Chapter 24 - Jade
The smoke was thick as we moved, making it hard to see even just a few feet in front of us.
I coughed, covering my mouth, feeling my lungs burning.
It smelled of wood and rotting flesh, a scent I didn’t think I would ever get out of my nose.
It turned my stomach upside down, and I was grateful I hadn’t eaten anything to throw up.
I could hear the snapping of the fire and the sound of houses falling in on themselves. I glanced over my shoulder at the rest of the group. Everyone looked as horrified as I felt.
I prayed we found survivors, and we weren’t walking around a graveyard. I didn’t think I could stomach knowing we could have helped, but we were too late.
I felt that tug deep in my gut telling me we were doing the right thing. I felt there was something here, and I just hoped it wasn’t just hybrids.
Brandon walked next to me, his eyes tracking each movement we made, every step we took. I paused near a house and looked into the window. It was dark with blackness covering the window, but red was smeared with it.
My stomach tightened as I stared at the splatter. A handprint was on the glass, but it had been smeared down. Someone had tried to get out but failed. I swallowed, staring at it, knowing what that meant. Brandon had warned me that things could get worse, much worse.
Brandon grabbed my shoulder, turning me away from the window. His hand tightened around mine for a moment as he gave me a sympathetic look. “Are you sure you can do this?”
I had to. I couldn’t wait in the woods. I would only drive Brandon nuts. “I’m okay,” I said, rolling my shoulders back. “If there are people here, they need our help.”
He nodded. “We have to keep moving then.”
I looked back at the window, taking in the smear.
I couldn’t even grieve what was going on.
I couldn’t think about how people had died, and their blood was splattered everywhere.
There were probably bodies in these homes that would never have a proper burial.
We didn’t have time for me to think about what had happened here.
The quiet we had noticed suddenly disappeared as screams filled the air. Blood curdling screams, people begging to survive. Then the sounding of something louder, something bigger.
“Please!” A voice shook the air as we moved past the house.
The wind picked up, and the smoke cleared just enough for us to see.
Before us stood four hybrids. They were all in their shifted form, blood covering the ground around them.
I felt my stomach lurch seeing body parts scattered around them, people completely ripped apart.
A hybrid screamed, charging toward the man who was begging for mercy, and before we could even try and stop it, it ripped him in half. I watched as blood poured out of the body, trailing down the claws of the monster. The man’s body was thrown to the ground with his eyes still open in horror.
I covered my mouth, stopping my own scream from breaking free. I felt like someone had just punched me in the gut.
I suddenly was filled with fear. I thought of a hybrid breaking into our town and killing people. Murdering people I care about. I couldn’t stop my imagination as it formed the image of Nora being killed. As I thought of hearing Ilsa scream for me while a hybrid ran at her.
More screaming filled the air, snapping me out of my thoughts.
We rushed as we emerged into the heart of the massacre.
We were seeing it all. The children were being pushed back against a building, and the women were standing in front of them.
The men were trying to protect, but they were all injured.
There was blood everywhere, and they all looked utterly terrified.
They had no idea what they were up against, had no idea what was going on. It explained why no one took Brandon’s call. They were out here trying to survive, and we had no idea how long it had been.
I counted twenty people standing together, which wasn’t a lot for the size of the town. My stomach sank at the knowledge that there were more dead than alive.
“Holy shit,” someone gasped behind me.
“Everyone, this is what the training was about. Everyone focus. You keep track of your surroundings.”
I took in the children’s faces. They were all crying, clinging to their mothers. They were all covered in dirt and blood.
“I want everyone working together. We have to get these people out and away from this town.”
“Are we sure we can take them?”
“We are going to try,” Brandon said.“Everyone, move out. We’re going in.” Brandon waved his hand at the group before turning to me. “You are to get everyone out and take them into the woods. You keep moving. Do not go back under any circumstances. Take them to the pack if no one else follows.”
I looked at him as if he were crazy. “Let me fight. I can help you fight against them. Don’t send me run.”
“No,” he snapped pointedly. He grabbed my shoulders, his fingers shaking. “You need to get everyone out. That is how you are useful, Jade. You protect the people. I need you to get them out safely. That is your job.”
I wanted to argue, but I couldn’t. I promised I would listen to his orders, and I needed to.
As much as I wanted to fight, those people needed to be moved to safety.
I slowly nodded my head before everyone started moving.
The guys shifted into their wolf forms and took off into the mess.
I watched as Brandon slammed into a hybrid, knocking it to the ground. The screams only grew louder.
I slipped along the buildings, moving toward the large group of people gathering. I could hear glass under my feet, and I walked past bodies of people that deserved a better death. I held back tears as I moved.
I took in worried and petrified expressions as I neared the people. Children cried as they clung to their mothers, the men unsure of what to do, unwilling to accept their fate.
“I need you to follow me,” I stated, trying to stand tall and talk in a firm voice. Everyone looked between the hybrids and me, seeming to think I was crazy. We had a moment while the guys distracted the monsters before they turned back to us.
“I know you are all scared, but we need to move now,” I snapped, trying to get my voice to sound firm. I started guiding them toward an exit, making sure to watch and count how many people were there. I didn’t want any of us getting separated, and more people died when they didn’t need to.
We were hurrying down the road when the sound of a scream filled the air closer to us.
I snapped my head just as it started running after us.
Everyone started to scream, hurrying faster, but the hybrid was quicker.
I knew it would catch up with us in just moments.
We were seconds away from being hit, more people dying, and I needed to act fast.
Before I could think, Brandon appeared and slammed into the hybrid. I watched as they slammed into the building, the wood giving way under the power. The screeching sound filled the air, and I covered my ears.
Brandon shoved the hybrid, slamming him into the ground. I was sure you could hear bones breaking, but the hybrid didn’t give up. He swiped his left arm, slamming Brandon hard into the ground. The ground shook violently, and I took a step back, not sure what to do.
“What do we do?” someone yelled, and I broke my gaze away from them back towards the group.
“Keep moving,” I ordered. I pointed ahead of us, trying to corral them further. I looked over my shoulder. I could see that the others were fighting another hybrid a few feet away from Brandon. I counted three, not sure if one was dead or if it had moved, but I wasn’t going to wait to find out.
I brought my eyes back to Brandon, and they widened. I watched as Brandon was pinned down on the ground, unable to move. I watched in horror as the teeth of the hybrid grew closer, inches away from sinking into Brandon’s neck.
No. God no! I couldn’t lose him. Not when I had just gotten him back. Ilsa needed her father. I needed him. I couldn’t live my life without him in it. I didn’t want to.
I felt the surge roar through my entire body.
I let it tingle for a moment before letting it fly freely.
I felt a wave of energy escape through my entire body, and the ground shook.
I surged it forward and slammed it toward the hybrids.
I watched as fire snapped at it, instantly starting to burn the creature alive.
The screams only grew louder as it backed up, slamming into the next one.
The fire didn’t stop, though; it only continued.
I moved forward, guiding the power from one hybrid to another. I felt my entire body shake with the effort it was taking, but I forced myself forward. I couldn’t let another person get hurt. I couldn’t let Brandon die.
I listened as the screams grew, the hybrids trying to retreat but only being caught in their own making. The fires erupted around them, taking them down and burning them. I watched as the shifters paused, watching it all happen. I watched the bodies fall, looking nothing like what they were before.
“Jade,” Brandon’s voice was softer as he grew closer to me.
I felt the power simmer, almost like a match being blown out. My entire body felt empty, and slowly, I sank to the ground. My hands felt numb, and my arms gave way. My shoulders dropped as my head started to spin. My legs shook, and slowly I felt my world tilt as my legs gave way.
I didn’t hit the ground. Instead, I fell into soft arms. Brandon held me as he curled me to his body. His eyes widened as he looked at me. “Jade, honey.”
Even though I felt exhausted, like every last bit of energy I had was gone, I couldn’t help but smile. “I did it.” I had used my power to save all of these people.
Brandon pulled my hair away from my face, his eyebrows pressing together in concern. “You did…” He leaned closer, his face filling my vision. “You did it.”
I sank against him, resting my head against his chest. I looked at the crowd of people I had saved, and my heart skipped a beat. I felt Brandon’s lips press against my forehead, and I closed my eyes.