Gasping for air in a clammy sweat is not how I believed I'd come back to consciousness. After all, my last wakeful moment I feared for my life. It feels like it was only seconds ago when I fell into a dizzy spell, noticing an immense pressure in my head. Once my sight and hearing begun to fade I allowed myself to faint, and now I've come to mind somewhere else.
Now, a thickness in the air overwhelms my nostrils and my body feels exhausted. Im stiff but very much alive and not eaten; even though now I recall the werewolves had to spare my life for the Hunters' sake, whom I assume I'm in the hands of now.
My glued eyelids become difficult to pry open and so getting my bearings seems to be a lot harder than usual. Once I'm able to rub them open, I try to find the sources of life that my ears pick up. Discovering the room to have two other people accompanying me.
With only two other existing heartbeats, harsh breaths, and a tapping sound, my body jolts up into a sitting position; feeling my tailbone scraping against a hard floor. My brain notes how my body is against something cold and hard, while I blink trying to focus.
I'm quite confused, finally coming to and understanding that the dim room is more like a hallway of confined cells with barred doors. Finally being able to observe my surroundings I can determine that Luke is locked away in the cell across from me and as I lean closer with my face to the metal rods I can catch a look at Jane beside him in her own confined room.
Waking up in a cell throws me back to the horrors of imprisonment, but this place is much dirtier and reminds me of a less human-like prison. This isn't exactly what I'd imagine to be in a castle, but instead it's more of a dog kennel building that's rundown or overgrown.
Before I get anyone's attention I wait to see what I can perceive with my ears so I can monitor my safety and chances of getting free. My ears tell me that outside, birds are chirping and small animals are scurrying through leaves and bushes. I hear trees creaking, and a bit of a wind whistling through the air. This tells me that behind these walls is a forest, sounds I'm very accustomed to.
Not only this, but I can prove it's daytime with the activity from nature outside. This can benefit us as well because the werewolves are not going to want to expose themselves in daytime, unless they know the area very well. One thing is that I don't know if we are on Elyria or on Earth; with werewolves we'd never know.
The structure that holds us capture is much smaller than I initially thought, now hearing that there may only be one other room, but no signs of life in the building. With this I give myself free range to speak at Luke across the way, "Wake up!"
Jane stands, pacing forward a bit to stare at me through the enclosures, "Be quiet," Her stern huff makes me step back in judgement towards her. "...the wolves could hear."
Of course we should be mindful of the werewolves possible enhanced hearing, but I can promise none of them or in this building or right outside it, "This building is empty other than the three of us..." I keep my voice at a low whisper.
Pure fear instantly emerges inside my body when it comes to my mind, I had completely disregarded the rest of the group. How could I be so unconcerned about them?
Not hearing signs of others around me can only mean one thing: they've been taken somewhere else.
Without hearing any signals of Luke stirring, I bring my full attention to him sprawled across the floor. My breathing becomes heavy when I see dark bruises across his face, forgetting about the wolves and instead developing a huge concern for him.
I start with hesitation, "Luke?"
Hes up instantly, turning his head around like I was a stranger to him. Once he meets eye contact with me he sighs, coming to conclusion that it's only me, "Hi..."
"Where's the others?" I question, "It's just us three."
Jane and Luke both gaze around, not answering but giving me shrugs and shaking heads.
****
We sit for what feels like hours passing by, feeling our bodies dwindling with the lack of food and water, as well as the addition of being exhausted. My only way to occupy the time spent in imprisonment is to meditate; focusing only on my extraordinary ears instead of spirituality.
Narrowing down the key details of the site was simple, and so now I can place a depiction of the outside terrain without using my eyes. I know how many buildings exist, where the doors are and most importantly how many others there are. This gives me the options to understand where everything is compared to me, and to formulate an escape plan once we're out of the building.
Other than the almost musically sounding forest, I found the building closest to ours just somewhat behind me. The only other existing structure is a smaller place further away from us on the opposite side of the first discovered building. The furthest is occupied by Estelle and Lynn, I know so just because of their endless conversations.
With this information, the most important part is that the other human-like creatures I can pick up on are in the seperate buildings. There is no proof that the werewolves are on this property, but I'm unsure if the others I've found are wolves in their Elyrian form. My second assumption is that we're not with the werewolves at all anymore and are instead in the hands of the Hunters.
The disturbing silence of the others, make me unable to keep track of who they are other than the fact that one is set apart from the rest. This two legged creature is able to have free range of the territory. They had been going inside and out of a building many times. Whoever this is, is unlike others who rarely resonate any large movements.
Not much time passes before I hear the person grasping something in their hands that sounds like clinking sounds; metal on metal. At first I don't recognize what's happening, even as I hear a lock clicking and metal scraping rough against something else. Once it happens all over again, there are now three sets of feet stepping out of the building.
Without any speaking coming from the three, there's no way I can determine exactly what is happening. Once I can hear the set of three's footsteps against grass fairly loud, I know they're passing the side of the building.
To my left, at the end of the hallway I can hear a door opening in the enclosed room. A vibration through the ground at a harsh push, as the heavy door is shut behind them.
I become faint all over again, silently begging for mercy that they're not who I think they are. They can't be werewolves, but at this time I'm kinda wishing it was them. If it's a Hunter then my hopes and dreams of the future will be gone for good.
Maybe my fate has been set in stone by the Hunters, to change the future for the better with me not in it; to prevent me from becoming something they don't want. I most certainly will not accept this because getting sacrificed for a better future is not how I plan to live my last moments.
The safe distance between me and the three individuals gets cut short as the door to the hallway now opens slowly. The atmosphere instantly becomes still as if in anticipation, making my arm hair stand up on end. Luke and I exchange looks, his face seeming now colorless in the yellowed lighting.
Before anything I scramble away from the barred door. Giving a last glance at Luke mirroring me before I lower my head in fear of acknowledging a familiar face to walk by.
The snapping footfalls against the hard floor haunt me, reminding me of what it was like to listen for men passing by when I was last abducted to the Hunter's abode. The fear is immensely similar; sickening and heart palpitating.
"Janalyn?!"
My heart leaps.
"It's Jane, and Luke...and...Ellie!"
The voices sound quite acquainted, greeting us so easily that my thoughts on the Hunters ensuing me dissolves out of thin air. Within seconds they're being withheld from me, all the while I'm unable to land an eye on them as well. The two are instantly addressed as my aunt and grandfather.
A third individual from behind them speaks, "Please get into seperate chambers."
The man's voice instantly intrigues me, making me feel an emotion that I never have before. I'm unable to explain it but his calmness and politeness draws me to him. I step close to the barred door, trying to peek at the strange man locking up one of my family members but the left wall blocks my view.
Suddenly, my ears pick up on a sound from outside. Two new beings are sneaking around the outside of the building, placing their hands on the outside of the concrete. They don't converse with each other, only stopping and then going once more.
As the man inside locks up my two Elyrian companions, I can predict what's going to happen next. The man's footsteps click on the hard stone floor as he walks away, while the entrance of the building is being opened; almost seized by these stealthy people.
There's going to be some sort of dispute in the near future.
Down the hallway the door bursts open, slamming against what I assume is the wall. Our warden disproves of the strangers by pacing backwards, making me understand they're being threatening. I hear a blade sliding out of what I'm assuming is a holster and a woman's voice stammering, "What is going on here?" She sounds confident, not fearful, owning the place as her own when we all know she's trespassing.
At the sound of our jailer's body being pushed against a free swinging jail cell door, he gives himself up quickly, "I'm not entirely sure, I'm a servant to this werewolf pack..."
So he's not a Hunter or a werewolf?
The woman is flustered, whispering to her accomplice, "I'm gonna lock him up so he won't get in our way." She sounds vengeful.
A second voice agrees, "Less people to fight."
I grip the cold bars tight, staring at Luke who's mouth is wide open. To my suprise he takes a leap of hope, "Leddy? Abe?"
To my shock the woman at the end of the room gasps, "Who the actual hell knows our voices?"
My aunt gasps as if knowing the names as well. I step back as far as I can go into the cell once more, afraid of the woman's enraged attitude.
Luke laughs, his tenseness falling in his shoulders, "I'd recognize your attitude anywhere. Stupid, it's me..."
The woman Luke has identified as Leddy orders the second man to take hold of the werewolves servant, and then she stomps down the corridor laughing, "It can't be you? On Earth, never."
So we are on Earth still.
She slows, stopping to look at my grandfather and aunt first, then stopping at Luke's jailcell. Instantly she begins laughing hysterically, "Luke, I never thought I'd catch you locked up in this way, but I'm not suprised." Her harsh voice reminds me of a man's, but slightly feminine. By her stance I can just tell she is tough, with her broad shoulders and muscular calves.
"Abe, bring me the fuckin' keys," She shakes her head. "It's Luke Box."
A muffled jingle of keys inside a pocket are pulled up into the open air at the end of the hall. Then them being tossed across the room, and caught with one hand by the almost frighteningly cool woman in front of me.
She dangles them inches from Luke's face, "Or should I let him sit here a little while longer? Hmm?"
The man I assume to be Abe sighs, "Come on Leddy, stop playing. We've got a job to do."
As she fiddles through the keys Luke questions, "How did you two end up here?"
"Buisiness." She answers vaguely.
The right key is found and then she's sticking the piece of metal into the ring at the door.
Abe lowers his voice, "We've been investigating this pack, tracking them."
"For what?"
"The Elyrian Councils." Abe replies.
"The pack dissapeared off of Elyria," Leddy adds, "This is where our leads brought us to, with the proof that our leads are always correct."
As the lock clicks on Luke's door he stops dead, looking at her streight in the eyes, "We need to get everyone out of here now, Leddy, and I mean it."
With his words her snap back attitude has evaporated and she's nodding at him.
Luke points at me, "Let Ellie out first, she needs to be protected at all costs." The seriousness in his voice makes my stomach queasy, reminding me that I still may not make it out of here.
She spins around, and in the dim lighting I can see her eyes widen as she looks away from me and goes through the keys. The woman doesn't question me, freeze, or cry hysterically at my sight, but instead takes the manner more than seriously and has my door unlocked within seconds.
I stand in the doorway only staring at Luke, as the woman frees the rest of our group.
"Where's Koda?" I frown.
My aunt to my right who is taking her bearings, turns to me frowning, "He was with you too?"
"There's no one else in any of the buildings around us." I announce.
"How do you know?" Leddy grunts.
"Can't you all hear too? I knew before anyone entered this building. I could hear the others in the building back there..." I point over my shoulder.
Everyone stops to look at me as if somethings hit them all like a brick. Jane speaks first, "Did you just find your Elyrian power?"
I look around, "My ears have been like this since I can remember. I assumed you all could hear like me."
"Nope." Luke laughs.
I hear Abe push the servant into a cell, slamming the door shut and then standing leaning against it to keep the man from escaping.
"Everyone needs to be quiet." Leddy informs us.
"The wolves aren't here." I reply, I have no recollection of hearing anything close to their normal sounds.
The man behind bars notifies us that because werewolves sleep in the day their bodies have adapted to what creatures that might come across their pack during the day. Their heartbeats slow and become faint in order to protect them from being heard and ambushed.
Leddy threatens the man once more, pointing her knife at his cell, "Where are they?"
"In hinding, in hiding. Quite a long walk for us on foot..." He answers quietly.
My aunt demands, "Have him take me to my husband, now!" She sounds furious.
"The only other man we have here is with the werewolves, he has been forced to stay at the alpha's side."
"Take me to him."
Leddy agrees that she will, as long as we split up and the rest of us are able to stay away from the werewolves. Even with my pleads against it, Luke and his mother are leaving with Leddy and the servant.
The leader of the group shoves the slave's keys into Abe's coat pocket with a sneer, and is gone out the door leaving my group behind. I'm left with a plan to enter the furthest building that holds two more prisoners: Estelle and Lynn. Abe and my grandfather lead the way, while Jane and I stay back keeping look out for anything suspicious.
I'm easily able to find the girls by ear, instead of having to search the three rooms of the building. Abe who stands guarding the door in case any werewolves are awoken from their slumber and come to investigate the ruckus of us trying our best to unlock the cell doors. I'm able to get Lynn out first, and once her door opens Abe from the end of the room stammers, "We've got company..."
My hands start shaking as I flip through the keys, "Why did you two have to be in a different building than us?"
Suddenly the ring that holds all of the keys comes unclipped, allowing all of the keys to fall to the floor with an ear piercing clatter. As Lynn and my grandfather tries helping me brush them in a massive pile Lynn replies, "We were separated because we smelled different than you."