Chapter 7: Grudges

   Weeks had passed since Brownwell visited me. I obviously had no intentions of abandoning my parents here in Bulgaria for it was too dangerous and I wasn’t even sure I could trust him. 

Besides, I wasn't certain they would be okay letting me go so far away. I was the only child of my parents and they were quite fond of me.

I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket, dipping my hands. I brought it out taking the call. “Elsa, it's your neighbor Lady. Victory.” Her tone sounded like something was terribly wrong.

“Yes lady victory, i hope all is well.”

“Elsa, you need to get back immediately, there’s been a serious commotion at your apartment!” She replied, almost yelling. 

“Wha…t do you mean by that? Is my dad at home?” 

“He is but the situation is quite grave.” She said those last words, ending the call. I was currently purchasing items in a store for the shop. But after that call I left them, dashing home with all the speed I could muster.

“Please be okay.” I muttered faintly. A lot of scenarios ran through my head as I neared our apartment. I imagined the worst scenarios, maybe, Brownwell attacked my family to teach me a lesson or it could be the client who I was supposed to be delivered to finally discovering my whereabouts.

I don’t know what to think about the situation, but one thing was certain, it wasn’t good at all. I had reached home running upstairs to our porch. My palms got closer to the door handle, but it stopped halfway. I strengthened my resolve and turned it, entering inside. I felt my both knees hit the ground solidly, at the sight in front of me.

The gods present us with tests a lot of times in which some succeed and others perish. I wondered if this was a test, I wondered if I had failed already. Some things are hard to explain, why do bad things always have to happen to good people, I didn’t understand it.

What was before my sight was nothing short of horrific. “You must be Conrad’s daughter I presume?” The soldier asked. I couldn’t answer, I had lost the ability to speak.

“Elsa Oppenheimer, your worthless mother has an outstanding state loan. Which remains unsettled for three years and growing in interest. We gave her more than enough time to pay back but she decided to treat our purity with impunity. But you see you can't escape the state, no one except the alpha is above the law.”

My mom laid on the ground almost unmoving, with her face being hardly recognizable. It seemed she had been beaten to stupor. There were deep cuts all across her body as she struggled to breath. She was surrounded by four other soldiers who seemed to have beaten her. Her hands bent in a grotesque, unnatural manner. 

On closer inspection you could see her leg bones sticking out. My dad was already chained at the edge of the sitting room by three other soldiers. His eyes seemed dead as he stared at his wife.

“She shouldn’t have tried to cheat the system, I mean what was she thinking that she could just leave the main market and start all over at the side of the road to sell? Hahaha that was very foolish.” I felt my own vision blurring due to the amount of tears in my eyes.

But through the voice I recognized the soldier talking to me as the state security chief, he was in charge of protecting the state's internal issues. An old frail male who had a limping walking step. My mother always told me how he usually threw her lewd glances when she sold in the main market.

He was called the warden. That was what everyone referred to him as. He is a distant relative of the alpha of Bulgaria and has maintained his office for decades now. “How could you do this to her, you know my dad, he is a part of the nation's army. He is your comrade. How could you do this to his wife?”

“I don’t think you understand, child, your dad took what should have been mine twenty five years ago. Your mother Amy should have been with me but she chose this loser.” He spoke with gritted teeth.

“She made the worst mistake when she took that loan she knew very well, she couldn’t repay. As soon as the bank contacted me, I decided to personally pay her a visit.”

“Please, let us be, I promise we’ll clear the loan.” I answered only thinking of saving my mother at this point.

“It seems you find it difficult to articulate things, girl. I don’t care about your stupid debt, I just want to destroy your family.”

“Your dad just watched a great movie of your mom being beaten, I'm sorry we couldn’t wait for you to get home before the movie started." He replied loudly, causing a chorus of laughter from the soldiers.

“Do you want to know what happens next Elsa Oppenheimer? Let me explain it to you in detail. I’m the law enforcer around here and I say your mother defied legal authority by resisting arrest. Her actions were deemed a direct threat to public order, and as such, she was immediately subdued and taken out as a perceived danger to the state. This is exactly what the news headlines on television will read.” There was a huge smirk on his face now as he looked at me with disgust.

“No no no please don’t kill Amy. I beg of you. Warden what happened to the love you have for her, how can you kill someone you love.” Dad replied for the first time since I got here. He seemed to have lost all his energy from watching the disaster unfold.

“Ohh good Conrad the only feeling that resides predominantly in my heart for Amy and all of you is vengeance.” He scowled, kicking Amy’s face once more.

These men want to kill my mother, my family. The only people that truly mattered to me in the world. They had no hearts. They deserve the most gruesome death possible. My mother fainted again after the attack from the warden. I could feel that I was very close to my limit, my whole world seemed to be crushing before me. My heart beat raced faster than before.

I could only picture the warden's heart smashed under my legs. I had gotten stronger now from my many night adventures and my fighting instincts were better too. I didn’t waste time immediately shapeshifting into my full werewolf form. My raven black fur fought with the morning light, defying its golden brilliance with every dark strand. 

There were about eight soldiers in our home. They were quite surprised by the aura I exuded, I was too young to have such a huge form and aura. But they still saw me as a child. The horror was evident on their faces as I gnashed my teeth in rage and thunder.

“That would be a foolish move Elsa, you’re quite young for the place you will be headed if you proceed.” He answered as three transformed werewolves rushed past him. I had already submitted to the rage and bitterness in me. I pounced on the first werewolf, my jaws already locked on his neck smashing it in immediately. His claws had slowly fallen from my head as he fell never to stand again. 

The two other werewolves were already biting my legs furiously, I quickly smashed the first one with my back foot on his snort. He seemed disoriented as his counterpart tried to swipe at my eyes. They were quite fast and calculated but I had more speed and strength. I jumped past the werewolf to the other who seemed to be still disorganized from the earlier kick. I cornered him to the floor clawing furiously at his face till all I could see was blood.

“What the heck is happening here! How could you let a youngling disgrace you like that. Do I always have to solve everything myself.” Warden questioned angrily. Throughout the fight he had a look of uncertainty, he was contemplating how I was so skillful.

The last werewolf was now on the defensive trying to avoid my attacks, he would jump and bend at each of my strikes. I decided to abandon stately completely, no more thinking, just wild, reckless strikes. I bit, clawed, smashed, and tore until his limbs lay in ruin, bones splintered his body nothing more than displaced meat on the ground.

There were still six more werewolves and my energy had gone really down. These were not just ordinary werewolves, they were soldiers trained to fight and subdue.

Two stayed with my dad while the four including the warden approached me leaving my dying mom on the ground. They all transformed in uniform, moving round me in circles. The warden attacked me first with a quick slash, I bent and blocked it but was met with another claw to my back. I tried to attack back but was inevitably interrupted again with a heavy kick to my head. 

After what felt like hours their repetitive attacks weakened me and I changed back to my werewolf self falling to the ground. One of the werewolves came to end my misery and he approached me with caution.

“Stop. No harm shall befall the girl. It would bring too much suspicion, we’ll have other chances to exact revenge but for now we must make use of our heads.” The warden uttered like a law. The soldiers proceeded backwards canceling their form.

I had no strength left in me to attack as I stayed on the ground paralyzed. The Warden limped towards my mother, his cane which assisted him tapping with a spine-chilling rhythm. With an otherworldly smile he raised it, and in a swift, merciless motion, split her throat.

Her crimson blood soaked the carpet more, blossoming like a cursed flower, until the light in her eyes faded away. My sweet beautiful mother. Surely it can’t be?  Surely it can't…