SWNOVELS Chapter 18: Devoured
What's the point of owning a phone if you aren't going to use it? Claire had been calling Barry all day and he never picked up the phone. She drove by his house too, and he wasn't there.
He probably crashed at Roman's house after hunting last night. She reasoned. He wouldn't have any real reason to be ignoring her. As she pulled up to Roman's house, she noticed one of his windows were broken. She hoped it had been a young kids fault because Roman is very tempermental. Any kid over the age of sixteen would be dead for breaking his window. She reached for the knob and turned the handle. Sure Enough, it was unlocked.
"Of course it is," she muttered to herself. "Vampire or not, if you keep leaving your door unlocked you could get atta- OH MY GOD!"
Roman's house was a horror show. All of his pictures had been knocked off the walls. Blood was everywhere, including the ceiling, There was a combination of paw prints and human hand and footprints all over the floor and walls. His couch had been shredded to pieces and his other furniture had been thrown across the room. Even his tv had been smashed in and ripped from it' mount in the wall.
"Roman?" she called out, slowly walking forward. "Barry?" She'd been with both of them for a very long time. There was no way they would attack her. At least, that's what she hoped. Claire tiptoed around the mess and peered down the hallway. There were claw marks all over the walls and almost all of the doors had been smashed to bits. The smell of the blood was beginning to make her sick. Closing her eyes and taking deep breaths, Claire prayed they were both still alive.
"Claire." whispered a voice. It was so quiet, she didn't know where it came from. She started to move further down the hall when a loudy haggard cough erupted from somewhere behind her. She walked back to the living room and behind the destroyed couch laid Barry. A huge chunk of meat was missing from his right arm. He had scratches and deep bite marks all over his body, like he had been mauled by ten animals at once. His left leg was broken and his entire left arm looked like it had been bashed in. He had on no clothes, a couch cushion covered the lower half of his body.
"Oh my gosh, Barry! Barry, speak to me okay? Please! Are you okay?! How did this happen? Did Roman do this to you?"
Barry mouthed the word no and spontaneously started coughing again, spewing blood. He barely had enough strength to move his arms, one of his eyes stayed shut. His vision was a complete blur.
"Okay, take it easy. Just breathe. Are Roman and the kid still here? Thumbs up for yes, thumbs down for no."
Barry couldn't move either arm, so he tried as hard as he could to say no.
"Oh god, okay. this is so bad. What should I do? Should I call the police?" Claire was trembling, her hands covered in Barry's blood.
"P-Police?" Barry uttered, in a surprisingly stronger voice. "Are you... out of your damn mind?"
Claire stared at him in awe. "You're getting better?" she asked. She looked at his arms and saw his wounds beginning to close. He started to move his hands.He could feel them again. hIs breathing became easier and his sight was getting better. Being by her was slowly rejuvenating him, but it couldn't heal him completely. He would have just enough energy to transform, but that would be dangerous. He needed to eat to restore his energy, and at this point, with him at his weakest, his wolf side would take control and devour whatever is closest to him. He was not going to let that be Claire.
"We heal faster near people. I'm so glad you came. I would've if you hadn't." Barry managed to sit upright, keeping the cushion on his lap. "I've never faced anything like it. It completely overpowered me."
"What was it? What did it look like?" she asked him, wiping away blood dripping down his forehead.
"It hid itself as a statue at first, and then it transformed into an actual animal. It took the form of different dogs as it attacked me. A woman came. She appeared out of nowhere and called the creature Laelaps."
"Laylaps? I don't know what that is. I thought you were about to say Cerberus."
"No. I know what Cerberus is. This thing only had one head and..." Barry covered his mouth. His teeth were elongating and getting sharper. His stomach began to growl. If waited any longer, he wouldn't see Claire as a friend, He'd see her as a snack.
"What's wrong?" she asked, giving him a worried look.
"Nothing but, I'm starting to feel kinda, um, uncomfortable. Could you find some of Roman's clothes I can fit?"
"Yes, of course! I'm sorry Barry. I'll go check his closet." As soon as she stood up a low growl escaped his throat. He played it off with a smile and watched her leave. He listened intently and right when she entered Roman's room, Barry burst into his wolf form with a painful howl.
God, that hurt almost as much as the first time. he thought as he tried to get used to his surroundings. The light and smell of his own blood was bothering him.
"Barry! What's wrong?!" Claire called from the back.
Barry fought to keep control as he ran out the house. He had to get away from Claire. He had to get away from that house. He had to get away from what was almost his grave.