Gaze (✔)

Chapter Eight: Brother in Blood

Dedication to @SetixD for commenting, and the lovely message she left on my wall. :)

Chapter Eight: Brother in Blood

A slender black wolf was first to attack. Its speed caught her off guard, and she staggered back a step, narrowly avoiding its jaws. As it landed, Clara leapt towards it, sinking her knife into its back without a second thought.

Snarls rang in her ears as something heavy knocked her down onto her stomach. She held the knife tight even as the wolf’s claws sunk into her skin. She couldn’t help her bloodcurdling scream of pain as something bit into her leg. She stabbed blindly at the animal on her back, relieved when it rolled off with a whine of pain.

Clara twisted onto her back, kicking the wolf away from her bloody leg as she tried to stand up. She had injured two, but the rest were approaching with a bloodthirsty look in their gaze. Stars swam in her eyes from the pain that she tried to supress, and she slumped against a tree for support. Her left leg was near useless, but her arm was steady as she held out her weapon.

This time, the unhindered werewolves all attacked at once. The knife was knocked out of her hand almost immediately and lost in the darkness, while she was pushed down after it. She screamed again, feeling claws rake across her chest, not hard enough to kill her. The damn beasts are taking their time, she realised.

Her hatred for them bubbled up as she tried to push them away, getting weaker with every moment. With her uninjured leg, she kicked a head, with her arm she pushed away a bloody muzzle. But her vision was getting darker, and her cries quieting.

Her calls for her mate and her brother went unheard in the darkness, drowned by the triumphant yips and hungry growls of the wolves.

These quickly turned into howls of pain as two of them dropped almost simultaneously, lying on the ground with growing pools of blood.

Bang! Another dropped, and the remaining three leapt towards their unseen attacker. She lifted her head with a wince, blinking with tired eyes. Bang! She could see now that he held a gun in one hand, the other wielding an axe. Luke had always loved his axe…

She let her head drop, smiling slightly at the knowledge that her brother was here. It gave her a sort of comfort, even though she knew she was going to die soon. Bang! Only one left…She saw the wolf run past her, looking wild and panicked. Luke let it run.

She closed her eyes for a second, and he was kneeling at her side, calling her name with desperation. She opened her mouth, but couldn’t force any words out. Her body felt like it was burning slowly, and she couldn’t even scream. Her face was wet with tears and blood, her mind clouded with exhaustion.

Finally, a sob escaped her as she was lifted, each wound burning all the hotter. She closed her eyes again, losing the fight to keep them open. I don’t want to die, I don’t want to –

She heard swearing, and an engine rumbling. She was lying on something warm, propped up in an awkward position. It didn’t matter. Clara just wanted to sleep.

*     *     *

Death was…strange.

She didn’t think it would be like this. She could still think, still feel the dull throbbing of her wounds – but everything was black. Occasionally, she swore she heard voices yelling and people rushing about. It didn’t make sense.

And when her eyes opened, she realised that perhaps she wasn’t dead yet.

Her vision was blurry at first as she adjusted to the bright lights. She looked around, bewildered, to discover she was in hospital. Machines whirred and beeped beside her, the only proof that her heart was still beating. On an uncomfortable-looking chair beside her bed, her brother sat. He leapt up when he saw her.