Like A Whole Different Planet

Mattias launched one of the purple smoke bombs back at the werewolves and they yelped and fell back. None of them were about to risk losing their minds or going mad, and in that brief moment of confusion, Mattias escaped, leaving their sights completely.

The cage bounced violently against the uneven ground as two men carried me deeper into the forest. I had stopped struggling and yelling a while ago, mostly because my arms ached from gripping the bars and I didn't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing me wear myself out.

When the cloth came off my head, the first thing I noticed was the camp. I'd expected some kind of fortress, but this wasn't that at all. It was a sad, almost pathetic scattering of tents and shacks patched together from scrap metal, wood, and torn tarps.

Smoke curled from a few dull fires, and I caught the sour smell of stew mixed with wet dirt and sweat.

Small children darted between the shelters, their thin faces lighting up with curiosity when they saw