Surviving the Night - The Quarry

Chapter 21: Infected

Estella's POV

I run to the edge of the water as I see Kaci and Jacob jumping in, "Holy shit. Is that him? Is that Max? I thought you said you fixed him," I ask not taking my eyes off the water.

Laura runs to the edge of the dock and screams at them, "Did you see anybody over there?" She asks.

"Who the fuck is this?" Jacob asks as they get closer, "No. It was just that thing," he says turning around to stare at the beast. I look at Kaci as she catches her breath. Her hand sits on her waist as she looks at Laura confused.

"We have to warn the others about what's happening," I tell them as Laura stares at her boyfriend standing at the end of the dock. I touch her arm and she pulls away telling me she's fine.

"What do you mean to tell them what's happening? They saw Abi turn," Kaci points out as Laura walks back over with her shotgun over her shoulder. Kaci looks her up and down as she looks at Nick and I.

"A lot is going on here that you and your friends don't understand. We need a plan to survive tonight and I'm starting to think that the more people that are in on it...the better the odds," She says sounding like it pains her to ask for help.

Jacob goes to talk but Nick cuts him off, "Trust her. We don't have time to fuck around," He states earning respect from Laura. Laura starts walking towards the main lodge after we tell her that's where everyone else is. When we walk up the front steps I can hear Emma and Ryan talking through the front door. Ryan's gun is aimed at the door when we push it open making Jacob jump.

"Who is this?" He asks aiming it at Laura still, "She a hunter?" he asks.

"Lower the gun, hot shot," She says walking further into the lodge to look around, "I was supposed to be here with you and your friends this summer but that didn't happen," She smiles.

"You guys are going to want to sit down," I tell them as I lean against the banister of the stairs she standing in front of. The four of them hesitantly sit down before I realize that Dylan and Kaitlyn aren't here, "Where did they go?" I ask as Ryan lifts his head.

"They went to the scrap yard to find a car or a car part to get us the hell out of here," He says making me sigh, "I tried to stop them from leaving the group but Emma was very adamant about leaving," He adds making her glare at him for throwing her under the bus.

Laura cuts me off by saying what we are all thinking, "If you wanted to leave why didn't you go and help?" She asks. Emma wants to say something but the blood all over her clothes kind of answers the question. Nick clears his throat from his spot beside me making Laura take a deep breath. Ryan's gun is still in his hands as he stares at the stranger.

-

"So...you're trying to say that werewolves are running around this camp and that's what Abi turned into?" Jacob asks in disbelief.

"And the only way to save everyone is to kill the first werewolf?" Ryan asks.

Kaci opens her mouth for the first time in an hour, "Who is the first...werewolf?" she asks. Laura pauses as she looks at the group.

"Chris Hackett"

Ryan stands up laughing as he aims the gun back at Laura. I jump in front of her and give Ryan a look to calm down as Laura raises her gun, "She's lying. Chris wouldn't do this to us," He says.

"Think about it," I tell him, "He was stressed out about us being here tonight. During the summer he left for a couple of nights and left us to run the camp, and Kaylee and Caleb disappeared when we needed help packing up," I point out. He shakes his head as he paces back and forth.

"Wait the poem. That implies that a bite can be stopped if we cut off the limb. What if you cant? Are you fucked unless you kill the one that bit you?" Kaci asks standing up from the table as Jacob watches her movements.

"I don't care about your father-son relationship with this man. He bit my boyfriend and I'm not going to let him suffer because Chris is careless," She tells Ryan.

"There's no way I'm believing this. I'm not helping you MURDER someone to possibly save some random guy," He argues standing his ground.

"What about Abi? She doesn't deserve to be a werewolf the rest of her life because she got a job at a summer camp," Emma says looking at Laura like there's hope her best friend isn't lost forever, "Who is this guy that locked you up again? Can we trust him?" She asks.

"He's Chris Hackett's brother, Travis. He kept us locked up because he was scared we would ruin the family secret. The only reason we escaped was because I drugged him with the same drug he used to lock us up in the first place. Their family knew about this curse and are the reason for the mysterious murders and disappearances," She explains. Ryan starts yelling at Laura saying he doesn't believe her. The whole group is trying to get their two cents in. It's chaos. I can't even hear a coherent sentence without someone interrupting them.

I look at Nick and he has the same worried look on his face. This is dividing the group and it's the last thing we need right now. A loud voice cuts through the group making the air in the room stand still, "Can everybody shut up?" Kaci asks as she leans on the table. She lets out a sigh as she slowly lifts her shirt. There's a bite mark on her torso making my heart sink further into my chest. Nick's hand grabs my arm and I feel my legs become weak.

"I believe her because that's all I have right? If she's wrong then I guess Abi and I are really fucked," she says with a small laugh trying to lighten the mood. Her eyes don't meet mine as I stare at her trying to figure out how she was bit.

"When? How?" Nick asks when he realizes that Jacob and I can't muster a single thought out loud. It's crazy how different a room can become after someone says two sentences.

"When we were on the island being chased by Max...he caught up," She says making Jacob stand up and look at Laura.

"She has a couple of hours before the infection spreads and takes over. If we get to Chris she will be spared from the same fate as the rest of the Hackett family," She explains, "The only way to end this curse is to kill Chris," She says.

"So if we kill Max then she's alright?" he asks making Kaci grab his arm.

"He's as innocent as I am. Even if we can't kill Chris Hackett, I won't let you kill him to spare me," She tells everyone mostly looking at Jacob. Laura silently thanks her for settling down Jacob but that only makes Ryan go off again.

"Do you guys even hear yourselves? Killing someone? You're contemplating murder," he says.

"You're okay with letting Max, Abi, and Kaci die to save someone who is clearly guilty? We found her at the pool house standing over a dead wolf," I point out.

"Wait....what?" he asks. He turns to Laura and gets in her face, "You had to kill Chris to save Max...so who did you kill at the pool house?" he asks.

"Oh my god. Abi," I whisper.