Chapter Seventeen: Against Time

Forbidden. Now that Evan and his pack have the source's blood, a cure must be made. However, the werewolves have no intentions on giving the nymphs any cure. Will Summer die?

FORBIDDEN

 

BY: J O S H U A  D O N A H U E

Chapter Seventeen

Against Time

 

The run back home wasn’t anything like the first. In fact, it wasn’t even a run. Dan and Brad -- after they had taken Hank home to Susan to fall under her care -- drove back to the cabin in a truck with a pickup-bed that held all of us with space to spare. Daryl had seemed to conclude that even though the majority of us thought we could handle the run back home, we were stubborn and didn’t know when to rest. He claimed we all would have fallen before we reached even a quarter of the length, and it would have consumed days, if not weeks, to get back. Thus, we all rode in the truck.

I was so grateful I didn’t even care that it was hard and uncomfortable; my body parts ached on the inside and out. Apparently, my werewolf side could take away the major pain and its markings, but it was slow at resolving the issue of aches after a long, hard night of fighting. Not to mention, I had a killer headache that made it even worse. However, the cool midnight air helped ease my weak body into a relaxing state. The freshness and the new sense of clean oxygen it brought filled me, knocking away my defective aura and replacing it with a much more mellow, soothing one.

            While I slept in the rear of the truck during the ride home, I kept getting disturbed by frantic phone calls from my too-protective mother. My phone seemed to have a mind of its own when it came to being powered on or off. I never did answer though -- I just silenced the incoming calls. Yet, when we finally got back to Otis’ place, I realized I had 119 missed phone calls from my mom. On call number 120, I forced Trent to answer it so he could get me out of the predicament I was in.

As I listened keenly to the speakerphone, Trent told my mom that I was going to sleep over at Luke’s house, and he had forgotten to warn her, even though I had told him to tell her. She seemed to calm down a bit after our made-up story, but I knew she would say something when I went home.

All I wanted, though, was to depart from Otis’ place and to find myself at Luke’s house -- because I really was going to sleep there -- and asleep on something comfortable.

*     *     *

By my extremely non-scientific calculations, it had been four days since I had discovered Summer was infected; her surviving time, however, was incalculable. I had no type of communication with Summer or her friends to know her current health condition, but I couldn’t imagine it was anything good.

            Trent lied easily to my mom again when she called back later by telling her that he would take Luke and I to school and he would pick us up as well. She agreed, saying she would swing by and drop me off some things so I could get myself cleaned up a little with some fresh clothing. I really did need a bath, I realized. Nevertheless, when she arrived and hugged me tightly, giving me my things, she gave me a suspicious and icy stare.

She knew. She knew I had been on a paranormal mission.

            Yet I ignored her and went back inside, allowing her to go to work for the day, unaware of the things I had done the previous night. Albeit, I did use the objects she gave me, but I didn’t use them the way she intended: I didn’t go to school. There was simply no feasible way I could concentrate on Mr. Wallace’s lecture on chemistry, or Mrs. Miller’s talk about the world and its “fascinating history”. I just didn’t have the ability. What I needed to focus on was helping with the cure. Luke seemed to want the same thing as I did because he stayed out as well, with Trent’s permission.

            The cure wasn’t exactly made yet, though. Daryl had to leave immediately when we awoke to go talk with the other leaders, so they could put on their white lab coats and mess with some chemicals with the blood that he had gotten from Phil. Daryl informed us all that John new someone in the medical field who would help out with an entire crew of researchers if necessary, which was probably the only way to make the cure. Even Hank was going to help out with the other leaders since he had quickly recovered, thanks to Susan.

            Luke and I wanted to get involved as well, but Daryl declined us -- yet again -- and said we needed to stay home and rest so we could recuperate from last night’s battle. I thought about disobeying his orders again and trailing him -- and I’m sure Luke did too -- , but I recalled what we had found ourselves in the last time we pulled a stunt like that: trouble.

Derek, who texted us during his classes, informed us that his dad had forced him to go to school as punishment for what he did. In reply, I told him not to worry, that sitting home wasn’t too much better. He seemed to understand. So it appeared that no matter what Luke and I chose to do, we just couldn’t do what we wanted.

            Luke’s older brother, Edmund, despised us now, by the looks that he aimed at us every time he passed us to the kitchen or some other area in Luke’s home. He probably hated the fact that he was trying to prove himself the night before, yet, Luke and I managed to show up and ruin it all by outdoing him. Still, he never said a word to us and vice versa. However, there were a few tense moments between us when I entered Luke’s kitchen every few seconds and raided it, filling my stomach with delights since it had not been full in quite a while. Nonetheless, Edmund remained quiet.

            In the later afternoon, after much tedious boredom from Derek’s texts and Edmund’s bothersome stares, Trent came back to retrieve Luke, Edmund, and I so we could be at Otis’ house, which is where all the excitement was going down at. Even though it was a brief drive from Luke’s house to Otis’, we kept badgering Trent with questions as to what was occurring, but he wouldn’t tell us anything, claiming he knew nothing to tell.

            When we arrived and found ourselves in Otis’ living room, we found Daryl, Derek, Michael, and Susan all huddled around our pack’s true leader. He was no longer sitting in his bed, pleading for an antidote to his pool of pain and anguish. Instead, he seemed to feel much better as he sat on the couch, gulping from an average drinking glass of water. He didn’t have any sweat running down his brow, he didn’t seem to have temperature reactions, and he didn’t seem to wither in pain.

            “So you guys made the cure?” Luke asked as elation began to spread over his face, resembling everyone else’s expressions in the room.

            “Well, we didn’t make the cure, but yeah, the cure was made,” Daryl said.

            “Damn, you guys work fast,” Trent pointed out.

            “Well, when you have hundreds of people dying and a whole lab facility with practically the cure itself in your hands along with people who know what they’re doing, you get things done.” Daryl grinned at his accomplishment.

            “I’ll say. So what about the others that have become infected?” Trent asked, stepping up to stand beside his father to take in the delightful picture before him. If Trent hadn’t asked that question, I was planning on asking it.

            Daryl responded, “Well, we’ve come up with a solution to that too. The other packs have already taken quite a stock home with them to help give to their hospitals and stuff -- with a certified signature to show it’s a legit antidote from John’s friend -- for the humans, so their towns are pretty much covered. And since supernatural beings have different body structures than humans, we had to make a cure specifically for them. So they’ll have to be treated by us instead of a human hospital. And as for the other local towns, I’m going to send Edmund, Derek, and Michael out on this mission, seeing as how Luke and Evan here have already had quite a bit of an adventure for themselves.”

            At the plans that Daryl laid out before us all, Edmund, Derek, and Michael all smiled with joy, leaving Luke and I to grimace from the fact that just because we nearly died from a leader werewolf and some how managed to kick his butt, we were forced to take a hiatus from the werewolf world.

            I feebly hoped Susan and Otis would intervene, noticing our despair, but they were too content with their happiness to be alive and well in one another’s presence.

 “What about the nymphs?” I asked with as much innocence as possible, trying not to show that the word “nymph” fazed me, even though every time I even spoke of it, I thought of Summer.

Everyone went deathly silent.

“What about them?” Daryl asked.

I wished I didn’t have to answer to him. Personally, I would prefer the true leader, Otis, to step up to the plate and take back his role. Yet, he remained silent, sipping his liquid and staring at me with a gaze I could not place entirely.

“Well, aren’t you going to send them some? I mean, what if one of them is infected or something?” I asked.

Daryl shrugged casually. “Don’t really care. It’s their problem. We found the cure ourselves, so they can do the same. And if we find out one of them is infected, then we’ll kill them so another epidemic doesn’t start.”

I gulped, which seemed to sound like an avalanche. Then I snuck a peek at Otis, but he was still returning that very same gaze at me, so I looked away.

Not noticing my behavior or peculiar interest in the nymphs, everyone began to converse with Otis to show their love and to make sure he really was better. Nonetheless, they were just as sadistic and cruel as Daryl was when it came to the nymphs. They would much rather kill them than help them. They could act as many mushy scenes out as they wanted with each other, but I knew how they really were.

            I merely crept away from the small crowd of werewolves -- excluding Susan -- and went outside into the front yard to stand on the porch, peering at everything around me (the town of Hale, its pedestrians, its small street and houses, and so on), but not really taking the visual inwards.

Sudden realization attacked me like the vicious animals my own relatives were, causing me to be potentially blown off the porch: Summer was going to die! She had no way for a cure because my own pack was being selfish with the damn antidote. Without the cure to save her life from ending, Summer was actually going to die.

I suddenly became enraged at my pack for being so cruelly conceited…furious that I had failed Summer…and defeated, lost, and weak for not doing a damn thing to help her!

I couldn’t take the fact that I had had Summer’s world on my shoulders the entire time, trembling beneath its weight, trying with all my might to push it back into orbit. But in fact, I had now dropped it and allowed it to shatter to bits. It was my fault. Her death was by my own hands due to my inability to muster enough strength and skill to save her. I was a complete failure.

I then began to pace back and forth across the front porch, my foot clanking across the white-painted wood, ready to smash a hole into it.

My heart was aching to see her. To know her well-being. To know her every move. To know that she was going make it. But no matter how much I wanted to lie to myself, the truth was that she was going to die thanks to me.

My brain was muddled.

I had to think of something I could do. Something that could help Summer.

Something. Anything! I kept muttering in my head continuously.

After a good amount of time had passed, I finally thought of an idea that was practically a no-brainer: I decided to steal some cure.

I went back inside, and I saw the small crowd had now disappeared. All that remained was Otis, Daryl, Trent, and Luke, yet they were oblivious to my silent presence.

I crept into the kitchen only to find there was no need for the “creeping” because Susan was in there, apparently revived and shot back to life as if she had taken the antidote herself instead of her husband.

“Oh, hey, Evan! You scared me. Care for a cookie, dear?” she asked.

Wow, when she’s happy, she really does a number!

“No, thank you. Hey, where’s everyone else at?” I asked nonchalantly.

“They already left. Daryl sent them out on their missions. You know, Otis really appreciates all the help he has done for him as being the leader and all. It won’t be long before Otis can take back over,” she said while rinsing some dishes in the sink.

“Where’s the rest of the cure that they left here?” I asked, not taking heed to Susan’s extra info about “being leader” and all that irrelevant crap that I could have used a while ago when I needed to encourage Daryl to give the nymphs some of the antidote.

“What left over cure? There is none. They took it all. There was just enough for the remaining towns. In fact, Michael just left a few minutes ago, being the last to leave with it,” she said absently.

“Where was he headed?”

“Don’t know. You should ask Daryl.” Then she began humming a classical tune to herself as she continued her rinsing escapade.

My heart dropped to my feet. There was no way I could ask Daryl anything else because I really didn’t need the extra suspicion.

I walked back outside, but this time, to the backyard. I paid no attention to it all, thinking solely of Summer and her life, which unfortunately had depended on me. Now it was over. There was no more cure for her body to consume, which meant no more Summer for me to enjoy.

But…

Michael! The name popped into my head abruptly. Of course!

Then, not thinking my plan or actions thoroughly, I yanked off my t-shirt with ease, chunking it to the ground nearby. I felt the sun spread across my back and chest as it filled me with warmth. Then I kicked off my shoes, allowing the mushy soil and fresh grass to cool them. I leaped in midair, morphing into the beast I truly was and landing on all fours. Then, at the fastest speed I could possibly manage, I raced off into the woods.

I used every ounce of energy I had gained back from the battle; I gathered up my abilities I had as a werewolf and exploited them to my advantage: I was tracking down Michael, since he was the closest one with a cure.

With him being so young like myself, I could detect his scent easily. It was a very heavy smell that clung to the air like a spider to its web. I couldn’t exactly describe it, but I could distinguish it from any other smell effortlessly.

I followed it at the fastest pace possible through walls of trees, flowing streams and creeks, and shrubby bushes without tiring myself out. But after about fifteen minutes of traveling at an easy rate, I simply said a mental screw it! and sped up to my maximum level for Summer. Within the next ten minutes or less, I detected Michael was really close because his scent was so strong I could practically feel his presence before me.

When I found him, he was in a stray field, running alongside a dirty pond, which seemed pretty deep at first glance, but after a second look, I could tell it was dried up and the bottom was viewable. Michael didn’t see me when I saw him. That is, until I yelled across the pond in my wolf form, “Michael, wait up a second!”

He looked in my direction and noticed me. He stopped.

In exactly five seconds, I was right beside him. He was small, but that was only because he was young. His fur was a lot lighter than the rest of us in the pack with a few streaks running down the side. I also noticed he carried several tubes of tea-colored liquid tied around his body.

“Why did you follow me?” he asked promptly.

“I need some of that,” I said benignly.

“Some of what?”

“The cure. I need some.”

“What?! Why? It’s for your girlfriend nymph, isn’t it? I knew that’s why you asked Daryl about them. I just knew it!”

He’s a quick learner.

“No questions. I just need some.” I was intentionally ignoring his accusations and his negativity.

“No! Associating with them is forbidden, Evan! I’m sorry, but I won’t give you any.”

He took off running around the pond in order to reach the trees and get away from me. He was making this a bigger deal than it was. I hoped it wouldn’t have come to this, but I had no choice. Summer had no choice.

I ran behind him, catching up to him without difficulty. I tried to nibble his legs in my small snaps so I wouldn’t hurt him, just to make him pause a bit, but he was persistent. I had to bite his tail.

When I did, he howled from pain, and he reached backwards and struck at my face. His claws dug into my sensitive nose and stung severely, but healed within moments.

“Go away, Evan!” he shouted at me.

“I can’t! Not until you give me some of that damn cure!” I replied.

He didn’t respond. He just kept running.

Since I couldn’t make him stop by biting, I was going to have to do something else. I came out from behind him and up to his side. He quickly glanced at my new location with curiosity, but I quickly plowed him hard with my side. He fell into the water alongside us. I was hoping the tubes of antidote were strong enough to withstand a few hits, and I was right; they didn’t break as Michael’s small werewolf body landed on the bottom of the shallow pond.

He had landed on his side, but he immediately regained his stance with almost his entire body poking out of the murky water below. He stood facing me.

“Evan, don’t do this! I don’t want to fight you!” he said urgently.

“And I don’t want to hurt you! Look, just give me some of the cure, and I’ll go. Nobody will know. But either way, I need that cure, Michael.”

“I would give it to you if it was for family. But for a nymph? You make me sick to my stomach. Falling for a nymph? Who would have thought?”

“Give. Me. The damn. Cure.” I ground my teeth together to show my impatience with my cousin.

“No.”

I lunged at him, clawing at his sides so I wouldn’t permanently damage him. He wailed in pain a few times, but he quickly healed and got over it. Hearing him get hurt by my own claws made me feel disgusted with myself -- but Summer needed that cure no matter what. And if Michael was going to have to give it up unwillingly, then so be it.

He struggled feebly as I pinned him down effortlessly. I extended one of my claws a little longer so I could cut a tube from Michael’s side as he twisted meaninglessly. The tube gently rolled off Michael’s side and splashed into the water. I snatched it up with my jaws, my razor-sharp teeth keeping it in place, and then I took off out of the murky water. Michael started to come after me, I realized, as my werewolf ears heard his paws plow against the earth, but then he seemed to recall how simply I subdued him and thought twice about it.

 “You’ll be sorry, Evan!” he screamed at me as I ran away from the scene.

I didn’t care if he told Otis or any of them. Hell, at this point, I didn’t care if he told the whole damn world. As long as I got the cure to Summer, it would all work out okay.

He seemed to reiterate the same phrase again to make sure I noticed his annoying screaming in my head, but then I had ran so far and so quick that our vocal range evaporated into nothing but thin air.

My heart pumped -- raced -- sped-up -- or whatever you wanted to call it. All I know was that I ran like I had never ran before since I had found out I was a werewolf. Lightning didn’t have anything on me now. I was probably the fastest animal in the animal kingdom, because I had a location in mind that mattered more than anything.

Saturday, when I had missed going to the movie theater with my friends so I could return to Summer’s side, Autumn secretly showed me the way to their houses in the woods in case I ever needed to visit them for some reason. She figured it was a good idea, even though her friends probably wouldn’t have thought so if they knew. And she was right.

I could feel something wrong in the very pit of my stomach as I sprinted. Something dark was there, forewarning me that something bad had happened or was going to happen.

Suddenly, I rolled forward across the ground as a sharp pain entered my body throughout. I couldn’t identify the source, but it didn’t matter because the pain was too overwhelming -- to excruciating -- to think about that. I released the tube as I gasped for breath, hoping the pain would cease. My entire body felt like it was twisting into a thousand knots on the inside, making my heart wrench from pure agony and terror.

My lungs felt like they were clogged up with no oxygen in them. I mustered the few scarps of oxygen I found hiding in the corners to howl so loudly that I terrified nearby flocks of birds form their tress.

After a minute passed, my organs seemed to loosen and my lungs began to refill. The pain subdued to a small ache, but I could feel a black, empty void in my chest, even though I could still feel my heart beating just as plainly as ever. But then I remembered my mission. I pushed all abnormalities to the side, and I instantly snatched the antidote back up, and I sped up so that I probably looked invisible -- forget the blur -- to anyone watching me in the forest.

I was running so fast that I reached my destination in less than fifteen minutes with the ache still lying at the very pit of my stomach.

When I came to a stop, I allowed the tube of liquid to roll out of my mouth and hit the solid ground. Then I morphed into a human, picking the cure back up with my bare human hands. I realized I was still shirtless, but I didn’t care -- after all, I still had my jeans on, but was barefooted. The slight breeze against my bare skin felt refreshing, considering my body was most likely covered in sweat and above normal temperatures from constant running.

However, that was unimportant as I faced the wooden, conservative house I had visited before in the woods.

I walked to the door -- forgetting to knock -- and opened it, strolling right in. I didn’t bother hollering the usual “Hello?” or “Is anyone home?”. Instead, I went straight for the room that held Summer and her virus that I was about to get rid of with this magical liquid in my hands.

When I got to her bedroom, the door was ajar, and inside the room were females. I recognized all of the nymphs from school, the woman who had screamed at me the first time I had arrived, and many more women of whom I did not identify. They must have lived in the other homes through the forest, I supposed. All of the women were clogging the space around the bed, and after I realized this, I pushed them aside as I worked my way forward. I saw Summer lying motionless on her bed -- no screaming, whispering, heaving, sweating, or even breathing. She was utterly still.

I dropped the antidote to the wooden floor, not paying attention to if it shattered or stayed in tact, because the shock of what scene was lain out before me was indescribable.

Summer was dead.

Author's Note

v2.0 UPDATE: THIS IS CHAPTER 17! NOT 16! Sorry, wrong Chapter number at the top!

Question: Did the chapter end the way you expected? Bet you thought she was going to live and they would live happily ever after, huh? But there are still 2 more chapters in which A LOT can happen in. So keep reading to find out!

I am being squeezed on time dramatically because I have school during the day, helping my dad in the afternoon, homework at night, and writing/editing time until 1am. Then I repeat the process all over. So I have been VERY tired and sleepy. But I am still fighting to have this story entirely posted up by the end of August (Tuesday, midnight). That also means that this chapter may have some errors/mistakes/typos in it, so please point them out. As for plot holes, I think I covered all of those as of right now.

Reviews

[bbb]

I noticed a couple little things that needed editing, but I was too tired as I was reading this to bother with them. I just wanted to enjoy the story, and I did. Awesome job...love his attitude and strength in this chapter. Can't wait to finish!

[Jong Schrijver]

Not what I was expecting. I'm hoping A miracle happens in the next 2 chapters! Anyway tho, really great job on this chapter, keep it up!

[Kira]

GASP.

Definitely unexpected.

Woah, I didn't see any typos this time around but you're a little too heavy on the adverbs in this chapter. What happens neeeext? Only two more chapters?!