Monster

Slowly, I sneak out of the forest, nervously looking around. The sun is getting up, but thankfully, there aren’t a lot of people on the street.

Okay… I need clothes and shoes. Looking around, I spot a lit pharmacy sign. I run over the street as fast as I can, hoping that no one sees me. Making it inside the store, I look around, trying to locate some clothes. I notice the elderly woman behind the counter, looking at me curiously.

Quickly hiding behind a shelf, I breathe a sigh of relief when I see clothes on the other end of the store. I almost run down the aisle, trying to hide behind the different shelves and displays. I’m kind of short, so it’s not a problem, but still.

Grabbing a pair of grey sweatpants, a shirt, underwear, and a pair of shoes my size, I reluctantly walk up to the old lady behind the counter. Her concerned look tells me what I already know. I look like a frightened mess.

“Are you alright, dear?”

“Yes... Yes, I’m fine.” I lie “Uhm, I was wondering if...If there is somewhere I can put on these clothes?” Still looking concerned, she nods. “Of course. Come this way.” I follow her to a small restroom, where she opens the door.

“Let me just get the tags.” She pulls them off the clothes and smiles reassuringly. “Let me know if I can help with anything.” Giving her a small smile, I nod , go inside the restroom, and lock the door.

I lean against the it and sigh. My nerves are frazzled, and I honestly don’t know what I’m doing, but I have to keep going. I have to at least try to get the hell away from here.

I get dressed, put my dirty t-shirt in the duffel bag, and go back out into the store, where I find a couple of things that I may need before I make my way to the register. The lady looks at my things and raises her eyebrows.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yea, I just need these things to clean up.” I try to smile, but I don’t think she buys it. I can’t and won’t tell her anything in case the pack trackers come looking for me.

“Take a deep breath. You got this.”

Sikari’s voice soothes my nerves a little, so I pay for the things, thank the lady, and leave the store. I look up and down the street to see if I can spot a motel… Nothing. Okay, might as well start going and hope that I’ll soon find somewhere to sleep.

I don’t know how long I have been walking, when I spot a neon sign in the distance.

“YES,” I can’t help but scream because I’m exhausted to the point where I could collapse right here and sleep for a week. Despite my burning muscles, I jog towards the motel. Walking into the reception, I book a room, pay and get the key. I’m so tired that I could cry. Finally, I find the room, go inside, and collapse on the bed.

I wake up hours later, nice and relaxed, but my sore muscles pull me back to reality.

“Morning sunshine.” I jump in shock, and it takes me a moment to remember that it’s Sikari.

“Morning...pumpkin.”

She sniggers and I can’t help but smile a little to myself.“So, before I do anything, could you please tell me who the hell you are,” I ask.

“I’m your hellcat.” Freezing on the spot, I burst out in laughter. A cat? How can I be a cat? I only thought that wolves existed. This has to be a joke. One big fat…

Before I can finish my thought, my bones start to crack, forcing me to the floor in pain. I do everything I can to stop myself from screaming. After a moment I stand up and just like yesterday, I feel powerful and strong. Looking at my paws again, I see that they are very different from wolves. I look around and the room seems much smaller than yesterday. Am I taller? My body moves towards the bathroom, but I can’t fit through the door frame.

This is just so weird.

Then I look up to look in the mirror and freeze again. Looking back at me is a huge tiger. A huge white and grey striped tiger, with bright orange eyes. “How…? What…?”

Sikari’s voice snaps me out of it. “I’m what they call a hellcat. We are a rare breed and I’m the only hellcat right now.” This can’t be right. I must be so exhausted that I’m hallucinating. Maybe I’m still sleeping.

“You are not sleeping. We are a hellcat. The goddess, Loxi, has kept an eye on you since your mother died.” Loxi? I’ve never heard of her. We were only taught about wolves and the moon goddess, Luna. I try to focus on all the questions that runs through my head.

“Okay...Okay. Why me? Was my mother secretly a hellcat too? What about my father?”

“Slow down, Hannah. Loxi chose you because of the person you were becoming. You were strong and fierce before your mother died. She saw that you were losing yourself after that, but she wanted YOU, so she gave you the strength to leave.”

“Then why the hell didn’t she give me the strength earlier?”

“She couldn’t. You weren’t ready. And no, your parents were wolves.” I can’t wrap my head around this. I’m a freaking hellcat! “Technically we are a tiger, but yes, the term is hellcat.”

“So…. who is Loxi? Is she evil? With the HELLcat thing?”

“We don’t have time for this!”

Sikaris voice is impatient, and she forces me to shift back. My bones crack again and I shift back to myself. Luckily not that painful this time. Going inside the bathroom, I stand in front of the mirror and all I see is one big mess. My face is covered in mud and bruises, my thick mane of hair looks like it has been through a hurricane. I turn around to look at the wounds on my back. Shit, they seriously need some cleaning.

I go back into the room, take my duffel bag, and empty its contents on the bed. Grabbing the shampoo, toothbrush, and toothpaste, I go back into the bathroom, turn on the water, and take a short shower while I try to get Sikari to tell me more, but for now, she won’t.

It took a long while before I got my hair under control, so that I could braid it. I also bought a hair color, but decided against it for now. Getting dressed, I lock up, buy some snacks and return the key.

The older man at the reception tells me where I can find a bus stop. It will take me to a bus station and from there, I can choose wherever I want to go.

Sitting on a bench, waiting for a bus, I wonder if I shouldn’t just start walking to get the hell out of here and get as far away as possible. Just as I’m about to get up, I feel a prick on the back of my neck. I go to turn around and look, but I already feel dizzy and the last thing I hear is Sikaris roaring voice.

“NOOO.”

I’m tired. So, so tired. Still, I open my eyes and look around. I’m lying on a damp floor in what looks like a basement. No, no, no, no. They found me! Then I notice the bars. I’m in a cell. I don’t remember seeing cells in the pack house.

“Well, look who’s up.” Fear fills me when I see a stranger walk up to the cage and slam the bars, making me flinch back. I try to clear my head, but everything is still a bit fuzzy.

“Where… what?”

“Questions later, answers first. What are you?”

“I... what?” He slams the bars again. “WHAT ARE YOU?” My fuzzy mind has no idea what he is talking about.

“My... My name is Hannah...I’m... I’m 17 years old.”

“I didn’t ask who you are. I asked WHAT you are!?” Oh shit! Sikari told me not to show her to anyone. That no one could know about her. I press my back against the wall and stay quiet.

The stranger gives me an evil grin “Don’t want to tell me, huh? I’ll get it out of you.” The fear paralyzes me. I Can’t breathe, I can’t move, I can’t think. The stranger whistles and two large men come to the cage and opens the door. I crawl back, hyperventilating, shaking like a leaf.

“What are you doing? Please don’t…” They grab my arms and drags me out of the cell. Only on the way out do I get a clear view of the room. Four cells with a kid in each one of them. What the hell is this place?

I try to struggle, but again, my body is too small and weak, and I’m nothing compared to these guys. They drag me into a big white room, where they throw me into a chair and lock my hands, feet, and neck in restraints. Tears are running down my face and I’m petrified for what’s going to happen.

“Please let me go. What are you doing?”

The stranger from before comes in and stops only inches from my face. “What are you?”

“Wh... what are you talking about?” Sikari told me that no one could see her. That no one could know about her. He pulls his arm back and punches me in the face. I whimper and taste the metallic taste of blood in my mouth.

“WHAT ARE YOU?”

“I don’t...”

WHACK WHACK. Two more punches. His evil grin comes back, and he walks over to a table filled with different things that I can’t see. When he comes back, he’s holding a syringe, flicking it with his finger.

“What are you?”

“I... I...” He punches me again and I feel my lip split. Before I can react, he sticks the syringe into my neck and empties it. “Now, this drug will delay your pain, so enjoy it while it lasts.”

I look in horror while he picks something up from the table. It looks like long needles, and he crouches down in front of me and takes off my shoes. “This won’t hurt a bit. Well, for a while anyway.” He smirks again.

He takes my foot and I watch in horror when he sticks the needles under my toe nails. I try to fight him, but it’s no use. My legs are restrained, making me completely immobile. Even though I can’t feel any pain, I’m crying like crazy. Why is this happening to me? Why me? Who are they?

“They’re hunters.”

“Sikari? Thank god.”

“Not really. They want to make you shift.”

“Why?”

“So they can study me.”

“Oh God. I won’t do it, I promise!”

“Don’t promise anything. They will torture you until you break.” I can’t let that happen. She said that she was one of a kind. “Then I’ll try. I won’t let them hurt you.”

“It’s okay, Hannah. Let me take over. You don’t deserve this.”

The man sticks in more needles under the nails, this time in my fingers. “Neither do you!” After he has put all the needles in my fingers, he stands up straight with another evil smirk on his face.

“I’ll leave you alone for a while. Enjoy.” Him and the guards laugh, leave the room, and lock the door.

After a while, I start to feel the pain in my fingers and toes. It’s excruciating and I scream in pain. I don’t feel strong. Not like when I turned into Sikari. I feel weak. So, so weak. I don’t know how long I’m in the white room, but the pain is getting worse by the minute and my voice is hoarse from screaming, but I don’t want to give them the satisfaction of changing. I just can’t.

The door opens and the man comes into the room with two men. “How are you doing? Feeling the pain?” My muscles are on fire from feeling the pain, but I stay quiet. He punches me two times, and I’m pretty sure that I hear something crack.

“WHAT ARE YOU? Still silent earns me another punch. “Fine. Suffer. Take her back to her cell.” They unlock the restraints and drags me out of the room. I don’t fight. I don’t scream. My mind is numb. Just like in the basement in my old home. From one hell to another. I can feel Sikari scratch under the surface, but I push her down. Lock her away.

They will not get to her!