*Some parts are slightly Graphic*
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I couldn't help but clap my hand over my mouth and gasp in disbelief. The horror that lay before me was incomprehensible, cruel, and ruthless. Tears pooled in my eyes as I blinked in an attempt to clear them, but it didn’t help.
There were bodies strewn everywhere, entangled with their loved ones, spilling tears on the badly disfigured frames. Smoke rose into the clouds, filling the air with the stench of burnt flesh and wood. The paper ashes twisted in the wind before it rested on the smoldering ground.
Walking past grieving wives, mothers, and children, we stopped in front of a large, orange brick building. There on the steps was the Alpha of the pack, Joseph.
His legs were twisted inhumanely, and his arms were snapped behind his back. Blood ran down the steps as it continued to gush from the gash in his stomach. The wound was wide and deep, exposing his intestines and the contents of his stomach. 426Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEmn65JZggA
Turning away, I scanned the rest of the small town. Houses were burning. People ran up and down the street, searching for their loved ones.
"Allen did all of this?" I asked Sebastian quietly.
Still looking at his friend’s open body, he nodded silently. Even he was speechless.
Leaving the men to handle business with the Alpha, I wandered away to help search for the wounded and get them to the hospital bay as soon as possible.
Stumbling over charred unrecognizable items, I carefully watched my footing as there were nails sticking out of the ground. Spotting a medium sized wooden stick, I picked it up, hoping that it would aid my search.
Walking along the curb of the street, I came upon a young woman who was crouched outside of her destroyed home. I bent down beside her, staring at her petite body. Her hands were stained with the deepest color of red, exposing the muscle that laid underneath her warm skin. Her veins pulsed, and the metallic smell circled her body like a swarm of bees.
Moving her hair away from her face, I gently tucked it behind her ear. "I'm Veronica. I'm here to help you." I said gently, rubbing her back with my hand.
"He's gone. I can't find him," she cried, attempting to wipe her tears with her bloody hands.
"Don't touch your face. Let me help you." I quickly ripped out a strip of my worn t-shirt and wrapped it around her hands. Then, I tied it tightly in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
Her cries and sobs echoed through my head, sending pulses of pain through my whole body. This could be me searching for Sebastian. It was at that moment did I vow to put a stop to these monsters at any cost.
"What is your name? Who are you looking for?" I asked while helping her to her feet. Her ratty black hair hung in her face, blocking her view. Placing my hands on her cheeks, I lifted her head up to look at me.
Her big brown eyes were glazed over and she had cuts all over her face. I dabbed my shirt over the cuts, hoping in vain that they would stop bleeding.
"My name is Rose. I'm Beta Michael's daughter. My mate is gone, I can't find him." She mumbled, her words barely coherent.
"What is his name? I will help you find him." I assured her.
Fortunately, we already had the names of all 11 men that had perished, so his name would be extremely helpful in knowing what I was working with.
"Noah." His name rolled off her tongue like melted butter sliding off a knife.
I quickly turned my body around expecting to see Noah from our pack to be standing behind me, but we were alone. The other pack members were busy aiding the wounded across the streets.
I took a deep breath in, blocking out the burning buildings. The smoke burned my lungs, stinging my throat.
"Not your pack’s Noah. Noah Waters. We were both in the house when the attack happened. I think our house was the first to be set on fire."
There was no Noah on the deceased list. I nodded my head at her, looking up at the massive destruction that sat before me.
"You stay right here. Do not touch anything." I ordered, gesturing for her to sit on the single cinder block that laid near the rubble. "Noah!" I yelled, my ears perked up for a response, but there was no reply. So, I entered the house.
The frame was still standing although the beams were aching to let go as it moaned and cracked to the gentle breeze. The walls were black with soot, darkening from the top to the bottom. A single metal side table was the only furniture that remained in the living area. On top sat a beautiful gold picture frame. Encapsulated in the glass was a picture of Noah and Rose. Happy, and together.
Again, the pulsating pain coursed through my body, the sensation of needles sticking into my skin prickling and teeth-grinding. Then, in the photo, I saw us, me and Sebastian, smiling among the powdered rubble and rusted frames. Just like them. Just like us, Rose needed Noah like I needed Sebastian. Without him, she would be broken, a hollowed out heart that would never heal. I had to find Noah, so she would be alright. It was what a Luna would do.
Once I cleared the living room, I made my way down a hall and into the bedroom. A ray of sunlight lit up the room as it shone brightly through a massive hole in the ceiling. "Please God, let me find him." I prayed over and over again. "Give me the strength to find him."
This room was in the worst condition. It looked as if the fire had started in this room, creeping to other rooms when it finished demolishing this one.
"Noah!" I yelled again.
Nothing.
Lifting large chunks of the ceiling off the floor, I moved them to an area I had already cleared. The bed frame remained standing against the wall,which meant that the bed was placed in the center of the room, flush against the wall. The mattress had large brown holes in it, revealing the silver, spiral springs inside.
The box spring was underneath the mattress, untouched and unscathed by the flames. The mattress was easy to move, but the box spring was a chore. I manhandled the box spring over a heap of ruined goods, exposing what was underneath.
Noah.
As soon as the cover was moved from his body, the smell of burnt hair filled my nostrils. His hair was singed to his head, revealing a pink and black scalp. The sweet yet putrid scent of his burnt flesh made me nauseated, and out of reflex, I turned away.
"Sebastian," I mind linked. "I found the betas daughter and her mate."
Awaiting his response, I sat down next to Noah. His breathing was labored, and his pulse was weak. "Help is coming," I whispered.
Raising up his arm, he placed his hand on mine. Giving me a tight squeeze, he spoke. His voice was hoarse, almost inaudible, but I could hear him clear as day.
"You are my angel."
A smile crept onto my face as I pulled myself closer to him, ignoring the intensifying stench of burnt flesh and hair. Grabbing a mound of shirts, I carefully lifted his head and placed them under him.
Suddenly, there was the clomping of boots on debris and the mumbling of voices. "We are here! In the bedroom." I yelled out, my voice echoing across the barren house.
Stretcher in hand, the men entered, ready to take Noah. Still holding my hand, he moved his head slightly, beckoning me to come closer. "Thank you." He breathed out, smiling the best he could.
“Rose!” I called, walking back out into the open.
Running to my side, she took one look at Noah and her body began to shake. She watched in horror as multiple paramedics hauled him away. I studied her severely pale complexion, then grabbed her almost limp body, holding her close to me. “He will be okay, I promise," I whispered into her ear.
We were standing in the middle of the road. I had never in my life, witnessed such a gruesome scene. It was a full reminder of the evil that lived deep within some of us that craved to escape. This was an act of the devil himself, proving that he could take the most innocent of souls, and trap them for eternity.
