When they got back to Smallsvile the next day it seems everything changed. Sarah looked overwhelmed. The people looked tired and wanted more out of life. An old man with a walrus brown beard stumbled forward holding a shotgun in his right hand, the others moved out of his way. He aimed at Alpha and Catherine. The air got agitated.
"I'm gonna shoot you fools. Why won't you obey for once and let's be safe? War promises nothing but famine and death. We can't win this."
Alpha stepped forward pulling Catherine behind her she jumped forward saying:
"You don't have to die for me, Aiden. This is my home. My father's fortress and I rule here."
She nearly stumbled over after saying that. Damien rushed in but before he could hold her Alpha did.
The old man still holds his gun up. The others what to pull out there's, but they barely manage to get bullets.
"Please let's maintain peace here. You don't have to push down the man. Please mister, what do you want?" Damien asked the old man guiding Alpha and Catherine. Sam appeared from the back door behind the bar. He held another shotgun.
"What's happening here?" He said. "And Dan, what are you doing with that?"
"Don't come near me or I'll shoot them."
"He's not coming near you," Damien said. "He won't do that."
"Dan," Sam asked. "Will you stop this? Last night we managed to get supplies. You can come and have some."
"I don't want anything again," the old man cried. _ I just want to die. I have been seeing heads hang on spikes and vultures feeding on them. It's been strange since the rain. No, yield. Nothing is growing."
"Please drop the gun," Catherine said.
"I won't. You lots got something to think about. I have got nothing but that farm that isn't growing. I'm going crazy. I have been seeing things. Strange faces with broken bloodied noses and eyes wider like rackets. I deserve to die."
For a moment most of the onlookers walked away from the scene. They left him to die or they left him to shoot Catherine, Alpha, or Damien.
"Please drop the gun, " Catherine said again. Alpha and Damien wrinkle their eyes using that as a contact but before they could reach him he shot himself in the head. Boom!
Sarah stood up from where she sat looking at the old man. She didn't do anything because she saw him writing his suicide note and she knows in this situation some might see that as an escape route. She knows he never intended to shoot her friend and she knows even if she wanted to stand up to help she might be dead before getting to her. She has been dreaming a lot too and her dreams are sad with lots of crying sibyls, heads and then she's been seeing Jenn.
She walked over shunning the old man on the floor with blood flowing to the east like it was deliberate.
"Catherine, you need to get inside." She hugged her tighter than she has ever done. She doesn't want to miss her again.
"You all should get back to your activities. The poor fellow is gone. Sometimes we do have alternatives. He could have trusted life but perhaps this is what he wanted…"
"Sam, where is Elvira?" Catherine asked while walking into the house.
"She's not been here lately. She came back five days ago. The very day you left but didn't stay longer than an hour."
"Alright. I'll love to discuss this with you later. I need to rest now."
"It's okay. Later."
***
The moment Sam stepped out they heard another gunshot. Then another. Then another. He ran back in and closed the door.
"What is that?"
"It's a gunshot, Damien."
"Catherine should get inside. Sarah go with her." Sam said.
He peeped outside hoping to see who was shooting. The people ran and scattered but a girl stood in the middle of the playground crying. The shooting continued. Alpha gnashed and opened the door. Damien followed him and slowly they tried getting to the girl. She looked pale and her eyes were redder than anything.
"Be careful out here."
"Stay in. Guard the house."
Damien ran towards the bar, then towards the back door to reach the outer rooms where the refugees stay. He kept guns in a store loaded with bullets. But before getting to the door he found it opened. He quickly peeped inside, there was no sign of the guns. He ran back to help Alpha but on getting there he found him devouring the girl.
"What are you doing, Aiden?" Damien rushed to yank him off the girl but before he could get to him Sam yanked him off with a rope thrown like a hook through his neck. He gasped for breath.
"What are you doing, Sam." He shouted. The rope became a bullet choking life out of him. Alpha growled and started running about with blood flowing down his mouth and his long teeth sharper with the hope to reap out more flesh.
"Alpha, what are you doing?" Damien shouted again with the rope killing him slowly and it seems Alpha wasn't hearing him nor was he looking at him. He was busy growling and the growl got stronger each time that Damien thought he'll die a simultaneous death.
"Alpha!" He continued shouting. Sam was laughing and he started growing larger with claws coming out from his chest then his legs and his eyes merged like that of cyclops.
"Alpha! Please stop this. Sam is killing me."
***
Inside, Catherine and Sarah sat looking at them from the window.
"They've stopped the shooting," Sarah said.
"Yeah. Look at them playing with the guns." She smiled.
"Those aren't guns, Catherine. They are playing with sticks."
Catherine smacked, "Oh, that's true. I guess I need to rest. Figma P wasn't as expected."
"What happened? You found, Jenn?"
"Yeah but…"
"Oh my, Sam is shooting at them."
"What?" Catherine covered her mouth.
"Stay here. I can handle this. Trust me, please." Sarah said. She grabbed a gun and ran outside. Catherine managed to stand up. She grabbed a gun too but couldn't walk much. The wound left in her stomach weakened her and she collapsed in the bed throbbing to get up.
Sarah got to the door. She cocked the gun and got ready to open fire on Sam. She never for once thought she'll be shooting Sam or any of her new family. She closed her eyes and when she opened them the door opened.
She saw nobody but light and blood.
"Move from the door, Sarah," a voice said. She got back her sight and saw Sam and Damien carrying Alpha into the house. She was gobsmacked.
"What…"
"Get some water. Faster please," Sam said.
Sarah ran off to get the water. Sam and Damien laid Alpha down on the sofa.
"His temperature is getting higher, Sam," Damien said, holding his neck that was nearly yanked off.
"He'll be fine. Sarah, the water." Sam ripped open Alpha's chest.
"Give me a hand. Push down on his chest. Harder."
"Sarah…"
"Here have the water."
Sam collected the bowl and poured the water on Alpha's chest. Get some towels. Four will be fine."
"Alright." Sarah went upstairs. Damien continued pushing down on his chest.
"We need the towels now. Can you get some too?"
"Sure." Damien rushed through the stairs. Sam whispered something in Alpha's ears. He shouted.
"Damien, be fast. What are you doing up there!"
Damien passed him the towels and told him Sarah is with Catherine.
"Her temperature is high too?"
"Yeah. I touched her."
"Get this towel over his face, " Damien covered his face gently. " You have to hold it tight. Catherine will be fine."
"Ahhhhhh" Alpha shouted. He started moving his body like it was from Brownian motion. His skin became green and his claws came out.
"That girl wasn't a girl. It's a decoy. A poison."
"What. Who will do that…"
"You speak as if you don't know. Hold him tighter now." Sam pushed his chest in harder and some dark blood flew out his mouth and nose.
"That's it. The poison is to make him weaker after the kill. I know John and Maddie are experimenting on lots of stuff. Never knew they could reach this extent."
"What?"
"You have to be careful, man. He'll be fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, for an Alpha, he should be in two days. At least he killed the girl."
"But…"
"Don't worry, you'll know soon. Those men have been able to go beyond science into another form of science. I bet our team needs to up their game."
***
For five days now, Elvira has been staying in a hotel and secretly having meetings with her new gang. It's a mini gang formed out of those from the factions. The Danim have gone underground since many of them died during the rain and her father's gang hasn't been up to anything big since he died. And some among the mutts joined her. She promised them revolution…