Until Dawn - 10. Chapter 10

Outside I didn't wait for an invitation. There were screams and banging coming from behind the reception desk. All that noise came from the small staff room beyond the reception, and it had to be Elliot. Meaning Bao was close enough for Elliot to be fearful of him.

Jimmy broke the glass with his mop, which proved to be helpful in the end. I reached in, unhooked the ax from the box, and pulled it out. I wielded the weapon carefully. I was a bit apprehensive about holding the thing, but seeing as everything was a quick drive, I automatically started running toward the sounds of terror. Now, most people, I reckon, would stray away from the sounds of horror, but I was a man on… I mean… a boy on a mission. It didn't appear that anything was going to stop me from doing what I set out to do.

Jimmy parted ways with me momentarily. He ran to my backpack at the viewing bay, I could make out my belongings on the table, but I was more concerned about helping my friend. While he got the iPhone, I ran to the staff quarters. Bao had Elliot pinned on top of a table; its contents were bunched up by the wall, and Elliot was thrashing about.

Rightly so, I wouldn't be lying still, waiting for death to come down on me like a hot ticket.

Bao was bouncing Elliot up and down on the table like he was a bag of potatoes. Bao was angry. It didn't look like he cared anymore who he had set his sights on. He just wanted to kill people because it was bothering him that we were all fighting back.

Bao raised his left arm; his claws shimmered in the moonlight coming from the window. He was going to kill Elliot, and it was now or never that I needed to make my decision. Luckily, Bao hadn't noticed me. He was too preoccupied with Elliot to sense my arrival.

So, I charged at him, a fire burned in my stomach, and it seemed for a split second that everything could be possible or, if at all, I was invincible. I let out a battle-hardened cry, raised my hands with the ax, and lashed out. The ax came down with a stricken blow, and it embedded itself in the werewolf's shoulder. The creature let out a terrifying blood-curdling roar. He turned to me, letting Elliot go momentarily, and he welted me across the face. The blow knocked me off balance, and I fell on my ass. My teeth chattered from the tremor, and the entire left side of my face seared with the sting.

Bao’s anger was directed back to Elliot; he raised his arm, the one with the ax sticking from its shoulder, ripped it out, sending it flying to the floor with a dull clank.

He was about to strike, but my scream filled the room;"WAIT…."

The creature stopped and peered at me. This odd silence pervading the air, and all that could be heard was Elliot's soft whimpering. Bao just groaned in agitation; I found the distraction as an opportune time to get myself up off the floor. I stood up, patting myself, trying to turn attention to me.

"Please… look… take me…." I stated.

Though I didn't realize I had said those words until they left my mouth. I still went with it because it seemed like the right thing to do. If it meant that Elliot lived rather than died, it would make the sacrifice worth it.

Bao let Elliot slack from his firm grip. He had been holding him tightly from the center of his shirt. I felt that the wolf… or Bao, was trying to communicate with me, but he couldn't talk. Perhaps the situation caught up with him, leaving him speechless. He was just an oversized dog. Everyone knows that dogs can't speak. So, I confirmed my decision again. I wanted Elliot to live, and if this was the way I was going to tell him that I was crazily in love with him, then so be it.

"Take me… If you promise not to hurt Elliot."

Bao seemed complacent, while Elliot looked up, dazed from the thrashing he had gotten on the table. Blood was coming from a small cut on his forehead, and his breathing was heavy; he seemed a little weak. Though, from the looks of it, I wouldn't have blamed him for being scattered after the beating he just got.

Elliot squinted at me; he tried to make out who I was, standing at the door. It would have helped if a light was on in the office, but there was just enough light emanating from the lobby for him to realize it was me. Except, the wolf didn't move; he didn't attempt to come to seize me or kill Elliot. He just stared me down, waiting for me to continue by the look of it. I think he wanted me to give him a good enough reason why I felt he should give Elliot up. It was now or never. I had to spill all the information I had been holding onto for the past few months.

"You want me to give a reason?" I asked.

Bao nodded.

"Okay… I won't fight. I just… I like him and well… Yeah. You can have me. I just want you to let him go."

Bao pondered my proposal, then he lifted Elliot up from the table and put him on his feet. I couldn't believe it. All I could do was watch in the dumbstruck belief that Elliot was walking toward me. Yes, he was confused and a bit in shock, but from the look of it, there were a lot of questions percolating in his head that he would never get answers for, not now, not ever.

In a weird sense being able to tell Elliot how I felt was an excellent dying wish. Well, it's not how I would have imagined it like in the movies. You know where people end up together and live a whole and happy life.

Though this wasn't Twilight or some stupid fictional werewolf and vampire story.

I would have loved to be the proper gentleman, but my time was getting cut short. So, I made do with the time I had left to live. Elliot just walked to me as if he was contemplating - like he was asking… Did you really mean what you said, or was it a ploy to get Bao to release me?

As you know, nothing is more potent than love, and sometimes you can be willing to make a trade-off for yourself if someone believes it. We both looked at each other, then Elliot left the room without saying anything, and I was happy that he did without causing a fuss.

Now it was just Bao and me, and I was prepared.

The room was cleaner than usual, even though a fight broke out moments before in it. However, the solid pine table was a little out of place, and the four chairs that typically encompassed the eating arrangement were scattered about. One lay banked on the floor, and the other two were pushed about—all but an odd one out that still remained neatly at the table. The grey loveseat was messed up in the corner, and the formica white cupboards were in all different manners of disarray. Ranging from cracks to the odd torn pillow with white stuffing scattered about with some blood on the cupboard fronts.

Bao started plodding along toward me, and naturally, I gulped. Something one does when they see a sizable animalistic creature coming for them. I hoped that Elliot was long gone and safe so that he wouldn't see me get torn apart like a giant chicken bucket in KFC.

Bao stopped in front of me, leaned down, and sniffed. There was a shiver up my spine; my eyelids felt tired and heavy. I wanted to cry. Is that what one does when they are about to die? I'm not sure, but that's what I wanted to do. Bao knew I was afraid, but I didn't show him that I was scared even if he could smell it. I wanted him to know that even if he was going to kill me, I still had my dignity, and that I wasn't going to beg for my life. Seeing as this agitated him, he began to nudge his head against mine, and subconsciously I stumbled back with Bao leading me to where he wished for me to go.

We made our way around the galley and went down between the countertops. Bao had me all to himself, and I was backed against the stove with nowhere to go. He wanted me to know that he would take his time killing me, and then he pressed me up against the range cooker. As he got closer, I bent over the cooker's hob, and then Bao's mouth opened. I saw into the beast's mouth, he showed off his razor-sharp teeth, and just as he was about to sink his saber-teeth into the side of my face, the room lit up. My face automatically turned to the source of the light, my eyes locked on a knife sitting on the draining board by the sink. The wolf unintendedly drew backward and grimaced.

Looking to who my rescuer was, Elliot and Jimmy stood there with the intent of helping me. Elliot had the ax in his hand, and Jimmy had his mop that had been set alight.

Elliot must has used to confusion to arm himself. Jimmy automatically started to move forward as if trying to back Bao into a corner, and it seemed to startle Bao to some degree; he didn't like the fire.

Peering around for a weapon, there was a book called Before The Storm on the draining board. Reaching for it, I tossed it at Bao. It did absolutely nothing. Looking for something new to defend myself, I glanced across at a knife, and wondered if I should attempt to get it.

The wolf unpinned me from the cooker, and I was able to reach across to the sink and grab hold of the knife. The boys at the door were enough of a distraction that I was able to launch up and jab the blade into Bao's neck.

I wrapped my arms around his throat, and he took off bucking and fighting to get me off his back. I managed to reach for the blade in his neck, and at the same time, Elliot lashed out with the ax, and it caught him in the leg.

A great beastly howl filled the room.

I wrapped my fingers around the blood-soaked knife, removed it, and plunged it into his neck again. This time I was sent flying against the top cupboards above the sink, and it winded me. The room suddenly went dark when Jimmy got knocked from the kitchen area, which extinguished the mop. The knife I had used on Bao came out and flew toward the door. When Elliot swung the ax again, Bao caught the ax and pushed it back toward Elliot. The wooden stock struck him in the chest, and it made him drop his only source of defense.

Turning around, Bao latched onto me and dragged me up by the hair; it set ablaze every inch on my head; all I could do was cry out in discomfort.

Next, his hands were around my throat, squeezing. I was kicking frantically and searching for any escape.

With bulging eyes, the moment crept by slowly as I felt faint and weak. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remembered the mop on fire. Bao didn't like fire, and well… there was a gas stove. I could effectively blow Bao and everybody in here up.

Though the strangulation ended abruptly. It felt like my head would pop like a balloon. Instead, my face got rammed to the countertop alongside the cooker. I could see the device I wanted to use to kill Bao if I had the chance, and well, Jimmy gave me that chance.

Jimmy somehow had managed to pull himself from the floor in the reception and made his way back inside. He had picked up the knife that had been in the werewolf's neck and jammed it into his windpipe again. Bao immediately stopped choking me and took Jimmy by the arm and flung him to the wall. It was faint, but I was pretty sure I heard a pop and that Jimmy had broken a bone.

Jimmy let out a cry for help which confirmed my suspicion.

I thought I would have been able to get up and go kick ass, but that was not the case. All I could do was cough after being nearly strangled to death. Holding my hand to my throat, it hurt. Everything ached.

Scaling down off the counter, reached for support on the cooker. Without realizing my hand was so close, I brushed it over the nob, and the gas started hissing. I stared at it dumbly; my insides rattled from coughing, but I was acutely aware of the now flammable gas filling the room.

"GET OUT!" I yelled at the boys.

I wanted Elliot to hear me, but he was too out of it to really understand what was going on. Jimmy instead fulfilled my request and started dragging Elliot out, who was starting to come to his senses. The smell of fumes from the stove began to burn in my lungs, and since I wasn't pinned up against the stove anymore, I was able to back up a little, placing some distance between Bao and me. I wasn't sure how I would get out of here, but I knew I'd have to make one last-ditch effort to be free. I held my arm to my face; the vapor was becoming overwhelming.

Bao just stood there in the middle of the galley, big, tall, and menacing. I saw my opening. Without realizing I was doing it, I started to snarl at Bao, and he did it in return.

The next thing I knew, the two of us were charging at each other, but I had a trick up my sleeve. At the last second, I spread my arms forward and dove for Bao's legs. It was a slip n' slide tactic, and I couldn't believe that it worked. I sailed under Bao, and before he understood what was going on, I was already scrambling for the exit.

On the way out, I snatched the handle for the door, and it shut with a deafening boom. Jimmy had put Elliot down and came back to me to help with the door. I had it closed, but I knew we wouldn't have long before Bao just ripped it off its hinges, but it was enough.

"The lighter," I screamed, all the while holding the doorknob with my sweat-soaked hands.

Jimmy held the door with his good hand, and with the other, he attempted to search his pockets for the lighter but was struck with immense pain. He forgot for a split second that his arm was broken. So, Jim let go and rummaged inside his pockets with his good arm. I never knew he had a lighter until that night. I also learned weeks later that he'd been stealing cigarettes from his father, and that was the reason he had a lighter.

Though just when I was expecting the door to be torn open, and since Jimmy couldn't find the lighter, an extra hand swept in over my shoulder and helped take the door handle to stop Bao from opening it. He was inside trying to pull it open now, and it made the entire door groan.

Gazing over my shoulder, I locked eyes with Jonathan.

Goddamn, he was alive.

With Jonathan now helping me, Jimmy slithered away to Elliot on the floor, which in turn was getting up off the ground himself.

Now I don't remember how it happened because it all occurred so quickly. As Elliot fired up that lighter and slid it under the door, I just recall a loud BOOM.