Broken Souls
Chapter 1: Run

I was standing at the door, I whisper, “Oh my god.” There is so much blood. My father always told me: if anything happens, run. If you see anything wrong or if you hear anyone, run. With those thoughts racing in my head, I ran. I left my father’s body on the floor of our cabin, and I ran.

Three years ago, everything went wrong; I can still see my beautiful mother’s face, warm smile, sparkling blue eyes, and dark chocolate hair. She smelled like warm honey. We were all so happy living in a small town surrounded by wonderful woods. I loved those woods and our little home. When I was ten, everything changed. I never had many friends at school, so I played in the woods alone while my father worked for a logging company with most of the men in town.

I was running home with wildflowers I gathered for mama when I smelled it: smoke. I ran faster as my house came into view. It was engulfed and flames. “Mama!” I screamed as I ran to the door. Someone grabbed me; it was my father. He had me around the waist carrying me to the truck. “But mama!” I yelled. “She’s gone, I can’t help her, and we have to get out of here!” I could see the tears in his eyes as he half threw me into the truck, ran to the driver’s side door, ripped the door open, and crashed into the seat. He then slammed on the accelerator before the door was even closed.

I thought I heard men shout, and I started to turn around. “Don’t!” My father barked. “Whatever you do, don’t turn around, don’t look back.” He said softer as tears slipped from his eyes. I had never seen him cry before. He was always so strong, and he and mama were so in love. Both our hearts broke that day; I don’t think mine will ever heal. “Why, daddy?” I finally managed to ask. “Why?” I shook my head and looked at my hands. I still had flowers for mama in my hands. “Because people are always afraid of what they don’t understand,” He finally said after a long moment of silence. “Was it hunters?” I asked. I looked at him, and he nodded slowly.

“But why? She didn’t hurt anyone.”

“It doesn’t matter to them.”

I began to cry, and I looked at the flowers. Mama was gone, really, truly gone. I would never see her face or eyes again. Never smell her warm honey scent. Gone.

I guess I had fallen asleep because the truck was bumping along a dirt road in the forest when I woke up. “Almost there.” My father said. It was so dark. I looked out my side window only to see trees and then blackness. I shivered. When we finally stopped, I looked out to see a small hunting cabin, and I climbed out of the truck. I was surrounded by cold night air as well as the smell of wet earth and rotten wood. I wrinkled my nose; my father chuckled a little at my face, but the smile never reached his eyes. His heart was shattered just as much as mine. I took his hand, and we made our way inside.

Now

I am running, but where am I running to? I asked my father once: “Where do I go? Where do I run?”

“Your mom was from a pack far south of here, and they weren’t happy about me being your mom’s mate.”

“Why?”

“Well, she was the Alpha and Luna’s daughter, and they didn’t think a human was good enough.” He said, shrugging.

“They were wrong. Mama said replaceing your mate is everything. Your soul is complete, and I know you completed Mama.” I said, holding his arm and squeezing it.

“Well, no matter, just go north, and maybe a pack to the north would be kind to you.”

But you don’t know, I think as I keep running north. I have no clue where to go. I am still too young for a wolf. If I even have a wolf. Being half-human and all, I am stronger and faster than other kids making me an outcast at school when I was there. Tears begin to sting in my eyes, but I keep running. I finally slow down, and I finally stop to catch my breath “Dad,” I whisper, leaning on a tree. I have no one now. I stand there catching my breath. I have to keep moving, have to keep going, have to replace somewhere safe.

Father was human. Not many wolf packs are accepting of humans. Maybe one will be accepting of me. I hope so. All I know is that hunters didn’t kill my father. I didn’t smell humans; I smelled rot, and that means rogues. I need to get as far away as can I before they replace me.

I walk for hours. By the time the sun is starting to set, I am hungry and getting cold. I stop again to rest by a small stream, cupping my hands and drinking as much water as I can. It will help take the edge off my hunger. I start looking for a place to hide, sleep, and rest. Luckily, I am small; I could fit almost anywhere. I replace some bushes and weeds along the thicker part of the trees. I try to crawl as far in as I can to hide from the cold night.

The smell of rot wakes me. Well that, and a hand gripping my ankle. I scream as I’m ripped out of my hiding place sticks and branches whipping my face and raking my arms. I scream and dig my fingers into the ground trying to hold on. I have to get away. I am kicking with my free foot, but it does little to help me.

“Look what I found here, boys.” Said a thick voice that sounds like he has too much spit in his mouth. My captor grabs hold of my hair, ripping me up from the ground. I keep trying to fight him off me, scratching at him, screaming, and growling. I could feel my hair ripping from my scalp, but I don’t care: I just have to get away.

“She’s a pretty and feisty one, too.” The man holding my hair with a thick voice says. I keep swinging my arms and kicking, trying to scratch him, trying to hit him. He is so much bigger than me, and he is laughing in his thick voice. He is just out of my reach, and two other men come over to look at his prize.

“She’s got some fight, I’ll tell you that.” Says the shorter and younger of the two. His face is scarred, and all three stink of rot and filth. If I were older and had my wolf, maybe I would have a chance. The shorter man leans in to look at me. I swipe at him, and I manage to scratch his face. I feel a little satisfied with myself; at least I got him, sort of. All he does is laugh. “What are we gunna do with her?”

“We take her to the boss, of course.” The man holding me by my hair says simply. The next thing I know, something crashes into the back of the head, and it all goes dark.

Before I can even open my eyes, I am met with the smell of mud and pee as well as a few other smells I can’t bring myself to think of. I slowly open my eyes. Where am I? I’m scared, Daddy. I have to replace a way out of here; they’re going to kill me or worse. I slowly sit up and begin to look around. My head is killing me: It feels like its splitting in half. I reach my hand up to the back of my head and felt dry, crusted blood in my brown hair. I look at the cell I’m in with its dirt walls, floor, and ceiling. There’s a barred door in front of me. I slowly stand up, and the room spins around. I wait for the room to settle and make my way slowly to the door to look through the bars. The bars are rusted but strong, and it’s locked. I look, and I can see other cells, but I can’t see anyone in them. I don’t hear anyone, and I don’t want to think about what I smell. I move back to the far wall away from the door and slide down the wall to sit on the ground. My jeans are ripped, my shirt has blood on it. I bring my knees up to my chest and rest my forehead on my knees. I don’t want to cry, but I’m so cold and so scared.

Daddy, please help me. “Daddy, I’m scared I’ll forget Mama’s face.” I let my mind wander and remember what he told me. “If you ever feel like you’re forgetting, just look in the mirror; you’ll see her there looking right back at you, my love.” I smiled up at daddy and kept walking in the woods hunting mushrooms.

Suddenly, I’m jerked from my memory. I don’t know how long I’ve been sitting here. It feels like days, but it could have been hours. I look up when I hear footsteps coming closer and closer. The big man with the thick spit voice is back. “This way, Boss. I think you’ll like this one. She’s got some fire.”

“We’ll see about that,” a smooth deep voice says. The big men comes into view of the door and unlocks it, smiling at me now that I can see him. He’s missing several teeth, and his hair is a greasy brown. I’m not sure when the last time he had a bath was. He swings the door open for the other man he keeps calling Boss. I try to press myself into the wall behind me as hard as I can, even scooting more to the corner. The Boss is an older man, older than my father was, maybe in his 50’s. His hair is black with gray at the temples. His eyes are so dark they look black as well. He looks clean, but he still smells of rot, so I know he’s a rogue too.

“Well, she is a pretty thing if not a bit dirty. How old are you, child?” He speaks in his cool tone. I push myself more into the corner staring at him. Can I get past them if I run, I ask myself.

“I will not ask you a second time.” He barks. With that, the big man comes over to me in giant strides, grabs my hair, and pulls me to my feet. I think the back of my head is bleeding again, and I see stars.

“Now, John, is that any way to treat our guest?”

“Sorry, Boss, I thought....” But he didn’t get to finish the thought before the Boss hits him hard in the face. “You thought?” The Boss has venom in his voice now.

“Sorry, Boss.” John lets me go; his nose is bleeding, but he just stands there looking at the ground. The Boss turns his black eyes back on me and raises an eyebrow.

“13.” I manage to whisper.

“Too young for a wolf, so you have a name?”

“Kay.”

“Well, Kay congratulations. You get to be my new pet. I hope you behave better than the last three. I got tired of them, and we went hunting.”

I’m looking at him in shock. What can he mean? He couldn’t possibly? I have to get out of here.

“John, I want her taken to the kitchen. She is to bring me all my meals and do anything else I request, and if she runs, we’ll go hunting.” John gives me a smile, blood still dripping from his nose and into his mouth. Oh my God, I have to get out of here.

John grabs my arm and begins to drag me from the cell. I immediately start clawing his hand trying to pry it off my arm. I can see the Boss in the door with one dark eyebrow raised and a smirk on his face. “John, is one little girl that difficult?” His cool tone has hints of malice. “No, Boss,” John replies. His nose has stopped bleeding, and his voice has an even thicker spit sound to it. John pulls me closer to him to wrap his arms around me and carry me out of the cell. One of his thick hands is on my shoulder, and I don’t hesitate to sink my teeth into his fat hand.

“OW! God Damn-it! She bit me, Boss!” John howls in shock and lets me go. Then I hear laughing. Not happy laughing, but cold chilling laughter that freezes me in my place: The Boss’ laughter.

He walks toward me, his black eyes sparkling with something chilling. The next thing I know, he hits me across my face with the back of his hand so hard that I hit the wall and then the ground. The edges of my vision darken, and my ears ring loudly. My eye feels like it’s going to explode. I’m crouching on the ground holding my face as the Boss walks toward me, standing over me.

“You will be fun to break. I think you need a time-out to think about behaving better.” The Boss’ chilly voice almost sounds amused as he turns to leave. He looks at John. “She’ll stay here for a while ’til she can behave herself.” With that, he leaves. John follows holding his hand to his big chest while glaring at me. He leaves and slams my cell door. I’m alone in the damp as tears that fall from my eyes. “Daddy,” I whisper as I sob myself to sleep.