Sirens

Chapter 1

I bolt up from my sleep, gasping for breath.

This is the third time I've had that dream this week. They used to only come around once a year, but they've been getting more frequent lately - from once a month, to once a week, to nearly every day now.

That dream consists of a woman screaming over and over again. Her voice is muffled, like there's a barrier between us. I feel pain along with her screams, which is followed by the flickering of the light.

The pain worsens as the dream goes on. Eventually I can hear the woman screaming, "Don't hurt my babies!"

And then there's one last stab of pain and I wake up.

Normally when I wake up, I can't breathe. Sometimes there's tears running down my face and afterwards, there's always a headache that can seem to last for hours.

I can feel it now as I get up off my sleeping mat. I squint at the wall to get a better look at the digital clock on the wall.

The time reads 5:58. The werewolves thought the humans were too stupid to read basic time on analog clocks, so they set up clocks in each of the units in the apartment building. The clocks are also hung up on the wall so we don't lose track of time and run late to work.

Three years ago, werewolves came out of the shadows and showed themselves to the world. But they weren't here for peace or harmony - they were here for blood and power. It was the bloodiest war we'd ever known. Over five and a half billion people lost their lives, and those were just the estimated human casualties.

I trudge over to the kitchen and open the cabinet. There's more dust than food in there. As of late, the rations have been sparse. I settle on some of the last remaining oats as breakfast and sit down and eat.

I groan as I rub my sore legs. Work starts at seven and goes until nine. It used to be from three until nine, but I turned fourteen a year and a half ago and as the work decree says, all humans over the age of fourteen must work in the shops full-time to earn their keep. All children under the age of fourteen are ordered to go to school for half the day and work the other half.

Sometimes I don't get back home until ten. When I get back later than ten, I'm publicly humiliated the next morning, along with all the others who didn't make it home in time. Usually it's a whipping, but sometimes they burn your legs with coals.

The coals are the worst. If you can't walk, then you can't work. If you can't work, then you can't earn your keep. And if you can't earn your keep, then you'll be killed.

I polish off the last few remaining oats and stare at the bottom. My stomach whines for more food, like a young child would, but I ignore it.

I look at the clock again. 6:04. I have less than an hour to get to work. I walk over to where my family sleeps and nudge my father and mother awake, careful not to wake up Zach and Allie. 

Then, I head to the other side of the apartment and into another room. I wake up Jacob and Esmeralda, along with their two teen boys, Nick and Ryder. I ignore the other two laying on the ground. School starts at eight.

I walk into the next room and repeat the same process, waking up Donovan and Mika. The young couple's three children sleep soundly. This room used to belong to my family, but Mika learned she was expecting again, so my family moved into the living room.

Then I walk into the final room to wake up Rosa, who mutters, "I was already awake." She helps me wake her husband and six boys and we leave the room together.

When me and Rosa arrive in the kitchen, my parents, Jacob, Esmeralda, Donovan, Mika, and Nick and Ryder are already eating.

No one talks, too exhausted to bother making conversation. The only sounds in the room are the muching of food and the occasional shifting of movement on the floor.

At 6:15, we all leave the apartment. As we shuffle out the door, we merge with the other people leaving their apartments as well.

All of us trudge down the remaining three flights of stairs, most of us half-asleep.

Outside, the sun has just started rising, and the sky looks like a beautiful combination of pink, orange, and gold.

I rub my temples. Staring at the sun makes my head hurt more. I know working today is only going to make it feel worse, but I have to earn my keep.

The swarm of people moves down the backstreets towards Factory Five. There's seventeen factories scattered across this district and Factor Five is one of the larger ones. I stare at the main road, wanting to walk it. It takes a little over half an hour to reach the factory, but only twenty minutes using the main road.

But the main road is reserved for werewolves only. Humans aren't allowed to walk there because their kind prefers to keep our kind separate from them. Punishment for walking on the main road is a branding on the sole of your foot, an injury that can take weeks to heal. I took the main road once to get home faster and was nearly caught. The crushing fear and anxiety of being discovered in that moment was enough to keep me away from that place forever.

In front of me, I notice people in front of me stiffen and start shaking. Some grab their loved ones and pull them in closer to them.

I know what this means - there's a werewolf up ahead, a powerful one too.

Alphas are at the top of the system, followed by Betas, then Gammas, the Delta, Kappas, Elipsons, and lastly, Omegas.

Kappas, the pack guards, usually keep an eye out on the back streets to make sure nothing goes wrong. There's usually nothing to worry about as long as you're well behaved - and they're in a good mood.

The Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta are usually the ones you have to watch out for. As the highest ranking in the pack, they aren't afraid to take out whatever emotions they have on humans, which makes them the most dangerous.

And a quick glimpse tells me all I need. Up ahead is Delta Shawn Rivers, clearly pissed as he looks for someone.

I bow my head in submission and grab my father's hand, like a child would.

However, he's suddenly grabbed away from me. I fall to my knees and look up to see Delta Rivers holding my father by his collar, looking like he's about to kill.

My stomach plummets. This feeling is worse than the dread I felt when I took the main road.

Delta Rivers sets my father down, but before he can recover, he's punched in the face.

I let out a frightened squeak as my father falls to the ground and Delta Rivers turns his attention towards me.

I quickly turn my head back towards the ground and put my hands together. I feel the man loom over me and draw closer. I tense and prepare myself for a sudden strike.

But it never comes.

Instead, Delta Rivers moves his face to the side of my neck and takes a nice, long whiff of me.

I squeeze my eyes shut and silently beg to the Moon Goddess. 

Part of the reason humans are kept alive is because the werewolves need us to work and we're mated to some of them. Mates are akin to werewolf culture and are like soulmates to them. 

About a year ago, Rosa's only daughter was snatched away by a Kappa, who dragged her away as she kicked and screamed, begging for her mother. A few months later, Christine committed suicide. It took Rosa months to recover from the loss of her daughter.

After what seems like forever, he finally moves away and focuses his attention back on my father. "You have until tomorrow," he grunts. And then he leaves.

I move to my father and help him to his feet. "What was that about?" I whisper as I sling his arm around my shoulder.

"It was nothing," he whispers back.

But I can tell he's lying - my father's eyes are wide and frightened, his face pale, and his limbs are shaking violently.