The infinite growlers

Chapter 3

Mark and Thrain ventured deep into the woods, following the trail left by Fiona's car. The trail seemed endless and tiring, leading them further away from their destination. The eerie silence of the woods, broken only by rustling leaves and chirping crickets, sent shivers down their spines.

Suddenly, a rabbit darted out, causing Mark to freeze in fear before realizing it was harmless. They finally spotted the car in the distance and approached it cautiously. Thrain rushed towards the door, eager to open it, but Mark stopped him in his tracks.

"Are you crazy? Do you want to get me in trouble?" Mark exclaimed, pulling out four pairs of gloves from his school bag.

Thrain looked at Mark, puzzled by his actions. "Gloves? Are you insane?" Thrain questioned.

"You can't just touch things without caution. If we don't find them both and the case escalates, the police will get involved. If your fingerprints are found on the car, you could be seen as an accomplice. In the worst-case scenario, if they aren't found, you could become the prime suspect..." Mark explained.

"Yeah, I get it," Thrain interrupted, not wanting to hear more. He put on the gloves Mark threw at him and opened the car door to examine the inside. He tried starting the engine, but it was unresponsive. Mark observed his actions from a distance.

"No scratches on the car, but the engine is dead," Mark said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "They must have been chased by something."

As Mark stepped out of the car, he noticed large footprints deeply imprinted in the ground. "Probably around seven feet," Mark muttered.

"Thrain, come closer... isn't that in the direction of your house?" Mark asked.

"Yeah, so what does that have to do with anything?" Thrain replied, confused.

Ignoring Thrain's question, Mark turned and headed in the opposite direction. He was in problem-solving mode and didn't have time to explain. "Ethan would have run in that direction since he's smart, but he wouldn't last long," Mark stated.

"Why not?" Thrain asked, seeking clarification.

Mark glanced at Thrain and said, "He has poor stamina."

They followed the path Mark indicated and after what felt like hours, they found Ethan lying unconscious. Mark rushed to his side, calling out his name and shaking him, but there was no response. Thrain joined in, applying pressure to Ethan's chest.

"Mark, let's get out of here. It's getting late and dark," Thrain suggested, scanning their surroundings.

"What about Fiona?" Mark asked, worry etched on his face.

"The police will probably find her," Thrain reassured. He hoisted Ethan onto his shoulders, remarking, "Damn, he's heavy."

As Thrain carried Ethan, Mark looked at him strangely. "Come on, Mark! Fiona will be fine. Let's focus on finding a solution for Ethan," Thrain urged.

Before long, the sound of barking dogs signaled the arrival of the police. They had caught Fiona's scent and were closing in on the location. Officer Johnson swiftly ran towards Fiona, lifting her off the ground, and rushed her to a general hospital.

...

Mrs. Anderson's phone rang, and she anxiously answered it. "Hello, this is Mrs. Anderson," she said, hoping for good news.

"Mrs. Anderson, your daughter Fiona Anderson has been found," the voice on the other end informed her. Details of the hospital she had been admitted to would be sent via SMS.

As soon as she got the alert, she hurriedly drove to the hospital.

AT THE HOSPITAL

As Mrs. Anderson hesitantly entered her daughter's hospital room, she saw Fiona lying on the bed with her neck and some other parts of her body heavily bandaged. She had a pale look on her face. The room was quiet except for the sounds of the machines connected to her daughter's body.

Mrs. Anderson sat down on the chair next to Fiona's bed and reached over to hold her hand. Fiona's fingers were cold and clammy. Mrs. Anderson's heart felt heavy as she ran her eyes over Fiona's wounds.

“How are you feeling, my love?” Mrs. Anderson asked.

“Not good, mom,” she replied with a weak voice barely above a whisper.

Mrs. Anderson felt a lump in her throat. She had always been strong for her daughter, but seeing her in such a vulnerable state made her feel hopeless.

“I'm so sorry this happened to you, Fiona,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes. “I should have never allowed you to go out so late at night.”

“It's not your fault, mom,” said Fiona, squeezing her mother's hand. “It was just an unfortunate incident.”

Mrs. Anderson shook her head. “I can't stand to see you like this. I wish I could take away your pain.”

Fiona smiled weakly. “Just being here with you is enough, mom.”

Mrs. Anderson leaned in and hugged her daughter tightly, careful not to touch the bandages. She felt Fiona's tears on her shoulder, and she stroked her hair softly.

“Everything will be okay, my love,” she whispered softly. “I won't leave your side until you're better.”

“But mom… What about your work?” Fiona said, twitching her mouth.

“Don't worry about that,” Mrs. Anderson reassured her. “I'll take care of it. Right now, my priority is you. Just focus on healing and getting better.”

Mrs. Anderson kissed Fiona's forehead and settled back down in the chair. She held her daughter's hand, watching as her daughter drifted off to sleep.

The doctor came into the room to check on Fiona's health. He checked her temperature, heartbeat, and blood pressure, and all were within normal range.

“When do you think my daughter will be able to leave the hospital... I mean, when will she be fully healed?” Mrs. Anderson asked anxiously.

The doctor looked at Fiona's chart and then back at Mrs. Anderson. His jaw dropped as he realized something.

“It's incredible,” the doctor muttered, removing the bandage on Fiona's back. To his surprise, there was no sign of any wound. It was clean and spotless as if she had never been bitten in the first place.

“It's completely healed?” the doctor exclaimed, amazed.

....

Meanwhile, in a dark forest clearing, the air was thick with the scent of earth and musk as a pack of werewolves gathered under the moonlit sky. Their yellow eyes glinted with anticipation, while their sharp teeth were bared.

Zane, the alpha of the pack, stepped forward, his massive and muscular form exuding power. His piercing red eyes scanned the pack.

“My brothers and sisters,” he began, his voice low and commanding. “We have much to discuss tonight. Our territory has been threatened by the vampires once again. They have been encroaching on our land, destroying and hunting our prey. We cannot allow this to continue.”

A snarl erupted from within the pack. They knew Zane had done something wrong.

“Zane! Did you forget the purpose of the Infinite Growlers?” a wolf growled, accusingly.

Zane sighed. “No, I remember. They were created to unite different species against the vampires' atrocities,” he admitted, a hint of fear in his voice.

“Then why did you bite those college students? Are you trying to increase your authority as an alpha within the pack secretly?”

Zane quickly defended himself. “No! I felt a strong connection with those two, and I had no choice but to turn them into betas of our pack.”

The alpha clenched his fists before finally sighing. “Very well. They are now your responsibility. Take ownership of your actions.”

Zane felt relieved that he wasn't severely reprimanded. The pack depended on his strength, and casting him aside would be a waste. However, the alpha wanted to ensure Zane had no ulterior motives.

The alpha continued addressing the pack. “Now, there is a young man I want to introduce into our pack. He is a lone wolf, an omega.”

The wolves exchanged surprised glances. An omega was usually considered weak, without a pack to provide support and protection.

"An Omega? Who is he for you to personally want to introduce him to the pack?" another alpha asked.

"This young man defies all sense of what we've known about our kind. As an omega, a werewolf without a pack, he or she is meant to be weak," Zane explained. "But this young man appears to be exceptional. I used an alpha's dominance on him, and all he did was flinch. His pure sheer force of will... he is rare."

The whole pack was shocked at what they heard.

"Perhaps he was an alpha before he was probably kicked out of his pack," a beta said.

"Well, that's it on his case. Our scouts have reported that a group of hunters is finally active and planning on setting up in our territory. We must act swiftly and decisively. We will show them we are not to be trifled with."

The alpha's words were met with a chorus of howls. They knew that a battle was coming but were ready to fight and go all out.

As the meeting came to a close, they dispersed into the night.

...

"He has become who you are."