SWNOVELS Chapter Chapter Thirty: Crane
Author's Song of the Chapter: Doubt by Twenty One Pilots
I’m deep in a nightmare as I toss and turn in bed. In the nightmare I know the Hellhound is hunting me, I can feel it after me, I can feel its breath on my neck. At the same time, I can feel something horrible coming, something horrible that I’m not going to be capable of stopping. I’m never able to stop the horrible things. I trip as I’m running in the nightmare allowing teeth to snap closed around my neck. I let out a gargled scream my eyes snapping open as I sit up straight in my bed sweat drenching my brow. I breathe deeply instantly bringing my hand up to my neck to make sure it was truly just a nightmare. I know it was, yet, I can’t shake that feeling like something horrible has happened. The Hellhound is coming for us all and there is no way that we can fight it, no way that we can save ourselves. I’ll be damned if I’m not going down fighting though. I can hear voices downstairs, the sound of people moving before the voices are outside of my door. My bedroom door opens with a forceful shove from Tucker as he and Caroline enter my room. Tucker plops himself down at my desk as Caroling angrily paces the room. I raise an eyebrow at Tucker who shakes his head at me.
“Who died?” I ask in a joking manner, but it has Caroline whirling on me canines bared.
“The Hellhound killed Johnson, Crane! It killed my baby brother now his best friend. It killed Johnson in our house, he was staying in my brother’s room. It killed him right next to me and I didn’t even hear a single scream! It ripped him to shreds, it killed him. I want its head!” Caroline huffs ending her blabbering with a rather aggressive scream.
My heart slams in my chest, Johnson was one of our strongest young Wolves, one of our best fighters. How could it just kill him in Caroline’s house without any struggle? I rub at my face and try to wrap my head around this scenario. Tucker tosses his cellphone at me gingerly as Caroline continues to pace angrily. I pick the phone up in my hands and look at a picture on the screen. God damn. A message is burned into the wall.
‘Change is upon you, remember.’ The message reads out simply.
“Tell me we are doing something about this Crane because I will not stand to let this thing get away with taking my baby brother from me and now Johnson. If you aren’t man enough to go for it then I sure as hell will!” Caroline snaps at me causing me to look up at her with an eyebrow raised.
Is Caroline really questioning me?
“We will do something about it, Caroline! Danny knows who it is, we will corner him at school tomorrow and do something about this. Danny will either tell us who it is, or he will die! Plus I have an informant I put on hold, I can talk to him.” I growl out trying to mean it even though I don’t like the idea of killing my only remaining blood.
I will do what I must to survive, it doesn’t have to mean I agree with those ways anymore.
“Danny is gone Crane; how do we even know he will be at school tomorrow?” Tucker asks as he wraps his knuckles together.
“Just trust me, he will be there,” I reply because somehow in my bones I know Danny will show.
“We should get some sleep in order to be in top shape to take Danny on tomorrow. Danny may never have been the best fighter, but he has the brains to beat us if he really wanted to.” Tucker states, my eyes flicker to his face but he won’t meet my eyes.
I can tell Tucker’s mind is elsewhere and I don’t blame him. Danny is family. If Tucker’s anything like me he’s trying to think like Danny to understand what made Danny do what he did.
“Danny made his choice, it’s time to remind him why it was the wrong decision,” I say my voice commanding making Tucker meet my eyes.
When Tucker does look at me something there surprises me, doubt. Not once in my years has Tucker ever seemed to doubt me as his alpha on what I decide. Today is the first day I have ever experienced an ounce of doubt from him.
“You doubt me?” I question in an unbelieving tone.
“If Danny really did find the Hellhound and he’s with it, is it worth going after him when it could bring more of its wrath down on us? Wouldn’t it be better to stop pissing this thing off and start figuring out how we are going to survive this?” Tucker asks, and his thoughts aren’t wrong, but I don’t have an answer for him.
We tried sitting back and doing nothing and it still go us killed, so what do we do now? Do we sit by and hope that the Hellhound is getting bored of us rolling over for it and stops killing us? No, that’s not going to happen. It won’t stop until we are all dead and I wouldn’t be surprised with this ending in such away.
“Caroline, Tucker go find a room for yourself to stay in tonight. Tomorrow will be an interesting day.” I command dismissively.
Caroline stares at me astonished at being dismissed as if she means nothing to me again. Caroline isn’t used to that out of me more than once. I guess she better start getting used to it because I’m not going down by her side. If anything, I’ll go down alone Wolf and that’s the way it should be. I’m no alpha, I never was. I was a Wolf playing at a life that never belonged to me. I am just a fake, I wear a mask everywhere I go, and I’m done. I’m done trying to fake this shit. If I’m going down then I’m going down the way I want to.
“I’m not your alpha Tucker, I never was. Figure out which way you want to die and fast! I know how I’m dying, and it’s going to be fighting.” I sigh rolling away from Tucker as I pull the covers over my shoulders and rest my head on the pillows.
Those words are my biggest lie yet, I’m not going down fighting, I’m a coward.
“What if we don’t have to die Crane?” Tucker whispers and I turn my head to look at him where he still sits.
“We don’t even know if it let Danny live Tucker. Besides, what would it do with us, accept us into a pack? Yeah right, it is killing us off and would probably rather rip our insides out than let us live on its side.” I yawn before we fall silent.
I hear Tucker leave before I slip into a deep sleep that is restless again as the nightmare reoccurs but Dusk’s face is on the monster chasing me.