We Rise From the Smoke

Prologue

We walked on the highway for more than a few days, and we were out of food before then. I barely had the strength to go on, but somehow I forced myself to take each lumbering step forward, towards San Francisco, my home.

Nick had to carry Christa, a beta in our pack, and he didn't look any better than she did, let alone anyone else here. Void and Allison both were in the front, looking at a map to figure out where a good place to either camp or find food is at.

Ever since the supernaturals infested this area of the United States, all the major cities were destroyed, and coated with human bones and spilled supernatural blood. Jack, who stood behind me, almost stumbled, but Newt caught him and helped him walk. We had no food, no water, no nothing but our skills and capability to survive. Everyone else was dead. Newt was the last human alive that wasn't supernatural.

I looked up from gazing down at my feet, and saw what looked to be like a bulldozer or something with the lights still active. After this long? Someone must've turned them on, let alone have gas somehow. "Guys. Twelve o'clock. Thing still has lights on." I said, getting my claws out.

Everyone looked at me, then the lights. The pack all got out their claws and fangs, while Div got her teeth ready, and Newt his Z19. Nick had to set Christa down, leaning her against a flipped car. We all moved quieter than mice on tile floor. I kept looking around me. Anywhere could be a good place to hide these days. "Keep a lookout." Nick ordered. "Ike, Liam. You two on me. Newt, and Div, scout around the edges of the area. Make sure no one else is here. Rest of you move up."

I listened to Nick, and Ike followed. He jumped up onto a turned over bus and I leaped up, looking around. "Nobody. . ." Ike muttered. "Someone just run out of gas and decide to leave it?"

The dark skies made it hard to see, so I used my werewolf vision, and saw nothing at all that looked out of place. "Gas is freaking rare now, Ike. It's not everyday you see a vehicle with lights on." Nick said. "Even with gas that thing wouldn't get anywhere with the roads being blocked by deprie."

Suddenly, I heard the sound of movement, and Ike cried out, being dragged into the bus. Something grabbed my leg, but I broke it's wrist, and I heard a raspy scream. "Nick!"

Nick had ripped off the creature's arm slapped it with it. "I'm fine! Where's Ike?"

"He was pulled in! I think he's gone!"

Nick hesitated, and a creature leaped over and tackled him off the bus, landing on the concrete. I jumped down, and plunged my claws into it's head, and I heard a menacing CRACK and the thing went limp. "What are these things?!"

"I've never seen them before!" Nick shouted. "Their new! Evolved maybe from vampires!"

"You gotta be kidding me!"

"I wish I was!"

I roundhouse kicked another into a car, and I saw at least two of our beta's on the ground, cuts and bite marks covering their bodies. All around us people were dying. I saw Christa's neck bloodied, and I saw more of our pack fall. "Freaking ambush!" I snarled, roaring at them. Some of them scattered, others roared back.

Nick drop kicked one, and slashed five in a row with his claws. I grabbed one by the head and bit into it, yanking it from the neck, and tossing it away. Blood dripped from my face, but I didn't care at the time. I saw Newt on the ground, while Div guarded him, her eyes blazing crimson. One of the creatures slashed me across the cheek, and I ripped off it's arm and smacked it away. But even as we killed off all of them, more kept coming until we were surrounded. A dozen of them all leaped at Newt and Div, and all I could see was them ripping them apart, and I looked away. My eyes were getting teary, and I stopped myself from continuing.

A few more tried to take out Nick, but he swiped them all away, then one came up from behind and used its claws and punctured his back, through his stomach. He cried out, and I kicked the creature away, and Nick fell to the ground. The rest were focused on Div and Newt, and i couldn't bare hear those noises that began to haunt me. "Liam. . ." He coughed, blood dripping from his mouth. "Take my power. . .I'm not gonna do anything but slow you down from here on out. . .Get to the city, and look for the werewolves that call themselves 'The Smoke'."

"I can't kill you!"

"You don't have a choice!" He snapped, then coughed up more blood. "Kill me! Take the power and get out while you can!"

The creatures were starting to finish, and I looked at Nick. "I'm so sorry, man. . ." I used my claws and slashed his throat, and his eyes went still, and I could feel the power rush inside me, going through my veins, and I got up, running for it, past the lights, past the dead bodies, and faster than I've ever run before. But then I looked back, and saw that Allison and Void weren't in the body count. Must've gotten away, but I didn't have time to think, just do. So i ran faster and faster until I made it to the city in about thirty seconds, and I turned a corner to get the butt of a gun in my forehead, and everything went black.