Alpha Instincts

Chapter 38

I was dreaming of the woods. But anything more specific than that I couldn't remember. My body felt cold, like it should be shivering but it wasn't. My cheeks felt numb, leaning against something hard.

I opened my eyes with a struggle. They felt unnaturally heavy, but any movement was progress. The room swayed, and I blinked it into focus.

When my vision finally came into clarity, I still couldn't understand what I was seeing. The floor appeared to be hardened dirt, and two adjacent walls were made of brown and grey stones, looking old and weathered. The other two adjoining walls were cell bars, beginning at the ground and running up to the roof, where it burrowed deep into the ceiling.

It reminded me of an old cellar, or even a dungeon.

To my horror, there was an entire line of cells beyond my own. I was at the very edge of the room, but to one side I could see straight through to the other side of the room–and straight through everyone's cells. I couldn't hold my gasp when I saw the many other werewolves lying on the ground, fast asleep–or passed out–in cells exactly the same as mine.

The next thing I noticed was the pungent smell. It was one of rot and decay, and it covered the room in a thick blanket.

Repulsed, I squinted against the dark lighting. The only light was emanating from beyond the entrance of the room, which wasn't very helpful considering it was only a single lamp and could only light so much space.

The other cell wall that trapped me within had a door that led to a small hallway, which provided a passage for people to walk through the entire room. But the door blocking me in had a lock, which didn't appear so easy to break. On the opposing side of the room, I saw an identical line of cells stretching across the back wall.

I pushed myself up into a sitting position, which took a lot more effort than it normally did. I grimaced and leaned on the wall behind me.

"Where am I?" I whispered, cradling my head in my hands. It felt like waking up groggy was becoming a recurring occasion, one I was not enjoying.

"Don't be scared," a small, innocent sounding voice said. "Breathe."

I realized I was panting, on the verge of hyperventilating. I thought it wasn't going to work, but then I looked up and my eyes connected with those of a young girl, who looked no more than twelve years old, and a calmness spread through me.

I closed my eyes and focused on controlling my breathing.

"That's better," she said.

I opened my eyes and looked at her, amazed. She was in the cell beside mine, but somehow my eyes had skimmed over her before. She was wearing a black dress and I could see brown stains from lying on the dirty ground.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Beth," she replied, standing tall. "And you?"

"Sabine."

She shuffled forwards, putting a hand through the cell bars in introduction. I moved forwards and shook her hand, feeling the grit and dirt that lay on top of her palm.

"It's nice to meet you, Sabine," she said, sitting back down in her cell.

"Where am I?" I asked hoarsely.

"In the hag's den. At least, that's what we call it." She looked around the room, and I noticed a few people shifted in their positions, although no one seemed to have the energy to sit up or look at me or speak. "We're underground and beneath the science labs, or that's what I've been told by others."