Katara felt the disease stir under her skin. It tickled her senses and urged them further, covering just over a mile radius in every direction. Her bones snapped and forced her to run on all fours. It began to break the bones down and tear out from under her flesh. The old man paused, sniffed the air, then took off running. His flesh melted and fell to the ground, revealing the Darksider in full height. His full height was incredible; she had nearly forgotten how tall they could grow. Lily was nearing the edge of Katara’s sight, but she wasn’t far enough away for Katara to miss the run down truck approaching. Its wheels were thin, massive springs attatched to the oddly shaped car allowing it to compensate. With a large trunk and an extra pair of wheels on its back to keep it from being back heavy, it barreled down the ranging hills. It had a grey and orange paint with little windows and absolutely no windows in view of the trunk, which was separated with a metal slab from the front. Where the front four wheels met the back two there was a slight gap, allowing some movement for the car to arch over the hills properly. It gave off the impression of being a cargo transport, but it wasn’t filled with material items. It was filled with women. They were young, most of them ranging from new-born to young adult, with cuts laced upon their lips and shoulders. Fear radiated off all of them.

And they were headed towards Lily.

Katara’s mind reeled. She felt every minor movement as the Darksider ran. His heel brushed the grass. It pressured the blade until it cracked under the pressure. His sole neared the ground. His toes arced upwards.

Lily’s hand touched the stem of a flower. She tugged, the force traveling down the stem and to the roots. The roots didn’t budge. The stem began to rip.

A child cried in the back of the car. She huddled close to a woman who stared fearfully at the man near the rear of the vehicle. He stared at them with a certain cruel lust.

But the Darksider was here to kill her. Even if it ran now, it would be back later. And she didn’t want to die. She didn’t want to see what waited for her behind life. She didn’t want to see her punishment for the crimes she had committed. And if nothing waited for her, if only darkness expected her…that scared her most.

A man’s hand gripped Lily’s arm too tight. Her flowers were bundled in her right hand still. Lily squealed with a sudden fear. Katara’s pointed hears moved wolfishly to consume all of the sound. She was terrified of dying, but she would have time to be afraid later.

Her heel slammed bluntly against the grass, pulling the dirt up as she whirled around quickly. Lily was still screaming, kicking and slapping the larger man. He dragged her towards the car and tossed her inside, before climbing in himself and locking the trunk.

She felt Lily stagger back, caught by one of the other women and held close. Tears fell from her chin and splattered against the ground.

“Katara!” Lily screamed with all her might, the sound ringing loud over the relatively quiet car. The woman looked with fear to the man who approached her. He raised his hand high. His hand swung down and stung Lily’s cheek.

Katara’s face distorted with hate. Her muzzle pulled up, her teeth shone in the darkness. Tonight, Katara would have no remorse over killing.

A howl echoed through the night. Deep, throaty at first, before it pitched increasingly upwards. It unsettled a few of the men in the front—giving the total of sadistic, perverted men at five. Four were crowded in the front with one in the back with their catch. The car growled darkly, tearing through the ground as its wheels spun to arch its path. It was headed towards Katara. Within moments, machine and wolf met.

Katara’s vined form hurled into the window of the car. It lined a thin crack against the reinforced glass, but did not break. Her arms were spread out and separating. The vines spun over the sides of the car, locking around the rearview mirrors to keep herself steady.

“I’ll kill you,” she growled, the voice dark and heavy. It sounded as if it hurt simply to speak, like metal scraping metal.

“What the hell is that thing!?” one man screamed, spinning his hands on the steering to send the car jolting left and right.

“Your worst nightmare.” Katara hissed dramatically. She pitched her skull back and slammed it against the glass. Another crack. Her thick vines barely registered the pain.

“Get that thing off!” howled a panicked man in one of the miniature seats in the front deck.

“Let’s see how it likes this,” the man near the right window pulled out a gun, rolled down the glass, and took aim. Her vines slunk into the cabin while her chest took the shot. He laughed with victory, but Katara was more agitated than anything by the fired shot. Her still green vines pushed the bullet out from her and onto the hood. Katara turned her snarl towards him.

The driver cursed, quickly shouting for the window to be rolled back up. The shooter put his hands on the device that dictated it as Katara’s vines from her left arm circled his neck. They clenched close, causing him to gasp for breath and tear at her organic covering, before being tossed outside of the speeding car. Katara didn’t mind the fact that his arm broke in the fall. All she cared about was she had an opening.

A second man leaned over and to lock the window shut, but Katara forced her right arm inside. Her vines didn’t go on forever, so she found herself falling short of the two men on the driver’s side. The other was pierced with sharp vines, and tossed towards the others. They cursed loudly, swerving to throw Katara off. It was part way successful; her arm was wrenched out from the cabin and she swung to her right, hitting against the driver’s window as her left arm reformed. She bore her teeth at the driver, ignorning the headache that came with the motion of the car. The mirror snapped under her weight and she was sent tumbling into the ground. Her leg was caught under a tire, lacerations in the color blue zigzagging over the green vines. She stood as soon as she got her bearings, shaking her head. The car kept speeding away, quickly nearing the borders of her vision. She sprinted after it instantly.

“Lily!” she barked, ears pricked forward. She sensed Lily stand, though with the movement of the car, it was hard to tell complete definites.

“Katara!” Katara picked up her name in response. She was coming. At least Lily knew that.