Delta 6 (The Pack)

Chapter 8

To make up for the shortish chapter last time, I made this one a bit longer :3

Warnings: Gore, blood, deaths, violence

     ~Preston's P.O.V.~

     Groaning weakly, still in a daze, the first thing I'm aware of is the slightly painful sting of something weird and wet, repeatedly sliding across my face. And I immediately recognize what it is.

     "Nngh Silver, stop. That hurts." I croak, pushing away the fluffy dog standing worriedly over me, whimpering.

     Luckily her tongue isn't wet enough to actually cause any harm, but it still burns a little when she licks me. Wincing in pain as my head begins to throb, I weakly push myself into a sitting position, lacking the strength to actually sit up. Silver bounds into my lap, barking happily and wagging her tail so fast it's a blur. I manage a small chuckle, getting my bearings as I try to remember what happened. Let's see... There was the villagers throwing stuff at me and calling me names-like usual, then I came back here, there was this weird breeze, and then suddenly this weird white streak crashed into me. And then... I don't remember. But it looks like I passed out. I recall, furrowing my brows as the fuzzy memories start to come back. And then in the blink of an eye, I remember the dream.

     "Silver, you'll never believe the crazy dream I had." I begin, reaching a hand out to pat her head. "So it was- AHH!"

     As I catch sight of the gem resting on my hand, I actually jump back, my skin glowing in a momentary burst of heat. I stare at my gem, dumbfounded, with my jaw hanging open like an idiot. Silver barks in concern, tilting her head, having jumped back in my momentary flare of scalding heat. But at the moment, I really don't care, instead focusing all attention on my gem, which is no longer red. My gem... It's... It's white! But then, that means-

     "It... Wasn't a dream." I breathe, eyes going wide.

     It's at that very moment there's a huge commotion coming from the bushes behind me. Whipping around, I yell out on alarm, managing to dive roll away just in time, just narrowly avoiding the lashing hooves of the horse that thunders past. Muscles still tense, my breathing shallow and quiet, I watch in confusion as the grey horse crashes through the next line of bushes, disappearing once again into the forest. Forgetting the white gem on my hand for the moment, I cautiously stand up, swaying and staggering a bit as I fight to regain my balance. Using a nearby tree to support me, I turn to face the direction the horse came from, wondering what on earth could've spooked it so badly. And curiosity getting the better of me, I start walking in that direction, deciding to investigate. Silver trails a pace behind me, ears perked up and alert, nose to the ground as she sniffs enthusiastically.

     Although I don't find the source of whatever startled that horse, by the time I get to the tree line, I do see two shocking things. The first, is there's a guy, laying on his back, out cold in the middle of the field. There's a cut above his eye, still dripping with fresh blood, and his mocha skin is bruised up and covered in dirt. His black hair is disheveled, and from my vantage point I can't see the gem on his hand, which is currently hidden as his arm is bent at an awkward angle underneath himself. But the second thing is even more unsettling, and my breath instantly hitches in my throat. Because there, not thirty blocks away, is what looks like to be nearly the entire population of Oresville. The scary part is, they all carry weapons of some sort, ranging from torches to pitchforks to razor sharp swords. One of them, wearing a hoodie with dark and light grey stripes, is kneeling beside the guy that's knocked out. As his head raises, he just so happens to look my way, and I instantly freeze in terror as his eyebrows raise in surprise. And then quickly, they lower, and he casts a glare of pure hatred at me.