Chapter 22 - The Price [https://cdn.midjourney.com/25f588dd-a22b-4968-bb61-ebb62e5192b9/0_2.png]

Standing in the moonlight, enjoying the cold air curling around the mountain, Kennedy looped one arm around Terry. With her tummy full of venison stew and ice-melt water, she felt content. Whist’s donkey was on her way to delivering her baby. Terry had kick-started the process. He’d joined them for dinner late. Soon, he’d have to go back to the barn. Most of the table conversation had gone over her head. They’d tried to talk Terry and her into staying with them, as if she didn’t have a job or a life back home. When old Joe began coughing, dinner ended abruptly. They had left the two of them alone at the table to finish their meal.

Face turned up toward the satin black of the sky, Kennedy found Ursa Major peeking out just beyond the tree line. Sky bears. The idea was insane. How could there be an entire population of people who came from the sky living on a mountain in North Georgia? In every horror movie she had ever seen, the werewolves were the bad guys. They ate people.

From what Ba said, there was some chance that if she went home, she might do that. But that was just a threat, right? That’s how cults got you to stay. They convinced you that you had no place to go home to. The hallucinations of being a bear were powerful. They probably tricked people all the time into joining them and working in their fields. Keep people scared, high, and confused so you get cheap labor. Terry believed all of their bullshit. He’d been raised around this craziness.

She hadn’t had the desire to eat anyone yet. Was her next shift at Mega Mart going to be like going to a gigantic buffet? There was that one lady, Mrs. Roads, who complained about every damn thing. She couldn’t find the detergent. None of the bananas were green enough. She’d just grab your arm and keep you captive, forcing you to help her. It wouldn’t be so bad to eat her. The entire staff would thank her. They’d throw her a party with a bear-shaped cake from the Mega Mart bakery.

The night sparkled with stars. Her father had enjoyed watching the sky. When she was little, he’d had an old beat-up telescope. On clear nights, he would take it out of the closet. He had taught her how to find different constellations. The sound of people approaching paused her search for Ursa Minor. Terry’s body tightened beside her. Through a break in the trees, a handful of men from the community approached them. None of them were smiling. When Terry eased her behind him, her skin prickled with unease. David walked into the clearing last, at the edge of the group, not meeting her eyes. They weren’t there for her, were they? She wound her fingers in the back of Terry’s shirt.

A man old enough to be Terry’s father stepped forward to speak.

Terry shook his head and gestured to Kennedy behind him. He held one hand up.

The old man rolled up his sleeves. No face was smiling and fear crept across Kennedy’s skin like an itch. What did they want? The group leader said, “There is no need for waiting. You knew there would be a cost. It’s better to get things like this behind you. We won’t break you so badly that you can’t see Whist’s animal through her labor.” He looked toward the stern circle of men. “Leave his hands out of this.” Six men nodded. Seven counting David.

Stepping forward, David said, “You saved her.” He gestured to Kennedy, who was doing her best to stay out of sight behind the Vet. “If you just get it over with…” As she peaked around Terry, David said, “Kennedy, step back from him now. It’s going to be okay. Nobody is here to hurt you.” Terry stepped forward toward the gathered men before she could stop him.

When the first punch came, a hard right from the older man, it landed square against the Vet’s jaw and snapped his head to the side. The abrupt violence shocked Kennedy, and she stumbled backward, catching a root with her heel and sprawling to the ground. Terry didn’t raise his arms to defend himself. Seven-to-one wasn’t fair, especially if the one didn’t fight back. The second punch sent him staggering. Kennedy pushed herself up from the forest floor and took an aggressive step toward the group of men. The old man laughed and gestured to David. “Hold her. This isn’t her business.”

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

Baring her teeth as David approached, she bit him hard when he gripped her by the arms and pulled her back. Aiming backward, she tried to stomp the top of his booted foot. He was stronger than she expected and effortlessly pinned her arms behind her back. She screamed with rage as Terry righted himself and presented his bloodied face to the men and their fists.

“Fight them.” She yelled, struggling against David’s grip. She kicked back at his shins hard and he yelped. The men circled Terry, landing punches and kicks until he was on the ground. Kennedy felt every blow and threw her head back to howl in frustration. Angry, she fought to feel the spark that would allow her to change.

Blood ran down Terry’s face as he wiped the red from his mouth with the back of his hand. Pushing himself back to standing, he showed no sign of fighting back, and her blood boiled. She would hit them. Kennedy would hurt them.

With a hard shake, David pulled her against his chest and hissed in her ear, “He saved you. He broke a taboo to do it. This is his price. Let him be a man and pay it.” His hands gripped her arms brutally when she tried to kick him again. “Stop it. You are making this harder for him.” His fingers bit into her arms. “He knew this would happen. Respect his sacrifice. Most would not have helped you. They are in their rights to kill him, but that’s not what is happening tonight.” Panting, Kennedy stopped struggling. Wincing as each blow fell, she memorized their faces. Filled with rage, she imagined the death of every man landing blows in the circle.

She hissed, “Why doesn’t he fight?”

“It would be dishonorable. He is paying the price he owes to the people.” When she dropped her shoulders and quit fighting, he released his brutal grip on her arms. He whispered against her ear, “You don’t have to watch this. There is no shame in turning away.”

Never. Focused on vengeance, Kennedy decided she would eat the ring leader first and start with his hand coated in Terry’s blood. She reached for bear. Finding a calm place in herself was impossible, with rage boiling through her veins. The blows went on forever until his body bent on the ground and he slipped into unconsciousness. The ring leader raised his hand, and the blows stopped.

As soon as the violence ended, she felt it, the tiniest bit of itch and spark. Holding still, so as not to warn David or the bastards with Terry’s blood on their hands, she forced herself to slow her breath and allow the electric sensation to creep along her body.

When she split, it came fast, rending the simple shirt dress they had given her to wear. David released her in shock, and she roared as she surged forward. Startled, the group of men scattered backward. Protectively, she stood over Terry’s unconscious body and roared at them. Once the surprise of it dulled, the old man laughed. With a shake of his head, he gestured for David to join the other men. Together, they slipped back into the trees and left her panting, claws dug deep into the dirt. With her rough raised high on her back, she screamed into the night.

*

His blood was as bright as starlight and worried her. She brushed him with her face and rolled him over. His swollen, bruised eyelids fluttered and opened. Terry’s eyes widened with surprise as she huffed out a concerned breath. He reached up and touched her neck with his hand.

“Silly girl.” His mouth was red. Blood coated his teeth, and his lip lower lip was swollen. She backed up as he pushed himself to a seated position. He touched his teeth. They were still solid in his mouth, which was a miracle. Wincing, he stood up, cradling his right arm against his ribs.

Kennedy wanted to kill them for hurting him. Right now, they could hunt them if Terry wasn’t so hurt.

Terry’s lack of anger frustrated her. She clawed the ground hard, leaving furrows. Lowering her head, she shook her skull, breathing in. He picked up a strip of fabric that had been torn from his shirt. Binding his arm to his ribs, he started walking back toward the caves.

Following grumpily, she made her displeasure known, huffing and blowing, growling in counterpoint to his silence. David was waiting for them, standing outside the enclosure. He watched Kennedy uneasily. When she thrust her neck forward and roared at him, he took a step back and raised his hand. “It’s done now. You still have a room.” Kennedy shook her head in frustration. “He paid what he owed, so it’s behind you both.” Keeping his gaze on Kennedy, he asked Terry, “Will she change back?”

With a shrug, Terry pushed David to the side and walked into the mountain. Bristling, Kennedy padded after him, growling at any sign of movement or lamp flicker. They would not hit him again on her watch.