Life With A Werewolf

The Nobility Part 3 - With A Little Help From Our Friends

          When we last left off, I believe all of us, Shawn and Kris, Zack and myself was being held captive on our own front lawn by The Nobility. A group of stuck-up asshole werewolves who wanted us dead because we had been allowed to be part of the pack of a werewolf, and were not weres ourselves.

          The house had three colorful expensive looking European SUVs in front of it on the street, two down one side, and a third down the other. Each had their headlights on. Our outside light, which flicks on of course at the slightest of movements was glowing bright as well, effectively cutting off all of our night vision.

          I don’t know what it did to werewolves. I do remember thinking that this would be the last thing that went through my mind before a claw or something did. I saw Crash held between two werewolves thrashing and fighting as he stared at us, despair, and fear on his wolfish face. I never thought I’d see a look like that on any creature other than human. I hope and pray that I never see that look again on anything else not human.

          Mitch was behind us, being held by two of the wolves. The placement of people is important to understanding the next part. In front of our house was us three humans. Behind us was Mitch, being held by two werewolves. In front of us was Crash and the other two. The jerk on the phone was standing next to the car, by the bumper, still on the phone.

          A vehicle’s engine revved down the street. No one paid it any heed. I’ve learned about such things. A normal human probably wouldn’t even see anything other than the cars. If they saw anything, it would be a group of people standing on the front lawn and think ‘party’ or something. Nothing out of the ordinary. They wouldn’t be able to tell what was going on.

          That’s what I figured when the tires squealed, anyway. Street racers will be street racers after all, and the dead of night in a neighborhood with decent roads is as good of a place as any, I guess? I never was a street racer, so I really can’t say for certain on that one. I have no knowledge of that culture.

          When the car jumped the curb and barreled straight at the werewolves holding Crash however, even I was able to figure out that was no street racer.

          It had the desired effect; I’ll give them that. We all dove, us three humans towards the right to avoid the car. The two werewolves jumped straight up to avoid it. Then Crash leaped backwards onto the hood of the SUV.

          Out of the woods zoomed a humongous brown figure, that crashed into the rear werewolves with a loud growl and pinned them with a snarl. I never thought I’d ever see something bigger than a werewolf in my life. Let me tell you, do NOT mess with a were…bear? Is that a term? Well, that’s the term I’m using, so it is now.

          I had no weapon anymore, being forced to leave it behind in the upstairs room. So, I did the sensible thing, and ushered everyone upstairs, getting us out of the fight as quick as possible. Though by the time I got through the front door, it really was over.

          No deaths. I’ll give them that much. I had expected a lot more bloodshed. At the end the massive creature had two pinned to the ground, Crash clutched one against one of the vehicles, and there stood Charles on top of his car, grinning like a fool. “Did good! I know I did good,” he shouted.

          “Yeah, you did,” Nancy shouted back to him from the passenger seat.

          I blinked for a moment. “Charles,” I asked, stepping back outside.

          “Owed you,” he said, then looked down. “And Crash.”

          One of the wolves pinned down snarled an insult at the bear holding him down. The bear leaned forward and snarled back, “You forgone the treaty. You’re not allowed on these shores. The Nobility does not exist here.”

          He looked up at me, and grinned. “The Nobility is everywhere.”

          It sent a chill down my spine. Despite a creature leaning on him that could literally tear a werewolf’s head off as easy as one could tear off mine, he was grinning like none of it mattered. It’s a look I’d seen before. When you watch enough videos of suicide bombers at check points, sat through enough After-Action Reviews and studied enough footage of these types of people, you begin to see the signs.

          More than a goose walked across my grave. An entire heard of geese did the chuck berry duck walk, complete with guitars and that cheesy Cheshire Cat grin. “Down,” I shouted as I hit the ground. That’s when things went a bit sideways.

          The SUV sitting by itself on the side road erupted.

          Explosions like this, you feel the force first. Then you hear explosion, feel the flames. It’s not like in the movies, where you see this giant fireball of flame that erupts while you get the opportunity to walk away from it wearing sunglasses and a stare cold enough to freeze ice cubes.

          The boom threw chunks of the car almost everywhere, including one door that embedded itself into a wall. Then flames licked and danced through the vehicle. Thankfully they hadn’t loaded any shrapnel into the car. No one died, but the explosion was a good enough diversion.

          The werebear was knocked backwards. Every window in our house, and almost everyone on our block shattered. Thankfuly Zack, Kris and Shawn were on the front porch and mostly protected from the blastwave. I was laying down, so most of the shockwave passed over me. Though, I was still stunned. Sitting up, all I saw was one SUV in flames, two gone, a werebear, Crash and Mitch.

          We sat there for a good long while on that lawn. I got checked and eventually cleared. Crash and his boss got cleared. We had a conversation, most of which turned into me berating myself with him patiently listening to me. Why won’t I detail it? Well, I promised him I’d keep him out of the blog.

          We talked later after everything happened and this was as far as I could get him to be included. Though, I was able to get this much within it. I sat on the front lawn, police and ambulances around us. Taking our statements, (none of them went inside the house, thankfully. Otherwise, I’d have to explain the Home Alone set up), and basically cleaning up the scene.

          I had taken in and exhaled a shuttering breath. Staring at Crash standing over in the distance. He was in human form, wearing a pair of shorts and a simple shirt and telling the police…well something. Not my business I guess what they were talking about. “Am I just making his life harder,” I asked. “I mean, I’ve been trying to help, but all of this insanity, is it because I’m meddling? I’m just screwing things up?”

          “Fuck them,” he said. “You can quote me on that. The Nobility would have come anyway. You’re just a convenient excuse.”

          Charles laid a heavy hand on my shoulder later on. His car was still on our front lawn. I wasn’t sure if it ran or not. He stuck around I think because no one had told him he was allowed to leave. “You have a habit of sticking your nose where it’s needed,” he told me. “But not where it’s wanted.”

          “Yeah,” I said, looking down at the ground. “I’m a handful to put up with.”

          Charles laughed. “Sometimes. But you know, if you’re feeling aquatic, just remember: not everyone gives each other the same gifts.”

          I thought about what Charles had said when we went inside. Hulderfolk have their own twisted logic at times which can turn out to be correct. A simple truth that we often overlook because we dismiss them as being, well, simple. But also, we were exhausted. Going on day three of no sleep, and we now had a house full of broken glass to go along with our Home Alone set up. We had windows to tape up. All of those traps and the fight to clean up after. And, oh yeah, that little matter of sealing the windows so the incoming rain didn’t destroy our stuff more.

          My eyes burned I was so tired. I wanted to sleep. I wanted to eat. I wanted to just be anywhere at that moment, but right there. I followed Crash as he turned to head inside. Most of the police were gone, at least we had that much. And the house itself was still standing, though it would need major repairs over the next several weeks. “Did we win round one or lose it?”

          His shoulders dropped a bit. “I think they got us on points. You know they’re not done, huh?”

          “Dude, they brought a Vbid to use as a distraction. Anyone who does that won’t be stopped by a small Macaulay Culkin routine.”

          “You’re right,” Crash replied. “Don’t tell Kris, Shawn or Zack that I think they’re at their limit.”

          “What puzzles me is why make it so weak? I mean, they could have made that thing strong enough to blow down our house, the neighbors place, and leave a nice crater in the road. You werewolves would have lived but hated life. The rest of us would be dead. Why did they make it that weak?”

          “I don’t know,” Crash admitted. “Unless they’re not actually out to kill you four.”

          I looked at Crash. My jaw dropped open a bit. “What could they possibly want with us?”

          “That part,” he said, “I don’t know.”