Fated Mate

It was dark when Dave pulled the car into his driveway and the moon shone brighter than the streetlights. The vacation seemed so short, but he was more relaxed than he was three weeks ago. He had enjoyed the time he had spent with his family. It showed him exactly how much he loved them and wouldn’t want to be without them. The kids wanted to stay longer, but he had to get back to work.

“We are home,” Dave announced to his family. Jayson jumped out of the car, Martha followed suit with Alice in her arms. Merilee had fallen asleep and didn’t seem to be waking up anytime soon.

“Honey, wake up we’re home,” Dave whispered as he nudged her gently to wake up, instead she lay flat on her belly in the vacant back seat. She looked so sweet and peaceful, deep in her slumber. But he knew better, Merilee was just pretending so that he could carry her in. There was no other choice but to submit to the little princess, then come back and get the bags.

Before he could step out of his car, he heard his wife’s chilling, piercing scream. Fear gripped him and he froze. His wife’s pleas jolted him awake. He opened his car door, and ran into the house.

There in his living room were six people and two six feet tall, huge wolves, hunched down, like they were cramped in a tight space. A black one stood over his son, while the brown one was over his wife and daughter. Alice held on to Martha, crying loudly as if she knew the danger they were in. Jayson didn’t move a muscle. He had fear written all over his face. Martha was now sobbing, trying to calm Alice down while she still pleaded for the lives of her children.

“That’s him.” One of the men pointed at Dave with an accusing finger, a smug look on his face.

Another man who looked like the leader, turned toward him with a wicked smile. “Hallo, Mr. Dave Jackson. I was just getting acquainted with your family.” He pointed down toward them. “You know, this is your fault. You saw our kind, and watched them in combat. You are a witness to our existence and we can’t have that. If you had not been in that restaurant, at that time, we wouldn’t have to be here.”

“Please I beg you, don’t hurt them. Do what you want with me, just let them go?” Dave tried to remain cool but panic was already taking over him.

“Of course we will.” Relief flowed over him but it only lasted as long as the words were uttered.

“Oh damn, we have another problem. They now know that we exist. I was willing to let them go but…you can see how complicated the situation has become?” He pointed at his oversized dogs with sarcasm spewing out of his lying mouth.

“Let’s move this along. Cole kill Mr. Jackson, you two take them out. Oh, and another thing, make him watch, and then kill him.” He gave the assassination instructions as if he was asking them to take out the trash.

“No, please no!” Dave was crying now, out of anger, despair, pain, guilt, frustration and resign. He had brought this fate to his family it was his fault. They never should have gone back home, and now he was going to watch his family die.

Cole held Dave’s arms behind him and held up his head. Dave tried to fight his grip but it was useless, he held him down effortlessly, it was like fighting a brick wall.

The black wolf attacked Jayson first. It tore him to pieces as if he was disassembling a doll. Blood shot everywhere. Dave was paralyzed now, he couldn’t cry, nor move. His throat was burning and his chest tightened. His feet gave way under him, but his position was fixed. Cole held him up and supported his weight with his one hand. Martha’s screams only got worse. She was close to fainting when she watched the wolf eat her son’s body parts while the humans licked his blood off the floor.

They then turned to Martha and Alice. Martha held on to Alice as tight as she could. She then pinned Alice under herself and shielded her with her body. One of the humans pulled Martha off Alice with one hand. Alice ran out of the room but a woman came back with the child silent in her arms. She held Alice’s arm like a rug doll and threw her up in the air. The two wolves lifted their heads and caught her head and feet. With a swift movement they tore her in two. Martha fell silent at that sight. She slumped down on the floor, empty in despair and resignation. She sat there and waited for her fate. It didn’t take long before they descended on her, ripping her flesh apart, eating and drinking her.

Then all the attention fell on Dave.

Dave couldn’t take it anymore. He wanted to die, as soon as possible. His breath shortened, his chest felt tight like it was being crushed in a paper mill. His eyes were red and burning with tears.

Full of despair, he closed his eyes and waited.

“Daddy what’s going on and why is there red paint all over?” Dave was startled. He had completely forgotten about Merilee. “Daddy, I want mummy, where’s mummy?” She whined in fear.

“Merilee, run!”

Shocked and even more scared by her father’s tone and the people approaching her, she turned around and ran out the door. One of the men ran after her, he went past them like a breeze. There was no way she would out run him. Dave tried to fight the death grip Cole had him in, he wanted to save the last of his family, but he wasn’t making any headway and was slowly giving up.

All of a sudden, the man came flying back into the house. He landed at their feet. With a closer look, the man was headless and bleeding from his torn neck and his chest had a massive hole in it. Cole let his grip loose, the others had fear written all over their faces. In a split second, three men came running in, taking out all those in their way, swiftly and methodically. All Dave could hear was breaking bones and cries of pain.

Dave recognized the faces of his three saviors. They were the men from the diner. He turned to run out to find his daughter. After his first step he was grabbed by his neck and thrown against the wall. Pain shot through his body, and then he went numb. He was oblivious of what was going on around him now. He could taste blood in his mouth but couldn’t move his hands to wipe it off. He knew he was dying, but he was more concerned about his daughter and her safety.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

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It was all over as fast as it had begun. Joe took a body count and threw all the visible body parts in the middle of the living room, which was washed in more blood.

Ash went to Dave’s limp body and hunched over him. He was spitting out blood trying hard not to choke on it. Ash could see he had injured his spine and wouldn’t be alive for long.

Without warning Merilee ran into the house with an unconcerned Sabrina walking in behind her. She looked around the room, searching for a familiar face. She turned to where Ash was, their eyes locked for a moment before she shifted them and saw her father, lying there motionless with blood pouring out of his mouth.

With a soft frightened voice she called out to her father, but didn’t dare move any closer, “Daddy.”

A tear ran down Dave’s cheek and uttered the last words Merilee would ever hear from him, “Please. Don’t…let…her…”

With that, Ash picked her up and tried to hand her over to Sabrina, but she had fists full of Ash’s bloody shirt in her tiny hands. Ash looked into her soft tearful hazel eyes. He saw fear in them; fear no child should ever have. He felt the heaviest load of guilt fall on him. He caused the fear she had, the pain she would soon be suffering when she was old enough to understand what happened.

Ash turned her head so that she could look into his eyes and away from her dying father. He then gently pried her fingers open, whispering thoughts in her mind that momentarily pulled her out of their immediate environment.

She looked blank and a little confused but stayed quiet. The soft sobs slowly fading away and her eyes fixed on Ash’s.

“Get her out of here! Take her anywhere but here!” Ash spoke harshly at Sabrina once she had Merilee in her arms.

It didn’t take long before Merilee was back to reality. She kicked and fought; she didn’t want to go, especially since her father looked so hurt. She cried and screamed at the top of her voice, but Sabrina didn’t pay much attention to her.

Ash turned back to Dave, Merilee’s cries ringing in his ears. He couldn’t let this happen, not again, Baku wouldn’t win this one. He resolved to try and lessen both Dave’s and Merilee’s pain.

“Ash, don’t.” Billy held him back by his shoulder, “let it be.”

Ash looked at him with a stare that made Billy retract his arm like he was holding it over a hot pan. Ash then turned his attention to Dave. He walked slowly toward him and hunched over him. He was going to give a father a gift no one had ever cared to give him.