Innocent As Charged (Completed)

Chapter 7

We are woken by a sharp, stabbing pain in the stomach. I wince and Jack shifts into my human form, vomiting. We both internally cringe at both the subsequent bitter taste of bile coating our mouth and the sensation ripping through us, a wave of heat sweeps over us, drowning us in its fiery depths.

Heat.

Scrambling to the ground a lot quicker than we went up, Jack sprints away from the tree, downhill, towards the river, stumbling as wave after wave of pain hits us. Running doesn't help the temperature either; it's cold but we're melting inside, our skin beaded with sweat, still in human form.

Jack, where are we going?

The river. It will cool us down and hide our scent from Isaac.

Just saying his name causes the pain to increase tenfold, preventing us moving faster than a walk, restricting our ability to escape or fight Isaac should he find us.

The wind picks up, the cool air soothing our heavily perspiring body. I sigh in relief.

Don't cheer too soon.

What do you mean?

You'll see, or should say hear, soon enough.

A loud roar echoes through the valley, far enough away so we don't need to worry but close enough to understand we have to keep moving if we don't want to get caught.

What was that?!

That was Isaac. He knows we're on our heat, he can smell it in the wind, and he's going to be coming for us faster than ever.

All my bravery from yesterday vanishes as I understand how perilous our situation is, how vulnerable we are right now.

Please don't let him catch us Jack. I can't face him.

Good thing I have no plans to.

The inability to run severely limits the speed at which we travel, all the while Isaac draws closer, the calls no longer as far off as they once were. His constant howls don't help give me motivation to run; my body desperately wants to just give up, the howls luring us towards the temptation to just stop and give up running. To allow him to catch us. My mind has different ideas though; I don't want him to find us. If he does then he might hurt us for leaving him. We don't know him well enough to know he won't.

He won't hurt us.

How do you know that?

As you pointed out, him and Matthew are good friends and Matthew just laughed at his threats. So Isaac probably won't hurt us.

Probably isn't good enough for me.

I understand. 

Finally, the river is in sight. Summoning her last dredges of strength, Jack jogs to the river, another wave of pain slapping into us and making her stagger, falling directly in the river. The water is icy cold, pleasant on our skin. She shifts into a wolf while we float suspended on the surface, enjoying the coolness, but the pain doesn't fade, remaining despite the water.

A loud growl sounds nearby and Jack is instantly on alert, head raised, ears pricked, although she doesn't leave the water, the pain too much. She whines as another wave slams into her and the growl comes again, just the other side of the trees. We still don't move, incapacitated in agony. Then he steps out of the forest. He's in human form but wearing clothes thankfully. He stares at us and we stare back.