A Gift from the Goddess

Darkness… Darkness, a damp surface and an overwhelming metallic taste greeted me. 

I knew what it was before I even opened my eyes, my last memories immediately reminding me to what had happened. Or, at least, what had happened before I’d lost consciousness. Shaking, I pulled my exhausted body upright to see the damage for myself. … To see the massacre 

And it was a sight that made me want to throw up. 

Bodies laid everywhere around me. Throats torn, claw and bite marks riddling their skin. 

No one had survived. 

No one had survived *me*. 

I’d let it happen again, too weak to stop it. If i’d just regained control sooner, I could have gotten back up to my feet and finished them off, completing the mission per my instructions. But… no, I was a failure. A disappointment. 

A monster. 

The first time something like this had occurred was about four years ago, after my eighteenth birthday. I’d been in a training session with my former tutor, practising during an intense fighting session, when I suddenly felt the sickening change within. ‘Former’ tutor being the key word. They hadn’t survived. 

Ever since then, it had felt like a constant battle inside myself. Pushing down the creature lurking below the surface, hoping more than anything that I didn’t lose control again. Because whilst I was used to death in my line of work, the sheer destructive energy of the wolf beast was so unhinged that it was too unpredictable to be of any benefit. It was something I had no power over. 

That… and I was worried about what would happen if anyone ever found out the truth. Saw wiat I truly was. 

And a shudder went down my spine at that very thought. However, right now, I needed to concentrate on damage control. I couldn’t bring Miles back to bir and I knew that I would need to face the punishment of that failure – face *his* punishment. 

But for now… for now I needed to clean up. And there was only one person to call for that. Crawling along the ground, I began searching for the burner phone I’d concealed on my person earlier. I knew it would most likely be wherever my clothes had been torn to shreds but prayed it hadn’t been broken during the lapse. Thankfully, I managed to find it after some unpleasant digging *Hello?” sung an overly positive volce on the other side, picking up after only two rings. I wisud at trvlr greeting, finding it so out of place given the grim scene surrounding me. 

“Zac,” I replied. My voice was completely serious, hoping he’d pick up on the less than subtle hint. 

you,

a level five situation at the construction site

what? A level

you

a pile of building materials, too exhausted to

would need to

the next thirty minutes before a van finally pulled up on the scene, a lanky young man

after taking only one look at the mess around me, his

Rae… Gross,” he started.

level five. It’s been a while since you’ve left such a gory scene behind and I can’t say I’ve missed it.”

to retrieve what he needed. The first item being gloves

we’d crossed paths with one another given my line of work. Before long,

us seeing each other, Zac had wrongly begun to assume we were much closer than we were. That this was more than a working relationship and, in fact, a friendship.

this one was meant to be brought in alive,”

go to the effort of making it look like an animal attack?”

it was

touchy right now. Instead, I merely

have to do it while naked?” he continued, still not reading my

then I feel bad for anyone you

walking towards him. I didn’t have the patience for his questions anymore and wanted to return home.

asked, still not addressing his last statement.

unwillingness to talk and turned

Lighten up, I’m just joking with you.” I quickly grabbed the clothes and started pulling them on, hating how they clung to me uncomfortably. All I could think about was how badly I wanted a shower, hoping to wash away

parked a car earlier in the day. The plan had been to drive off with Miles as soon as I’d knocked him unconscious, handing

but it was as I’d walked a few feet that I suddenly heard him abruptly stop, almost as if