Alley Cat

I wish I can say that our siege went smoothly. It certainly started that way.

At midnight, we gathered around Aeternum’s headquarters. You would imagine that a large corporation like Aeternum would take form in a narrow skyscraper with endless floors and be covered in blue-tinted reflective glass but no. The entire building is unexpectedly squat and wide. For what it lacks in height, it makes up in space. The building spreads itself out into a cross-shape. There are four major halls and potentially secret basements. Kaya gathered all the intelligence she could about the HQ’s blueprints and found out the humans were held in the east wing. Daphne’s office was most likely at the very end of the west wing. The only thing that stood in our way now was getting in.

Shirisha knocks out the front security. Out of all of us, she is the most quiet when it comes to putting men to sleep. Kaya and I wait for her in the parking lot when we receive a text.

Lights out.

We meet her at the entrance where Shirisha is waiting for us. She tosses us both an ID, which we attach to our waists.

“Nice job, Leo.”

Shirisha furrows her brow and flashes me a sideways smile. “Leo?”

My face turns hot when I’ve realized that I’ve done something cringy. “You know, as in Leopard?”

“I wasn’t aware that we were getting code names.” Shirisha says, laughing. A stray hair falls into her eyes. She takes a moment to tighten her ponytail and readjust the straps of her sports bra. With her belt of weapons and her gun strapped to her waist, she looks like she’d just jumped out of an action movie. Guns and silver bullets are natural to Shirisha as snow is to mountains. She’s so beautiful when she’s herself.

“Hmph. Don’t I get a code name, too?” Kaya says with a hint of jealousy.

I take in Kaya’s disposition. My eyes are drawn to the golden beads attached to her braids. They add warmth to her ebony skin, and her all-black jumpsuit molds to her body in all the right places. Her attire accentuates her majestically long legs and her strong arms. I can easily see Kaya flipping a man over her shoulder and still have time to flip her hair.

“You can be Queen because you’re the strongest of us.”

Kaya accepts her new name with pride. “I like it. Now that just leaves you.”

Shirisha and Kaya turn their backs to discuss in muffled whispers which leaves me itching with curiosity. It doesn’t take long before they turn back around, having settled on an agreement.

“You can be Alli because you’ll always be our little alley cat.”

I turn away to hide my smile, but Kaya and Shirisha see right through me. “Alright. Leo? Queen? Have we heard anything from Todd?”

Kaya looks down at her phone and says, “If you’re talking about Chonky Boy, he’s crawling through the vents. He thinks he’s found the east wing. He just needs to find the humans and unlock it from the inside.

“Rafik is here, too.” Shirisha chimes in.

“No way! He needs to be home with Maria. She’s only a few days from giving birth!”

Shirisha draws a finger to her lips and shushes me. “Keep it down. He’s safe. He’s just our backup plan.”

“What backup plan?”

Shirisha scratches her head and says, “There’s a huge water system underneath the building. If anything happens, Rafik can flood the entire building in seconds. He’s also got a water bottle to protect himself.”

“Is there anything else I need to know before we go in?”

“Raphael and his lynx clan are on their way. They’re dying to get vengeance for their fallen members.”

The thought of Raphael on our side fills me with hope. My body heats up, ready to fight. “Alright. Ready when you are.”

We enter HQ with a cautious gait and manage to make it towards the main hall with a few strange looks directed our way. Everyone here is dressed head to toe in proper business attire while we’re dressed for battle. When we make it to the intersection, we find ourselves encircled with security. At first glance, they seem like ordinary security guards. But our feline scent gives us away, arousing their primal instincts to kill. Their eyes flicker yellow before returning to normal.

“You ladies need to leave. Now.” The person who’s speaking gets buried within the crowd. That’s the thing about wolves. Whereas cats tend to be solitary and can be distinguished individually, wolves can merge seamlessly into a single collective force. It’s what makes them so frightening, their ability to think as one.

“Excuse me!” Kaya says, stepping forward. Her authoritative air is so strong that the wolves seem to hesitate. “We work here.”

“Prove it,” says another security guard.

The three of us exchange glances and take out our stolen ID. Upon seeing our IDs, one of them narrows their eyes at the pictures and sees that the pictures, indeed, do not resemble us in the slightest bit. Their eyes glow yellow in anger.

“THOSE WERE STOLEN!”

“GET ’EM!”

The security guards crawl down on all fours and break through their clothes. They transform at a rapid pace. Their bones snap and form back into place fast enough to avoid debilitating pain. Kaya and Shirisha back into each other, confused as to what they’re seeing.

“I thought werewolves can only transform during a full moon?” Kaya’s tone bends under her terror.

I give her a humorous glance that has her laughing nervously. “In case you haven’t noticed, we’re breaking into a magical pharmacy. These guys are probably hopped up on enough drugs to break every supernatural law of existence.”

Shirisha analyzes the scene and thinks aloud. “There’s too many of them to take on at once.”

The wolves finish transforming and charge at us. I keep the wolves at bay by blasting them with fire while Kaya utilizes the HQ’s furniture. She swings a couch around, knocking out every wolf that charges toward her. From far away, they look like birds getting stuck in a jet propeller. On the other side, Shirisha summons her claws. She slashes every wolf that comes her way. Her claws penetrate deep into their thick coats, digging into their fleshy hides. Droplets of blood spray her face, giving her the illusion of a lunar eclipse.

I see a wolf sprint behind Shirisha, so I call out to her.

“SHIRISHA! BEHIND YOU!”

She heeds my warning. The wolf’s head falls off in a single swoop. I don’t get a chance to enjoy our initial advantage before a wolf snags my arm with its sharp teeth.

“AHH!”

“ALLI!” Shirisha shouts.

I bash the wolf in its skull, knocking it out cold. I grip my forearm, examining the little holes that indent my flesh. I’ve never been bitten by a werewolf, but I know that there are no good consequences that come from it. Werewolf bites are cursed. I wait for dread to set in, but it doesn’t. After all, I was already planning to die today. I just need to die at the right time.

“I’m fine!” I say, shaking my arm. Blood dribbles down my wrist, but I pay it no mind. “I think we should split up. If we stay here, the wolves will get us for sure.”

“Okay.” Shirisha says before tossing a throwing knife at a wolf. The knife slices the wolf’s throat. The creature falls to the floor and bleeds out. “Just...be careful okay?”

Despite her best wishes, Shirisha knows that this will be the last time we’ll see each other. I blow her a kiss and see her eyes well up with tears.

“You’re a wild one, Helene Singh.”

“I love you, Shirisha Chatterjee.”

I run for the East Wing to avoid Shirisha’s tears. I’ve had more than enough sadness in my lifetimes. Now, I have a new mission to worry about. It’s finally time to do something right.

There are doors on each side of the hall. Each one looks the same other than the number that distinguishes it. I take out the phone out of my pocket as I run and see that Todd has sent me a message.

Rm. 501 on your right. Knock and I’ll let you in.

I want to text him back, but a new message pops up on my screen.

Brace yourself for what you’ll see. It’s graphic.

I shove the phone back into my pocket and locate the right door. I have more than enough sense to heed Todd’s warning, but I simply don’t have the time. I know that the wolves will catch up to me soon. I need to go in whether I’m ready or not.

I take a deep breath and rap the door. The door swings open at my touch to reveal Todd standing there on the other side. There’s a haunted look in his gray eyes. Fresh blood sticks to his fingers and his shirt. A red smear coats his chin which quivers when he speaks.

“Todd?”

He pulls me in and closes the door behind us. The moment I enter, I realize that I’ve stepped into a living nightmare. The room is vast and filled with rows of hospital beds. They’re separated by thick curtains which isolate each victim from outside stimuli.

Todd glides lifelessly along the floor as he moves to a bed and draws back a curtain with a harsh pull. The unveiling reveals a pale teenage girl strapped onto a hospital bed. All four of her limbs are restrained by leather belts. A gag muffles her screams as her eyes dart in all directions to convey her distress. She screams constantly. Her petrifying gaze drills into us as she fights against her restraints. Her left arm is pierced by a needle which connects her to a blood bag. The blood is drawn slowly to keep her alive, but she’s lost so much blood that she may as well be dead.

Bile climbs up my throat, stinging my vocal cords. I’m stunned into silence as questions pile up in my mind. How long has this monstrosity been going on? Why didn’t I know about it sooner? How could someone do such a thing?

Todd’s voice bursts through my thoughts, and I cling onto his words. I fear that it’s the only thing that will keep me sane. The smell of blood nauseates me. The screams deafen my ears. My heart pounds so frantically that I’m in danger of passing out. Todd sees this and squeezes my hand, smearing me with more blood.

“What are we going to do, Hel? These people are sick and traumatized! They won’t even let us near them.”

My mind goes blank but I push through. I close my eyes and plug my ears to distract myself from the nightmare around me. Only then can I hear myself think. The voice inside me can speak again.

“Todd. You were just in the vents a minute ago. Are there any exits near here?”

“Yeah. There’s an emergency exit down this hall.”

I rush to a nearby operating table and grab two scalpels. I give one to Todd, careful to hand it to him handle-side first. “Cut the straps. I’ll seal off the other end of the hall with fire. The only thing we can rely on are the victims’ flight response. They’ll have no choice but to run to the exit.”

I do just that. Todd and I free the victims and help them escape. It’s a stressful disaster. They trip over their feet. Some of them pass out the moment they try to leave their beds. Some of them fight us. An old man bit Todd during a delusional fit. Todd and I must have cut out at least 200 people. There might be even more victims hidden in another room that we don’t know about.

“Helene! Tend to the unconscious first! They’ll be easier to carry out!”

Todd and I carry out twenty people before another set of wolves arrive at the exit, blocking it off. The victims scream in terror as they’re forced to back away.

“Todd! Protect the people!” I shout back as I throw myself first. The wolves lunge at me. I stab one through the heart with my claws, but another pounces me. The wolf knocks me to the ground, pressing my chest against the ground. I hear Todd screaming from afar, calling my name. The wolves surround me, pinning me against the ground with their glove-sized paws. Their canine growls reverberate through my body so strongly that my trembles and their growls conjoin to become something new. I watch helplessly in horror as the wolves bow down their muzzles, aiming directly at my neck. Their powerful jaws should have ripped out my throat.

But they don’t. A deep-throated howl shakes the walls and distracts the wolves. The howl is more than an alarm. It’s different from the howls I’ve heard. It’s musical and clear. I trace notes of melancholy and agony that has been pounded and molded to create something beautiful. It has become a song.

The wolves are so moved by the howl that they crawl off of me and join in on the howl. Now there are not one but seven wolves howling together. All the rage that burns through their hearts has been extinguished by song. Their song has an effect on me as well. My vision clears, removed of fear which has tarnished my sight.

The mystery wolf makes himself known as he steps into the building. He’s covered in a silver-gray pelt that’s reminiscent of late night constellations and jewelry. A bushy tail curls over his back. Coffee brown eyes catch my green. There’s longing in his gaze. Everything about him is familiar and foreign; he is a living contradiction that I have grown to love. I stand before a magnificent beast.

The wolf approaches me with slow tentative steps. When he comes near enough, he bows down. His ears flatten against his head as he produces a high-pitched whine that melts my heart into puddles.

“Thank you, Luka.” I whisper. I encircle my arms around his neck, pulling his strange form into me. He licks my cheek, and I laugh despite everything. And when I can no longer laugh, I cry into his neck. Luka Russo is the last love of my life. I cry for everything that we could have had and feel gratitude for everything we did have. I want to thank him for reminding me that strength is not proven by how much blood is shed but by how fiercely you love when you have every reason to hate.

Raphael and his lynx clan arrive just in time to free the rest of the victims and help them out of the building. That only leaves me with one more thing to do to end this nightmare once and for all.

I have to face Daphne Russo.