C5 Full Moon

Lauren was lying face up on a stretcher in Axel's living room, still in her pajamas, IVs and drips running to and from her. Her tiny body was pale and coated in a sheet of cold sweat. Her throat, or what was left of it, was heavily bandaged and soaked through with blood. Tiny, green branched veins showed through her papery eyelids, and the eyeballs underneath them were moving to and fro rapidly. Occasionally her limbs would jerk violently, and she would let out a whimper of pain.

Beth watched the little girl from a safe five feet away, too scared to go too close. Gasps of tears escaped her lips as the girl thrashed and turned on the stretcher. Axel appeared behind her. He'd changed from his lab coat into a homely black sweater, and his blonde hair was up in a ponytail. He held a mug of something hot in his hands.

"Here, drink this," he murmured coaxingly "You'll feel better."

She collected the mug from his hands without giving him so much as a glance and took a thirsty gulp.

"Dr Makovsky is looking for you." Axel informed her. "He asked me to find out where you are."

Beth sighed. "I'm not surprised. He wants me around him. I hold too much valuable information to just escape from under his nose."

"How much pain is she in?" She asked.

"I cannot tell for sure. The lycanthropy virus is going to take effect much faster on her, given that she's just a little girl. But I have given her all the painkillers her body can take. Let's hope for the best." They continue to watch the girl as the pain coursed through her and the drip drip of the IV periodically broke through their shared silence.

After a while, Beth sighed and rubbed her eyes. "You need sleep," Axel noted "You can crash in my room. I'll look after her, don't fret."

"No, but I can't leave you here with a werewolf. What if she wakes up?"

"I can take care of myself pretty well. Believe me, I did with her father. I shot him–"

Beth turned at him abruptly "You shot her father?!"

Axel scoffed "He isn't hurt, I'm very sure. Werewolves heal very fast. The point is, you should go to bed and I should watch over her."

"Alright." Beth said "But let me know when she's up. I want to see her." She placed the mug on the coffee table and crossed slowly to the staircase leading to the bedroom.

"Beth?" Axel called her back.

She stopped, one foot on the staircase "Yeah?"

He shifted on his feet and looked up at her "If there's one thing I know working in that laboratory, it's that Dr Makovsky positively hates being challenged. He's going to come for us, and the little girl too if he finds out what she is now. With a Werewolf he created roaming free and several of his scientists decamping, he is at his lowest right now, and rightly so. He is going to take this out on you."

Beth frowned and folded her arms "Do you think I don't know all this, Axel? The thought has haunted me ever since I left him. So what are you saying?"

"We need to keep you and the girl safe." He said "Run to a new town, start a new life, with a new name. Nobody has to know who you are. If we are ever going to successfully keep the girl away from that laboratory, you'll have to skip town. God knows what they'll do to her if the Doctor gets his claws on her."

Tears welled up in Beth's eyes again "I'm scared. I've never been scared of anything in my life like this!"

Axel crossed the room and took Beth's hands in his. "I know. But we have to do it. For your safety, for the little girl's safety, God, for all of us. You don't have to be scared. You don't have to do anything. I'll help you."

"And what of you, Axel? What will he do to you if he finds out?"

"He has no reason to believe I'm in liaison with you. He'll think you're doing this solo. I'll stay back in Perkins and be your in-man from here. You don't have to worry about me. Worry only about yourself and the future of that little girl on the stretcher over there." He rubbed her hands in both of his as they both stare into each other's eyes. "Promise me you'll keep yourself and the girl safe. Say it."

After a moment's hesitation, Beth said "I promise, I–"

She was loudly interrupted by a low, childlike growl from the direction of the stretcher. They both whirled towards the noise, although a part of them already knew what they would find.

A child-sized werewolf sat on her haunches on the stretcher, her pajamas in shreds around her, the IV and drip lines ripped from her body and laying on the floor like white tendrils. Her fur was deep brown, the colour of melted chocolate, the colour of the hair of little Lauren that laid on the stretcher only a minute ago. Her eyes had turned yellow and slitted. She could have been a cute little wolf if not for the inch-long canines that was visible even from that distance.

"Axel..." Beth whispered.

"Run!" Axel yelled.

They both took off running up the staircase, but the little werewolf paid no attention to them. It leapt down from the stretcher and sauntered out of the living room, into the kitchen and out the back door, howling as it ran off.

The pair stood at the head of the staircase and watched as the changeling disappeared into the woods. "Should we chase after her?" Beth asked.

"No," Axel replied, holding her back by the arm "She's in a state of bloodlust right now. It's a wonder she didn't kill us. But if we chase after her, she just might. And a Werewolf's speed is seven times that of any average human. We'd never catch up to her. Let's just hope she kills an animal or... or something, and not people like her father."

She buried her face in Axel's sweater as he held her close "I hope she's not in too much pain"

"Yeah," Axel replied "I hope so too."