Ashley shuddered some as she approached the lodge. It was a bit colder than she had imagined previously felt and the adrenaline from transforming back to her human form was still being digested by her body. Cursing under her breath as she stepped on a rock Ashley hopped for a few moments before she made it back into The Lodge. Walking upstairs Ashley plugged her nose to avoid being re-exposed to the fumes swirling around the air. With Nora missing, Ashley gave a frown. This would be a lot nicer to tell her in person, but unfortunately some things must be done one way or the other. Ashley shook as she pulled on the first decent clothes she could dig out of her backpack before slinging it over her shoulders.

Grabbing some paper and a pen, Ashley wrote a hasty note. “Dear Nora. It is with great regret that I must announce my leave. The drone attack has shaken something deep within my being, and I felt like I was going to lose control of my werewolf form while I was pounding away at the machine. I was thankful that I didn’t, but it is something that I’m not willing to risk again.

Don’t beat yourself up over this, it’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have come anyway. I’m sorry. I don’t think a life of action is the life for me. -Ashley.”

Folding the note up, Ashley taped it securely to Nora’s door before turning and walking downstairs and into the garage. Opening the garage, Ashley hopped on her motorbike and started it up before gunning it into the night and back towards the city. She probably wouldn’t be seen again, not for some time if at all. Ashley felt bad about leaving, but she didn’t want to lose control of the werewolf form that she had previously felt like she had almost complete control over. That wasn’t something that Ashley could live with. A life of relative peace was better, in her mind.

[hr]

Rebecca would’ve been swearing had she been able to speak. Unfortunately, as she tumbled through a rapidly changing vortex of rainbow colors, she couldn’t speak at all. Rebecca also couldn’t move, which terrified her more than anything else. As she flipped lazily end over end, the only thing that reminded Rebecca that she was still alive was her panicked heartbeat and the rapid colors flashing by. Rebecca chose this moment to be glad that she didn’t have epilepsy, as the seizures would probably be worse than the sensation of falling.

As Rebecca turned over again in the seemingly endless void, she noticed that something seemed to be forming. A shade of dark that stood out against the colorful void. Rebecca was being deposited somewhere. The growing portal of dark was just as terrifying as not being able to move. Rebecca had heard the horror stories of bad jumps depositing people into space or some other unknown void. As Rebecca felt a rush of wind she braced herself. At least, as much as she could brace herself while being unable to move.

After a few moments there was a sudden rush of air and Rebecca felt herself slam into the ground. Her eyes were welded shut in fear as she slid a few feet. It took her a few moments to remember how to breathe. Rebecca slowly began to crack her eyes. She could breathe. That was good. Rebecca began to stand up, slowly. Everything was sore from impact, but otherwise Rebecca seemed to be fine. Frantically, Rebecca reached into her jacket and felt around for a bit. An audible sigh of relief came after Rebecca’s hands found purchase on a pair of smoothe synthwood handles. Her revolvers were intact. Drawing the two of them. Rebecca inspected them in the light she had. They seemed to be scratch and nick free. Good. Rebecca stuffed them back into their holsters. She didn’t need to scare anyone by having them out of their holsters.

Looking around, Rebecca spotted a few faint lights off in the distance and, with a sigh, began to walk. Rebecca tripped briefly before catching herself on a tree. Shifting the balance of her feet from her heels to her toes, Rebecca resumed walking, but blushed when she noticed that walking this was put quite the sway in her hips. Rebecca wasn’t quite used to looking the way she did, and so things were slightly more awkward than they typically would’ve been. Regardless, Rebecca knew that she needed to get moving. Better to get sheltered somewhere sooner rather than later, especially since Rebecca seemed to be in a forest. Conditions could be unpredictable at best and hostile at worst. Indoors was preferable.

Walking faster, Rebecca approached the building, now recognized as a lodge, and approached the strangely open door. Something smelled horrible, and it reminded Rebecca of some of the chemical agents that she had used and been exposed to a few times. Knocking loudly at the doorframe, Rebecca took a few steps into the building and announced her presence. “Hello? Anyone here? The lights are on and your door is open.”

With that being said, All Rebecca could do was wait and see who or what responded.