008 - Ashina

A low growl vibrated against the walls, rattling through the air like thunder before the storm, stealing my breath away.

Maya’s skin was slick with sweat and her muscles flexed against the heavy restraints as if strained against them. Veins bulged at her neck and her jaw was so tight, it looked like it might crack from the pressure.

I approached slowly, grabbing the last prepared vial of the sedate I had, in my trembling grip.

"Easy," I whispered, more to myself than to her.

She snapped her head up instantly, and I froze, nearly tripping over myself.

“Don’t,” she snarled, her voice rough like gravel. Her lips peeled back over clenched teeth and her eyes with the amber streaks now a constant present glowered at me. “Don’t come near me Ash, something’s wrong. I will hurt you.”

I swallowed hard, trying to control my breathing in a way that would not destabilize her.

“I know,” I murmured, inching forward calmly. “I just want to help, so you don’t hurt yourself or anyone else.”

“I don’t care!” she roared, straining against the chains. The cuffs dug into her wrists, drawing blood. “It burns. It hurts. Something’s wrong with me!”

The sound of the chains grinding against steel echoed, and I flinched. She could break free. I didn’t know how long the restraints would hold, or if they even could.

Her body wasn’t handling it. This in-between state that was not fully human nor was it wolf. It was just pure confused rage.

“You need to let me help you, Maya,” I said, her voice barely above a breath.

She twisted suddenly, her eyes flashing even more with pain. “I can feel it under my skin. Something is crawling underneath.” She slammed her head back against the wall with a grunt. “MAKE IT STOP.”

“Maya, stop!”

I darted forward, a bit too quick, my heart almost crashing out of my chest, in an attempt to stop her from hurting herself. But she thrashed forward instead, pouncing on me and sending me sprawling across the floor.

The syringe skidded out of reach as I gasped in pain.

Maya.

She let out a sound, something between a roar and a sob, as she threw herself against the chains again and the metals screamed in protest.

I scrambled up, ignoring the dirt and blood in my palms and the stains I had created. My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it my teeth. I grabbed the syringe, ready to go in again.

Maya was on me in seconds, the moment I was close to her. Her nails that were beginning to form claws slashed across my forearm, tearing through the fabric of my cloth and my skin.

I gritted my teeth, jerking back as pain sliced through and my body screamed in response. The human body was not designed to take the pain of being clawed by a wolf.

But I didn’t let the pain stop me.

I feinted left, ducked right, and twisted my body as Maya thrashed again, sending another feral blow right into my shoulder. Blood slicked my skin but Maya’s twisted snarl and the desperation hidden in it, kept me going.

With a grunt, I slipped under Maya’s raised arm, drove my knee up to Maya’s thigh to destabilize her, and plunged the needle deep into her muscle.

Maya shrieked, her body writhing in response and a sharp hiss broke through her teeth in feral pain. Then she staggered and her arms trembled as the drug began to take hold.

“Help… me,” she gasped, barely audible. Her eyes flickered—amber, then brown—before she collapsed into me.

My legs gave out under her weight and I crumpled to the floor, letting my head fall back against the cold wall for one breath of relief. I was shaking. Soaked in blood. My body screamed with every movement. My fingers tingled from adrenaline, my vision swam. But there was no time to fall apart.

A sharp ping yanked me back to the present.

My phone.

I dragged myself up and fumbled for it on the lab table, wiping blood from the screen. One message.

Coordinates to Dr. Veyra’s lab.

My stomach twisted. I was really doing this.

I moved fast, ignoring the way my knees wobbled, and darted out of the room. Because every second counted. The message had come through my ghost network—a series of digital tunnels built to be untraceable. That meant it wouldn’t last long before disappearing.

I tore through the apartment, grabbing an emergency containment case, vials of backup sedative, antiseptic, bandages. Cash. Clothes. IDs. Money. Rations. A knife. Anything we might need during the trip there and when we got there.

I dashed up and down the stairs, regretting now that the elevator had chosen this moment to once again crash, threw the supplies into Maya’s car and ran back up until I had everything there.

My lungs burned and my muscles screamed, but I didn’t care.

Once I was done, I went into the lab for Maya.

She looked smaller now. More fragile. I crouched beside her and wiped the sweat from her brow, brushed her hair back from her face. Her skin was pale.

“I’ve got you, okay?” I whispered, my voice trembling with exhaustion. “You’re gonna be okay.”

I hooked Maya’s arm over my shoulder, heaved her upright inch by inch. It took everything I had to lift her. Every muscle in my body screamed. My knees shook, and my spine felt like it would snap in half. But I got her over my shoulder.

I don’t even know how I made it out of the door.

One step. Another. Down the stairs. Down another.

Every step down with Maya’s weight resting on me felt like a small war. With my lungs already almost wearing out from exhaustion, adding Maya’s weight to mine to go down two flights of stairs was excruciatingly painful. My shoulder’s strained and pain laced through my back.

It took every breath of mine to keep moving. Taking it one step at a time.

I sighed, looking ahead. Almost there. We’re almost there.

“Ashina?”

I froze, recognizing the voice.

Mr. Halvorsen. My neighbor. A kind older man who always brought us groceries when I was exhausted and Maya had failed to go shopping.

Not now. Please, not now.

He looked concerned, eyes wide as he stepped closer. “Is Maya alright?”

I plastered on the first smile I could manage. “Yeah! Just… she’s really sick. Flu. Really bad. I'm just taking her to a hospital."

He frowned, concerned, and took a step forward towards us. "Do you need help—?"

"No!" I said, too quickly.

Shit.

I took in deep breath, trying to catch myself as I offered him a small smile. "Thank you so much for the offer. But she’s contagious. It’s a really dangerous strain. I’m just trying to get her quarantined."

He blinked and took a step back, though he didn’t look convinced. "Oh… okay, dear. Be careful."

I nodded tightly, waited until he disappeared, and then adjusted Maya’s limp body so it didn’t look quite so lifeless. As soon as he retreated, I forced myself down the final flight with my limbs shaking. My arms felt like jelly, and my breaths were coming in broken wheezes.

The moment I got down, I wrestled Maya into the back seat, tucked her limbs in as gently as I could, and shut the door. Then I slid into the driver’s seat, dropped my head to the steering wheel, and let myself breathe.

In. Out. In and Out.

I couldn’t afford more.

I opened my eyes and fired up the engine.

I had a lab to find.