“Shit, Shit, Shit, Shit!!!”

  Karah stood in the carpeted grasslands completely lost. She’d run straight back where the door was supposed to be. The whole thing was missing. There wasn’t a hallway nor any other signs.

  The connections to Nate that were innate in her contract fluctuated. It was close, then far, and nearly gone at times. If she stopped to think a solution might come but she couldn’t let herself stop. Stopping meant her anger would fade in that moment, she knew despair and panic would enter. This was no time for either of those.

  Only a short time passed and she felt his body losing strength. Rushing once more in his direction a figure was launched at high speeds. The slowly fading corpses of the wolves were nearby, she’d nearly made a full circuit of the place. With a sickening crunch the body landed.

  It wasn’t lost on Karah that it could be Nate’s body. She ran at full speed, the anger was fading and that panic was taking charge. When she reached where the body landed she let out a small sigh of relief. The Old Crones' broken body lay amongst the wolf corpses. A fitting resting place for someone so disgusting.

  Turning away she looked for the entrance. Nerves calming she realized what was happening. The doorway was shifting all across the plains. Never staying but a few minutes in one place. They had reached it simply with brute force. Grandma must have used a better method given the way she spoke.

  She tried to feel his presence shifting. Closing her eyes she focused on his soul and their connection. Her request to be by his side was metastasizing into new parts of her own soul. A contract was something that wanted to be kept. It would impose its own form of will unto both parties. In this case her sensing him sharpened with each passing second.

  *CRUCH* *SLURP*

  Just as she was getting the feel for the magic doors random movement she heard it. The disgusting sound of an animal or a pack devouring fresh meat. Bones snapping, meat tearing, and blood squishing out between teeth. She turned her head, queasiness flipped her stomach on its head.

  Grandma’s mouth was unhinged, biting down on the corpse of a small wolf. Tearing into its face breaking away the skull and slurping a long tongue into the brain. Half of its snout was shoved down into her throat, it moved like a snake shoving it ever deeper.

  Spiraling black and white filled her eyes with madness.

  Karah shook in fear. Whatever that thing was, it wasn’t normal. Even with her limited experience, that thing was acting differently from normal spirits. Devouring the thing she should hate was illogical. She was scared but let that fall away. Nate had done all that damage she wouldn’t let his effort be left fallow.

  In the room Nate shifted the magic circle in the cane. Turning the head of the cane let out the melodious tones of mechanical whirling and clicks. He was mentally exhausted along with physically. If Karah didn’t retrieve him, it was uncertain if he’d make it back.

  “Place your hand over the cane.”

  Lupita had moved Nate to lean up against the bed. She did as told, placing her hand over the cane. Closing her eyes as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Nate inserted his soul into the magic circle. Lupita felt the pull on her body, giving only a minor resistance as she slowly was pulled into Nate's soul building.

  They arrived in the foyer, it was still in poor shape. Nate determined when he had time he’d be sure to clean up the common areas. No need to make a poor first impression. At least within the hideout he wasn’t beaten and bloody. Lupita let out a small gasp.

  “Welcome, we’re still working on the renovations.”

  “Sorry, it's ok. This place feels, I don’t know, it’s odd. There is so much love here.”

  “I don’t really know about that.”

  “Trust me.”

  “As for the contract. I ask for your power for the rest of your and my existence. What are your demands?”

  Lupita looked around the room with a smile, her tail happily wagging. She was clearly distracted, finally being out of that space seemed to take pressure off of her. Fierce eyes locked onto Nate’s. Staring deeply for a long moment a smile spread across her snout.

  “My demand is a family. I want to be part of one once more. How you accomplish that is up to you. It's more than I deserve but it will be different this time.”

  “So not revenge but a family. It doesn’t really restrict me at all. I accept your request. Let's make a family worthy of your service.”

  As he spoke the room shifted, they appeared on the second floor. Among the four rooms on the second floor two were now occupied. The third was in the worst state. A hole in the ceiling showed the night sky. As they appeared in the room motes of light flitted about their bodies. Slowly a familiar room took shape without a blemish, a repaired doorway, and a fresh beanbag chair.

  The once ruined room had been transformed in an instant. Nate was unsure why it was so quick and easy. Both the prior rooms took time to reform. Neither was complete, it was something he would have to ask his teacher.

  “My room! Oh my god that's so cool. Thank you for letting me keep it.”

  The wolf girl gave him an enthusiastic hug. Nate smiled, electing not to say he hadn’t done anything on purpose. As she took a step back she stopped a surge of energy pulsed around her body. Was this their power awakening?

  Karah was often surrounded by wisps of blue and green energy. In Lupita’s case the energy around her was that same purple miasma, now it formed into hundreds of sharp fangs and teeth. Her body glowed brightly for a moment.

  ***

  *WHAM* *BANG*

  The middle of the field was now covered in red miasma. It spilled out in all directions, a heavy fog blinding anyone's eyes. Karah ran, stopped, then sprang to the side as another blast of light cut a long column through the fog. For a moment the tip of a gun was visible within the mist.

  Shortly after the Crone began devouring the wolves, red miasma pumped out of her body. Thick and heavy it zapped away at Karah’s strength. Each breath made her more lethargic and clouded her mind. It served to fuel her anger.

  After her dodge ten more lights poured out saturating the area. Flipping up she soared over the beams. Landing back down the ground was gouged open. The smell of burnt carpet filled the air as a hole was opened down to the concrete foundation.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  *Thunk**Whir**Thunk**Whir**Thunk**Whir**Thunk**Whir*

  Dancing through the mist approached the beast. Cursing her lack of any long range means of attack. The air spun ahead of her again the sound of whatever monstrosity she’d become charging her attacks. Just as the sound was about to stop, Karah entered the eye of the storm.

  A wide ring opened up all the way to the sky. Above a large eye filled the once clear ceiling colored sky. In front of Karah stood the Crone in what she hoped was her final form. All of the bodies had seemingly been devoured.

  The once miniature woman was now the size of a tank. Her body was laying down and formed into a rough canine shape. Legs twisted out of metal tubes and claws rooted into the ground of wood. Twisted tubes pointed out at all angles from her back. A forest of twisting, curling goat-like horned tubes. Where the head should be her original torso was suspended dangling, blind eyes stared out at the world.

  “There you are my dear.”

  Gumless lips clacked together. Her old body was merely a husk of loose flesh. Seemingly all the bones and meat had slipped away, retracted into the tank of a monster. As the neck moved to focus on Karah the skin flapped and sagged. Staring down at her the metal tubing made a cacophony of sound, rubbing together as they shifted into place.

  “I guess you really want a Pummeling.”

  Beams streaked out from the guns on her back. Karah dances to the side letting it pass. Sliding forward with a kick to the ground ducking another. Three slammed into the ground where she was to be. Twirling above them she performed a front flip.

  “ARRRGHH”

  Frustration filled the old woman. The skin suit scraped against the ground as it shifted to the right its numerous cannons. Karah advanced, she wouldn’t give it the time to put her down. Running full speed she felt the ground ripple as the very essence of the world they occupied rushed into the Crone.

  *BANG**BANG**BANG**BANG**BANG*

  Shots blasted Karah’s path, cutting off her advance. They weren’t meant to kill, simply to delay. On the woman's back tens of the useless twisted gun barrels were being assembled by the long arm. It had taken root as a tail. Long coiling, venomous in nature. They formed a large barrel bigger than Karah’s body. A true cannon.

  She didn’t have any more tricks. If she got close enough she was confident in tearing the slow stationary target to pieces. Another charge was cut off as blasts covered her field of view. The Crone wouldn’t give an inch. Running around the outside edge, Karah moved to strike the Crone’s rear.

  Nearing the mist she spotted one of the corpses that seemingly was left undisturbed. As she passed it rumbled to life. Twisting the head formed a single barrel that was in keeping with her original shotguns. It blasted at the back of Karah’s head, knocking her to the ground. It wasn’t enough to injure her but it did lose her time. Five shots rained down from the main body.

  Just enough room was left for her to roll to her side. The act repositioned her back to the front of the Crone. She cursed her own uselessness. The first thing she’d do after this was get a long range weapon. The mist's danger no longer resided in the muddled thoughts that it brought, the hidden corpses were much more dangerous.

  *BANG**BANG*

  Two more shots blasted into her sides. Realization filled her body. She was surrounded on all sides. The main giant cannon clicked into place. Barrel swinging wide. Instead of targeting her directly, it raked across the earth the beam of death eviscerating everything in its wake.

  As the beam approached another shot blasted out from behind her. Power coursed through the field as it did so. The reality they stood in was growing unstable. Miasma at her back, she felt a sudden closeness. Nate stepped from the edge of the mist. Alone.

  Blood stained his body and he was leaning heavily on his cane. The sight of him made Karah feel safe and worried all at once. The death beam was undisturbed by the appearance of another. Swinging out in its arc toward its first victim.

  Nate raised a hand and the new power within his body formed. The sensation of biting down onto flesh passed into his mouth. Large teeth formed in the air around the cannon. Closing down with a hard crunch. The power of the spell was increased several fold as the world itself pumped into the teeth. His own flesh burned with the power of the realm.

  Just as all jammed guns do, the cannon's power cut off and exploded. The body was sent sprawling, pieces of the barrel flung out as deadly shrapnel. Karah ignored the debris and charged down the Crone. The neck snaked up as it watched her approach. From within its husk like mouth a long barrel pushed out.

  *BANG*

  It was a useless effort. After everything Karah had dodged it was a laughable display. She was upon the head, several of the satellite guns fired. Their shots were ignored with little more than a bruise.

  “I’m going to enjoy this. You old bitch.”

  Karah’s claws dug down ripping the torso free. Not one to let her enemies get a second to breathe she tore into the canine body. Fingers and claws ripped, tore, and gouged everything in sight. Black blood splooged out of the corpse as ammunition rolled out by the hundreds.

  The satellite corpses were still operating but Nate would solve that. Red miasma faded when the husk was separated from the main body. The scattered turret corpses came into view. Four in total. He cast the new spell twice more. He could feel the strain imposed on Lupita as he did so. From under the two largest remaining corpses large sharp teeth formed snapping shut. The force blew the pieces apart. The jaws of these mouths swung shut numerous times reducing all that remained to a fine paste.

  The remaining turrets he peppered with the silver daggers. It only took two a piece to take them down. His body relaxed as he watched Karah go mad within the corpse. Lupita formed next to him. Her features had changed. A spark of humanity had returned to her body. She could now reduce the amount of wolf in her appearance to just a tail and ears. Nate knew she would probably stick to the one from before but it was a surprise she could do it at all.

  “It was that easy?”

  Her glowing green eyes gazed at the corpse of her Abuela on the ground. Her tan skin was a youthful visage of her grandmothers. Nate walked forward with her support to look at the corpse on the ground. It still writhed in pain and agony. The surrounding world is still pushing energy into her.

  “Anything to say Grandma?”

  He wasn’t sure what to do with her. It would take time for him to find the proper way to banish her. Draining her spirit would suffice, he’d still need to look up the process. Lupita stepped close to the corpse, its cold eyes rolled to look at her.

  “Abuela. I know somewhere deep down you still loved all of us. I forgive you.”

  A voice spilled out of the corpse, the same as wind blew through autumn trees. So fragile it might vanish in an instant. Nate strained to hear its words.

  “Terrible thing. Wretched creature. I shall never rest till you are dead.”

  Revolted at the woman Nate took a step forward in anger. Lupita held him back, a hand tapping on his own. He could see a soft gaze on her face. Reaching out, she touched her grandmother's face affectionately.

  “No, you will rest forever. I shall make sure of it. So long as you exist our family will be in pain. So I will do as any good monster must. I will devour you just as I bit away your nose. Not one part of you shall exist in this world, even if somehow a small part did. I will keep you bound up within my own soul. I can see no better way to CARE for my family.”

  A shiver went down Nate’s spine. The energy across the whole field and corpses slowly flowed back toward Lupita. She stood mouth open at its center. Waves of crashing, coursing energy swallowed down into her open snout. Her body shifted far more werewolf-like as she drank, ate, and soaked in all the power.

  The ground shifted a cleared hallway formed around them. Vast skies faded down into drywall ceilings once more. Karah’s body hip deep in death blows stopped as the corpse faded. Soft motes of light vanishing into the air. A pristine corridor was where they now stood.

  Only a short few seconds later all the miasma within the building disappeared. Lupita rubbed at her stomach letting out a satisfied grown. Nate and Karah locked eyes, surprise filling both of their bodies. Neither knew such a feat could be performed.

  “Are you ok?”

  He asked tentatively. The large wolf woman basqued in the after glow of the energy for a moment longer. She was now taller than him, muscles bulged from under the fabric of her sweater that was pulled to its utmost limit. Looking at him, a smile bloomed wide across her face. Tapping her chest she slowly formed back into how she was when they first met.

  “Never better. My family will finally be at peace.”

  “Is the bitch truly gone?”

  Karah asked as she approached. Lupita took a moment to answer with a nod of her head.

  “Yes, I am all that remains. Those echoes of wolves and her are now gone. We won’t have to worry ever again.”