Furry Humans

❝Don’t forget who you are.❞

Daylight streamed through the bars of a window located high above the room, the heat from the sun rose the temperature in the small area creating a humid atmosphere and particles to circulate in the air.

I slam my feet against the wall behind me, finding a way to twist the collar around somewhat comfortably and began to pull and tug on the chain that was was connected to one brick block at the base, the silver burned my skin; sharp pain running through my hands and into my system, driving it wild. I press my lips together to keep in the groans of pain that wanted to slip out and blanket the air with its sounds.

My muscles continued to strain and my breathing picked up, sweat beaded at the base of my neck, hands and underarms, my hands slipped and slide along the chain. With a pained cry; I let go, I slump back against the wall, adjusting the collar around my neck as I shift my gaze down to my hands, the skin was burned and blistered, giving off a bright red hue and right before my eyes I watched the burns heal; manifesting from light pink back to pale beige.

“Baby, there’s no use.” I hear Mom say from across the room, I look up and see her staring at me with sullen eyes, her chest rising and falling at a fast pace.

"No, I have to keep trying.” I say, clenching my hands into fist, snapping my attention to look back her. “I have to get back to Xavier, I know he’s worried about me and. . and. . .”

I sink my teeth into my lower lip, the beast in the back of my mind, whimpering just at the sound of his name, it echoes through my head; dampening my mood, my eyes burning with oncoming tears. The whimpering grows louder until it was almost overpowering the outer sounds around me.

“I miss him. .”

“I know,” her whispers drifts into the air, “It’s going to be okay.” she reassures, but I know for who, me or herself.

I watch as her hand cradles her underbelly, legs spread apart making her stomach look huge in its position, suddenly a foul smell of blood, dirt, and bad breath drift into my nostrils with the sound of keys as they clink against one another down the hall. Mom’s form tenses at the sound but keeps her gaze ahead, hugging herself tighter, the stench and sound of footfalls grow closer and my eyes flicker to the ground where a shadow forms; the person was clearly male and his build was large, the muscles seen on his shadow was seen and increased in size.

I lift my gaze up to see the man now standing at the cell gate, dull eyes boring into the cell, staring at me with no expression, I could smell the wolf in him confirming my thoughts. The bar door opens with a creak and in walks the brunette wolf, he looks me up and down before heading to the side toward Mom.

“Hey!” I shout, sitting up straighter despite my aching muscles. “Don’t you dare touch her!”

He ignores me and continues his movements towards Mom, she doesn’t look at him until he’s standing over her, her gaze flickers up to his as he crouches to her level; the fear in her eyes was unmistakable. The man pulled something from his pocket-whatever it was, glinting in the light- when he turned a certain angle. Four syringes laid in his wide palm, two which were filled with clear glittering liquid and the other two were empty.

“What are you doing?” I question him, the chain around my neck, clinking as I move.

I watch as he takes the empty syringe and uncaps it, before sticking the needle in Mom’s arm before I could get another word, she flinches at the action and blood begins to slowly fill the barrel, once full he takes the needle out and caps it. Taking one of the full syringes, he grips Mom’s arm when she tries to pull away.

“No! Please!” she cries, eyes widen with terror and unshed tears. “You can’t inject that in me, I’m pregnant and it’s going to kill my baby!”

The man simple presses his lips together, gripping her arm tighter and brings the needle closer to her vein, no matter how hard she struggled, his strength out did hers; tears finally flowed down her cheeks like a river of sorrow. Hopelessness filled me and my mouth was moving before I could process what was coming out of my mouth.

“Give it to me.”

The needle pricks her arm, Mom was half hysterical just as his thumb hovers over the plunger, I shoot forward only to be yanked back, the collar choking me.

“Stop it! Give it to me! Give both to me!”

His movements stop and he gazes at me over his shoulder with those dull restless eyes, I stare back at him, my eyes surely pleading.

“Please,” my voice croaks, I shift my eyes to Mom, her body quivering, hands clutching her stomach tightly. “I’ll take hers, inject me with all of it for all I care, just please leave her alone.”

“Abigail no!”

He continues to observe me, accessing the options with no expression, I wait anxiously for any sign he’ll agree, the silence getting to me and finally he moves; rising to his feet and walks in long strides towards me and away from Mom- a small sigh of relief escaping my lips.

His bulky frame towers over me even as he lowers to my level, he takes both of the syringes that are filled halfway and grabs hold of my wrist in his rough palms and plunges the needles into a visible vein, injecting me. Once both were empty, he moves his hands around my neck, fumbling with something on the back of the collar: the chain sudden falls apart and drops to the floor beside me.

I sit stunned as he gets up and walks away, shutting us both back into the cage we forced into.

“Abigail, why?” Mom whispers, concerning eyes staring me down. “Why did you do it?”

I rub a hand along my neck, smoothing out the raised skin.

“I have to, I have to protect you and my sister or brother until we get out of here.” I respond.

She didn’t say anything else but gazed at me with sad eyes, the look was unsettling as all I’ve ever seen was happiness and mirth shining through them, now they were loosing the life in them. Whatever the man gave me didn’t give into affect until a minute or two later.

It starts off as a slow burn that makes my skin sing and sizzle, a thin sheet of sweat coating my arms and neck, it grows to burning the back of my throat whenever I swallow, I breathe heavily as I lean against the wall for support, the effort to breathe was hurting me. The flames licked every inch of my body it could reach, a groan of pain slips past my lips as I fall to my side, Mom’s cry out to me falling to deaf ears.

The fire spreads through every vein in my body, consuming me and clouding my mind with pain, I grit my teeth- clawing at my body, desperate for the pain to vanish. I wanted it gone as much as I wanted to return to Xavier’s side, a cry of agony drifts into the air from my parted lips both from the pain and the loss of being near Xavier.

Tears spring to my eyes while I press my cheek to the hard cold ground, the flames continue to consume my mind and body, heating my insides like lava in a volcano ready to blow. Cries and whimpers continue to disperse into the air, shattering the silence that always encases us in its bubble, I could faintly hear my name being called.

My eyes fluttered, the dark waters beckoning me to swim towards it, it reached out it’s hand, for once giving me the comfort I hopelessly wanted. I didn’t give it a second thought as I let it whisk me away.

Sharp pain brings my head above water and for fresh air, I wake with a loud gasp, taking in the hand that clamps it’s self in my tangled matted hair. I cry out when my head is forced backwards, taking in my position as I lay on my belly, my limbs ached and protested with the sudden movements.

“Looks like the sleeping mutt has finally awakened,” a chilling voice chuckles over me, tightening the grip in my hair.

I freeze, the hairs on my arms standing at an all time high, I side-glance in the direction where Mom was sitting, eyes wide with fear, her back pressed to the wall in hopes of moving further away from the threat above me.

“You know,” the man starts, his voice oddly familiar. “You remind me so much of this girl I killed.” he again laughs.

I keep my gazes on the walls in front of me, despite the pain in my scalp as he pulls my head back to the point my eyes shoot up to connect with the monster’s above me. My blood freezes, the muscles in my body coiling together at the the familiarity of him, the same thing it did those months ago, when his fangs sunk into the skin of my neck.

He smiles, cold and taunting. “I see you remember me, little wolf.”

I couldn’t stop my body from quivering beneath him, his red eyes boring down into my own. The aura around him singles death, many lives he’s taken and that has tainted his hands no matter how clean they look, they symbol what a monster he is and hoe he carries himself; the love for violence and bloodshed clear in his eyes. I don’t know if he expected it or not but I rip myself from him, strands of hair pulling at my scalp, crawling on weak limbs to get away from him, my nails clawing at the floor.

He’s on me in a millisecond, hands flipping me onto my back before closing around my neck, I gasp, my own hands coming up to squeeze his wrist in an attempt to relieve pressure.

“You are so much like her,” tilting his head, he assess me with interest. “You have a spirit to you, fire that waiting to come out.”

He continues to stare unblinkingly at me, eyes wide with curiosity. “Sarah was the same, fighting until the very end.” his eyes twinkle when he sees me connecting the dots.

“Though, it would have been a great idea to keep her alone and bring her here to where I could enough the fun of two halflings.”

He enjoys the way my mouth slightly jars open, he knows I now know he’s the cause of Sarah’s death.

“No,” I whisper, shaking.

His red eyes burn brighter, hair falling into his eyes as he tilts his head. “Who do you think sent the wolves to kill her?” he asks rhetorically, “The first night in your new home? Both times those wolves attacked you?”

I could hear Mom crying in the background, sobs rising from her chest, my eyes it focused on the creature above me— his thumb brushes along my jawline.

“Sweet, Abigail, you were never safe from the moment you were born. The efforts of running away, hiding, were meaningless.”

Before I know it my hands are swiping at his face, watching to claw the smirk that’s present on his face. There are tears, there are screams, words being said and there’s a pain my chest, so deep it reaches my core, not only for a fallen family but for everything that’s happened.

He was the cause, he was behind it all.

A simple quick movement of his hand causes pain to flare in my chest, my head whipping to the side, my hair curtaining over my face. Deep breaths echo from my lungs and out into the air, and slowly, I turn my back towards him when he stands to his feet.

Tears leak from my eyes, the question burning on the tip of my tongue.

"Why?"

He fixes his attire, straightening his shirt and wiping his hands on his pants before looking down at me like I was shït on the bottom of his shoe.

“I think it’s time for you and your family to pay for their sins, along with the rest who have followed.”