Liquid Silver

Thirteen

Jem felt like she couldn't move quickly enough. 

It was easy for Brett to push through the crowds of people and make his way across the dance floor. Jem on the other hand was frantically trying to squeeze through the gaps. She couldn't get over how quickly Brett had moved when they both realised the severity of the situation. 

Her mind was racing between getting over to Mason as quickly as possible and the thoughts of what could happen if she was too late. She was cursing herself, wishing she'd listened to Liam when he'd told them something was up. She couldn't see him anywhere as she pushed through the dance floor but when she finally made it to the chain link curtain Mason had been behind, it had already been pulled aside.

Things seemed to move slower as Brett grabbed Lucas by the back, pulling him aggressively off of Mason and throwing him through one of the projector screens. Mason stumbled backwards in shock, in time for Jem to catch his fall. They both stumbled onto their knees as Brett growled back to them. "Jem get out of here, now"

His words were harsh and she knew he meant it seriously but there was no way she was leaving him. She glanced around them quickly, but the chain link and fallen screen meant they were out of sight. At least no one else would get themselves involved.

"Are you okay?" Jem took Mason's hands, scanning up and down his bare arms for any sort of cut or bite. "Did he hurt you?"

"What are you talking about?" Mason took his hands back, eyes wild in fear and shock. "What the hell is happening"

"That guy wasn't human" Jem told him, making her way onto her feet again and helping him up after her. As if on cue Brett let loose a roar from behind the screen. Jem wasn't sure if it was in pain or defiance, but regardless she knew it meant he'd get Liam's attention. 

The music was loud enough to mask the noise as a weird sound effect, but another werewolf would recognise it. 

"Stay here. Make sure no one else goes back there" She told Mason, trying not to let her voice shake before following the sound of claws scraping metal around the corner, her heart in her throat. At the back of her mind she knew she was being crazy, but as Brett cried out, this time definitely in pain, her instincts made her want to help him. 

Her heart skipped a beat when they came into view. Lucas had him pressed up against old scaffolding, his arm against Brett's throat. She froze a few yards away, Brett's eyes catching hers. 

"Jem leave!" He demanded, using the scaffolding to kick Lucas forward. But the other boy was fast, and crazy strong. He was able to dodge Brett's blow and Jem barely got a chance to scream as he brought the side of his arm down across Brett's stomach, slashing the jagged spikes across his skin. 

Blood splashed across the floor as he stumbled backwards, clutching the already blood soaked scrap of material, one hand raised weakly to deflect Lucas's next swing. Jem didn't even realise she had moved until her hands were already around Lucas's raised arm, using all her strength to pull him backwards while he was off balance.

She could hear Brett's voice in the background crying out for her not to try anything stupid but it was too late. She barely made Lucas stumble before he had his hands wrapped around her throat tightly, pushing her roughly against the back wall of the store room they'd fallen into. Her stomach twisted as she met his eyes. They were jet black, not just the iris, his whole eye, completely black like pools of obsidian. 

She was so caught on them, her own eyes wide in fear she barely noticed that he had hesitated. She realised he was fixed on her eyes just as much as she was on his. Something about the silver had made him pause, his sharply spiked arm hanging in the air above her throat.