"What happened to her?"

Danny stood by Lydia's side as they both stared down at Maylee's unconscious figure.

"Euriella happened," she said.

"I see," he paused for a moment before asking, "I thought you'd go to the mansion with them. Did you stay for Maylee?"

"Yeah, I thought it wouldn't hurt to try but so far... Nothing," Lydia diverted her gaze away from Maylee, in order for it to land on Danny, "You know about the mansion?"

"Isaac has been keeping me in the loop. Since I've already done my part, I thought there was no use in remaining in the shadows any longer,"

"So, you're the fourth musketeer, huh?" she asked, "How did that happen? I thought you left town,"

"I mean, I did leave town and by then I'd already known about the supernatural, but it wasn't until three years ago, when the all-out war broke out, when people started dying around me like crazy... That I thought I had to do something. I just didn't know what and from where to start... And then Isaac contacted me a few months ago and... Voilà,"

Lydia patiently waited for him to finish. Then, she took a deep breath, "I thought you said that Isaac kept you in the loop but... The first question you asked me was what happened to her," she gestured towards Maylee as she spoke.

"He just told me she was out of commission and then left the rest to my imagination. So, you really have no idea what she did to her?"

"I've got a faint idea. From what I gathered, for now she's as good as dead," said Lydia.

"For now? So, there's something that can be done?"

"Yes, but not now, not as I am now. I don't have the necessary control over my powers to bring her back,"

"Okey, but... Right now, what are you going to do?"

"Well, you caught me right as I was about to join the others. Are you coming?" she asked as she headed towards the door.

"No, I'll just be in your way, but I've got something that could help,"

Danny unzipped his backpack under Lydia's curious eyes. She watched as he pulled a fairly small, black case out of it, "What's that?"

"I don't know for sure; I've never tried it myself but...," he opened the case for Lydia to see its content, "According to Maylee, this is the elixir of life," Three crystal clear tubes were carefully nested into black foam padding. They seemed to be holding a sort of neon green, viscous liquid within their transparent walls, "I think she might have taken them from the apprentice before she left," he finished.

After their conversation had ended, Lydia took the elixir viles before exiting the room with the purpose of joining the others at the mansion in mind. She did not get to leave the hospital, however. She'd only managed to reach the elevator doors when... She thought she heard the faintest of whispers, "Help...," barely audible.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Her head spun in the direction she thought the pleas for help were coming from. Lying a few feet away, in a pool of blood, a woman dressed in a nurse's attire had her hands clasped around her throat as she gasped for air. Lydia could see the upper half of her body but not the lower part, for it was hidden behind a corner. She hurriedly cut the distance between her and the woman short, but as she approached her, she became aware of something else that was out of place; A sound... That of a low growl.

She decided that the best thing to do was to slow her pace down until she stood right by the injured nurse. And by then, the growling had yet to disappear. In fact, it seemed to have gotten louder. It was then she realized that whatever was the source of that noise, that creature was standing right behind the wall that hid the lower part of the nurse. Lydia flung her eyes down to see the look that the nurse gave her, a look of confirmation. There was, indeed, someone or something standing behind the wall, ready to pounce. Lydia braced herself, took a few steps back and did her best to slowly walk around the woman lying on the floor, in order to grant herself a better angle.

But all of the bracing in the world could not have prepared her for what stood behind that wall. She was so stunned that the creature's claws missed Lydia's throat by a thin hair. She ducked down to catch her breath before the thing attacked again. It was a man, or at the very least, that was the impression Lydia had gotten from her first glance at the thing. Although, the longer she looked at it the more details she'd gotten to see.

Claws and fangs out, eyes glowing gold, the creature was dressed in a deputy's uniform. The young-looking man had all the traits and features of a werewolf. When he attacked her a second time, she was left with no other choice but to defend herself. She drew air into her lungs and let it all back out in a deafening scream. One that propelled the werewolf backwards. He laid where he fell for a moment, which gave her some time to collect her thoughts.

A sensation of daze overcame her all of the sudden. It threw her off her balance and she was forced to seek support from the nearest walls. So many screams had gotten to her all at once, completely overwhelming her senses. The pain had been so unbearable that she had to keep her eyes shut. When she was finally able to lift her heavy eyelids up, she registered that another werewolf was on its way to attack her. She had no strength to draw more air for a scream, had no energy to move and so, she did her best to withstand the oncoming strike.

Fortunately for Lydia, Melissa had reached her just in time to spare her a lot of unnecessary pain. The werewolf dropped to the floor, incapacitated, spazzing in its spot. Melissa held her taser wand up in anticipation.

"What the hell is happening?" Lydia had managed to gasp out.

"From what I understand, It's the deputies that were brought in from the station because of the bomb! All of them awoke at once and went crazy," said Melissa as she crouched down to try and stop the nurse on the floor from bleeding dry.

"They have claws, fangs and glowing eyes, just like werewolves," commented Lydia.

It seemed that, with every second that passed, the situation at the hospital was getting more and more out of hands. The screams came from everywhere, became louder and more frequent.

Lydia and Melissa did their best to push the werewolves back, protect themselves and the others around them in the process, but they were growing tired. The more they knocked down, the more of them that came charging back at them.

"They're completely out of control!" screamed Melissa.

"they're acting like werewolves on their first full moon night," Lydia yelled back as she kicked one of her assailants away.

"It is a full moon night! What can we do?"

"I don't know about that. All I know, is a lot of people are going to die here tonight," said Lydia.

"Well, we have to try something!"

"I know! I think I am getting an idea but I'm going to need all of the deputies' names," said Lydia.

"That, I can get you, but why?"

Lydia took the time to thrust one of the werewolf deputies backwards with a scream before she answered, "I am a banshee, I think I can force at least some of them back into their human form if I scream their names, but we have to hurry before they manage to leave the hospital,"