The Werecat; The Story of Ronnie

Eight

Screams followed the crash, then the unmistakable sound of breaking bones. An alarm went off in the school; Hunters. Lulu’s eyes widened in fear and she clutched Ronnie’s arm with more strength than he thought she had. Without thinking, he jumped off her bed, slipped his arms under her, and picked her up in one smooth movement. Once he turned, the oak doors of the hospital wing blew inwards, right off their hinges, forcing Ronnie to back against the wall, cradling Lulu protectively. The screams were much more audible now, so much so that he could pick up which voice belonged to who. He winced in pain as a particularly loud screech split the air, and he fell to his knees. He’d always had sensitive hearing, but nothing like this.   

Lulu was crying in his arms, shaking with fear. Was it fear? Or sickness? There wasn’t time to figure it out; He had to escape. Slowly, he got to his feet, and slowly made his way for the door. He slammed his back against the wall again as two hunters came barreling down the hallways, one barking orders and the other lashing his whip out at anyone who was within range. One student fell victim, then another, and another. Once they were out of sight, he peeked out into the hallway, and went in the opposite direction the hunters went, to the front entrance of the academy.   It was utter chaos.  

The front doors of the school had been burnt down and kicked in. Bodies of injured students lay across the marble floor, the coat of arms slick with blood and feathers. There were teachers driving students back into classrooms, hunters trying to bypass the professors, and stray students escaping out the front doors, fleeing for their lives. One hunter spotted Ronnie at the top of the steps, Lulu in his arms. He shouted to his comrades, pointed up at the pair, then started to run up the stairs. His companions all stopped, looked where the first had pointed, and ran after him, abandoning their previous victims. Ronnie’s eyes grew wide and he turned on his heel, making a run for it back the way he came. His heart was pounding hard in his chest, almost deafening him, and panic tried to claw its way into his mind. But not now, he wouldn’t let it in. He had to get Lulu to safety. Lulu needed to be safe. Lulu.. Lulu... Lulu....  

The hospital wing was out of the question. It wasn’t safe enough there, no places to hide her. Not the dorms, either; they could get cornered. Bathrooms were a bad idea for the same reason. Towers? Too high. Courtyard? Couldn’t get over the walls. One place was left...   He took the stairs two at a time, careful not to slip or hit Lulu’s head on the walls. Down he went, down, down, down... Until his feet landed on solid ground. It was pitch black in the dungeons, but he could see everything with surprising clarity. Without thinking, he went to the very last cell, and sat Lulu down in the corner. Her shaking had gotten worse, and her tears just wouldn’t stop. She had both arms wrapped tight around herself, for warmth or comfort. Maybe both.  

Ronnie sat down next to her, and she immediately pulled herself up into his lap, curling up as much as she could. He wrapped his arms securely around her and rested his forehead on top of her head.  

“Shh, Lulu,” he whispered, “you have to keep quiet, or else they’ll find us.” Lulu whimpered in response, then gradually stopped crying. Ronnie rubbed her back in slow, gentle circles, frowning. He could feel every bump in her spine through her shirt. She definitely wasn’t eating right.   

“Ronnie?” Lulu whispered after a few minutes of dragged out silence. She lifted her head to look at him, a dark curl falling limp against her cheek. He lifted a finger to tuck it back behind her ear, a questioning look in his eyes. She coughed before continuing, “Why are you doing this?”  

The question took him by surprise. Not because she had asked it, but because of the answer that came to mind; Because he loved her. She wouldn’t believe that, though. Why would she? He gave her no reason to even look at him twice, never mind all this love crap. Instead, he shrugged and answered simply, “Because you’re sick.”   A frown tugged the corner of her lips, and she shook her head. Her eyes told him that she caught his lie. He nodded in response and ran his fingers through her curls. They fell away lifelessly between his fingers. Still, her curls were lovely, even with the lack of vitamins and sunlight.