Werewolf Baby

Chapter 22

My entire body was buzzing with powerful anxious energy. I was pretty sure I was shaking but I couldn't tell if it was out of fear or from the adrenaline still heavily pumping through my veins. I distantly felt someone trying to get my attention, shaking me maybe, but all I could see was Shay laying there, staring up at Reed's father blankly. Her eyes were glassy like a doll, the only thing assuring me she was still alive was her shallow breathing. There was a small trail of blood dripping from the corner of her mouth, scratches on her face, deep gashes I could see through her shredded shirt, and a huge wound on her upper left thigh creating a growing pool of blood.

I couldn't tell whether it was a bite wound or a slash. Maybe both.

Sound returned to my ears and I let myself breathe. Unfortunately, with the sudden intake of breath, I inhaled a lungful of the scent of Shay's blood. It was metallic smelling with something else that made the name 'Shay' bounce around in my head. I could feel Reed's arms wrapped around me and I could feel him shouting at Blake as I stared at Shay.

"See what you did?"

Reed drew my hair back away from my face and kissed my cheek. This should've comforted me but it didn't. I almost didn't care that Reed was there. I definitely didn't care about Blake or anyone else surrounding the ring. All I cared about was Shay. What I had just done. What had I done?

Some woman was wiping away tears while keeping pressure on Shay's major wound on her thigh. A man was whispering something soothing into her ear while she focused on keeping her hands still. 'Those are probably her parents,' I thought. It felt like something was eating my insides. Like some kind of guilt monster had infested itself into my intestines and was making me feel worse and worse the more blood Shay lost.

Did I do that? Did I really do that? How was that even possible, how am I a...a...

"Red, are you okay?" Reed whispered.

I tried to swallow but was met with a huge lump in my throat, "Did I do that?"

Reed paused and I felt big, hot tears start to run down my cheeks. Horrified sobs escaped my lips and I might have screamed something as I scrambled away from Shay but I couldn't know for sure. Everything was hazy. I couldn't see straight. My thoughts were a hailstorm of questions, realizations, and disbelief. Nothing made sense and I felt sick. There was only one single thing that I could possibly know for sure at that moment: I had to get away. I had to run.

So I did.

I ran away as fast as I could. I ran away from Shay. From Reed. From Blake, Melanie, Darren, my mom, my dad, Emily, the Nightwalker Pack, Dad's Pack, the ring, everything. I ran away from Reed screaming my name as he desperately tried to reach me as I wove my way through the crowd. I ran away from the guilt.

I tried to run away from me.

But, after hours of running through the woods, not knowing where I was going, only knowing where I didn't want to end up, experiencing things in a whole new light. After seeing things I didn't see before in the dark of the night. After smelling different smells that told me exactly where I was while at the same time I had no idea where I was. After hearing things; twigs ten feet away breaking that sounded like they were snapping right next to my ear, animals scurrying around in trees twenty feet above me but sounding like they were running around my feet. After screaming my heart out and crying, pulling on my hair and wishing I were somewhere else, someone else. After wishing that none of this had ever happened. Wishing we had never moved, wishing we never met anybody here and wishing that I was normal.

After wishing I wasn't what I knew in my heart of hearts I was, I did what I had to do: I stood up, sucked it up, and started for home.

When I got back home, everyone was gathered in the kitchen, waiting anxiously for me to arrive back home. I ignored them all. Instead of rushing into my mother's arms, I looked down at my shoes and pushed Reed away when he tried to hold me. It pained me, but what I really needed to do was wash all the tears, dirt, and blood off of me, and sleep it all away.