Death Dream Dire Wolves: Part Eight

Chapter Fifteen: Promises; Promises

Manzer and Beatrice struggle to recover from the intensity of the event that just took place in front of them. The intense blast of energy that had put the both of them on their backs not only affecting their sense of sight but of location as well as they struggle to identify where exactly it is that they rest. It's almost as if someone lit a firework in between them that set a certain boundary into motion, one that comes with dire consequences if ever crossed. Despite the lack of cognitive and visual perceptions the back room of the shop that they are in no longer has light in it to give them any sort of guidance or locational substance. So the two are left to clumsily feel around the room with their hands.

"Beatrice, are you there?" Manzer says as he tries to figure out where he is.

"Yeah, I am here." She says trying to locate Manzer by the sound of his voice.

"Are you okay Manzer?" She asks, trying to get a quick assessment of what exactly is taking place or if whatever just happened was some sort of small disaster.

"Yeah, I think so." Manzer is not entirely sure of anything. He can hear The shuffling sound of Beatrice looking around in the dark, and as Manzer tries to make sense of the sound, he can soon see images of the world around him cast in an odd shadow of a light that seems to emanate from Manzers own eyes. The echoes of sound create light themselves, and soon the room is painted like a world of dark dreams and forgotten memories.

"Manzer, I Can't see." Beatrice says as Manzer can see her getting to her knees, she tries to stand but falls over as her legs have been sapped of all their strength. Manzer moves in quickly to catch her before she falls and holds her up before she hits the floor. "Thanks." She says holding onto Manzer, but then quickly notices something off about the way he feels to the touch.

"Hey, did you put on a sweater or something?"

"N-no." Manzer says as he holds up Beatrice.

"Then, what is this?" Beatrice says as she tugs on the hair on Manzers arm."

"Ouch!" Manzer yelps.

They both sit still for a moment as this subtle clue sets in to the both of them like ice filling in the cracks. Then suddenly, the lights in the room flicker on and back into life, and the horror of the circumstance sets in, taking the form of the terror in Beatrice's eyes.

Beatrice is frozen solid as she finds herself held firmly in the clutches of a furry monster. One caught somewhere between being a beast and a person in some sort of mix between a cat, a dog and a short person, it's dark fur tinted in a sort of dark blue.

Manzer looks up at Beatrice as he wonders why her body just went so icy cold. But his eyes meet hers, Beatrice's survival instinct kicks in and she pushes him away with all of the force she can manage causing the small blue monster to fall over into a pile of empty packing boxes.

Beatrice still however is unable to stand strong on her own, and has to catch herself on something after pushing away her only support. She shuffles her way towards the door of the room, hoping to make it out in time and lock the door behind her. But her movements are sluggish and clumsy, weighed down by her lack of balance and hard shock.

She manages to make it to the door but realizes that it has already been locked and by some strange force holding it closed. Looking at the door it seems that a number of magic symbols now glow in the light, keeping both Beatrice and this thing locked in the room. She tries to pull a number of shop keeper keys out of her pocket and open the door as quickly as possible, but her fingers are clumsy too, causing her to curse a few times as she drops her ring of keys on the floor.

"Hey, what was that for?" Manzer says as he struggles to dig himself out of a pile of boxes. I finally climb out and touch his head making sure nothing else is bleeding or injured.

Manzer looks up at Beatrice who looks like she is in a state of panic. She looks back at Manzer but only for a glimpse as she continues to struggle with her keys. Manzer is in a general state of confusion as he has no idea why she is acting like this. "Hey Beatrice, what's wrong?" He says trying to get a better understanding of what is taking place. Manzer does not know much about girls, he has for the most part tried to avoid them in all retrospect to how he remembers his mother was. Although the few interactions he has had with them, outside of his family life have not yielded much other than cynical response. Manzer figures something must be wrong however if Beatrice is acting this way, maybe a problem Manzer hasn't yet figured out.

'Maybe Beatrice just does not like being touched' Manzer figures in his after thought of how often girls react badly to anyone laying a hand on them without their permission. Thinking back to.how he was almost slapped in the face earlier that day by a girl he had accidently bumped into.

"Oh, wow, I am sorry. It just looked like you were about to fall, Manzer says."

Beatrice can only hear growling behind her, and snarling. The noises of a bloodthirsty monster that in her mind, somehow managed to trap her in a room sealed with a magic spell. She now realizes that she won't be able to get the door open in time. She realizes that her only chances of survival might be to fight off this thing, and in doing so she looks around for any weapon that might help her. Lucky enough for her, near the door is a dagger that is garnished and bound with molded silver. She grabs onto the hilt and pulls the dagger from its scabbards pointing it at the monster in front of her.

Manzer is caught totally off guard by the knife being pulled and pointed in his direction, and in response he raises his hand above his head.

Beatrice now sees that the monster is afraid of this weapon due its response. She figures it must be some type of shape shifter if it is afraid of silver. However unfortunately for Beatrice, silver does not react well to her touch and the blade quickly begins to to grow hot inside her hands burning her quite badly. She is forced to drop her weapon and clutches her hand, as the pain and panic bring her to tears. "No, not like this. Please, no." Then she covers her face waiting to be attacked by the beast that stands before her.

Manzer watches Beatrice break down into tears. As in his mind, he figures Beatrice must have had a bad experience in her past, that is causing her to react the way that she is. Beatrice tears move Manzer to an odd place one of sulking compassion. Manzer takes the time to think over when it is an appropriate time to make physical contact with someone who he knows very little about. The whole circumstance is strange and traumatizing to say the least as yet again he realizes how little he knows about people.

Manzer is overcome with sadness, so much so that it just causes him to find a place to sit down, looking away from Beatrice in her emotional struggle.

"Maybe I should just go." Manzer says as he tries to hold himself to a higher standard than someone who is just there to ask inappropriate questions.

Beatrice looks up from her crying for a moment. Realizing that she has yet to be attacked. She looks around the room and sees the creature sitting on something as if it is waiting patiently for her to stop in her hysteria. For a moment her panic subsides, and she is able to catch her breath and think, think as to the reasons why she has not been torn to pieces here in the back of the place where she worked. She looks down and sees the knife still on the floor in front of her, untouched and unmoved. Then up the creature sitting in front of her.

Looking more closely she realizes something, that this small beast is wearing a T-shirt. The same shirt that Manzer had on before the flash of light blinded her, and in that moment she realized. This is Manzer sitting before her, and perhaps, he doesn't even know that he is what he is.

Beatrice is still terrified, not entirely sure what exactly was going on, or why silver now burned her hand as it did not before. She thinks back to the pinky promise, then realizes that maybe it had something to do with that particular circumstance. A strange little detail that was not mentioned in any of the books that she had encountered in dealing with the creatures of the supernatural.

She slowly leaves the door and carefully walks over to the monster sitting in the room with her, looking over its long vicious claws, pointed big ears, thick bluish fur, and big sad silver eyes, like a cat's eyes.

As she slowly positions herself in front of the monster looking it over, looking at the bandage that is still wrapped around its ankle. It slowly looks up at her and looks into it eye's.

"M- Manzer? Is that, you?"

Manzer is confused by the question. Beatrice went from completely distressed to someone who was asking him who he was. Maybe that flash of light might have done more damage than he realizes. "Yeah it's me?" He replies. "Who else would it be?"

All Beatrice hears in response is growling which causes her flinch. But the monster shows no body language indications as to being about to attack.

"Okay this is weird," Beatrice says as she looks Manzer up and down. "I can't understand what you are saying. All I hear is -growling... Manzer if you understand me nod your head."

Manzer hears the odd request. But being that he must obviously be in the wrong somehow he does what beatrice asks, nodding his head in response.

Suddenly the both of them can hear the front door to the shop open, and a large group of people walk in. It sounds like a group of young kids, looking around the store and talking about the events of the day.

"Oh no not now." Beatrice says, looking at the door still burning with runes. She knows that she won't be able to open it. Not with her injured hand. Curious as to why she is no longer able to touch silver, she begins to feel panic.

"No, I need to be out there, I will lose my job if my boss knows I left the store."

"Oh well, then let's just go out there." Manzer says it is still a bit off center from what is going on. He thinks Beatrice might be losing her mind, but like anyone who has ever been confused by a young woman, he just stands up and walks over to the door, turning the knob and opening it.

"Manzer wait!" She exclaims, stopping him dead in his tracks before he leaves the room. "You cannot go out there looking like that. My god, ugh. Here!" Beatrice says as she grabs a thick cloak one of the coat wracks in the room. She wraps it around Manzer and puts the hood up. This causes the cloak to change color." (What is going on, are these cloaks really magic?) Beatrice says in disbelief as she sees the shifting nature of the cloth that Manzer is wearing. "Stay back here, do not let anyone see you." She says trying to keep Manzer hidden and out of harm's way.

Chapter Sixteen:Sour Apples

Beatrice Opens the door, leading out into the open main floor of the shop. She makes sure to keep the door only cracked a little as she slides though, making sure no one can see into the room that she just stepped out of. All things are going according to plan until it is that someone decides to speak up behind her, causing her to jump and turn around. "Beatrice! they say as they run up behind her and try to initiate some type of contact. Beatrice slams the door quickly and tries to address what it is that coming up behind her, as things are going she is not sure whether or not a number of things are even real anymore, but as all things head up to the exchange of pleasantries, Beatrice can't help but feel that things about the world are somewhat, off.

The person who says her name meets her with a hug before she is even able to get a good look at who is, and all of the bad reflexes that come with being touched without her permission almost kick into overdrive. She is about to shove and run, until she gets a look at who this mysterious figure is. "Veronica" She says with a breathy sigh of relief. "What are you guys doing here, I thought everyone was still in school?"

"No, you silly b*#ch" Her obvious long time friend says in a rather sarcastic tone. "They let us out early today. Something about some dead animal that they found on school grounds."

"A dead animal?" Beatrice asks.

"Yeah," Veronica says, leaning in really close." There are rumors going around that they actually found a dead body. A Lot of kids are pretty spooked." She says going back into full on best friend mode. So we all came here to get a few lucky charms in order to keep the good times rolling. Here look I bought you a moch lotte. Veronica says holding up the ice cold brown slushy drink into Beatrice's face.

"Thanks but no thanks. I think I am about to have a heart attack as-is."

"Yeah Jess girl, you look like you have seen a ghost. You're all cold and clammy too. What is wrong?"

"Nothing, it was just. I just saw a really big spider. Okay, I trapped it in the back room. So many big spiders on all this old stuff it gets kind of creepy sometimes."

"Oh yeah, tell me about it." She says as sips in her own cold drink. "Anyway, give us some of that old crap cause we could use some white magic right now."

"We?" Veronica looks up at the group of kids who have walked in. All if not most of them are seniors from the high school, and a few of them are not. They look around the shop, tampering with things, and looking through the cabinets of some of the antiques.

"Woah, crazy- a monkey's hand. "one of them says. '' Beatrice sees the monkey's hand begin to move, and she tries to warn them.

"No, don't touch that!" She shouts and tries to move to take the palm out of their hands. Everyone gets startled and the room falls silent.

"What was it." The young man says as he looks at the palm, not seeming to notice how it moves its fingers.

Usually in normal sight, monkey palms do not move, they sit still completely dead and completely and unmoved. They do have a habit of making small things disappear that are set near them, and it is only now that Beatrice is starting to understand why.

"Uh, it's expired." Beatrice says, trying to disguise her magic reasons as not magic, magic ones. " Yeah, I just got some fresh ones, a little while ago, uh. You should probably wait until I get them price tagged."

"Oh right." The young man says before he puts the palm back.

"Yeah, plus I dont think it's really a fix for what you guys need. Monkey palms only seem to cause people more problems anyways. So you guys are looking for what, ghost spray, Zombie repellent, a night light."

"Yeah well anything to fend off the bad luck right now. I heard a few people have seen a bunch of ghosts around town lately." Veronica says. "A lot of weird things are going on out there."

"You dont say." Beatrice says her palms are getting sweaty.

"Yeah, I heard that. There was even like a Vampire or something at the school. Some crazy new kid named Manzer or something."

Beatrice's palms get even more sweaty. " You dont say."

"Yeah dude, he is some twelve year old who punched out Chad. Put him in the hospital." Says another. "Man I've never seen anyone get punched so hard. Chad is scared for real, but only because you know, he, like- disappeared."

"Chad?" Beatrice asks.

"No, the new kid. That psycho, Manzer Oblight."

Manzer can hear his name being said in the other room, it's a conversation that he does not very much enjoy, as the subject includes calling him a psycho. Sure Manzer had a terrible first day at school, but now everyone was singling him out as some sort of dangerous serial killer already. It seems that nothing would ever go his way. Not only that, but he can hear Beatrice's irregular heartbeat, as she tries to duck and dive through the subject without getting hit with too much all at once. Manzer walks over to look at himself in the back room mirror, a common one seems to have been bought from the department store not but a few yards away in the mall. He looks at his own face and does not see anything different, just the same face that he has seen for the last few years staring back at him with the over ladened eyes of a boy who has had too much to worry about. As Beatrice moves everyone over to the front desk, neary having a heart attack every time she runs unto another new detail, Manzer decides to step out into the shop and try to deal away with the rumors about him being a Vampire. He was not going to have this, not so close to him living his life in regular normality away from what he thinks his life used to be, but then again manzer begins to question what exactly it was that his life used to be.

Not all the options of a trustworthy memory at his disposal at the moment, god only knows what could have transpired in that old home of his that would have his caretaker aiming a weapon at the target on his back. Could the other students also be waiting to take fire from their place of common ground? Our way is a target that only certain people could see and knew it as more than just a common place to take aim. Of all things to imagine, the cause of the matter would never be the answer to why Manzer would be so close but yet so far from getting what he wanted out of life.

Manzer decides to make moves, the ones that might keep his head above the situation rather than below it. It's how he would rather keep things, but being as small and unassuming as he is, would have to approach the situation with tact and not brute force, otherwise- like they said, all accusations would only lead everyone to one conclusion.

Manzer steps out of the back room and opens the door, walkin into the space that all the other kids inhabit in their youth of looking through the meaghers means of detracting from the spook they are all suffering though. The first one to turn and see Manzer is Beatrice, as her heart rate goes from fifteen to one hundred in a matter of seconds. The second to Manzer is Veronica, and the look on her face is one of deep confusion and curisocity.

"Hey, is that-" Veronica is only able to get past before Beatrice tries to panic.

"A monster-"

"Manzer?" Veronica Finishes.

They look at each other as Beatrice corrects her statement. "Manzer, yes- Manzer."

"Woah kid, cool cloak."

"I know." Manzer Responds. " Manzer keeps his space and integrity intact. " What are you guys doing here?"

"Well, we could ask the same of you, vampire. What are you doing in the backroom?"

"Vampire, really? What are you six years old on halloween?" Manzer replies. "I came here one all the trouble started, just like you creeps. Aren't you guys a little old to be hanging around a Spook shop?"

"Well, aren't you- like- twelve or something?"

"No." Manzer replies.

"Then what are you doing here?"

"I just happened to pass by this morning, I am hiding from security." Manzer Replies.

A bunch of the kids laugh, as they all can relate and in a really conventional way.

"Oh wow, a cool kid prodigy huh. No wonder why Beatrice took you in the back room."

"Oooh?" All the kids say.

"Shut up you guys." Beatrice says her palms get sweaty and her heart beat raises.

"Yeah hey, Beatrice owes me a board. She said she might be able to help me out with a fresh one."

"Is that true Bie? Did you break this young handsome boy's skateboard?" Veronica Asks.

"Yeah, he did a triple kickflip down the stairs this morning and I snaked at him." Beatrice replies.

"Not cool lady, not cool." Says someone from the back of the room.

"Yeah those are skate park rules." Veronica ends.

Beatrice still just cannot understand why it is that no one else is freaking out over the fact that Manzer looks like a Giant blue Cat. it Boggles her mind as no one else seems to notice the odd blue creature standing before everyone, and the fact that so many objects seem to be now alive, as a number of magic symbols glowing all over the place stop her from opening the cash register and all the drawers in this place. It keeps complicating the situation even more.

Beatrice is almost about to pass out from all of the stress, she feels herself getting woozy, but the black out never comes, she just falls and catches herself over and over.

Manzer on the other end, thinks that Beatrice might be having some sort of heart attack, as the sound of her heart is so loud that he can barely hear anything else that is going on. Neither of the two of them notice the two other figures that walk into the door, two very different things in perspective to what can be seen in the common practice of observation between the two of them.

Beatrice sees what looks like some sort of withered dry person, walks in through the door, followed by a large bulking dog-like person who seems fully occupied with the milk shake in his hands.

Beatrice is terrified. She can't make ends meet and odd of what is going on, but everyone else seems to not even notice them as they walk right into the store. They look directly at Beatrice walking up to the counter. The withered person talking in a woman's Voice.

"A Rasp." Beatrice says under her breath.

The woman seems to hear that and becomes displeased. However she keeps her composure, and speaks with a calm voice. "I am here to collect the object that I ordered."

"What object is that Sir- I mean Mam,-I mean miss." Beatrice replies.

"The Rasp woman reaches into the pocket of her business suite, puts a terro card on the table. "This one." Then slides it across the desk.

Beatrice picks up the card and looks at what is written on the bottom. Reading what it is difficult, being that the tarot card seems to move and animate. The Card says, "Item 612" On it in glowing letters, and in that aspect Beatrice Figures what these two creatures are here for. "Right, I will get that right out." Beatrice says as she tries to make sense of her new surroundings.

Beatrice walks to the back room door, and tries to open it. She cannot seem to get past the door as she grabs onto the handle and tries to turn it. The door will not move, and Beatrice figures that this is one of the worst days of her life.

"What is taking so long." Says the woman in the suite.

"Oh, just a problem with the door. I think the frame is getting old." Beatrice says as she tries to make up excuses.

The Rasp snears. But just before she is able to bark out her demands, Veronica kicks in doing her job as a friend. "Excuse me Miss, how do you keep your skin so firm?"

The Rasp looks at Veronica with a plan stare. Then she, her expression lightens as she jumps into a big long conversation about cosmetics. " I am a saleswoman for this great company, amazing products." She says just going into a normal conversation. The big wolf behind her rolls his eyes, and starts to wander around the shop.

The conversation that is had between Veronica and the Rasp, is one that two cheerleaders would have about their favorite nail salon, and then it divulges into shows they have seen where the main subject is girl stuff and fashion. "OMG-" The rasp says. " And season seven where casondra threw mandys wig to the hot tub with a jello mix. I laughed for a week." All the girls in the Shop Chime talked about how much they loved the show. While everyone else just tries to stand around and look cool.

Beatrice is still trying to figure out the door, during all of this, subtly pulling harder and harder until she almost pulls a muscle. She then looks at Manzer who is looking at his cloak. "Manzer '' She whispers. Trying to get his attention.

Manzer winces, as if his name had just been said through a loudspeaker. "Ah- why are you yelling."

"Come here and open this."

"What?"

"Open this door."

"You're Not my boss."

"Just open this door, please."

Manzer rolls his eyes, and walks over. Opening the door once again. "Would a lady like her drawing too?"

Beatrice becomes sub tally furios. "Just stick by the door okay."

" Fine. Crazy."

Beatrice walks into the backroom and looks for the objects marked "Item 612". She has to look through a few densely bound objects and items, but she manages to come across what she is looking for. As she grabs it, the packaging burns her hand. " No- what." Beatrice says after tightly pulling back her arm. " What is going on!"

She says out loud, starting to have a mental breakdown.

Manzer opens the door and looks into the back Room. "Are you okay?" He says looking at Beatrice as she seems afraid of even a regular package.

"No- I am not okay. " She looks back at manzers face, then tries to hold back a scream. "God, why- why me?"

"Oh, man. Are you alright?" Manzer says seeing Beatrice's state of mind, and feeling as if she is in distress.

"Manzer- Just pick up this package for me please."

"I am not."

"Just do it okay!"Beatrice says almost about to cry.

"Okay." MAnzers says taking pity on her. He does not understand Beatrice's change and why it is so odd. She was really cool a few moments ago, and now it seems she is scared of paper.

Manzer comes in and takes the package. He tries to look at Beatrice, but she seems terrified out of her mind. Too scared to even respond. He tries to think of something to say but nothing comes to his forethought, all moments in how strange this all seems to be are like soft spider webs that seem to only cling to so many things that have no real purpose other than to collect them. He takes the package out into the front desk, and the rasp looks at him taking suspicion in his odd adire.

"Is this your new wizard Beatrice?" The Rasp says, causing her companion to turn around.

"Not at the moment but he is off to a good start." Beatrice laughs trying to keep her composure, and control a manic outburst.

"oh, well he sure is a cute young man. I bet you have all the ladies week at the knees with a face like that."

"I am not interested in people with weak knees, that is something you go to a doctor for, and not someone who is thirteen."

The Rasp smirks. "And a smart one too. Tell me kid, are you looking to model for any clothing companies?"

Everyone in the room stops. They all look at Manzer in awe of what was just said.

"I don't know. Maybe, gotta see what my doctor says about my knees first."

She laughs. "You- You are a special one indeed." She takes a card out of pocket. " Let me know what your Doctor says. Then she slides her card over to the Manzer, keeping the number on it to the hard wood of the counter so no one else can see it." You pull off that cloak well."

"Yeah it fits nice." Manzer says as he picks up the card.

Just then the phone rings, and every mythical creature in the room winces.

Beatrice moves in to answer the phone. Not knowing if she can, she hesitates to touch the loudly ringing machine.

"Answer the damn phone." Says the wolf trying to enjoy his milk Shake. The Rasp turns and looks at him, and he tries to calm down.

Beatrice grabs the phone and slowly lifts it to her ear. She is surprised that this is one of the few things that she can do. Before she even says anything, a voice already says Beatrice's name. "Beatrice, This is sister Therin."

All the Mythical creatures within a hundred yards Flinch, including Manzer who knows exactly what the call is about.

"Is Manzer there, he seems to have- gone wayward from my flock." Sister Therin says.

"Oh uh, no why do you ask?" Beatrice says trying to avoid whatever it is that Therin does to monsters from tearing apart her store.

"Are, you sure? A few of my colleagues would believe that the first place he might end up is either at the mall, or the skate park- and I am at the Park."

"Oh, uh, no I haven't seen him."

"Oh well, that's fine. I am coming by anyway- to pick up some usual supplies. I hope you have the blessing candles I ordered."

"Oh yes, they arrived a few days ago. But things have been pretty busy, and I know how you hate being called on Sundays."

"Yes- right. Well, I am on my way to pick them up. I hope things are well. See you soon." Sister Therin hangs up.

Everyone gets the Chills. "Was that Sister Therin?" Says Veronica? "Jesus, I swear every time that woman talks, the room just gets colder."

"Nuns right?" Says the beastly creature, and everyone laughs. Everyone except Manzer who knows that he either needs to get as far away from sister Therein as possible, whether it means run, hide, or invent a new way to avoid someone, all together. Sister Therin is more dangerous than people realize, and smart enough to slip past the better senses of others. Manzer tries to make sense of what his options are, planning out the next course of action as he makes sure to avoid all of the wrong places where sister Therein would not show up with something sharp to pin Manzer Down.

Things were now more complicated, and manzer could not help but fear for the belief in a supernatural cause to all of this, as not just the unknown of his misfit values would make his choices more limited, and hazardous.