Becky POV
All through the night I hadn't slept a wink; every time I closed my eyes I saw the vision. Now it was morning, and I sat on the edge of the guest bed at Nurse Sarah's house, arms folded, staring at the phone.
Mum's soft cough pulled me back. She looked worried seeing me sitting and watching over her.
"Becky," she said quietly, "you can't keep hovering over me like a hawk. Go out, and you said you wanted to get a job." I shook my head. "I'm not leaving you. Job can wait."
"Sarah is here," she said, forcing a smile. "She'll take care of me. Just for a few hours. Please. You need a life too."
My chest tightened. She was right, but every instinct screamed at me to stay. The mirror vision, the masked man.
"Or do you want us to talk about last night and what I wanted to let you know?"
"Fine," I muttered at last. "Just for today. Call me the second anything feels wrong."
I couldn't let my mom tell me anything like you are not normal or give her last farewell speech; I couldn't bear losing her.
Sarah walked in with a tray of tea and nodded. "We'll be fine, Becky. Go."
I grabbed my bag, glanced once more at Mum, and headed for the door. The sky outside was dull, as if it was going to rain any moment.
As I walked down the path to the street, I had that prickling feeling again, the sense of eyes on my back. My claws twitched under my skin. I pushed the feeling down and kept moving, telling myself I'd only be gone a couple of hours.
A shop nearby had a sign for a salesperson. I decided to apply.
"Becky," someone called. I turned and was surprised it was Mia from my workplace before I left for Atlas City. "How are you? It's been long, Becky. I thought you took the job and ran from here," she said, laughing.
I froze. "No, I didn't accept the job. I've been busy with my mom."
We exchanged contact while she left and I waited for my turn to be interviewed, but my mind kept drifting back to the vision.
After an hour, they ask me to return tomorrow, saying the interview was closed for today.
-
I knew something was wrong before I even reached Nurse Sarah's street.
The air was too still, and now my ears could pick up some sounds of screams and cries, but I was still too far away to pinpoint where I stepped on the gas pedal, telling myself it wasn't them until I saw the gates and my heart dropped another beat.
I slipped inside, clutching the bag to my chest, claws sliding from my fingers with a whisper.
"Sarah?" My voice cracked. "Mum?"
No answer. The lights in the living room were off. A faint copper scent reached my nose. Blood.
I dropped my bag pushing the door open in one swift action. The first thing I saw was Sarah sprawled on the tiles, eyes open, a dark pool spreading beneath her. Her scent already fading. My eyes turned red in anger. A choked sound left my throat.
"Mum!" I bolted into the next room.
She was there, a knife held to her throat, and five men surrounded her in the room, smirking as if waiting for my return.
"Let her go!!" I yelled, my blood boiling hot.
"If you take a step closer, I'll slice her throat," the one with the knife threatened.
"What do you want? Can't you see she's just a sick woman?" I questioned, looking for an opening to tear at him.
"Sarah, she's gone. They killed her," my mom sobbed.
"Calm down, Mum, I'm going to save you," I said because I had to.
"No, Becky, run!! You can't save me," she cried.
"Shut up or we kill you now," the man roared as hot tears blurred my vision. I was a mess.
Another man moved, stabbing his knife into her thighs. "You're too soft; she deserves it, her daughter running after an Alpha."
Blood ran down her thighs, dyeing the ground red. Her lips trembled, trying to form my name. "B…ecky."
"No!!!!!" I yelled.
The five men turned toward me, smirking with their knives pointed at me. In that instant my vision turned red at the sight of my mom's bloodied leg, my claws tore out. I lunged at the man who stabbed her, snapping his neck in an instant, the sound of bone crushing as he dropped dead.
My eyes scanned the room, waiting for my next victim, when he swung at me with a knife, stabbing my arm, but my claws passed through his claws, coming out of his chest as I ripped him open, blood splattering .
"I've left your Alpha!" I screamed, stepping between them and my mother. "Why are you still chasing me?"
"Orders are orders," one sneered. "You should have stayed hidden."
Three left. They spread out, circling us. The room smelled of blood and sweat. I could see the caution in their eyes, but they put on a brave front.
Positioning my body in front of my mother, ready for any attack, but my vision was blurring, and all I wanted to do was kill and step on a pile of bodies. Was this rampage?
"We'll carve you up," one said.
I bared my teeth. "Come and try."
They rushed me at once. I ducked under a slash, slamming my claws into a stomach and dragging him up with my claws. Warmth gushed over my hands. The man folded, but pain seared my shoulder as another blade cut me from behind.
I dropped the man with a loud thud, clutching on to my shoulder.
It took a second for me to lunge again, slashing, catching him across the face. He staggered back, hissing.
Only two were still standing. I heard my mother whimper. Rage roared through me. I lunged again, but a click cut through the noise.
One of them had drawn a gun.
Everything slowed. The barrel lifted toward me. My muscles froze. I saw my death reflected in my face.
The sound of gunshot rang. I closed my eyes, waiting for pain, but a gust of wind and shadow blurred past me.
The Masked Man. He took the bullet in his shoulder with a grunt, spun, and fired his weapon. The gunman screamed, blood spraying the wall. The last man turned on his heels, fleeing.
Still frozen in shock, I heard, "Call the ambulance." That was when I jolted back quickly, catching the masked man as he staggered, supporting him to the bed.
I stared at him, trembling, claws still dripping red.
"Why?" My voice broke. "Why did you come back?"
The Masked Man didn't answer. After some silence he said, "Becky, come with me to Atlas City. I will protect you."
"No, it's that Alpha that sent people after my mom and killed Nurse Sarah. I must kill him, I roared with rage.
Pressing a cloth to the wound on my mother's thigh while we waited for the ambulance.
Sirens wailed faintly in the distance. Tires screeched outside.
Another shadow appeared at the broken doorway, tall and broad, eyes burning dark.
"Becky!"
Drey.
He took in the blood, the bodies, the Masked Man still holding a smoking gun.
I rose slowly, standing between my mother and him.
"Why are you here?" I roared at him.
"Calm down. I heard you were in danger," he answered, looking confused.
Drey's gaze softened when it flicked over my mother, then returned to me. "Let me carry her."
"No, you're the danger, and if you take one more step inside this room, I'll make sure I go down with you," I growled, but now my claws refused to come out, and my power slipped through my fingers.
"No!!" I panicked.
The masked man bared his gun at Drey: "Leave now. Your people attacked her, and you still have the guts to show your face to her?"
"Becky do you believe him? Why would I want to kill your mum?" he cried out.
But I turned a deaf ear as the ambulance arrived. They helped my mom and the masked man into the van.
I walked out, leaving him, but paused. "Remember, I'll investigate, and if I find out you and your people are behind this, I will wipe out your existence."
"I came down to Atlas because of you. How can I make you believe me?" he whispered.
"Then don't ever let me see you," I spat, climbing into the ambulance.
- - -
The ambulance doors slammed shut. Sirens wailed, forcing Becky away from the ruined house and from Drey's outstretched hand.
Across town, in a room lined with screens, a man watched the feed from a hidden camera. Blood splattered bodies. And the two men at Becky's aid.
"Impressive," murmured the scared man standing behind Gabriel.
He smiled faintly. "I told you. I only sent those men to test her. I knew she could kill them."
"And the Alpha?"
"She thinks it was his people." The man's eyes glittered. "Good. The wedge is driven. Now we wait for the right time."