Chapter Thirty-Three: Werewolf-Hackett Chaos

(The Matriarch, Part 6)

***

The cabinet scraped across the floor loudly as Laura pushed it in front of the door, Allison standing next to Ryan as she did.

He was looking a lot better, the fast healing granted by the werewolf infection healing both the bite Laura had given him and the stab wound until both were almost non-existent. Allison's leg throbbed with her injury, but she was fine—she didn't need werewolf healing to fix it, not when it wasn't serious and time and medicine wouldn't heal it on its own.

Still, Allison readjusted her weight so she was on her good leg as Laura finished and she turned to them, saying confidently, "Well, they ain't getting through here in a hurry."

"Don't jinx it, Laura," Allison muttered, looking at her pointedly.

Laura winced, before she looked around and remarked, "Man, this place is huge."

"You're telling me—it's like a maze," Allison remarked, looking around at the cluttered space as well. The attic, maybe?

"Might need to... rest a bit," Ryan said as Allison turned to him, seeing him rest against a cabinet as he held the side where he'd been stabbed.

"Of course. You'd just been stabbed and nearly bled out to death. I'd be surprised if you didn't need to rest," Allison assured gently, checking again to see that the wound was healing well. On reflex, she asked quietly, "Feel aggressive or about to turn?"

Ryan shook his head and Allison relaxed slightly that her friend was still her friend and still human as Laura promised Ryan, "You'll feel better soon."

"Cool," Ryan replied as Allison moved away from Ryan, hovering close by if he needed her as support.

"I'm feeling pretty good, actually," Laura commented, causing Allison and Ryan to eye Laura warily as she grinned, eyes roving around wildly, looking hyper.

"Laura? You, uh... okay there?" Allison asked, taking a step back.

"What are you doing? Stop it," Ryan said, sounding as nervous as Allison felt as they saw, clearly, that Laura didn't have much time left before she turned.

They had to find and kill Chris Hackett. Now.

Laura, still grinning unnervingly, sniffed the air as she asked, "Do you guys smell that?"

"No!" Allison and Ryan answered in unison, the both of them sounding even more nervous as they eyed Laura warily.

She looked forward, a glazed look on her face before she shook it away and said, "Never mind. Let's just find another way down. A way to Chris Hackett."

"Uh, sure," Allison said, aware of the arrows in her quiver all over again.

"Or just a way out maybe? I'm done being chased... and stabbed," Ryan suggested.

"Sure. And another way out. Fine," Laura replied tersely.

Shen walked froward as Allison turned to Ryan and murmured, "You get out of here—get far into the woods and as far from the others if you end up turning before the sun comes up. I'll stay behind and try and find Chris Hackett."

"And you'll kill him?" Ryan asked.

"Yes." No hesitation. She would. If it meant saving Nick, saving Ryan and Sarah, that would always be her choice.

Ryan looked at her, emotions wrestling in his face before he nodded. "Okay."

Allison looked at him, squeezing his arm before asking, "Do you..."

"Nah, I'm good," Ryan replied. "You?"

"I'm okay," Allison responded.

At that, they turned and watched as Laura headed deeper into the attic,  the floorboards creaked underneath her—loudly.

"Watch your step," Laura warned.

"Yep," Ryan replied.

"Will do," Allison muttered. "Learned my lesson earlier tonight when we free-fell into the quarry."

Laura walked further until she stopped and soon Allison saw why even before Laura hissed, "Allison."

There, chained to a post, was a werewolf with grey-streaked dark fur chained to a wooden post, breathing heavily as yellow eyes glinted at Laura and Allison.

"What was that?" Ryan asked unsurely.

"We're not alone," Allison whispered as the werewolf stood up, eyes flashing and growling.

"I think..." Laura started as Ryan and Allison walked up, the werewolf snarling as it lunged for them, the chains the only thing keeping it from attacking them as they all took a collective step back, the chains straining against the post from the werewolf's strength.

"I think we found Chris Hackett," Laura finished.

the werewolf—Chris—snapped and snarled at them, growling lowly.

"Son of a bitch," Laura breathed, before she hissed, "Allison."

This time, Allison was already sliding off her bow and drawing an arrow, pointing it at Chris as he strained against the chains, before one gave way, freeing an arm.

Allison jolted, heartbeat jackrabbiting as she struggled to control her shaky hands, pointing the arrow at Chris as Laura breathed, "Ryan. Allison."

Another chain gave way, freeing both arms as they stepped back, Chris prowling toward them, snarling as Laura yelled, "Allison, do it now!"

Do it, Allison's mind whispered. This is going to save Nick. This is going to save everyone.

She was about to fire when the boards groaned heavily, a warning before they gave away entirely.

For the second time that night, Allison was falling as she, Laura, Ryan and Chris plummeted down from the attic, through the ceiling and into a room in the Hackett house. Allison landed on her side, pain barking up her injured leg as she sat up, feeling relief that her bow or arrow hadn't snapped.

The relief faded away when she saw Chris atop of Ryan, struggling to get free as Chris snapped his teeth at Ryan's face and Ryan fought him off.

Without hesitating, Allison snatched up her bow and arrow and lunged across the room, drawing, aiming and firing at Chris' shoulder.

The arrow landed true as Chris gave out a pained yelp, shuddering as the silver coursed through him. Allison was about to redraw and fire again when she heard Laura mutter, "Oh God... Not now! Not now! Come on!"

Turning, Allison saw Laura banging her hand against her head, face screwed up in pain.

"Laura?" she breathed, even as she knew—Laura's time had run out.

Getting back to Ryan, she stood in front of him as he crawled underneath the table, arrow pointed at Chris as he stalked toward them, the slow poisoning of the silver arrow doing nothing to stop him. She had to make a fatal shot—right now.

She was about to when an all-too familiar sound of skin and blood exploding distracted her and Allison whirled, seeing to her horror Laura transformed into a werewolf as she roared and tackled Travis, who Allison hadn't even noticed enter the room with the shotgun as she knocked him back against the wall, shattering a mirror as he lay there, dazed.

The roar of the werewolf she'd shot drew Allison's attention back, seeing him attacking Bobby as he grunted and kept Chris back from tearing him apart. Drawing, Allison fired again, the arrow spearing Chris' other shoulder. He howled, but that didn't weaken him enough as Travis yelled, "Bobby! The gun!"

Looking around, Allison saw the shotgun—and Ryan close to it.

"Ryan, get it!" she shouted as she grabbed another arrow and drew it. "I'll cover you!"

Ryan didn't hesitate to grab it as Allison shot again, but missed when Chris ducked and threw Bobby across the room, lunging on top of him and tearing his throat out as he screamed in agony, blood spraying.

"Shit, oh shit," Allison cursed as she grabbed another arrow—this time, she had to make it count, she had to make it count.

Tossing Bobby aside, Chris stood up as Allison aimed and fired, this time hitting Chris square in the leg. He howled as Ryan grabbed the gun and stood up just as Allison drew again, Chris limping and seeming to slow down, the silver spreading its poison through his body.

One more shot. One more shot, and everyone's saved.

And yet, Allison stayed her hand as Ryan yelled, "Hey!"

He pointed the gun as Chris turned to him, snarling.

But even as Ryan looked ready to pull the trigger, hesitation came over his face—hesitation that could mean his death if he refused to shoot Chris, shoot the man who was like a father figure to him. Even if it would save Nick and Sarah, he couldn't do it.

So Allison did it for him, letting her arrow fly free and aim true in Chris' heart.

Chris stiffened, letting out a pained yowl before he fell to the ground, twitching. Allison fired again, this time in Chris' eye, straight into his brain as, with both the fatal shots and all the silver poisoning his body, Chris finally lay still, finally lay dead.

Chris Hackett was dead.

That meant Ryan... Laura... Max... Sarah... Nick...

They were cured. They were all cured!

A laugh of triumph bubbled up in Allison. They had done it. Everyone was cured! Everyone was cured and back to normal and so was Nick, Nick was her Nick again, and she wanted to run, wanted to find him and hug him and never let him go because he was back, he was cured, they could find Hayden and she could have her brother back and they could find Sarah and Nora would have her girlfriend back like Laura would have Max back, they were all cured!

Allison grinned in victory before she turned and saw the look on Ryan's face and her smile died away.

"Oh Ryan," she murmured, holding him as she whispered, "I'm so sorry. I wish there was another way, I really wish there was, that we could have cured them all another way, including Chris. I..."

"I know. I..." Ryan started, but couldn't finish, so Allison just held him.

The sound of blood exploding came and Allison turned to see Laura back to normal and without her clothes on, stumbling away from Travis who held a piece of glass and falling to the floor, wide-eyed and proving Allison's thought correct—she and therefore Ryan were cured. That meant everyone else was cured.

Right?

Travis tossed the glass away as Laura looked at Ryan and Allison, before she turned back to the cop and said, "Thanks... for uh... not killing me."

"Yeah. Likewise," Travis replied.

Allison and Ryan looked at each other before they walked toward them and Laura asked, "So... what now? Everyone's back to normal?"

"Are they all cured? Is it all over?" Allison questioned hopefully.

Travis looked between her and Laura, before he said, "What?"

Allison blinked, before she repeated, "What? What do you mean, what? Is it over? Is everyone cured and not a werewolf anymore?"

Staring at them, Travis let out a bitter sound as he asked, "oh... you think this is over? This isn't over."

Allison frowned as a chill came over her skin, looking between Ryan and Laura before looking at the cop in disbelief.

"I don't understand. Chris is dead," Ryan said.

"Yeah. Laura and Ryan are cured. If he's dead, then shouldn't the others be, too? It has to be over," Allison added on, frowning.

Travis made a noise of realisation, before he revealed, "Chris wasn't the first."

Allison's eyes widened, before she whispered, "What?"

"That's not possible," Laura said, not believing him.

"Caleb. Kaylee—the girl you killed—her brother," Travis revealed.

Shock flooded Allison as Laura also looked shocked before she breathed, "What?"

Travis sighed, before he explained, "Caleb bit Chris and Kaylee. Chris was just trying to protect them. He was a good man, my brother."

That was directed to her, Allison wincing with guilt, as Laura demanded, "But then... who bit Caleb?"

"Silas," Travis answered. "Been tracking him for years. He's... a transient. He'd been long gone from the area, but we hoped he'd come back so we could end this. Anyway, there's sightings up and down the coast... a feral albino child... a giant white wolf."

A chill came over Allison's skin at the words, before she realised with despair if Chris wasn't the first, then Nick and Sarah were still trapped. They weren't human yet. They were still cursed. That under the belief he was, she'd killed Chris when she could have saved him if they knew about Silas and killed him instead.

And now, the werewolf whose death could free those still trapped with the curse was something that almost didn't sound real, something that gave false hope. Something that could mean they'd be trapped forever as werewolves, doomed to transform and turn into something they weren't every full moon as long as they lived.

She'f failed. She failed them—she failed Nick.

I'm sorry, she whispered. I'm sorry.

"White wolf..."

As one, they all turned to Ryan as Travis stood up and demanded, "What? What did you say? Where! Where did you see it?"

He grabbed Ryan by the shoulders, shaking him as Allison yelled, "Don't touch him!" and Laura shouted, "Hey! Let him go!"

"Where?!"

"At the—at the cabins, earlier tonight," Ryan answered.

Letting Ryan go, Travis looked away and stepped back as Allison pulled Ryan slightly behind her and the cop said, "Okay. Okay... okay it makes sense. It all makes sense. He must have been back for months and he's what ran you off the road two months ago."

That was directed to Laura as Travis looked at the three of them and pleaded, "Help me. Help me. We can still save Caleb. We can still save what's left of my family. We... we can help those we are still alive."

"And our friends?" Allison asked, looking suspiciously at him.

"Yes! we can help save them," Travis affirmed, looking at her—at all of them—pleadingly.

Allison bit her lip, feeling torn, as Laura questioned, "Why the hell should I trust you?"

"I'm not asking you to trust me. I'm telling you we can end this. We kill Silas, everyone gets better. Everyone... who's still alive anyway," Travis answered.

Allison looked at Ryan, seeing the same decision in his face. They would risk it, would risk finding Silas, if it meant that Nick and Sarah would finally be free.

"Okay, okay. So... where would we even find him?" Laura questioned, coming to the same decision as Allison and Ryan had.

"I know exactly where to find him," Travis answered.

"Okay, let's go," Laura said. 

"Okay."

As she made to walk, Laura added, "This doesn't mean I forgive you for what you did to me."

"Or how your family tried to kill us," Allison interjected, glaring at him.

"I understand," he replied, stepping back.

"And, can someone please get me some fucking clothes?!" Laura requested, before she walked out of the room. Allison glared at Travis before she went back to Chris and pulled out the four arrows she shot into him—the one she shot into Bobby was long gone—and put them back into her quiver before she walked out of the room, giving Travis a distrustful look as Ryan and the cop followed right behind her.

As they went to kill Silas and cure everyone once and for all.

***

So the chaos was fun :)

Allison finally got to shoot Chris!! Yes, Ryan hesitated, because I doubt he could have actually killed Chris, so Allison did the honours by shooting him in the heart and eye as, to her, curing Nick and Sarah is more important, even though she wished there was another way to cure them all, including Chris that didn't end in his death. And yeah, she did think it was over and Nick and Sarah were cured until Travis said otherwise (and had Allison realise and feel guilty that, if they knew and just killed Silas, everyone would be cured, including Chris)

But now, they're all getting ready to kill Silas and end it once and for all!

Next chapter will be soon!

Please read, comment and vote!

GhostWriterGirl out!