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“Dwayne, come here,” Miti said to one of the guards, standing at the door with her hands gripping the bars.
“Old lady, leave us alone!” Dwayne bellowed, burping up whatever they had just eaten.
I grimaced at the smell that would no doubt come our way in a few seconds. I was standing behind Miti in the dark, wondering if Dwayne would take the bait.
“I’m tired of sharing a cell with this girl! I deserve my own cell!” Miti yelled.
“Shut up, old woman!”
She raised her hand, which was filled with a bunch of the bones the guards had thrown at us, and started flinging some at them. I had to say I was impressed at her aim, as the first handful hit their mark, landing right on their faces.
“Why you—!” the second guard roared.
“Come and get me!” Miti taunted, continuing to throw the bones.
Dwayne, however, seemed to have more control and intercepted the second guard when he was about to come over. “She’ll run out of steam soon. Sit down.”
We knew this might happen, so Miti went to plan B. She backed up and grabbed my hair. “I will start pulling strands of hair from this girl’s head if you don’t come this instant.”
A pause followed her threat, but I knew what was going through their heads. Rich would want nothing short of perfection when he got me. Even one missing strand would send him over the edge.
“Don’t touch her,” the second guard said, now standing up to show how intimidating he was. Dwayne tried to push him down again, but he shoved him aside.
Miti reached over and plucked a strand of hair from my head. “One at a time,” she taunted. “That’s all it’ll take until she’s bald as a plucked chicken.” She took a small bunch of hair this time and pulled hard. I couldn’t help crying out. “Or I could do it all at once so all you’re left with is a broken girl,” Miti finished with a cackle.
We had talked about carrying the threat through, but I’d hoped it wouldn’t come to that. The suddenness of it surprised me, and I screamed at the sudden pain, but the sight of my hair in Miti’s hand and the guards’ sudden hitched breathing made me hopeful.
Sure enough, the second guard came running to our door before Dwayne could catch him. He lunged through the bars to grab Miti, but she moved so fast his hands grasped thin air.
How in the world could a woman this old move so fast?
Miti pulled my hair once more, and again a chunk of hair ended up in her hand. The second guard started growling. Before Dwayne could stop him, he had opened the door. The next few minutes happened in a blur. I backed up against the wall as I watched Miti transform. She was lowering to the floor, fur protruding out of her skin. Her face elongated next, and before I knew it, a wolf was standing in front of me, lips pulled back, teeth barred.
I was frozen in place. What in the world had I gotten into? What was I looking at? This couldn’t be happening. Dwayne and the second guard were unprepared for what they were seeing, too, and I could hear them screaming as the wolf charged.
The only thought that kept running through my head was thank goodness it was dark; I didn’t want to see the scene in front of me in great detail. The sound of limbs being torn and the screams cutting the air were chilling. The smell of death followed, then silence permeated the blackness.
I was breathing so hard that at first I didn’t notice the wolf was standing right in front of me. My chest was rising and falling so fast I couldn’t suck in enough air or get a coherent thought through my brain. The wolf came closer, and all I could do was stare back and hope she wouldn’t tear me apart as well. Then she dropped her muzzle close to my hand. I froze.
A scream escaped me when the wolf licked the back of my hand. She then used her nose to nudge me before turning and trotting a few steps. She looked back, as if beckoning for me to follow. I was still frozen in place, unable to move, fear holding me rooted to the spot.
Seeing that I wasn’t going to follow her, she ran out of the cage and down the hall. There came the sound of a door opening, followed by a bright light shining down the hallway. I heard shouts then, among voices wondering what was going on. The wolf didn’t hesitate. She ran after them, and I soon heard the sound of men screaming and more limbs tearing.
Silence once again ensued, and the smell of fresh blood permeated my senses. Somehow, I’d started breathing again. I realized I had to get out here. No one had come down to investigate the cell, and it remained open, beckoning me to make a run for it. I started venturing out of the cell, careful to keep my eyes averted from the ground. I followed the light toward the door and was about to look around the corner when I heard growling and whining coming from the other side. Fear once again held me in place. My heart was pounding so hard I could feel the blood throbbing in my temples.
I wasn’t going anywhere. I slumped to the floor, cowering in a ball. I hoped I wouldn’t be the next to die.
Luc
Miti’s thoughtscame in strong as soon as I reached the hospital. The apartment Rocco had mentioned was close by, and I headed in that direction, driving faster when I felt my connection with Miti grow stronger.
When I reached the building, Rich’s scent was so powerful I didn’t stop to think. I transformed in a rush, crashing through the entrance to the lobby. I followed the screams and sounds of carnage echoing down the hallway until I ran into Miti.
We both transformed and held onto each other.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” I said, holding her close. “Dad is very worried about you.”
