Lola’s heart returned to a more peaceful rhythm. The watery, shaky sensation in her arms and legs disappeared. There were still two oni left but after watching Russel rip through a horde of ghouls and two other oni, she was feeling a lot more confident he would end things soon. It was only a matter of time before there was nothing left for him to attack but her. So, wisely, she decided it was a good time to actually do what he originally instructed her to do. Run. Or, more accurately, quietly hastened away without drawing attention to herself. If the oni caught on to the fact that she was around, they would certainly come after her. She was the obvious, weaker target especially considering what Russel had just done to their fallen comrades. Not only that but she knew once he was done with the oni, Russel would come after her as well.

She slowly and carefully began backtracking the way she came, making sure to place her feet in such a way that they made as little noise as possible when she stepped. As she did, she kept a watch on the remainder of the fight between werewolf and oni. It was a gruesome, morbidly enthralling affair. Watching Russel fight the oni was almost hypnotic in a way. Their movements were graceful but at the same time, devastating and frighteningly powerful. The oni moved with almost effortless speed, striking out with well-placed cuts and thrusts. Russel, on the other hand, was all brute force and animal savagery.

It was like some beautiful but extremely deadly dance.

Get moving, she told herself.

That was only marginally successful. She moved a little quicker but not by much.

Hurry. Once he’s done fighting the oni, he’ll come for you too. You know he will. You can feel it deep in your soul. Russel is in there but he’s not in control.

It was a sobering message and one that actually did seem to get through to her. She finally turned away from the fight and sped up her escape. She still heard the sounds of it behind her but mostly, these came from Russel. The oni were just too damn quiet. She couldn’t hear them at all. Their feet made no sounds as they walked or ran across the ground and their weapons didn’t so much as rattle. Even when their swords flashed through the air, the sound of its passage barely even registered no matter how close. Running away from the fight now, she had no idea if they were even using them at all.

Roars and howls filled the air. Crashing, thumping, and explosive sounds of impact echoed toward her. But, as she ran, they faded and grew less distinct. A spike of fear ran through her when she did because now, she was no longer sure of the outcome. What if they overpowered him? What if one got a lucky shot in and mortally wounded him? What if they cut his head off? What if…what if…what if.

The rapid amount of “what if” questions running through her mind threatened her sanity. They were so strong, she almost turned around and ran back to him several times.

Every time she did, she would see his face again, already starting to transform with a single word coming out from between a mouth full of fangs.

Run!

His eyes had shown nothing but a deep, twisted sense of terror.

She realized now his fear had nothing to do with fighting ghouls or oni. It came from knowing he was about to lose all sense of control. That he was letting the wolf take complete control. She knew doing that was the only way they were getting away from those monsters alive but the cost seemed too high now.

More of those cursed “what if” questions came raging through her mind again. Some of them were repeated concerns from earlier.

What if he can’t change back?

What if this was all he would be from now on?

What if he took her apart just as easily as he did the ghouls?