7. V E N G A N Z A : Restoration

PROLOGUE

Simon howled as he sprinted through the foliage, leading Queen's Pack against an incoming horde of Inner Gods with Queen herself at his side. It was an odd sight, to say the least: a vampire leading werewolves into battle. But of course, these were strange times.

The wolves and Inner Gods clashed with violent force, using claws, teeth, and any other available means to tear at each other's flesh. Simon hungrily dug his teeth into the hide of one of the creatures, drinking its succulent, otherworldly blood.

"Don't let any of them pass!" Queen barked as she leveled an Inner God with her massive paw. "Hold them here!"

"There's too many!" one of the werewolves—a black wolf called Jaux—shouted, muscles bulging as he struggled to hold back a more unruly monster. "We can't hold all of them!"

"Don't worry about it!" Simon snarled at him. "We've got back-up on the way!"

On cue, a sound like bats flocking filled the air, and a horde of vampiric zombies staggered out of the foliage, eyes wide and glowing with eagerness as they swarmed the unsuspecting Inner Gods. Hovering over the trees behind the werewolves was the vampires' leader, Queen Venganza, wings spread majestically against the full moon.

"Right on time, Your Majesty!" Queen called with a wry smile. "Took the long way around, did you?"

"I had business to attend to," Venganza snapped as she floated toward the ground, casually slitting the throat of an Inner God with her red-hot claws. "How are we doing on this front?"

"Much better, thanks to you lot," Queen remarked, stabbing another monster with her makeshift spear. "We should be able to force them back into—UFF!"

Queen fell backward as a humanoid beast with meat-like limbs slammed her to the ground and barged through the crowd of werewolves and vampires, sprinting toward the center of the Animal District with a strange, sloshing sound.

"No! Somebody stop that thing!" Queen cried, struggling to her feet.

"I've got it, Mum!"

Queen's eyes widened in horror as the youngest member of the pack, 15-year-old Theo—who also happened to be her son—took off after the monster alone, axe in hand. "Theodore!" she shrieked. "Get back here!"

"I'll cover him," Venganza told her, narrowing her eyes and streaking after Theo.

Queen immediately followed, fear making her heart pound. "Jaux, hold the line!" she ordered over her shoulder. "I'll be back in a tiff!"

"Got it, Queen!" Jaux gritted his teeth and pushed his opponent back, finally getting enough space to slash its chest open with his sword.

-

Venganza weaved between trees and bushes as she struggled to keep pace with the supernaturally-fast Theo, who in turn was bearing down on his prey. "Slow down, fool!" the vampire queen shouted after the boy. "You can't take on these things alone!"

"I've got this!" Theo insisted. "I can do it!"

Venganza laughed cruelly. "Do you have something to prove, boy?" she sneered. "Save it for high school gym class!"

Theo let out an angry bark and increased his pace, closing the distance between him and the Inner God.

-

The Thing in the Red Space looked over its shoulder. Its prey was close enough for a strike.

A grotesque grinned came to its face.