Flip—Caspian tackled me to the ground, slashing his claws at my face. I bit into the cigarette as I threw my arms up, trying to protect my head from his attack. A felt a sharp pain in my arm and yelped.
He fucking bit me! I grunted and rolled. He fell into the dirt beside me but kept trying to claw and bite me like a damn cat. I looked no better, batting at his hands and face like I was trying to play-fight a kitten.
I pressed my voice into his mind, trying to remind him about the hunters but he was too far into some rage with me to even flinch when I talked.Shit. What was I going to do if he couldn’t deal with the hunters? I hated those humans and in no way, shape, or form did I want them gandering at me. Whenever one of them accidentally spotted me it just riled them up for another decade of debacle.
Guess it was time to play dirty with Caspian. I tried to kick out at his balls but we were too close together, side by side in the dirt like a couple of old ladies slapping at each other from their beds. His face lurched forward, teeth snapping. I smacked him across the cheek then reached down. I’d grab a ball or two and squeeze those motherfuckers until he squeaked.
I grabbed a big handful between his legs and started to squeeze—too hard apparently because he barfed all over my face. What the fuck?
He shoved me away desperately and I was more than happy to squirm in the opposite direction. Hot chunks of whatever the fuck were on me. Jesus, was that hot dog? I started to gag while he groaned in pain. We were pathetic.
“Don’t fucking touch me,” he hissed as he laid in the dirt, glaring at me from ten feet away. I slid my hand down my face and duster, trying to get his gross sickness off me. I threw my hands out dramatically, emphasizing my angry confusion.
“Oh,you’repissed! You just tried to… Fuck, what were you trying to do!” His face went from anger to disgust. Lord give me strength, this dumbass thought I was trying to give him an old fashioned tug job in the middle of a fight.
A feminine scream rattled around the woods.
We stilled then scrambled back to our previous places, leering into camp just in time to see Loren shoving Ava around. Caspian immediately tried to burst into the party and I was forced to hold him back. Which just led to us wrestling again.
“You’re an annoying little SHIT!”I yelled in his head. His mouth popped open to yell out in pain and I slammed my hand over it, muffling the sound. Then he chomped into my hand. I kicked him in the gut and then it got really ugly—fists flying, claws racing at my head and gut.
I couldn’t even threaten him with the gun because he’d know I’m full of shit. Couldn’t shoot a gun when trying to hide from a party of hillbilly hunters, couldn’t fly or someone would see, and couldn’t scream in his head without risking him squealing like a hormonal banshee.
That left me kicking dirt in his eyes and trying to go hand-to-hand combat with something that looked more like a predator than I did. I had a few sharp teeth but nothing like the horror show in his mouth and my claws were strong, but his were sharper.
Great, I’m about to get the shit beat out of me by a pretty boy with disgusting gills slapped on the side of his neck. He slashed and pounded until he got me good in the head. Fireworks exploded as I slumped to the ground. He jumped up and ran off, chasing after the group that had stumbled out of camp with Ava.
I rolled over on my hands and knees, my head swimming.
What an asshole.
It took a few minutes before I stumbled up, my head finally just a small ache. I walked into their camp and eyed the corpses in distaste. The hunters were a sick bunch. Every summer they stole people, trying to lure me out like I was some Wendigo starving for human flesh. I was a fucking vegetarian.
Loren was the Grand Poobah of crazy though. A smart sonofabitch and evil too. The hunters didn’t hurt humans before him. He’d changed it all, snatching campers for bait and gutting them when they proved useless. He’d field dress them like a deer and then he’d grind them up with the pig sausage in the fall.
A bonafide cannibal. Their god didn’t make many like Loren and everyone should be thankful for that. One was enough.
Today though, he’d die.
I’d been hiding from humans in these mountains for hundreds of years. Before that, they’d worshipped me. I felt nostalgic and somber for a moment. This was the end of the line for Loren’s lot. I didn’t like being the cause of it, even if they were sick and twisted. It didn’t feel like my place considering I wasn’t human.
I swallowed nervously, hoping Ava would make it out of this alive and okay. I couldn’t let her die. This thing with her was serious. I didn’t just want to fuck the girl. I wanted to carve our names in a tree and ask her to go steady. I wanted to be close enough that if she was already on the toilet when I had to go, she’d open her legs wide and let us piss in the bowl together. That was the type of relationship to aspire to.
In their cooler, I found bottles of water. I popped one open and washed off the retch from my face and coat. I rubbed the water into the fur on my neck, making sure no leftovers were hiding in it. Finally, I shook myself off and headed out, stomping after her idiot boy toy.
19
Ipaced back and forth in the bathroom, sometimes shooting glances at myself in the dirty mirror above the sink. I looked scared. My arms were wrapped tightly around myself, my nails scratching at my skin as if there was an itch I couldn’t get rid of.
Where was Caspian? What was taking so long? Why did I keep hearing screams?
Who, what, where, when, why. Shit! I was getting more nervous by the moment.
A voice brought me out of my thoughts. It came from right outside the bathroom door. A woman’s voice, low and shaky.
“Help,” she gasped. Shivers went over my arms as I heard the voice etched in terror, sounding close to tears.
“Please help me,” she whined in desperation and I recognized the voice. It was the camp manager. The door to the bathroom rattled as she tried to frantically tug it open. I stepped in front of the door with wide eyes, watching it rattle in place.
