Silver Stake (The Werewolf Hunter Chronicles Book 1) (6 page)

Maya and Ollie
continued on down the underground passageway, past rows and rows of dusty pipes.

“I don’t think it’s much further,” Maya said.

“What makes you think that?”

“This incline.  I reckon we’ll hit the surface soon.”

“I wonder—”

Ollie spotted something and his feet scuffed the floor.

“Oh god, Lewis!” Ollie said.

Maya spotted Lewis lying face down on the dirty ground.

As they ran up to him Lewis groaned.  They rolled him onto his back.  He had a streak of dirt across his cheek and a long rip on his sleeve.  He looked sweaty and scared. 

“Ollie,” he said, and threw his arms around his friend.

“What happened?” said Maya.  “How did you get here?”

Lewis groaned again and rubbed the back of his neck.  “I’m not sure, some wolf dragged me I think.  A werewolf!  Can you believe it?”

“Where’s Will?” said Ollie.

Lewis shook his head.  “Man, I have no clue.  We got separated back somewhere.”  He gesticulated vaguely, not really with it.

“We’ve got to get out of here,” said Lewis.

“You two go,” said Maya.  “I’ll continue on and find Will.”

“If you go, I go,” said Ollie.

Maya stood up and looked him directly in the eye.  “You need to look after Lewis.  He’s in no state—”

“I’m all right.  Really,” Lewis said.  “I can continue on.  I think I can remember the way.  I can help.”  He stumbled to his feet unaided.

“Fine,” said Maya, through gritted teeth.  “Just so you know, this is going against my better judgement, that’s for sure.”

“This way,” Lewis said, and he started to walk further along the incline. 

Maya and Ollie, both looking uneasily around them, followed.  They came to a place where the passages split.

“I think I remember being pulled up a slope, so I reckon it’s this way,” Lewis said.

Suddenly they heard footsteps coming from the lower passage.  The three of them glanced down, into the dark.

“You two stay close,” Maya said, taking the lead.

“Maya,” Ollie gasped.  “This might be a set up.”

They rounded a corner and came face to face with a pack of wolves, fur standing on end and teeth bared, yellow eyes gleaming.

“Run!” Maya shouted.

Ollie and Lewis took off and she followed.  A werewolf sprang towards her and she turned to face it, but jumped when she heard the sound of grating metal behind her.  She glanced back and saw a barrier had been cast down.  Solid iron from the looks of it.  The wolf lunged towards her and she pulled out her stake.

∞

Ollie and Lewis whipped back around at the noise, and ran back the way they had come, immediately spotting the barrier that had descended.

“Ahh, this isn’t good,” Lewis said.

“Good observation,” said Ollie.  He started pounding his fists against the barrier.  “Maya!” he shouted.

She didn’t reply, but he heard snarling, then thuds and a high pitched whine.  He got down onto his knees and tried to push his fingers under the rusted metal of the barrier, to pry it up.

“Come on, help me,” he said to Lewis.

Lewis got down next to him, and together they tried their hardest to lift the thing, but it was no good.

“Is there some sort of mechanism?” Ollie said, scanning the walls.

“Probably there is.  Other side of barrier, I reckon.”

“Well, that’s a lot of help,” Ollie muttered.  He went back to trying to prise up the door.  “I think it’s going to work!” he said.

∞

Maya pounced forward, springing over the wolf as it lunged.  Quick as a snake she jumped onto its back and jammed the stake right under its ribs.  The wolf gave a high pitched whine and then started to simmer and melt.  Before it could become mere residue Maya turned to face the next wolf.  She had one advantage in this situation, she decided, and that was the narrowness of the tunnel.  There was only room to fight one wolf at a time.  She could hear banging and shouts from the other side of the barrier, and she cursed. 
They should have left her
.

A mottled brown and white wolf jumped forward, snarling.  His muscles looked large and his teeth long and sharp.  He snapped his jaw shut and growled, and the back of her neck tingled as the little hairs there stood on end.  She brandished her stake at him and his eyes flashed with menace, then he jumped.  She stepped back, surprised, and his paws hit her chest, knocking her back, and as her head hit the ground she felt a tugging on her foot.  She met eyes with the wolf and it looked like it smiled, its eyes dipping to her throat.  She drove the stake into its chest, and as it howled at the pain, she pushed it off her and caught sight of the wolf with her thick boot in its jaws.  She slashed at its muzzle and it released her foot, but as it did another wolf jumped over her head.

She heard a creaking, grating sound and looked behind her in time to see the barrier slowly rising, and then Ollie and Lewis came into view.

“The cross!” she shouted.

Ollie grabbed it from his pocket and held it out as Maya jumped after the wolf between them and lunged on top of it, staking it quick.

“Behind you!” shouted Ollie.

She turned just in time and threw her knee under the chin of a white wolf.  Its head snapped back, causing it to fall, and Maya jumped to her feet.  She saw more wolves appearing at the end of the tunnel.

“Run!” she shouted.

She tore after them.

They quickly got back to the junction.

“This way will be quicker,” said Lewis, pointing up the hill the way they hadn’t yet been.  Maya nodded and they went that way.  She stayed at the back as the wolves were fast approaching.  They rounded a corner and came face to face with a couple of snarling wolves, with teeth showing, midway through their transformation.  They were half way between beautiful and grotesque.

Ollie immediately held out his cross and the werewolves fixed their glowing yellow eyes on the silver, wary.

“Oh no,” said Maya.

“Shit, what do we do?” said Ollie.

“We fight them,” said Maya, pushing past, but just then five wolves appeared at their other side.

“This is not good,” muttered Lewis.  “Wha—”

A wolf jumped at him and he screamed.  Maya hurtled in between them, flashing her silver stake in their midst, slicing the one going for Lewis across the eyes.  Steam gushed from the wound and the werewolf whined and cowered, giving another the opportunity to butt in.  Maya could hear grappling behind her, but she couldn’t do anything about it as the onslaught was fixed on her.  She kicked and thumped and staked, then kicked and thumped, elbowed, kneed and punched.

“Maya!”

She heard a strangled cry and turned to see Ollie on his back, pinned down by the final wolf.  He was managing to fend it off with the silver cross, but it was salivating and growling not far from his face, trying to take a bite out of his arm.  Maya leaped to Ollie’s side and kicked the wolf in the stomach.  It flew back, hitting the wall and Maya staked it while it was down.

It was silent.  Too silent.  Slowly Maya turned around, scared of what she might see.  First she saw Ollie.  He was staring at the floor, his face white, his mouth open.  Maya looked down.

“Lewis,” she murmured, and quickly knelt at his side.

He was lying on his back, eyes closed, throat torn open.

“Is he …?”

“Yes,” said Maya.  “Ollie, I’m so, so sorry.”

Ollie leaned over.

“No!  Don’t touch him.  Finger prints,” she muttered.

Tears started to stream down Ollie’s face.

“Ollie, I know he was your friend, but we have to leave him.  We have to get out of here before more wolves find us.  They were expecting us so there may be more.  We’ll have to come back later, with more weapons, to find Will, and to stop, whatever, however—”

Ollie nodded.  He stood and started to go up the hill.

“No,” said Maya.  “We don’t know where that goes.”  She didn’t add that she thought the whole thing had been a trap.  That maybe Lewis had led them to the wolves.  That was something that Ollie did not need to hear.  “Let’s go back the way we came.”

They started down the passage at a quick jog, their footsteps echoing loudly.  They retraced their steps along the long, long passage, thundered up some stairs, wrenched open a couple of gates, and finally were out in the sunshine, both panting hard.  They looked at each other in relief, shock and dread.

∞

“No word,” said the old werewolf.

“She escaped then,” said The Lord Alpha, in the church where candles were forever kept burning.  His fur glistened and his amber eyes glowed.  “But all will be fine.  At least she has not found our lair,” he boomed.

“Indeed, but the boy, he escaped too.”

“At least we have—what was his name—Will?”  At a nod from another wolf, he said, “Yes, Will.  He will make a good sacrifice.”

“He is ready.”

“Good, but now I am hungry.  Bring me someone full of life to feed on.  In fact, bring me a whole hoard of humans.  I am going to need my energy…”

“Yes, Lord Alpha.  Your wish is my command.” 

“Impatience burns within my veins.  Soon I will be free of this, this
prison
,” he spat, with distaste, “and I’ll find that little huntress myself.  I will drain her blood and then we will all be freeeeee!”

∞

Kate flicked through a book on the sofa at Cole’s house.  When the door swung open and Ollie walked in, followed by Maya, she looked up.  Ollie looked tired and depressed.

“Did you find Lewis and Will?” she asked.

“One of them,” he said.

Kate sat up straight.  “Wh-who? A-and, umm, where?” she said, glancing hopefully behind them.

Maya shook her head and tears burned in her eyes.  She glanced at Ollie, but his face was blank.  She walked up to Kate and sat down.  “I’m sorry Kate.  We found Lewis, but, he—I couldn’t save him.”

Kate was full of concern, and worry, but she had expected the worst.  “I’m glad you two weren’t hurt,” she said.

Ollie walked to the fire, and Maya sighed, slumping back next to Kate.

“Tell me what happened,” said Kate.

Maya gave her the details, but left out the bit about suspecting Lewis was helping the werewolves.  Kate’s eyes were wide throughout the story.

“I
hate
werewolves,” said Ollie.  “The entire species should be exterminated.”

Cole walked in the room.  He’d been standing in the doorway listening.  “Did you find the whereabouts of The Lord Alpha?” he asked.

Maya shook her head.  “The thing was, it may have been further up that passage, but I couldn’t risk it.  I just knew that if I continued on that Ollie would end up dead.  Or worse.  Those things were snap happy.”

“Kate has been helping to do some research and we’ve found out more about the sacrifice.”

“Please say you found a way to stop it?” Maya said.

“Well, yes and no,” said Cole.

“Huh?”

Mr Cole took a seat and lifted a large book on to his lap, then started flipping pages.  He found what he was looking for, then, his face serious, he looked directly at Maya.

“What we have found out is,” said Cole, “that the sacrifice is to break the spell that binds The Lord Alpha to his burial place, a tomb … whose location we have discovered to be St. Michael’s church, an old ruin if I am correct, deep in the old cemetery you have just returned from.”

“Great, and you couldn’t have worked that out a little earlier…” Maya said.

“And the usual attire for a sacrifice is black cloaks,” said Kate.

“Therefore,” said Cole, “to insure that The Lord Alpha does not rise I suggest we all wear these cloaks—” Kate holds up a bundle of black cloth “—take as many supplies as we can muster—”

“Hang on,” said Maya, “this may not be the best idea.  You would all be putting yourselves in danger.”

“I want to do it,” said Ollie.  “We may not have managed to save Lewis, but damned as hell we will save Will.”

“Too right,” said Kate.  “I don’t fancy putting myself in danger much, but I don’t want to wait around here not helping either, and from the sounds of it, if this Lord Alpha really is freed, then we may as well be dead anyway.  I might as well try and stop this.”

The sun hovered
above the horizon, cloaking the city in shadow.  In her room Maya rummaged through her cupboard, searching for her spare silver stake.

“Maya?”

Maya closed the cupboard door and standing behind it was her mum.

“Mum, you scared me!”

“What are you up to?  Haven’t seen you around all day…”

Shite, thought Maya, there’s no time to get into the how and why of all of this…

“Just going out.  Meeting Ollie and Kate, a couple from college.”

“Is everything OK?  You seem kind of hurried,” her mum said.

“Yep, totally fine, just going to be late is all…” Hint, hint, please take the hint mum, Maya added silently.

“If you’re sure…  You know, you can still talk to us about anything, even if it’s not werewolves that are troubling you.  You know we’re always here for you.”

“Muuum, thank you very much, but
I know
.  And I love you very much, but I’ve got to get ready now!”

She put her hands up in defeat, and grinned, then kissed Maya on the cheek and left her to it.  Maya immediately went back to her search.  As she left the house she cursed.  She hated lying to her mother.

∞

A pale woman, wearing a black cloak, used a candle to ignite one that had recently blown out.  The Lord Alpha, the hood of a cloak obscuring much of his face, turned to the room as the old werewolf approached him and knelt on the ground by his feet.  The Lord Alpha extended his hand and placed it on the head of the old werewolf, muttering something under his breath.

“Rise,” said The Lord Alpha.

The werewolf stood up straight and stepped back.  He pulled his hood over his hair.

“The time is near.  I can feel it.  Where is Will?  Where are the humans?” said The Lord Alpha.

“They are coming.  It won’t be long now, my Lord.”

∞

“Ooo, this is spooky!  In a good way,” said Isabelle’s friend.  “I can’t believe that guy invited us.  It’s sooo cool!”

“Forget college guys, they are
way
too young.  Too immature,” said Isabelle, and her friend laughed.  A couple of other girls paid rabid attention as they followed along.  “But
that
guy, the one who asked us to come, now
he
is a fine specimen.  He puts college guys to shame.”

Isabelle looked up at the sky and noticed the moon was full, peeking out behind the spire of a forgotten church.  The area around the church was ringed by flickering candles.  Music thudded through the walls and she felt her excitement build.

∞

Maya walked to meet the others with a bag slung over her shoulder.  Her senses were going haywire in anticipation of a fight.  As she sensed someone behind her, her werewolf radar gave a little jump.  She sighed.  Maya turned around, resigned, but frowned as a man stepped out of an alley to confront her.  It was the tall blonde guy who had led her to Cole.

“You’re a werewolf,” Maya said. 

He shrugged.  “I guess you had to realise it at some point.”

“What were you doing helping Cole?” she said, narrowing her eyes.

“I come when I’m called.  Like a puppy.”

“Huh.  So, what are you doing here now?”

“Waiting for you.”

“Well, that’s just great, isn’t it?  Are you going to try and kill me?”

“I wasn’t planning on it.”

“Well then, I suppose I’ll be seeing you round … unless … unless you fancy helping?”

He gave a curt nod.  “You can count on it.”  And he disappeared back into the shadows.

“Huh.  Strange guy,” Maya said.

∞

Isabelle stepped through the open doors and squeezed her way through the crowd.  People were milling in the candlelit crumbling church, and near the altar a band played.  The music heavier than her normal taste, but its grating sound made her buzz.  On the altar, along with the band, a few figures stood, their faces cloaked by generous hoods.  She noticed a boy at the back, tied to a chair.  And gagged.  She recognised him from one of her classes. 

Isabelle suddenly felt sick.  She frowned, and looked around the crowd.  She recognised a few faces from college, and school, but in the midst of those she knew there were strangers, and more people wearing cloaks.  She shivered, and glanced back at the door.

Suddenly the band stopped playing.

“Welcome to our little
party
,” came a voice from the stage.

A hush fell over the room.

Isabelle looked back around and saw one of the cloaked guys had taken the microphone.  She strained to see his face and caught a glimpse of glowing amber.  He pulled back his hood and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.  One of her friends squealed in alarm.

“The time has come for the real action to begin.  Seal the exits.  I’m ready for a feast.”

As the doors creaked closed a young woman was pushed towards the strange beast with glowing eyes.  She screamed as he grabbed her arm and yanked her against his body.  He pushed her neck to the side, opened his jaws wide, exposing long fangs dripping with saliva, and sank those fangs into the woman’s neck.

The atmosphere changed from that of a party to chaos.  People pushed back towards the doors.  Screams echoed around the church.  The weight of the crowd pushing back took Isabelle’s breath away and she started to see stars. 

∞

Outside Maya, Cole, Kate and Ollie, all wearing long dark cloaks, ran up to the front doors of the church.  They could hear screams coming from beyond the walls.  The main door, a large thing made of old wooden panels, was closed.  Maya shook the iron catch.

“It appears to be locked,” she said.

“Bother!  We didn’t make it in time,” said Cole, as one scream turned to a gargle and then was cut off.

“Well, we better still try!  It sounds like there are lots of people who still need our help,” said Ollie.

“Including Will,” said Kate.

“Of course we will still try,” said Maya.

“Can you kick the door in?” asked Ollie.

“I don’t think so, it looks too strong, and anyway, if we just go bashing in it will ruin our advantage.  Which, in case you hadn’t figured, is
surprise
.  Have a look around and try and find another way in.  I’ll climb up and get in through a window.”

“Let—,” said Cole.

“Just a sec,” said Maya.  “Have these.”  She passed a silver stake to Ollie and gave Kate a silver cross to hang around her neck.  “The silver burns them,” she said.

Kate nodded.  She looked pale.

Maya noticed Cole had his own bag of goodies to help them out, including a large silver cross hanging from his own neck.  He opened his coat and showed her that he also had a stake.

“Good.  Focus on finding a way to get everyone out.  Don’t go too far in, and don’t go looking for Will or this Lord Alpha.  That’s my job.  Stay safe.”

She quickly hugged them all.

“Good luck,” said Cole, and the three of them ran off, leaving Maya on her own.

They found a door around the side and shook it.  “This isn’t good,” said Kate, moving restlessly.

“We need to save Will,” said Ollie.

“Don’t worry,” said Cole.  “This one I can pick.  But first have these.”  He passed them a load of water bombs.  “Stash those in your pockets.”

Ollie and Kate raised their eyebrows.

“Holy water.”

“But Maya said she didn’t know about holy water, and th-the church—surely—”

Cole shrugged.  “Trust me.  That water could save your life.”

∞

On the altar The Lord Alpha could feel the blood fortifying him.  Each drop made him stronger. Power was starting to buzz in his veins.  He felt like this was his true re-birth, as each victim gave him the energy of life.

He held up his hand and summoned one of his followers.

“My strength is returning.  I am nearly ready.  Is the sacrifice prepared?”

“Yes, Lord Alpha,” he said, amidst shrieks of pain and fear from the crowd.

Will struggled in his chair close by.  He closed his eyes and used his strength to fight the ropes binding him.

“Another victim first.”  The Lord Alpha’s eyes scanned the crowd and he spotted a pretty girl with platinum blonde hair.  “That one will do.”

∞

Maya scaled the wall and smashed a small window at the back of the church.  She brushed aside jagged blades of glass and climbed through.  She found herself in a small room filled with shelves of dusty books.  She heard a scream and quickly opened the door, and before her there was mayhem.  She scanned the crowd and up on the altar she spotted The Lord Alpha.

“God, he’s grotesque,” she muttered.

A girl was thrust towards him.  She squealed and Maya recognised her.  Isabelle.  Her mouth was open wide as The Lord Alpha spread his fingers and ran them affectionately over her face.  She screamed as The Lord Alpha’s face got closer to her neck.

Maya looked around and identified the nearest cloaked werewolf.  She stabbed him in the back, and before he could dissolve in a big sizzle she threw him high.  He came to a thud, at The Lord Alpha’s feet, where he finally melted into a pool of goo.

The Lord Alpha looked up and his amber eyes narrowed.  “Ah,” he said.  “The little hunter, I presume.  I thought you might make it.”

“Too right,” said Maya. 

Maya did a flip over the people between them and landed lightly, ten feet from The Lord Alpha and Isabelle.  A werewolf growled and ran at her, and Maya whipped her silver stake into his chest, without taking her eyes from The Lord Alpha’s.

He raised his eyebrows, distorting his gruesome face further.  “Do you expect me to be impressed?”

“Sure.  I expect you’d prefer my blood.  Am I right?” she said.

“Yes,” he hissed, releasing his grip on Isabelle enough for her to push away.  “I want yours.”

“Great,” said Maya.  “Here I come.”

She ran up onto the altar and did a spinning kick, catching him in the chest.  He fell back against some tiled steps and collapsed on to the floor.  Maya stood back, ready for his retaliation.  He got to his feet and growled, showing his teeth, and ran at Maya, swinging his arm to punch her.  Maya dodged and they came round to face each other.  He hit out again but she blocked him with her arm, brought up her knee and got him in the stomach, and as he bent over she sent another kick at his side, and then she brandished the stake that she had slipped into her inner pocket.  As she brought it towards him he blocked her and sent the stake tumbling to the floor.

She gasped.  He grabbed her by both arms and sent her flying backwards against a stone cross.  Her head slammed back hard and she blinked back stars.