Malo turned, using his flashlight to see whose voice they had just heard. His hands shook violently, the bright white beam dancing in wild, jagged streaks across the tree trunks. He kept scanning around, then reversed when he saw a figure standing by a tree. His chest locked up tight, his lungs freezing completely as he forced the light to settle on the dark shadow. He looked closer, and before he knew it, the figure was right in front of him.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!" Malo shouted. His hand released the flashlight, and he almost fell to the ground, but Faye quickly caught him. Malo’s heart hammered a reckless, frantic beat against his ribs, his breath escaping his throat in a series of high-pitched, desperate gasps as his fingers dug hard into Faye’s hoodie.
Everyone finally saw who it was.
The Night Walker, Dre.
"It’s the Night Walker girl, the one with the bike..." Malo pointed at the girl, still shivering behind Faye as though his life was about to end.
Peamah became alert. He was ready to attack the Night Walker but was waiting for an order.
Even Henry was now circling Dre slowly. He didn’t see her as a threat because he saw her every day at PP’s shop.
Sasha simply looked the girl up and down, her breathing remaining slow and steady as she scanned the pale girl’s clothes with a look of pure, quiet interest.
"What do you want, Dre?" Faye asked without a trace of fear. She stepped forward, her eyes locking onto Dre’s face, her lungs pulling in a deep, steady breath to keep her posture solid.
"Saving you all from getting killed," Dre replied. Her voice was incredibly smooth and cold, barely louder than a whisper, but it carried clearly through the quiet trees.
"What do you mean, getting killed? We are just trying to look for something," Faye said. She kept her hand hovering near her waist, her heart pumping a fast, cautious beat as she waited for the catch.
"Whatever you are looking for, if it’s down there, forget about it... unless you wish to die." Dre stated flatly. She didn’t move an inch, her eyes reflecting the light from the fallen flashlight on the ground.
"See, let’s just skip it for today, and we will figure out another way to get the Beasts. I don’t want to die. I’m still young," Malo said. He tugged rapidly on the back of Faye’s hoodie, his breathing turning fast and shallow as he tried to pull her back toward the path.
"What is down there? Are you trying to scare us?" Faye demanded, her jaw setting into a hard, stubborn line.
"If you doubt me, you can go down there and see for yourself... but you won’t be alive to tell the tale." Dre said, her pale lips curving into a tiny, mocking smile.
"I have something I want, and if I don’t get it, I will be dead either way, we can handle what ever is down there....." Faye said as she reached for the hatch. She bent her knees, her fingers stretching out toward the cold iron handle as her chest rose with a final, desperate breath.
"We?" Malo muttered...
"A hundred people like me are down there. He has seen what I am capable of. What do you think a hundred will do?" Dre said quietly.
That alone was enough for Malo to give up on the plan. Whether Dre was lying or not, he didn’t want to find out. His face turned completely pale, his lungs losing all their air in a sharp, horrified gasp as he imagined a hundred fast, bloodthirsty monsters rushing out of the ground.
"Faye, I know you have been waiting for tonight, but let’s not go in there. Just rethink what you are about to do. If she is right and you go down there and never come back up, what do you think will happen to your kids... your brother... and Princess? You are doing this for them, right?" Malo said, trying to talk Faye out of what she was about to do. His voice was thick with a real, desperate panic, his heart thudding wildly against his ribs as he stared at his best friend.
Faye paused, her hand hovered just inches above the iron, her breath catching in her throat as Malo’s words hit her right in the chest. The images of her small pups laughing and playing with Princess flashed behind her eyelids. Her family should be her first priority, not dying.
So she stepped back.
"Come on, guys. Let’s go," Faye said. She turned her back to the metal hatch, her heart heavy as she prepared to walk away.
They were about to leave when...
"I can help you get what you want," Dre said. The words stopped them dead in their tracks.
"You don’t know what we are looking for," Faye replied,
"You are looking for what they call the Beast Morphers, ancient sea creatures that merge with Weres. I can help you get the five of them." Dre said, her voice filled with a calm, absolute certainty.
The moment Dre said that, Faye turned back. Her whole body locked up, her breathing stopping completely as she stared at the pale girl in total shock.
"How do you know about that?" Faye asked, her voice dropping into a low, dangerous growl.
"I’m ancient, and I have been following you guys for days now. I can just walk in there, track the person with the Beasts, and he is going to hand me all five." Dre explained, her shoulder leaning casually back against the tree trunk.
"Huh..." Sasha scoffed. "How are we supposed to know you aren’t lying to us?"
"I just told you what you are looking for. How is that a lie? It’s an offer. Before Monday, I will get you the Beasts, and you get to do something in return." Dre said, her eyes shifting from Sasha to Faye.
"Nothing is ever free in this world, always a price for everything.." Malo muttered.
"What do you want?" Faye asked.
"I just need you to convince Martha to take part in the ritual. Nothing else," Dre stated her price. She spoke the name with a soft, heavy breath, her expression turning unusually serious for a split second.
"Why me?" Faye asked.
"Because she will listen to you, and you are the one who ruined it for us. We were going to do it, but now she doesn’t trust us or even take her medication," Dre said. Her voice carried a sharp edge of frustration...
"Who is Martha?" Malo asked, his head darting back and forth in confusion.
"Martha happens to be her wife, but she is kind of sick," Faye muttered.
"Wait... this hottie is married? As in for real?" Sasha muttered. Then she looked Dre once more, scanning her from head to toe.
"Wow... always the beauties who settle down first, and now she wants to make it forever," Sasha whistled, still looking at the girl standing before them.
"What if she doesn’t agree? What if she doesn’t want the eternal life?" Faye asked, her eyes locking back onto Dre’s face.
"Then you make her do it. She has to be in her right mind to do it. Do whatever it takes to convince her, and I will do whatever it takes to get what you want. Even the remaining Beasts. I can help you locate them all." Dre said. She stepped away from the tree, her pale hands resting at her sides as she waited for their answer.
"Group discussion," Faye announced.
Faye, Sasha, and Malo gathered together, putting their heads close as they discussed their decision. They huddled in a tight circle, their backs to the Night Walker as their whispers filled the quiet clearing, their breathing turning fast and hot in the small space. Not minding that the walker could hear them..
In the end, they agreed that they didn’t trust the Night Walker, but they had to take the risk. They looked at each other’s tired faces, knowing they were running out of options.
Finding the Beast Morphers was too important. The six-month deadline was a ticking bomb in Faye’s head, and this was the fastest way to stop it.
"It’s a deal."