9 – Putting Mare in Nightmare
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...I'm fast running out of horse-related puns.

Also, it's very flattering, but the wording of this notification will never not be creepy to me:

Me:

“Oh, give me a break.”

I was still grappling with Tracy’s nonsense—I mean, it had to be right?—when someone new intruded our conversation, announcing herself with stomping steps and a mocking bark.

She was a lean young woman in her early twenties: black army boots, faded grey ripped jeans, black top with a skeletal middle finger, and black studded leather jacket; pale skin, thick eyeshadow, and black lipstick; navy blue hair shaved on one side.

Her clear, mean amber eyes glared into me, and I shrunk down, recalling the bullies who’d harassed me whenever Onyx and Hunter were absent.

“Mavis,” Tracy hissed, displeased. She released my shoulder and stood straight, crossing her arms underneath her impressive chest. “I recall sending you to your room.”

Please.” Mavis laughed. It wasn’t a nice sound. “You want me to hole up in that cell when everyone’s neighing about a Draskelite in the house? Forget it. I’m already glad I showed up just to hear this bullshit. Luuurv? Ah! I knew Iskorns were a joke, but I didn’t expect actual stand-up!”

“Watch it, bitch!” Hunter’s sudden angry growl startled me. He leaped across the room to stop right in front of the newcomer. His massive frame dwarfed hers. At second glance, she was really quite short and needed to crank her neck back to meet his furious glare.

That didn’t seem to deter the blue-haired woman. “Or what, donkey boy?” If anything, she looked eager for a fight. Her black lips peeled back in a grin full of growing fangs. “You’ll tell on me on your new owner?” She nudged her chin towards me.

Hunter’s icy eyes turned reptilian, and he snarled, “Like I need help to put down a rabid dog.” His own teeth had gained sharp edges.

I gaped at the scene. Even putting aside the slit eyes and fangs, I’d never seen my ever-so-kind friend react like this. Hunter’s face was now a mask of barely-contained wrath. All of his muscles were tensed and shivering. Veins pulsed over his bulging arms, and his t-shirt seemed about to rip. This was like the gentle giant I knew had been replaced by a stranger, one willing to commit and capable of frightening levels of violence.

Yet, fear wasn’t what was on my mind.

A strange hunger bled into my thoughts, shortening my breath and sending my heart aflutter. Blood rushed to my face—and other places I’d rather ignore. Shaken, I stumbled.

Onyx set a steadying hand on my shoulder. She was still missing her other one. I glanced at her, but her gaze remained firmly trained on Mavis, even as she stepped protectively in front of me. I felt like she’d barely looked at me since we arrived here.

“Ooooh, scary,” Mavis chuckled sardonically. Her amber irises too contracted her pupils into slits. “Think you can take me, big guy? Bring it on. I’ve been sooo bored on this shitty fucking rock.” She leaned provocatively closer to Hunter—too close—their bodies almost touching.

Back off, slut.

My eyebrow twitched. Odd. Where had that come from? I felt… I don’t know… annoyed? With a slight urge to see a blue-haired head planted on a spike.

Very odd.

The air was electric with tension. Hunter and Mavis looked about to leap at each other’s throats. And part of me hoped they would. Another part wanted to tear the girl’s head off myself.

A bigger part felt about to vomit from anxiety.

“Hunter…” I started, hoping to, I guess, defuse the situation. Probably.

Actually, I wasn’t sure of what I would do. My emotions were spiraling out of my control. Nothing new there, except the direction in which they were spiraling. Historically, my most destructive impulses had always been directed inwards.

Whatever I was about to say, however, Tracy beat me to it.

“Enough!”

Suddenly, the redhead was beside the two belligerent youths, reaching for their scalps.

Bang!

Two foreheads collided with a wet crack. I winced from the sound alone.

Still by their hairs, Tracy pulled Mavis and Hunter apart and shoved them away from each other. “Junior!” she snapped at her son. “Get a hold of yourself!”

Hunter snarled at his mother!

She roared back, louder, eyes slits and teeth sharp.

He abruptly backed down with a whimper, lowering his head submissively. Tracy huffed through her nose, then turned her icy glare at Mavis. “And you, young lady, think hard about why you’re on this ‘shitty rock’—as you so eloquently put it—and try to guess whether this kind of attitude will get you off it any faster.”

Blood was dripping from Hunter’s forehead. Tracy hadn’t been tender in her intervention. After a brief hesitation, I grabbed some paper napkins off the coffee table and walked over, dodging Onyx’s attempt to keep me away from the bickering shapeshifters.

Hunter’s eyes were closed, his posture still tensed, and he was breathing deeply, visibly trying to rein in his temper. I approached cautiously and laid a hand on his arm, feeling the knotted muscles quiver underneath his too-warm skin. I held back impure thoughts as they rapidly relaxed.

My friend opened his eyes to look down at me. His pupils were back to round, and his icy blues had regained their usual kindness. His large hand covered mine and gave it a squeeze. “I’m fine, Ter,” Hunter answered my unspoken worry. “Sorry if I scared you. I’m a bit on edge with… everything.”

I shook my head. “I wasn’t scared.” Because apparently, I was a sociopath with a lust for blood. Oh, and a murderous possessive streak over people I had no claim over.

I was learning a lot about myself today, and none of it was good.

Ah. Why wasn’t I surprised?

But those were freak-outs for future Terry. “You’re bleeding.” I changed the subject and held up the napkins.

“Oh, that? It’s nothing.” Hunter took my offering and wiped the blood off. To my confusion, there didn’t seem to be any injury. “I heal fast,” he explained sheepishly.

“…oh,” was all I could say. Of course, shapeshifters would have a healing factor. Why didn’t I think of that? Stupid.

On the side, the slut– I mean– Mavis was reacting to Tracy’s reprimand with far less grace than my Hunter.

“Shit! I think you broke my eyebrow, you fat ancient cunt!”

I only heard Hunter’s sharp intake of breath before–

CRASH!!

Suddenly white as a sheet, Mavis glanced at the arm going through the wall, a hair’s breadth from her face. Her eyes then traced the limb back to its owner’s face.

“Mavis, sweetie.” Tracy’s expression was something out of a horror movie. Her smile was as lovely as before, except it failed to reach her eyes. The result was chilling to the bones. “Have you never heard it’s bad form to comment on a woman’s age?”

She pulled her fist out, dribbling plaster on the floor, and grabbed the younger woman’s chin in what looked like an iron grip.

“Now, you will listen to me,” she said with eerie calm, as if you couldn’t hear Mavis’ bones creaking in her grasp. “Your flippant attitude ends now. I’ve left your leash loose out of respect for Mother’s wishes, but now I see hoping you’d settle in on your own like a responsible adult was a mistake. You want to act like a child? Fine. I’ll treat you like a child. Misbehave again, and you won’t like your punishment.” She squeezed, and I thought Mavis’ jaw would actually break. “Understood?”

“Uh uh,” was all the girl could articulate, along with a stiff and fearful nod.

“Great!” Tracy’s voice switched back from terrifyingly quiet to cheerful in a heartbeat. She released her captive, who slumped into a crouch, holding her painful jaw. “Don’t worry. As soon as this mess is resolved, I’ll start taking good care of you.” She smiled like a loving mother and patted Mavis’ shoulder. “Ahhh… I’ve always wanted a daughter.”

If anything, Mavis turned even paler.

And I’d be lying if I claimed no part of me was glad to see her put down, but mostly I felt sorry for her. Living with so much anger inside couldn’t make for a good life. And from Tracy’s smile and Hunter’s haunted faraway look, as if recalling some past trauma, Mavis’ life was about to take a turn for the worse… hopefully before it got better.

Mavis noticed my stare, of course. “What?” she sneered. “I don’t need your pity, you freak!”

I gasped, startled, and reflexively hid behind Hunter.

“Mavis,” Tracy warned.

“What?” the girl repeated, more defensively. “What kind of Draskelite is that? She looks weird. She smells weirder. And apparently, she’s fucking coward too. Are you sure she’s one of those monsters?”

“Mavis. Enough.” Tracy’s firm tone was accompanied by Hunter’s growl—which stopped after a sharp glance from his mother.

But Mavis’ temper seemed to be eroding her good sense. “Oh, get off it, will you?” She gestured at me. “You think she’ll thank you for coddling her when her aunts and cousins come for her head? Love, my ass! Those rotten whores will eat her alive. Literally!”

In the silence that followed, I sought my friends for reassurance. It can’t be as bad as it sounds, right? But Onyx was still avoiding my gaze, Hunter was suddenly very interested in the ceiling, and even his mom’s expression became awkwardly pinched. Finally, Mavis huffed and reclined against the broken wall, shooting me a smug smirk.

It was on this scene that Hunter Senior barged in on through the front door.

“Trace! They– What…?” The man paused, moving a sci-fi-looking walkie-talkie away from his face. He took a second to register the people in the room, the weird atmosphere, and the hole punched through his living room wall. Then he shook his head. “Never mind. Trace. Fin and Marry spotted the Vraex approaching from north-northeast. We need you for the defense.”

Hunter’s mom nodded and immediately rushed outside. For a second, I wondered about going out to fight in a light summer dress, then I remembered. Right. Were-unicorn-dragon-horror.

Senior’s attention snapped to us. “Kids, I want all of you in the bunker. Hunter, show your friends the way.” He started turning away.

I called out, “What about Shivaya?!”

“She’ll be safe in the infirmary,” Senior curtly answered. “Hurry.” Not waiting for a reply, he stepped towards the door. Mavis made to follow, only for her path to be blocked by Senior’s hand. “You’re going to the bunker.”

“But I can help! I’ve been trained in–”

“No argument, cadet! Dammit! Listen to orders for once in your life! To the bunker!” There was a very brief stare-off between the two before Mavis looked down bitterly.

“Come on.” Hunter ushered me out of the room. I cast a last glance at Mavis’ crumpled expression, as if she were trying to swallow something nasty. She saw me, and the bitterness turned to a scowl.

“Terry. You heard him. We must hurry.” Onyx pushed me after Hunter, falling into step behind me. A glance backward showed a grumpy Mavis trailing behind. She glared at me. I turned away.

We first ran into a rustic hallway, but soon Hunter pressed a hidden switch, opening a panel in the wall. It revealed a staircase made of smooth dark metal, at odds with the rest of the ranch but matching the medical facilities Shivaya was in. Although, this was not the way we’d gone down previously. I didn’t know if it even led to the same underground level.

As we descended deeper into the bowels of the Iskorn ranch, I tried not to think about the creature coming for us. I hoped the shapeshifters had a hidden ace up their sleeve to stop the seemingly unstoppable alien. The thought of Hunter’s family risking their lives for my sake was making me physically ill.

First Shaya, now this…

I felt sick.

I wanted to trust they could deal with the threat without anyone dying.

But somehow, I doubted that would be the case.

 

. . . . .

Sorry for the delay. I had a whole chapter prepared last week, but then I realized it was shit. So I scrapped it, and rewrote it, and it was still mostly shit. Third time… I’ve meticulously excised all the superfluous crap, and I’m still not 100% happy with the result. But I think it’s as good as it’ll get.

So here it is.

Next time, a slight shift in point of view before the final confrontation with the Vraex'ein.

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