Chapter 15 Tears

Running as fast as he could, Gabriel caught glimpses of the werewolf ahead of him through the trees and brush. It was obviously fighting someone and he could only think of one person who would be in this area.

Bursting into the clearing, he took everything in quickly and swung the spear at the monster with a shout. His father ducked under a swipe and threw a smaller spear at its armpit, scoring a hit.

With two enemies to fight, the werewolf jumped up and out from between them, snarling at the wound his father had given it. The end of the short spear could barely be seen when it swung its arm. The injury would slow it down, but it wasn't enough to kill it, so Gabriel feinted towards the injured side, then stabbed as hard as he could with his spear at its open mouth.

Panting, he pulled the spear out of the corpse and turned towards his father, but the man was gone. Could he not even bother to thank him?

Seething, Gabriel turned to retrieve his bundle of clothes, when something caught his eye.

Blood was splattered on the bushes near where his father had been standing.

Standing there staring at the splattered pattern for several seconds, Gabriel's mind tried to convince him it was from when his father was fighting the werewolf, that the blood was the werewolf's, but he knew. His feet began to move before his mind registered, and he was soon running full tilt towards the compound again, but this time for a different reason.

The bloody corpses as he passed through the gate gave his feet even more speed. Cries from those who were wounded registered in his mind and panic retreated into a far corner for later.

Gabriel had always known that a scratch or bite from a werewolf could turn a person into another werewolf, but how long it took was never really discussed. He had always assumed it took time, like a sickness. The men changing before him told otherwise. They couldn't have been scratched more than a few moments and yet they were already in the throngs of changing. How could that be? Why was the change happening so fast?

None of these people were known by him, other than as faces he would occasionally sneak past or see from a distance, so killing them as they changed was no problem. He dreaded the aftermath, when the survivors wondered how he could kill them without any hesitation, but it was shoved back with the panic. They were easy to kill after the fight with the werewolves. Even the ones that had a chance to fully change were disoriented enough for him to take out quickly and move on. He had to get to his father before…

A scream rang out over the village and he paused, almost getting scratched himself as the half changed man before him made a clumsy attempt to swipe at him. That scream was his mother…

Finishing off the monsters before him, Gabriel turned towards the scream and sprinted, not seeing any more people to fight. The guards were dead by this point and the houses were starting. If he ran into anyone…

The first body was a child, but it was dead and he moved on with relief. That was a fight he was not looking forward to. Coming to a clearing, he saw that there had been a crowd of people here, a market of some kind, and his heart dropped. This would take time to clear; to make sure those who were down stayed down. But he could see his sister in his mind's eye cowering in a corner as his father approached her.

Shaking his head, he turned his attention to the matter at hand. There were several people who were injured but not turning and he killed them anyway. There was no time to verify what the injury was from and he couldn't risk leaving them to turn later and cause more death. Tears streamed down his face as he heard people around him crying and pleading with him, but he was unyielding. Leaving the marketplace, he felt heavy and dirty, as if he could never wash the stain of death off ever again.

Another scream rang out over the village and he turned his attention in that direction. He could see where the beast that had been his father had broken windows on his way, yet there were no bodies for him to have to deal with and Gabriel was glad for that. Too many had already died today and there were undoubtably more to come.

Turning the last corner leading to his childhood home, Gabriel stared at the open door. A foot was sticking out with an obviously feminine slipper. The blood pooling under it gave him hope that the death was a quick one and that he didn't have to finish them off. Peeking quietly into the house, he saw that the body was missing its head and relief and grief welled up at the same time. It had been his mother.

As more tears slid down his face, he moved towards the rooms in back, hearing noises. His father perched over a figure who had a large spear stuck out before them. It was obvious with just a glance that his sister had moved the spear at the last second in a last ditch effort to protect herself, and his father had impaled himself on it as he lunged at her.

Gabriel quickly took advantage of the situation and finished his father off with a thrust of his spear into the back of the neck. The wolf stiffened and then fell to the side limp. His head whipped towards his sister at her cry of pain. The spear had dug into her side when she held it out before her and the weight of the wolf impaling itself had driven it deep. Blood had dripped down the shaft and into the wound.

He jerked his spear from his father's body as he started to shake uncontrollably.

"Why does it hurt so much?" she asked in a whisper with wide eyes.

He knew what he had to do, but could he? He needed to go out and make sure there were no others scratched to turn but she needed to be dealt with first.

"You have been infected," he said softly. His voice was smooth and softer than he had ever heard it. "Soon you will become a monster as he did."

"Is there no way to stop it?" she asked, still in a whisper, as if she didn't have the breath to speak any louder.

"There is," he said, fighting the sobs that threaten to come pouring out of his throat.

"Please, brother, keep me from becoming a monster," she pleaded, her voice deeper this time.

If he turned to look at her, he knew what he would see. Her face contorting as the change started. Sharp teeth erupting in her mouth, her fingers elongating and sprouting claws. Fur would be shooting out of her skin and her beautiful blue dress would be ripping apart as her body expanded into the form of the monster.

Gripping his spear he turned and thrust it into her face as quickly as he could, before he lost his nerve. The monster that glared back at him tried to snarl, but the change wasn't complete enough yet to keep it from dying. This was no longer his sister. Making sure both of them were completely dead, he left to inspect the rest of the village. As he went, a strange noise followed him.

By that evening he had verified that the village was safe again. He stood before one of the last men, covered in enough filth he looked like a monster himself. The only place clean were two streaks on his face from the tears he had shed.

"You've saved us," the man said somberly.

Gabriel wanted to tell the man no, that he had only killed them, not saved them, but the words were stuck in his throat.

"There are too many losses to keep this place safe any longer. We will pack and travel to our sister city to the West. We would ask that you come with us, to help keep us safe during the journey."

He ducked his head as he thought about the request. He had killed many of them today, some probably who didn't deserve it, and yet they asked him to stay with them, to come to this new place. He looked out at the forest he knew like the back of his hand. There were more werewolves now than there had been, and it bothered him. Perhaps it would be best to leave this place and go where there were others to help defend against the monsters.

"You could help us train as well," said another man, stepping forward. "Your father was not the best man, but he was the best fighter and he trained you."