Silver Bullets n' Roses - 9. Dreams

Matt woke up lying in a pile of wet, rotting leaves and twigs, feeling insects crawling under his prostrate body. His vision swum; things went from blurry to unusually sharp in quick succession. Every part of his body ached, but it was a satisfying ache; the kind you might get after having a good workout.

The ground was still fresh and damp from the last rain, and tall trees covered him. Matt knew that he was naked, and for once, he didn't care. His mind was, for the first time in a long while, at peace. Questions dully pounded in his head: Where am I? Did I complete the Change? Am I dead? But he didn't feel like trying to answer them. He wanted to curl up in this place of serenity and lie there forever.

Severin. He must be looking for Matt. That thought alone forced Matt to make the decision to find his way out of here. Slowly, carefully, he folded his legs under him, lifting his body to his feet.

It was like he was ten feet in the air. His legs felt like they belonged to someone else, and the ground spun under his bare feet. He held out his hands, dull shock forming in his mind when he saw that they were covered in blood.

Fuck. Did he kill someone? Matt tried to remember all that had transpired in the past hour, but his head pounded when he tried to go any further than his leaving the house. Slowly, he turned in a circle to examine his whereabouts. I've got to get out of here, he thought. These woods suddenly gave him a sense of dread, as if something was after him.

A ring of red coated the leaves around him. Huh? He squinted, trying to clear his mind. Entrails, along with crimson-stained, half-gnawed bones encircled him, and he was standing in the middle like a centerpiece to a macabre Thanksgiving dinner. What the hell happened?

A huge stick rose amongst the remains like a flag. No, not a stick. They were antlers. Did he go after a deer?

Matt ran his tongue across his lips, savoring the sweet taste of blood there. He had killed an animal with his bare hands and consumed the flesh like some sort of monster. Strangely, that was okay with him.

Severin, still in human form, slipped amongst the trees as easily and silently as a shadow. He was one of the best trackers at Lycansbro, and used his talent to his advantage now. Matt's scent, dramatically altered by the power of the Change but still the same, was getting stronger now. He didn't dare call Matt's name: he could still be in 'wolf form, and in his state, he may attack.

Then, almost by accident, Severin found him. He nearly fell trying to stop himself from coming up on him too fast.

Matt was standing inhumanly still in a circle of gore, energy radiating off him in waves. Severin knew that any werewolf a mile away could sense him, including Gabriel, but he couldn't move. His senses were in overdrive.

"Matt!" Severin hissed.

The boy turned to look at him, his eyes - incredibly bright against his white skin - slightly dazed. His hair was resting heavily against his shoulders and blowing gently in the cool breeze, blood coating his hands and spotting his face and bare chest. Severin had always thought the kid was good looking, but his inner animal - lifting its head with interest deep within him - found him beautiful.

Severin approached him cautiously, stopping less than an arms-length away. "Can you understand me?"

"Hello, Severin," Matt said distractedly. He was fidgeting now.

"You don't feel like ripping out my throat, do you?"

"No."

Severin allowed himself to smile a bit. "You look amazing."

At this point, knowing Matt, Severin expected him to crack a joke about looking good while covered in blood, but Matt just stared at him, full lips curved in a slight smile. It was eerie but strangely endearing. As if controlled by an unseen force, Severin's hands reached out and he held Matt's face. Though the skin was dead-white, he was comfortably warm to the touch. He leaned forward.

A roar sounded in the distance. They both recognized Gabriel's distinct tone. Their heads snapped up.

Severin let Matt go, as if scalded. What was he about to do? "Um...We need to go. Can you Change?"

"No." It wasn't something he needed to try to see for himself. Matt knew his body couldn't handle it right now.

Severin draped the blanket he'd carried with him around Matt. "Then move fast."

About half an hour later, Matt was soaking neck-deep in a warm bath of reddish water, listening to Severin arguing with Cobaine on the phone just outside the bathroom door.

"Yes, I know I should've called you...I think it was Gabriel but...yes, yes, he's fine now. Better than fine. What? You know how hard that would be to...okay. Okay! I'll ask." With a great sigh, he called to Matt, "Cobaine wants you to start training now. You feel up to learning how to save your own ass for once?"

"Dude, I can't even feel my own ass right now."

"There's your answer. No, no. He has to go to school, or it would look even more suspicious. Look, Cobaine. No one saw him, I'm sure of it. And even if they did, who would believe them? If he's up to it, we'll start tomorrow, like the original idea."

Matt frowned. If Cobaine was so worried, why didn't he talk to Matt personally? He sank deeper into the pink-tinged bubbles, now almost up to his nose.

"All right. I'll see you at home." Sighing again, Severin snapped his phone shut and wandered into the bathroom, plopping down on the toilet seat.

"If you're going to do that, wait 'til I'm out," Matt quipped.

"Funny."

"What's wrong?"

"Cobaine riding me, as usual. He's always been hard on me." Severin shrugged.

Matt felt like cracking a "that's what she said," but quelled the urge. "Why?"

"I guess he thinks of me as the unofficial leader of the rest of the kids. I'm one of the strongest. I'm not one of the local 'wolves, but I've been there the longest. I've helped him manage the place practically since I got there, so I guess he thinks of me as his second in command."

"That's a lot of responsibility for sixteen."

"Tell me about it."

"So what happens now?"

"Well, Gabriel definitely knows you're ‘activated,' so to speak. That makes it more fun for him, with you being able to put up a fight now. He's been quiet, but from now on until you can take care of yourself, he's going to be trying to get to you."

"When will he give up?"

"A number of circumstances. Once you've been a 'wolf long enough not to fall prey to him, he might lose interest. Or he'll find someone else more interesting. He'll have power over you as long as there's still human blood in your veins. Oh, and I'd advise you to pay extra attention to Karyn."

"Karyn? Why?"

Severin raised his eyebrow. "She's a Drainer. You didn't know?"

Matt sat up in the water. "No, I didn't know."

"After Cobaine explained them, I thought you would put the pieces together. I don't think she knows it, though. That's why I've allowed her to be near you."

"Allowed her?" Matt snorted. "Gee, thanks, Dad."

Severin rolled his eyes. "Gabriel likes special humans, remember? If he knows what she is, he might try to claim her."

"Not over my dead body."

"If you try to stop him, it may be just that." He paused. "I take that back. If I have control over it, I won't let him take her either. She's...charming in her own way. Are you two dating yet?"

The question was so random it took a moment for Matt to answer. "Are you and Donna dating yet?" he asked.

"No?" He answered it like a question, as if he was perplexed by the very idea.

"Then I'm not dating Karyn either. We're just friends and nothing more."

"Donna wants me to go out with her."

"No shit. Why won't you?"

"I've dated humans before. Too many questions, and I can't really be myself. It just doesn't work out." He checked his phone for time. "Matt, I should be going."

"Huh? What if I Change again?" Matt couldn't keep the panic out of his voice.

"I assure you, after the first Change, and you keep your emotions in check, you have complete control over them. Other than full moons, that is. I'll explain those soon. Just take it easy, and I'll see you at school tomorrow, okay?" Severin stood up and walked to the doorway.

"So you're going to see me through the most horrible experience of my life and then leave me to brave the big, bad world alone." Perhaps he was being overdramatic, but he was just becoming aware of how lonely the house would be without Severin there.

"You'll be fine. If you need anything, you know where to find me." He looked at Matt one last time as if he wanted to say something else, but turned and disappeared.

Matt submerged completely into the water for a moment, wondering he could drown. No luck. Worrying his skin might fall off, Matt slowly pulled himself out of the tub, drained it, and threw on a t-shirt and boxers. The clock he passed on the way to his room read seven-fifteen. Only a few hours had passed since he first got sick.

Matt felt like he was from another world entirely. He thought he was a new person when he came back from being bitten, but this was completely different. It was like a part of himself had fallen away and a new piece had been revealed to the world.

He had to sit on his bed and play guitar for a few minutes to be sure he still knew how. It was just that freaky. He got into bed and closed his eyes, willing sleep to come.

"Matthew."

Matt's eyes snapped open. "Severin?" But he knew it wasn't Severin. This voice was older, with a seductive bite to it. His breath caught in his throat.

He pushed himself up on his elbows, intending to investigate, when suddenly something heavy shoved him back flat against the bed. It straddled his legs and wrapped a huge hand around his throat. Matt opened his mouth to scream, but the intruder covered his mouth with his free hand.

A beautiful, yet terrible face appeared inches from his own. Coppery-colored skin, intense eyes, and too-white teeth that glared in the dim light floated over him as Gabriel grinned. "Remember me, babe?"

Matt thrashed, trying to free his arms to fight the werewolf, but even with his new werewolf strengths, Gabriel was too strong. The creature he had mustered forth earlier ignored his calls. Matt was still puny and untrained, and Gabriel knew it. He laughed, a deep sound that vibrated through Matt's chest. The boy stared up at his attacker with wide, terrified eyes.

"I bet you're wondering what I'm here for. No? Well, perhaps not. You know what I'm here for. You know I want you."

He removed his hands from Matt's face, but before Matt could get the air to scream, Gabriel's mouth crushed against his. His tongue easily found dominance in Matt's mouth. The kiss caused an instant, undesired response in Matt's body: even though he wanted to shove Gabriel off and sink his fangs in his throat, he felt the blood rush to that one vital part, and the rest of it him burned white hot with desire. No. This wasn't right. This was the guy that ate some of him not so long ago.

Gabriel withdrew, a familiar cocky grin on his perfect face. "And you know you want me."

"No," Matt said weakly, and even he didn't believe himself. What was wrong with him? It was like he was his brain had been relocated to his dick.

"Just give in, kid. I could give you anything you want. Sex, money...blood. Hell, even the whole town. No one could ever bother you again." The way he looked at him, it was like he knew about his parents, the bullying, Roman...

Matt closed his eyes at the familiar jab of pain to his heart. Gabriel smoothed back his hair in an almost fatherly way and whispered, "Yes, I know all about that, too. I can make it all go away. All you have to do is say yes."

"No," Matt said, with even less conviction.

"Perhaps I can convince you." Despite Matt's protests, Gabriel pulled down the waistband of his briefs. Gabriel grinned at him, looking almost like a kid that had found a candy reward. "It looks like you're happy to see me."

He shoved his hand down there, and Matt had to bite his lip to keep from moaning out loud. It was becoming increasingly difficult to think straight now. His hands and mouth were free, but he couldn't move. He quickly weighed his options. Sometimes it seemed like his life couldn't get any worse. He was stuck in this hellhole with his father and his bitch stepmother for probably another three years; his only friends were a mentally challenged teenage girl and a distant werewolf; every day he had to see that punk Roman's face leering at him, taunting at him, probably telling his friends what he had done to Matt; and then there was Severin, whom Matt's feelings were quickly changing towards...

"I...can't!" he snarled at Gabriel, and his 'wolf suddenly answered his calls. Using the strength, he shoved Gabriel off him and clear across the room, surprising them both.

Matt rolled off the bed and crouched on the carpet facing Gabriel, ready to strike, using more grace than he had ever possessed in his entire life.

Gabriel had already gotten to his feet, a fire lit in his eyes. Instead of looking pissed, however, he was smiling grimly. "You're stronger. And very different than you were the night I sired you."

Matt only glared silently at him.

"I like it." He smirked. "You'll come around eventually. And when you do, you'll realize that whatever comfort you have in Lycansboro is all a dream."

Matt jerked awake, lying on his floor in a pool of sunshine from the window. He was laying flat on his stomach, his boxers soaked, and his chest heaving for air.

It was just a dream.