The Mouse and The Wolf - Chapter 40: Chapter 40

-Oliver-
It took me only seconds to get out of the school. I had never run so fast in my entire life. I could hear Jack right behind me, and I knew he would catch me. There was no way I could outrun a werewolf.
There was no one to help me. I couldn't feel Jaden anywhere near me. Jack would get whatever it was that he wanted from me. It was just a matter of seconds.
But I couldn't give up. I had to protect it, whatever it was. I knew I couldn't let Jack have it – he had to pry it off my cold, dead corpse. For once, I wasn't scared to death. I was afraid, of course, but I wasn't scared of him like I used to be. No. Now I was too busy going through that one list Arch spoke of a few days ago.
Things to kill a werewolf.
But I had none of the things he mentioned, not even silver!
Suddenly I heard an angry growl, and just a second later, I was lying in the snow, Jack lying on top of me. I fought back as hard as I could, but he turned me on my back with such ease it almost made me cry in frustration. How could I fight back against someone like him?
"You'll regret that, rat!" he growled, pulling his hand high above his head. I saw sharp claws glimmering in the sunrise as he prepared to slash me open.
It happened again. The radiant light flashed once again between us, and Jack howled in pain as it hit him. I didn't need anyone to tell me to run this time, when I crawled away from under him and got back up on my feet.
"GET BACK HERE!" Jack shouted, and if he was mad before, he was filled with rage now.
If I didn't come up with something to get him off me soon, I would be dead, and he would have his... what? What was it?! What the hell was going on?!
I didn't even watch where I was going. I wasn't going to go home, that was for sure, but the fresh snow made it difficult for me to run fast. Where could I go? The police station? I doubted I'd get that far, and what could they do? I was sure Jack would kill everyone in his madness!
I was running out of breath. Jack was again right behind me... I could feel his claws ripping my jacket and I tried to run faster, but...
"You can't outrun me, rat!" Jack yelled. "And I won't make the same mistake twice!"
Thrice... you moron...
I wasn't sure if it was my thought or someone else's. I made a hard turn to left just when he was about to catch me, and I sped up. I only got a few feet between us.
And it was enough.
Out of nowhere, a big, green Jeep appeared between us, almost crashing into a fence that was on my left, missing me only by inches. I stumbled and fell when I turned to look the big cloud of snow the car had lifted from the ground. For a moment, it was all I could see. I could hear the engine roaring, but it wasn't nearly as loud as the sounds of three, angry werewolves.
"I will tear you apart!" Jaden's voice was not his own when he growled the words.
The snow started to fade when I got back up on my feet. I could see Jaden, Arch and Tilly standing behind it, but they weren't entirely human anymore. They all had claws out. Tilly turned to look at me shortly, and I would've lost my mind if I already didn't know what they were. Her face was covered in white fur, and her open mouth was full of sharp teeth. She was clearly halfway her transformation to wolf.
Run! They can stop him, but not his minions!
The second I heard the voice inside my head, I saw five shadowy figures appearing in the sky. They were moving fast, leaving smoky trails behind them as they all started flying towards me. I didn't wait for another second. I turned around and continued running, and now I was scared again.
I had never seen anything like them. I had felt them around every time Jack got near me, but this was the first time they were visible for my eyes.
"It's too late! You already lost!" Jack yelled somewhere behind me, but his triumphant voice was swallowed by the angry growls of my companions. I didn't dare to look back, but I could tell they had started fighting.
Almost there! Keep going straight! I'll keep them busy!
I could feel something leaving my body. For a second, the air around me glowed blue and when I turned to look behind me, I saw a sixth figure up in the sky, but this one was different. It was pure white with a hint of blue and gold swirling around it like thin mist. It slammed into the closest of Jack's minions, forcing it to back off, before it dashed across the sky, towards the second one.
I ripped my eyes off them all, and focused on the street ahead of me. I didn't see anything in front of me, only small houses in between all the snow. I could still hear the werewolves fighting in the distance. I could only hope my werewolves were all right. Jack may be alone, but those abilities of his frightened me.
My lungs were burning, and my feet were growing heavy, but I still kept going. I only had one thought in my head: I couldn't let Jack have what he wanted. The black smoke-beings were still after me, so it wasn't the white one they wanted. That something was still in me, and I needed to protect it.
Suddenly, the white figure was flying right next to me, and I could almost see a face of a woman staring at me in the middle of it.
'Turn right,' she said, but she never moved her lips – I could hear her voice inside my head. I did as she told, and once I was running down a narrow street, I could hear her voice again. 'Natalie is coming. Tell her he wants the Echo in you.'
Then she left again to keep the other ones away from me. I had no idea what she was talking about, but I didn't have any other choice but to keep going. I was gasping for air so hard it felt like my lungs were on fire, and I started to feel dizzy. At least now I knew what Jack was after. An echo. Didn't Arch say that Echoes were small parts of spirits? I had a part of someone's spirit in me?
But who was it? Whose spirit was it?
My thoughts were interrupted, when I saw a small figure up ahead. They were running towards me, and for a moment, I thought it was a new threat.
"Oliver!"
I would've sighed in relief if I had that much air in my lungs when I realized who it was.
Mrs. Bundt. Natalie Bundt.
I turned to look back and saw the black things now focusing on the white one. I stopped in horror when I realized she was slowly losing the battle, but I didn't have much time to react, when Mrs. Bundt stopped next to me, and grabbed me with both hands.
"What happened?!" she asked.
"I – Jack – he wants the Echo in me," I said, and turned to look up at the sky again. "They're ripping her apart!"
"Annabelle!" Mrs. Bundt gasped. "Fredrick! Seymore! Help her!"
Two more figures rose out of the ground. I just stared at them with wide eyes. I could barely make the outlines of two males in the white, swirly mist.
'As you wish, milady,' the other one said just before they leaped up in the sky, and dashed towards the third one.
"What is going on...?" I whispered as my legs cave in, but Mrs. Bundt helped me stay up on my feet.
"Oliver, I need you to keep it together, okay? I'll explain everything soon, but right now you need to tell me what happened," she spoke fast and sternly, making me look at her. "You said someone wants the Echo in you?"
"Y-Yes," I nodded, but suddenly, I could feel something dark approaching us, so I turned around. "Jaden!"
I got up on my feet when I saw Jaden, Arch, and Tilly walking to us. I wanted to run to them, but Mrs. Bundt stopped me, and pulled me behind her.
"Everything will be all right," she said. "Just stay behind me, okay?"
I nodded, and looked at my friends again, but I already knew something was terribly wrong.
"So, you finally decided to show yourself!" Mrs. Bundt yelled at them.
I almost started to cry when I saw Jack walking right behind them. Something was really, really wrong with Jaden, Tilly and Arch. I saw black smoke rising from their bodies, and they walked like zombies.
"Step aside, hag," Jack spoke triumphantly. "I will get what I want."
"All this commotion over a simple Echo?" Mrs. Bundt spoke harshly.
"It's none of your business – you'll die now anyway," Jack said, stopping close by, hiding behind my friends.
"I'm going to die? You were stupid enough to try to possess three werewolves at the same time. I can still hear them, and I can tell you, they are not happy," Mrs. Bundt said.
"I only need them to kill you," Jack barked at her – her words had clearly pissed him off. "You and your little guardian can't stand a chance against us! Kill her and take the boy!"
Jaden, Arch and Tilly stepped closer to us, but they were suddenly confronted by the three white figures.
"Diana. Artemis," Mrs. Bundt spoke, and two more appeared out of nowhere, taking their places next to us.
"What?!" Jack growled, glaring at the three of them. "How?!"
"Oh, you didn't know? I was sure your spy already told you that I'm having guests this week," Mrs. Bundt said calmly. "Stupid, stupid boy. Guardians! Escort this scum off our lands!"
'Yes, milady.'
I could hear a loud battle cry inside my soul, when all five of them launched at Jack and his minions. I watched one of them entering Jaden's body, and a few seconds later, I saw the same, blue light flashing around him, blasting the black smoke out of him. The same was done to Tilly and Arch, and all three of them fell down on their knees.
"You stupid bitch! This isn't over!" Jack yelled while turning into a wolf. It was his turn to run, when the five, white figures turned their attention to him.
Mrs. Bundt took a deep breath as she watched him run away. Then, she turned to look at me. "Are you all right?"
"Are they all right?" I asked instead of answering, turning to look at Jaden and the others, who were now getting back up on their feet.
"Yes, they should be fine now," she said.
"Oliver!" Jaden tried to run to me, but he seemed to be out of strength, so I hurried to help him. "Did he hurt you?"
"No," I shook my head, putting an arm around him for support.
"Thank goodness..." he muttered, and hugged me. "What the hell did he want?"
"I don't know..." I muttered. Tilly and Arch joined us, looking like they had just survived a tornado, and we all turned to look at Mrs. Bundt.
"Uhmm..." she uttered, looking surprisingly timid all of a sudden. "I may have some explaining to do, yes."
"You don't say," I breathed out.
"Come – my house is around the corner," she said, gesturing us to follow her.