The Dead Rise

Hostile stares from pack members gathered in the park softens Harmony's voice as she recounts her relationship with the deceased: Wila, Mayan, and Little Joe; their remains regrettably abandoned at the alley.

A man shouts out, " Isn't all this too convenient? Three of our own murdered and this half breed is somehow the only one alive."

Harmony looks to Raymond, her eyes pleading for him to step in.

Wila's dealings with hunters remained a secret which sowed the bond between the blond werewolf and Harmony; however, doubts towards Harmony's loyalty flow through the mind of some pack members.

A second voice joins, "how do we know her story is true, all witnesses are dead?"

Dylan prepares to vault down but is blocked by his father's arm.

"Humans doubt one another because their bond is weak, Humans betray one another because their bond is weak. Are we humans?" Raymond asks the crowd.

A passionate "No" reverberates through the estate.

The Alpha continues,"the hunters have a new weapon, a blue liquid that when injected, forces a wolf-born to transform, and as we all know, Harmony does not have a wolf form and so she can not be identified as wolf-born." He reminds the pack of the importance of a community, his speech easing the tension.

***

Insomnia plagues Harmony, when she finally finds sleep, visions of the dead follow her into her dreams. In the world fabricated by her mind a familiar voice whispers, "come outside. I'll be waiting." A sudden gush of air breaks through her window, prickling her skin and raising goosebumps.

Harmony springs up, an unexplainable gut feeling leads her to jump out from her window and tiptoe round to the entrance of the estate in her green slippers. Harmony falls speechless at the appearance of Wila, 'But I saw your body'. Questions start brewing in her mind.

A bloody hole on her forehead painting her face and blond hair red. Each strand of her hair glued together by her blood, its unable to sway in the wind as it used to. Wila fades away then re-emerges at a distant location, Harmony chases her: across the chaos of sounds on the street, over roofs and terraces and finally onto the grounds of a colossal, remarkably designed, building.

"What is this place?" She treads through the vibrant green grass, a soft crunch under her feet as she walks towards the building.

Willa doesn't respond.

Harmony shakes the door handle, finding that it's locked, she travels round to the other end. A vast paint of green always below her feet and seems to never end. "Is it related to your death?"

The apparition following on Harmony's left nods slowly.

The answer is ammunition for Harmony's exploration of the place, however, every door she jostles is sealed. On her way to the gate, within the shadows near the bundle of trees, she notices a figure standing still.

She calls out, "Mike is that you?" Each step takes Harmony nearer to the mysterious, unresponsive presence. "No point trying to scare me, I know you're there." She travels further away from the gate and into the shadows, Wila no longer by her side.

Alert, with fists high, Harmony reaches the darkness, a chilling wind rustles the leaves. Her eyes scan the area but the figure has disappeared without a scent to trace.

Upon realising Wila has vanished, Harmony calls out in sharp whispers. Her search for the apparition is fruitless, sending her back to the estate with determination to unveil the truth.

When Harmony returns to the building the next day, under the radiance of the sun, she finds it is bristling with life.

She can hear the taping of balls against bats, firing of bullets from guns, knuckles colliding with stomachs and shoes scraping stone as people climb walls. There are the youthful faces of fifteen-year-olds scaling up to twenty-five-year-olds, all in matching sportswear.

Harmony is a magnet attracting the attention of curious eyes as she hovers by the sealed entrance. Climbing over would arouse suspicion. Harmony calls out to a caramel-skinned man around her age.

"Hi how can I help?" He approaches her with a welcoming smile.

"What is this place?" Harmony questions.

"The Hunters Academy. " He points to the embroidery on his shirt with the initials S.W.H in dark red.

Harmony gulps, she surveys the scene behind him, well-built students training in martial arts and sports for the purpose of killing wolf-born.

"How do I get in?" She hesitantly asks, uncertainty riding the sound wave of her voice.

"Admissions are long gone so you'll have to wait until next year." His brows come together for a second before parting in response to Harmony's confusing demeanour.

Time is the wind which scatters information like fallen leaves. The longer she waits, the tougher it will be to investigate the deaths of her pack mates.' I need to get in now.' "Can I speak to a teacher?" Her eyes exude desperation.

Sterling leaves her for a moment then returns, an aged, silver-haired, man with the sculpt of a heavyweight champion by his side. "This is Mr. Bates, The Headteacher." Sterling introduces.

The glean in Mr. Bates's eyes hold tales of many battles and a deeply rooted malice. "You wish to study here?" His voice is as powerful and rugged as an earthquake.

"Yes sir. "Harmony holds eye contact, refusing to tremble at his presence.

"Can you fight?" Mr. Bates' inquest is the hammer of judgement, it's clear he only wants one answer.

"Yes sir." Harmony declares.

He calls a student forward - Nina Shaw, top in her year. The gate opens like the mouth of a lion, it's prey walking right in. Harmony takes her stance.

Nina's legs whip through the air in a roundhouse kick but her path is blocked by Harmony's hand. The half-wolf uses the chance to jab Nina's stomach three times swiftly before releasing her leg. The human raps her hand around herself as she rolls on the floor in agony, soon her stomach releases it's contents, chunks of her meal end up on the floor and her clothes.

"Take her to the nurse's office." The headteacher instructs with a disappointed sigh towards his student. He eyes Harmony, "you start today. Sterling, she is your responsibility."

Harmony holds her victory inside.

"I'm Sterling," he holds his hand out to Harmony and she returns the gesture. "Where'd you learn to fight like that?" He is brimming with delight and curiosity as he asks.

Her eyes fall to the ground then back to Sterling's as she mentally thanks her pack mates, "I spent a lot of time around great people."

"Could you give me lessons whenever you're free?" He leads the way to the main entrance.

"Yeah, ok." Harmony agrees.

S.W.H (School of Werewolf Hunting) is far larger than the estate, the sun illuminates the white buildings and grass giving the place a pleasant classy atmosphere. Caretakers and gardeners would arrive early in the morning, the white coat of the building would be repainted every eight months.

Student dorms stand on either side of the main building, girls on the left, boys on the right, and teachers on the ground floor of each dormitory. A medium sized shed sits awkwardly at the back.

Sterling continues explaining the instructions, "you can't be out of your dorm past nine. If you want to leave the school grounds you need a permission slip from one of the Deputy-Heads." He takes her up the stairs, the wooden floor glistening almost like a mirror. "If you break a total of three rules you'll be expelled, that includes basic school rules like no running in the hallway"

Harmony's thoughts visit her pack, the freedom in the estate, and her first day when Dylan, like Sterling, walked her down the stairs.

***

After her introduction at the balcony four years ago, Harmony descended the stairs with Dylan.

"Alpha stays on the top floor, the lower your position the lower the floor number you stay in; but that only applies to Alpha building. With the other two, you live wherever dad says." Dylan explained.

They reached the second floor. The black glistening hand railing covered in wrinkles of rusted metal was cold and rough in Harmony's hand.

"You can go and come, live your life, whatever, but don't cause trouble or dad gets mad." His focus remained in front of him throughout the descent to the ground floor.

They reached the first floor, then continued down the steep stone steps.

"No fighting unless its moderated, no drugs either. Try not to break the law or don't get caught doing it, pack rules have higher priority than human rules, you can challenge the alpha if you've got the guts, and don't kill other pack members."

They arrived at the ground floor, Dylan opened the door leading outside just as Harmony melted into a cascade of silent tears, with occasional whimpers, sharp breaths being summoned and a runny nose being held back.

"What's up with you?" He was answered with silence. "Hey!"

"Can I go to my room instead? I'm not in the mood today." Harmony requested.

"Yeah, it's back up the third floor." Harmony's sudden woeful state left Dylan in a cloud of confusion, he led the way to the top floor, unlocked the door and presented her room, as Harmony swept her never-ending tears away.

Finally alone on her pearl bed, seemingly floating in darkness, the light switch was off and curtains sealed together, her consciousness faded into the distant past, her surroundings morphed into a white kitchen with caramel wooden cabinets and counters.

Tossing vibrant fried vegetables in a small pan and pouring over source was a slim dark-skinned man. His hair in ear length twists giving way to his silver studs as he conducted an orchestra of spices for his audience of two: an ebony woman in her late 30's and an eight-years-old Harmony. In the comfort of imaginary sizzling, Harmony found sleep.

***

Harmony's eyes are occupied by the imagery in her mind as a blond man with red and black tattooed sleeves travels down the stairs, past her.