Twist Of Fate

Chapter 35 Acassus

Eve decides to do the night patrol. She was snappy and on edge all afternoon. I had watched her do her own training in the afternoon, mowing through the contenders, and having multiple attackers at once. And while it was inspiring to watch, it also reaffirmed to those gathered to see her in action, why she was in charge. I was worried.

Eve always smiles, jokes, and clearly enjoys sparring. There is none of that this time. She instead is fully focused, a lethal machine, sending more than a few to the infirmary because she wasn't pulling her punches in time. Max has to tell her to run it off and suggested she patrol tonight.

So here we are. Eve runs in wolf form, dwarfed by my massive hound keeping pace with her. Garret and I have an unwritten agreement that one of us is with her at all times. Since he isn't, it is me, not that I mind in the least. Anytime I get with Eve is great. The guys are too grumpy to hang out with anyway.

By the time we got back to the house last night after the walk Sirus made us all take (so Luka and Eve could get their freak on), it was three in the morning. Yet they were still at it. So, we had all split into different rooms to leave them to it, only to lie there with massive erections listening to them till the birds were singing and the sun was rising. They finally went to sleep but we had to get up and start our day with no sleep. So yeah, there were cranky mates a-plenty. On the upside, with the vampire side awake, she may be able to keep up with me in bed now. I have no issues with her sinking her fangs into me. It actually sounds pretty hot.

I glance at her running beside me. Her wolf is beautiful, with a black glossy coat. It is also fast and sure-footed. So, when she suddenly stumbles to a halt and pricks her ears up as she scents the air, I have to veer off into the path of a tree to avoid skittling her.

Eve? What is it? I ask through our link.

I could have sworn I smelt Grant for a moment there, or something similar. It smelt like him, but wrong. She's looking perplexed, her ears flicking around. I flick my ears too, trying to pin down any noises out of place in the forest. I can see Eve's hackles starting to rise, as I make out a distant rustle. I can get little whiffs of someone too, but it's an odd smell as well. It smells wrong. My own hackles start to rise.

I don't like this Eve, I caution her. Time to call in the others.

Yip, you do that, I'll start tracking, maybe it is Grant and he's in trouble. She dashes off and I growl, giving chase. She's so reckless sometimes! I hastily link my brother getting him to sound the alarm and making sure not to lose track of Eve darting through the trees. She begins to slow, becoming more cautious and sniffing the ground. Her stance is tense as she goes on high alert.

I definitely smell Grant, but something else is in his scent, it's weird. The rustling noise is closer. She crouches down and peers under a bush. It is him! I see him. He's alone she links excitedly, transforming and pushing through the foliage. Shit! No! This is all wrong! My instincts are screaming at me that none of this is right. I see the portal form in my peripheral vision and know the rest of the team has joined us. I can also hear more running in the distance as warriors come to the call for help. But none of this makes me feel any better as I rush after her.

I hear Eve call his name, her relief tinged with confusion sounding in her voice. But the Grant guy doesn't move or acknowledge her presence, continuing to face away. She races to him wrapping her arms around his waist from behind. His head moves slightly to the side. The guys are screaming at her to step away, all feeling the wrongness in the air.

He begins to turn around.

The first thing I notice is his eyes are missing. The second thing I notice is how pale he is and the black veins that are prominent on his skin like strange tattoos. Lastly, I notice the way he scents the air and his lips peel back exposing sharp teeth. I yank her back as he lunges for her, pulling her out of harm's way.

Missing its target, the Grant thing stumbles and falls, before trying to get back to its feet. It's as uncoordinated as a puppet with cut strings. I smell blood and glance down; my claws have accidentally caught Eve in my panic to both protect her and get her away. Eve hasn't noticed though, she's too focused on the thing trying to get to its feet. She looks horrified.

There is a rustle and a child stumbles into view. Its eyes are milky, with the same black veins and pale skin. Eve's eyes swing to it, as it tilts its head back sniffing the air. The girl looks to be about five if she's lucky. A boy around ten shambles in next. Then a girl not much older joins the fray. Eve makes a small choking noise of recognition when she sees the older girl and I hear Reece swear behind me. There is more rustling around us.

"Um how many kids were missing from Grant's pack D?" Dev asks quietly.

"Thirty-eight," Darius whispers.

The younger girl who was sniffing the air lurches forward, suddenly making a beeline for Eve and me. I shove Eve behind me and gingerly push the youngster away. Swiftly pulling my hand back when she snaps at it with a silent snarl. Her eyes aren't just damaged. They are dead. The older two kids shamble over too and I alternate fending off their advances. They become more persistent and I push them away harder, cringing when they fall.

"What the fuck is wrong with them!" I hiss, as they advance again. I notice the Grant thing is upright and joining the kids. More kids break the tree line around us.

"Necromancy," Sirus growls. "They are already dead." We start to hold the kids off in earnest as they grow in numbers. Reece hands Eve her thigh sheath and once strapped on, he hands her a curved sword. It dawns on her what Sirus has said.

"Are you sure?" She demands. He nods apologetically.

"Yes. I haven't seen it for a long time, but yes, I am sure."

"There's no way to end the spell?" Sirus shakes his head.

"They were killed and resurrected. The kindest thing to do now is put the bodies down permanently."

Eve plucks a knife from her sheath and steeling herself, lets it fly at Grant. It's a kill shot straight through the heart. But he doesn't even flinch. Just keeps on towards us.

"Dead Eve. As in the heart doesn't beat. Just the brain infused with magic and base instinct. Destroy the head." Sirus corrects.

She spins on her heel and point's a knife at him.

"This is not an episode of the fucking Walking Dead! You have to be joking. So, what? Are they Zombies? Zombies are a thing now!" Eve's voice rises shrilly. "You want me to kill innocent children?"

"Yes, Zombies as such are a thing and they are already dead Eve. They can't feel anything." Sirus huffs. "Look, how about we deal with it and you head back?" But she shakes her head vehemently. The whole 'I won't make you do anything I'm not prepared to do myself" mantra has come into play.

She has tears in her eyes, as she apologizes to Grant, before lopping his head off with a scream of anguish. That's our queue. We swing claws and swords and take out the poor children gathering and snapping at us. I'm not normally a sentimental guy, well except with regard to Eve, but this is tugging at even my heartstrings. I think this moment may haunt us all for a long time to come. Dead or undead, they are still innocent children.