Rapp

Steps

"47"

I looked across to see Ava, watching her surroundings, while she counted quietly.

Bruce was running his hand over the trees and plants as we passed, nodding his head on each step.

Ah, so they were both counting.

I had taught them, when they were young, about counting.

Counting the steps between landmarks. It was a navigational method. You count the steps between places, so that you become accustomed to how to get there.

We appeared in a familiar clearing and I looked at them both expectantly.

"12 silver barks." I nodded at Bruce and looked over at Ava.

"47 to the downed tree. 53 to the creek. 27 to the clearing."

I nodded and gestured for them to follow me over to the ruined house.

"Where is this daddy?"

I crouched in front of the burnt porch.

"You remember the story about the werewolf family that got burned?"

They both nodded and I beckoned them closer.

"This is the old Hale house."

Ava gasped and looked at the crumbling building with new eyes.

"This is where the sourwolf and the creeperwolf lived?"

I nodded and smiled at her memory of what I had called them.

"Yeah. Sourwolf and Creeperwolf still live in the area."

Bruce put his hand on Ava's shoulder and looked at me closely, leaning into my side slightly.

"Did he get better? The one that was burnt, I mean."

I nodded that he did and they both smiled. I had always been open with my children. They knew all about everything that had happened in Beacon Hills. I told them about the Argents and the Hales. The past in Beacon Hills became the stories of their bedtime.

"Do they still live here?"

I looked at Ava and smiled, she was always quick to ask questions.

"They do, actually..."

My sentence cut off as I heard a twig snapping in the trees behind me.

I stood and pushed the twins behind me, looking into the darkness of the shadows, cast down by the canopy of trees.

Something black flashed past in front of us and stopped, further in.

A horrible smell wafted out to me and I cringed at the pungent odour.

I went to step closer, but I saw a flash of sharp teeth and had the sudden sinking feeling that this creature was responsible for the deaths near the school.

It didn't move closer for the minute, so I took the opportunity to crouch down in front of the twins.

"Okay, I'm going to stay here and stop it, you need to hide."

I looked over and saw that there were several more of the creatures now appearing with first one.

"Actually, no. New plan. You run that way," I pointed in the opposite direction from the creatures, how convenient is that, "You go that way, as fast as you can, until you reach the creek. You follow the water until you hit a large log overpass and go left. Got it?"

Ava nodded and grabbed Bruce's hand.

"You get out of the woods and run straight towards the apartment complex on the other side of the street. You go up to the top floor and knock on the door. Ask for the pack and tell them that I'm surrounded."

The twins nodded and I kissed them both on the foreheads, before pulling back and nudging them away.

"Run! Go! Don't look back!"

They took off in the direction that I told them and I frowned as I saw a black blur following behind. As long as they didn't stop, it wouldn't catch them. Hopefully they would get to the loft in time for the pack to deal with it.

I turned my attention back to the tree line and frowned, pulling out my cerated knife, from the sheath on my lower back.

They moved closer but hesitated at the edge of the tree-cover, I could see that they were eyeing the knife in my hand.

"Come one. Come on!"

I shouted and they screeched before they rushed towards me. They were short things, grotesque and mangled in appearance. They looked like they were decaying and had roots and mud covering their entire bodies.

"Ah, disgusting. How the hell has Scott gone and got himself a goblin infestation?!"

They slashed at me with their crude weapons, making me dodge backwards.

'I hope the twins get to the pack soon.'

I could see that there were even more of them, emerging from the woods. There must be at least 40 of them.

"Jesus Christ Scott! You don't do anything by half!"

(So, what d'you think. Comments, please! And votes!)