Shattering my Over-used Heart

Coles Chapter - Taking the Vigilant path with broken armour

"If you can think of anything else, please don't hesitate to contact me" I politely say handing the parents of that missing girl from Pellinore high, Agnetta Moss, my contact details. the mother started crying when she asked if her daughter would turn up alive, but I couldn't give her an answer, they didn't know anything about their daughter stealing the supplies for the Castilians, so as I sit in my mustang, I sigh at another dead end. I looked over to the bottle of pain pills and sleep meds the doctor prescribed me on the seat next to me and turn my head away from them looking out the window, my fingers carefully trace around the outline of my jaw, with the family members we find, end up dead, the Castilians really know how to cover their tracks, I breath in and out slowly, it's been weeks since we found anything, but the bodies of those girls are being brought to the doctors hospital after the C.I.A and F.B.I ordered the bodies under a federal crime. I turn on my engine and start the drive back, Gen calls me and I put the call on speaker "Nothing new?" she asks almost as hopeful as I felt reopening this part of the case, I grind my back teeth and clench the wheel. "They didn't even know she was seeing anyone" I respond, driving the speed limit and taking in the sights of this town those fuckers hid in "Wyatt updated me on Thomas, it's been interesting" Gen murmurs and I raise a brow, lowering the radio so I can indulge in gossip. "Like how the fuck did he get a genie?" I retort with a smirk and shake my head, how tommy gets into these situations will always make me glad I'm not in his shoes, I check my back mirror and watch the black hearse behind me make the same turn. "Not specifically, but He's been about a bit" Gen continues, and I hum a response "how so?" I add to my hum of an answer and keep my eyes on the car that's following me, I speed up slightly "He's killed a low-level clan leader, in frustration, took a trip to Plordril with Troy Banpiro, and now he's back in his mother's homeland with a family emergency" gen speaks like she's reading off a list, and my face just stares out the windshield, what? Just what? I think and wonder if I should call him, ask if I can support him in any way. "your schedule is hectic today and with officers, dean and Scott out of action, do you need me to tag along?" gen asks with a hint of worry in her voice, I need help, I know I do, but I wouldn't want to endanger her. "give another call to the F.B.I and C.I.A helping us, with the list of the dead owners, give them the information to track through the payment records, see what they find" I begin and turn off the highway into the road towards our city, the roads edge is covered with thick forest and I un-holster my gun and place it on the passenger's seat, Gen hums a response like I would when she's writing everything down. "send over the information on the girls we found, there interviews and statements-" I carry on and that seems to jog gens memories "Oh! We finally got somewhere with the Politician and judge, we've been cleared to interview them, I did set that up today" I nod and smile, finally getting somewhere in there dark tangled net of fuckery I think. "can you phone the doc as well and see the updates on the girls who got the shit end of the stick?" I ask, watching this car try to keep up with my engine, I notice were in the countryside and no car has passed me since I left a busy town "any update on my letter to plead Lacey's case to the elders?" I ask softly and gen makes a wary noise on the other line, my single thought is No then? nothing's been reported back, and I feel like a fool for outing lacey as a myriad wolf to the clan elders, but I know what I'm looking for, it replays over and over in my head in Maude's voice. and I have to keep myself focused on my main goal, of getting lacey back at my side. "Also Cole?" gens voice wades through my thick thinking, I look down at my phone, the black bold letters of Gen's name, my smile slipped "Yeah" I answered quickly as my foot lightly tapped the brake pedal "Scott's out of his second surgery, I'd already sent him flowers" gen answers her tone fortunate, with this car tailgating me, I slam on my breaks and brace for the impact as it smashes into the back of my car too late to hit there brakes since I've been speeding for the last 30 minutes, I open my eyes to smoke around my line of sight and wave it out of my face and cough, I feel the whiplash subside and roll my neck and shoulders, my chair I push back and hear it break underneath me, and I go to open my door but its broken and locked, I have to maneuverer around in this small space and I end up kicking my car door off easily, I place my feet firmly on the road and lean onto my knees to take a quick breath, no one has got out of the hearse and I stuff the gun in my belt hiding it behind my back, I un-tuck my shirt for god measure to cover it, I stand up tall and look over my car, I wince at the damage, the end of my car is completely gone, my backseat is nearly my front seat and the boot took most of the impact, then I look over the black hearse and take each step carefully, the engine on it has merged with my car, so both of us aren't going anywhere anytime soon, I step towards the driver's side and knock on the window three times, it rolls down slowly, comically slowly and I don't even bother to look in, I know that damp mouldy smell. "good morning Mr. Caligula, what an unfortunate incident we just had" the voice shivers over me but it's not the same one, so I side eye the person and look him over, he's old, cryptic old and his white whisper moustache and goatee match the hair around the top of his ears, circling his head, but the shine of his bold head catches the morning sun, and worse of all he's in a livery coat with a cape, and the matching top hat I can spy on the floor of his passenger seat, something unbelievably weird like a carriage driver from when cars weren't even invented, I shake my head at this and look up and down the deserted road where on. "Yes, very unfortunate" I reply back finally, he's not moved, he's kept his eyes on the road and his hands on the wheel. "You pinned?" I ask trying to figure out his plan, when he just turns his head, inch by inch to look up at me, his movements look painful, like his bones and muscles don't cooperate, without warning, I watch him swift painfully, his snout elongates unnaturally, then the sharp points of teeth splinter through his lips, growing in size with his hunchback, the creaks and cracks of the metal car that slowly break around his growing frame, makes me take a step back, the jagged ends of his fingers and toes transform into scraggy claws, his fur wispy and matted but he's growing, growing to a mammoth height and weight, that's cracked the car like a fucking peanut and before he sets his blood red eyes onto me, I feel a nudge at my stomach and look down to a vine, softly pushing me back, I raise an eyebrow and let the vine push me away from this growing wolf, until a massive fast moving thick vine, bursts out of the forest and thrashes into the side of the wolf, its tumbles to its side, trying to get it its feet, its clumsy, like he hasn't used his wolf form in a long time and has to get used to the immense power he has before he strikes, but these vines, they tangle around its legs, arms and throat, dragging it from the cars wreak and into the forest behind it, seeing its claws dig into the solid concrete ground as it struggles to get to me, its eyes never blinking never leaving me, but I blink in disbelieve at what I'm seeing and try to stand my ground, but this vine keeps wrapping and wrapping over and over the body of this wolf until I feel the squeeze, the wolf yelps and snarls, but it's not making a difference as the vines keep a tight hold on it, and whatever it seems to break with teeth or claws, manifests another one or two vines to hold it back down, that's when I hear and see the pop of its right eye out its skull, but this wolf is still struggling, so I glance away, looking down at my side where a small Hag is standing, can't be more then 14. Hair a rats nest on top of her head, but it's the prison jumpsuit I recognise first and I blink down at it, with all the vines holding herbs and spices wrapped around her body, I feel utterly guilty I don't remember her name, she lifts her hand up steadily and gradually her dainty little fingers outstretched, as the claws on this wolf inch closer and closer, dragging up the concrete road, crawling to get to us, that's when her hand shuts instantaneously and the wolfs neck snaps, its head rolls down its body and it hangs limp in these ever moving vines, for this second I feel weak as shit, I haven't done a damn thing in this fight and this little girl that isn't any taller than my waist just brought down an elder wolf, the vines drag this wolfs body into the forest and before I even look down at this girl again, her eyes roll to the back of her head and I catch her before she hits the ground.