Chapter 13 Blood On The Moon

This is a black night full of flashes and comb-fastened seams, the sort in which all sense of time and motion collapses into a singular blurring system of adrenaline. Best to be far away from the upheaval that had just begun to unfurl. His breath came hard; every step was a fresh agony deep in his bones, but it couldn’t stop him—not when he’d made it that far. "Go! Hurry!" Seraphine pleaded, her voice strained, squeezing his arm. They turned the corner, but gunfire echoed behind them. Ash was sure he could feel the heat of the rounds whizzing past his skin. He barely managed to keep up with her; he had been wounded from the explosion, and blood soaked through the torn fabric of his shirt, but Seraphine pulled him through the maze of buildings like a soldier, her instincts sharper than ever. They never eased up, not even when the old warehouse came into view. It was vacant, abandoned, filled with shadows and rusted metal. The ideal hiding spot for a break, if it could be more than that for some. Seraphine kicked the door open, letting it slam shut at their back with a dull thud. They were in. Safe. For now. But they both knew that was not going to last. No matter how far they ran, the organization would find them. Even more than just people were after them; it was the blight of the threat hanging over them one hundredfold stronger than anything they'd ever known. “Keep low,” Seraphine said, her voice fierce and tired in each word. Ash nodded, sweat beads falling from his face as he slid against the wall. His head swam, lost in dizzying movement, yet he kept his stare centered on her. Seraphine was a silhouette in the corner, wolf senses in her flowing, knowing, and even, like a hawk on its perch, waiting on that door. She was more than one thing in many ways, dangerous. "How bad is it?" she said, her voice softening for the first time since they’d begun running. She crouched down next to him, her eyes narrowing as she reached toward the gash in his side. Blood streamed from the wound, soaking his shirt a dark crimson. Ash gasped but pressed his teeth together. “I’ll live,” he mumbled, waving her off, but he wasn’t so sure. It was a piercing, bitter pain, and he felt his strength slowly fading. “Fury,” Seraphine hissed beneath his breath. “You know you’re an idiot, right? ” Her fingers lingered on his wound, and for a split second, Ash could feel the heat of her touch sinking into him. Catastrophically, Rose got too close, and despite all of the chaos surrounding them, the intensity between them was undeniable. The door creaked. They both froze. Ash's heart raced as Seraphine darted without delay. In an instant, she was on her feet, coiled and ready for its attack. A low growl rumbled in her throat, yet she checked it in an instant, cloaking the beast within in a veneer of serenity. “Brace yourself,” she muttered, her gaze darting toward the shadows by the entrance. "They're here." Two dark-clad men pulled the door open with a groan. Masks covered their faces, but a careful eye would have recognized that the way they moved was deliberate and practiced the work of professionals. And those people were armed to the teeth. Do you want to go first, or shall I? Now, Ash asked, trying to smile even though it hurt. His hand was already diving into his boot, pulling out the knife, prepping himself for what came next. But Seraphine didn't smile. Instead, she advanced, her eyes narrowing as she surveyed the scene. She felt like a predator stalking its prey. Ash saw the change in her; the wolf inside waking up to tear to shreds anyone who ever dared hate her. She lunged without another word. The first man scarcely had a moment to react before Seraphine was upon him, claws extended. She swatted his throat, cutting through flesh and bone without resistance; the impact, the scream that erupted from the man’s throat, brutally gurgled, almost drowned. Blood sprayed in every direction as his body crumpled to the floor. Ash didn't hesitate. He was already on top of the second man, forcing ahead with his own battle cry. The man swung a gun at him, but Ash was quicker. So he immediately closed the distance, the knife slicing across the man’s chest. The gun went off once, a wild shot that went wide, before the knife struck home. Anyway, the man collapsed to the ground after a final, choking breath. Ash wheezed as blood coated his hands, his chest burning for air from the exertion. But this was not the end of the story. Even now, Seraphine was scanning the room, eyes keen and wolfish. “They’re not alone,” she said, scanning into the shadows. "We must go. Now." But just as they would have been moving out, footsteps echoed through the warehouse, dozens of them. Seraphine’s eyes went wide in realization. "Shit." Ash didn’t wait for them to finish. He took her by the arm and led her toward the back door. But the warehouse was a maze; there was no simple escape. They had to ford their way through. "Come on!" Ash yelled, and they fled for the back exit just before a hail of bullets ripped through where they had been standing. The air had a heavy smell of gunpowder and blood. They got to the back door, and the door was locked. "Damn it!" Ash swore under his breath as his heart and breath came hard in his chest, driving the army onwards. As if his knife was all that defended his life, his hand instinctively reached for it as he whirled on the enemy. The wolf mode was already taking over again, Seraphine preparing next to him. Golden fire lit her eyes, and a growl billowed low in her chest. “There’s no exit without a battle,” her voice was low and dangerous. We fight,” Ash said, his voice low and growly as he forced the door open with one final desperate push. Only just outside the door, the bright moonlight illuminating them as if to witness this sordid little scene, Seraphine suddenly froze. "Behind you!" she screamed. Ash turned just as a shadow lunged at him. Too late. The last thing he saw was a glint of silver, and then darkness.