Chapter 33 Thirty-Three
Danica had just enough time to put her arms up to protect herself before the rogue was pinning her to the ground. Beside her, Mason was already grabbing at the wolf's neck and attempting to snap it as Danica warded off any attempts to bite her throat.
With each passing minute, saliva was dripping onto her mask, making it difficult to see. If Mason didn't get the wolf off her soon, she was going to be in a serious situation.
Chris, who was preoccupied with another rogue, was unable to help, so it was all up to Mason to help her.
"Get off," Mason growled, wrapping an arm around the silver wolf's throat and giving a tug. "Now!"
Coughing, Danica rolled from underneath the large wolf as Mason gave her just enough room to crawl from beneath the wolf just as a loud snarl sounded.
Whirling around, she watched with wide eyes as three more wolves came to join the fight. This wasn't good; they had managed to surround them while their friend created a distraction.
"We've got trouble." Danica called from her spot on the ground, looking from one rogue to the other. "This isn't good."
'Help...' came the all-too-familiar voice in Danica's head. 'Release.'
Release. What did the voice mean by release? Danica couldn't help but wander as she pushed herself up off the ground.
"Danica, you need to get out of here!" Mason roared while still wrestling with the silver wolf, which seemed to be beginning to get the upper hand. "Chris and I will handle them!"
"I'm not leaving," Danica insisted, being stubborn.
As she spoke, a black wolf began making its way towards her.
'RELEASE!' the voice in Danica's head bellowed just as Danica began to feel the other being stir.
Although Danica was still freaked out by the prospect of the being taking her over, she didn't have any other ideas on how to turn their dire situation around. Taking a deep breath, she nodded as she began to let the being take over.
"Danica, what are you doing!?" Mason yelled, throwing the now-unmoving silver wolf in his grasp to the side. "I said to leave!"
"I've got this," the dark being said, taking over entirely as Danica watched from the sidelines.
She still found it odd to sit back and watch as her body did things and spoke without her being in control, but this time she wasn't afraid and even welcomed it.
"What?" Mason asked before suddenly halting, his eyes growing wide. "What's wrong with you?"
"Later," the being said, raising a dismissive hand.
The black wolf had begun to jump at Danica, only to have the being grab it by its muzzle with a laugh.
Smiling, the being grabbed hold of the wolf's jaws and pulled so that there was a satisfying snap, causing the wolf to whine in pain.
"That will teach you." The being huffed and moved forward.
Releasing the wolf's jaw, the being grabbed the wolf's neck next and gave it a tug, snapping it cleanly. Satisfied, she released the now lifeless rogue to fall to the ground before turning to a russet-colored wolf that was making its way to her.
"DANICA!" Mason yelled, moving forward and tackling a white wolf that had been ready to jump on her from behind.
"Thanks!" The being called before turning its attention to the russet wolf once more. "Time to play."
Moving forward, she jumped at the russet wolf as it moved to jump on her. Grabbing the wolf around the middle, the being gave a heave, lifting the wolf and throwing it on the ground before jumping onto its side.
Danica watched from her place in horror as the being opened its mouth and plunged its teeth into the russet wolf's throat, ripping it open. Savoring the kill, the being lifted its smiling, blood-covered mouth and looked to find its next victim.
A gasp could be heard from behind as Chris made his way forward. All the rogues had been taken care of, and they were now in the clear.
"Danica..." Chris asked cautiously, slowly moving towards her.
Satisfied with its kills, the being had begun to retreat back into Danica's mind, allowing Danica to take control again.
"What the...." Mason gasped as he ran up to see if Danica was okay. "What happened here?"
Looking around, Danica couldn't help but feel like she was going to be sick. The strong taste of cooper assaulted her taste buds from the blood that had soaked her mouth and face.
"I'm a monster," Danica whispered, burying her face in her hands.
"Did you do this?" Chris asked, looking at the still-bleeding russet wolf below Danica. "By yourself at that?"
Danica shook her head. "It was me, but it wasn't me."
"What do you mean?" Chris asked in confusion.
"Chris, we talked about this before," Mason said, leaning down and placing a hand on Danica's shoulder. "It is okay now; you aren't a monster."
Hearing Mason's soothing words only made Danica feel worse. Even if he said she wasn't a monster, she knew better. Whatever it was inside of her was, in fact, a monster; it most certainly wasn't good.
"Mason..." Chris said, drawing both Danica's and Mason's attention to him. "I hate to disturb you, but we still need to find the escaped patients."
"Right," Mason sighed before placing a hand on Danica's cheek. "I need you to keep it together; we still have a mission."
"R-right." Danica said taking in a shaky breath.
Standing, Danica used the sleeve of her shirt to wipe the blood off of her mouth before looking around for her mask. In all the chaos, she had lost it and now had nothing to protect her face.
"Take mine," Mason said, pulling his mask off and passing it to Danica. "I will be fine without."
"No, you won't," Danica snapped, refusing to take it. "If anyone is going to get infected, it will be me; you keep that."
Turning, she ignored Mason, who continued trying to get her to take the mask, and began moving forward once more. Chris and Mason followed closely behind.
The smell of blood began to grow stronger and stronger the further into the woods they went, until it was so overpowering it was beginning to make Danica gag.
Turning a corner, Danica moved forward cautiously, only to stop when she found a clearing up ahead that was filled with deranged wolves circling an innocent woman.
"Uh, guys," Danica called. "We've got a problem."