The Vile

Dinner time came and went. I grabbed my plate of food and came back to my room, as I was still upset with Matthew. Marcy could sense the tension, while the kids were none the wiser. I continued reviewing the journals, hoping something new would pop out of me, but I had no luck, making me even more frustrated.

I slam them shut and pace back and forth, trying to think of a way to get back out there on my own without the asshole tour guide. How can he sleep with me one day and be an ass the next? I scoff.

"Now he's starting to remind me of Jackson." 

I search the room, hoping I might find something that will help me get back out there. As I rummage around the dressers and closet, I manage to find a flashlight, a few batteries, and a thick jacket. I walk over to the window, open it, and contemplate jumping out. During my internal debate a knock on the door stops me.

I set the jacket and flashlight on the chair, then go to answer the door to see Matthew standing behind it. 

"What do you want?" I say insincerely. 

"To apologize about earlier. I was trying to keep you safe," Matthew explains.

His eyes are pained, which makes my heart ache, but that still doesn't make up for him being an ass earlier. Matthew tries to come inside until I push us both outside in the hallway. I didn't want him looking around and stopping me from going out later tonight once everyone's asleep.

"I'm sorry for dragging you away like that, but it was to keep you safe. That area is known for people going in and never coming out. Even the kids know better than to go out there," Matthew pleads as he comes closer to me, closing the gap between us.

"I'm not a child, and I can take care of myself," I tell him while poking him in the chest and moving him back against the wall, "Or did you already forget about last night."

One thing Grandpa made me do since the moment I started living with him was take self-defense classes, mixed martial arts, taekwondo, as well as firearms training. Although I don't have any guns out here but if I needed to run, I could do it for miles, seeing how I also trained for marathons. 

"You're not from around here, and the wildlife here will kill you in a second. There are moose, bears, and packs of wolves who would love to take a bite out of you. You may be able to handle yourself against another person, but what about the animals?" 

"It was broad daylight, we would have seen them before they even got close," I defend.

"Okay, fine. I'm sorry. I'll take you back out tomorrow and I'll bring my rifle and bear spray in case we run into anything."

"Thank you, that's all I'm asking for."

I let up from pinning him against the wall and slowly give him space until he takes my waist and pulls me in close.

"You know what's a great thing to do after a fight?" he says, leaning in and pressing his forehead against mine. 

"It's only nine. Everyone is still up," I whisper.

"Then I'll guess we'll have to be quiet."

He leads me to his room and locks the door behind it before tossing me onto his bed. We make quick work of our clothes but pause when we hear the kids running around outside, followed by Marcy telling them to calm down and get ready for bed. 

We laugh at the noise, but we don't let it stop us, especially after I see him erect. I spread my legs, giving him enough room to position himself between me. Unlike last night, we didn't go for hours, but we still didn't stop until the full moon was high in the sky. 

We lay together in bed, but when he starts to snore, I sneak out of his arms and go back to my room. I check the time and see it's only a little after twelve. I put my camera on top of the jacket I set out earlier for tomorrow and put it on the dresser so I can grab it and go first thing in the morning, then take a look out the window, admiring the moon and stars.

I lay in bed and turn off the light when I see the moonlight coming in through the window and perfectly landing on the vile I set on the desk. The vile looks like it's calling to me, and without overthinking it, I pick it up and open it. 

I take a sniff first and immediately regret it because of how bad the smell is which makes me question how Matthew couldn't smell it. I hold my breath and put the bottle to my lips, then tilt my elbow back and drink the liquid inside like a shot of vodka. 

Once the liquid passes my throat, a painful sensation runs through my body, causing me to fall to the floor and writhe in pain. I bite down on my tongue so I don't scream and wake everyone up. My bones feel like they have become glass, my throat is starting to swell, and my blood is boiling, all while my head feels as if it's going to explode. 

The pain doesn't let up, but I suddenly snap out of it when I start to hear screaming. At least, I think it's screaming because my ears are still ringing. Matthew bursts through my door and rushes to my side, helping me off the floor. 

He's screaming at me, shouting something, but I can't hear what he is saying. He looks back, and my eyes follow him when I see the kids rushing by in their pajamas. Juliana comes to Matthew's side, but he pushes her away. She doesn't want to leave him, and it isn't until Marcy comes in and drags her away.

Matthew looks back at me and continues yelling, but I still don't understand. He lifts me in his arms, grabs the jacket and camera I set out earlier, and puts them on top of me as he takes me out of the room. As soon as we exit I start to see smoke filling up the hallway. My body still aches too much to react. All I can do is watch the chaos around me.

When we get to the bottom of the stairs, he sets me down, and I'm barely able to stand on my feet. I notice the fire is coming from the living room that has the fireplace and wonder if that's what started all this. As he rushes around the bottom floor as if he's searching for something, I struggle holding the jacket to my face to cover my nose and mouth from the smoke.

I try and call out to him to warn him the fire is getting closer when his body is thrown across the room and into the wall, causing his body to lay limp on the floor. I rush over to him and try and wake him up, when he doesn't move.

"Matthew!" I scream, though my voice sounds like a whisper. 

I shake him as hard as I can, but he still doesn't move. I try and stand to drag him out the door but I'm unable to. Thankfully, Marcy appears behind me and shouts for the kids to help. They come rushing in and we all work together to drag him the few feet to the exit when Marcy suddenly gets thrown against the wall causing the kids to scream.

I try to figure out what threw her, but the smoke is becoming thick all around us. I call out to the children, trying my best to yell at them to get out of the house until an area around us becomes clear.

"I told you. You should have stayed," Jackson's voice appears behind me, causing me to turn around.

"What?" my mouth drops open, unsure if I'm really seeing what's in front of me. 

"I knew I'd be able to find you once you unlocked your wolf. The only problem now is so would the others. I had to get to you first. Thankfully, for me we have such a strong connection," Jackson says.

Matthew moves a little, drawing my attention back to him. I rush to his side when Jackson grabs him by the ankle and throws him into the living room, where the fire is raging. I try and rush to him, but Jackson stops me by wrapping his hand around my throat and lifting me off my feet. 

"Shame, he looked tasty, but your blood, your blood will keep me satisfied for my long, long, very long life." Jackson licks his lips and smiles exposing his sharp fangs appearing from his mouth. 

"Jackson," I plea, "please no."

"I'm getting what I've been waiting for since the moment you passed me by."