing, and slicing their way through the battle.
Boom. A giant wolf landed right behind them. Cindy fell from the force and was vulnerable to any attack, but before anyone could react, Michael was there swiftly attacking the wolf with his bare hands. He was swift and fluent, attacking all the joints and pressure points of the wolf and finishing it off with a chop to the neck.
"That was amazing," Luke admired.
"Everyone lock in," Michael demanded as he helped Cindy to her feet. "We're in their territory now."
As if to solidify his point, five wolves surrounded them, drool dripping past their fangs—blood even dripping out of their mouths—letting everyone know these wolves had already been killing people. The way they were covered in blood would make you think a lot of people, to be exact.