Chapter 6

'Get an ambulance!' the officer yelled he kneeled net to the guy and felt for a pulse while, inside the first officer grabbed his phone and walkie-talkie blasting commands over it Harold and Mary rushed out of the dinning room.

'Oh my god.' Mary said she covered her mouth.

'Mary go get our first aid kit.' Harold answered she retreated back to the dinning room to find the kit.

'Can I do anything?' Ashley asked quietly Harold ignored her and instead, he strode out to the hallway to assist the officer whom was bent over the collapsed man.

'Anything you need? My wife has gone to get the first aid kit.' He remarked.

'That's fine we'll wait on the ambulance as well. He looks is pretty poor condition by the looks of it.' The officer said.

'Is he dead?'

'No he definitely alive, maybe injured or lack of hydration might have caused this.'

'Help me turn him over onto his back,' the officer answered Harold also bent down and together the two men carefully moved the unconscious man onto his back flat on the front lawn Harold immediately froze. * It can't be! * He thought.

'Mr. Lawson?' the officer asked.

'Are you all right sir?'

'I-yes I'm fine.' Harold remarked sounds of the ambulance sirens could be hearing getting closer so he stood up and cleared his throat.

'Well, I hope this man gets better so if you'll excuse me.' He added turning around Mary had just come from the dinning room holding the first aid kit.

'They don't need it now the ambulance is coming.' He said hastily.

'And we need to talk.'

Mary glanced at her husband with a curios look but the look he returned to her is one she understood a horror look crossed her face and this didn't go un-noticed by Ashley.

'Mom?' she asked.

'Later honey.' Mary remarked.

Harold, Mary and Ashley stayed in the house and watched on in silence while the ambulance workers tended to the unconscious man on the front steps with the two police officers standing aside. One of the officers' made motion gestures with his hands the second one nodded his head he then turned around and started to walk back to the house, Harold walked out to the front door to meet him; the two men exchanged a brief conversation nodding their heads then shook hands and Harold closed the door; the officers got back into the car and the ambulance workers had strapped the man into the stretcher and loaded him into the back of the ambulance. The two vehicles backed out of the driveway the police car went first it flashed its lights and siren and the ambulance also turned on its siren.

'Is that man going to be all right?' Mary asked her voice quivered Harold remained silent he looked to be deep in thought.

'Dad?' Ashley asked but he still didn't respond.

'Mary, we really need to talk about this.' He said at last she nodded both looked to Ashley she had no idea.

'Honey, do you mind giving us a few minutes?' Mary asked.

'Why can't you guys just tell me what is going on?'

'Ashley, listen to your mother please.' Harold said she wanted to protest further her dad gave her a hard glare, she lowered her head and slumped her shoulders and trudged off out of the lounge.

Billy wheeled himself from the lounge and out to the backyard Jacob sat on the back steps staring up at the night sky he heard his father.

'Jake.' Billy said.

'Yeah.'

'You know I don't want to get in the middle of your life and tell you what to do.' Billy said he heard Jacob sigh.

'But you shouldn't keep pushing everyone who wants to help you away.'

'I can handle this alone dad.'

'Yes. I know you can Jake but-after what Charlie said I am just worried about you,' Billy answered.

'There is nothing to talk about anymore everyone's obviously moved on with their lives; I will eventually but right now I'd rather avoid speaking to a few certain people.' Jacob answered his dad smiled lightly.

'She is trying Jake you got to give her a bit of the benefit.' He answered Jacob snorted.

'Well maybe, if she wasn't so obsessed with that guy then maybe I would.' He remarked Billy gently shock his head.

'That is something nobody can help you with Jake, you and Bella need to talk about it properly without anyone else interfering.' He said Jacob didn't reply he continued to stare out over the backyard.

'Is there something else?' Billy asked.

'You trip and the pack's to Washington is a great cause for concern Jake.'

Billy watched his son's reaction for a few minutes Jacob fiddled with his hands he stared at the ground then back into the distance.

'There was a strange smell the other night.' He said.

'Yes?'

'It wasn't anything like I've seen before, it seemed to be mixed with something but I'm not sure. So, I just decided to follow it and see where it took me and that is how I ended up in DC.' Jacob answered.

'Dad do you know if there are others out there like us?' he asked he turned around to look at his dad, Billy rubbed his chin a thoughtful expression on his face.

'Your great, great grandfather said he had encountered a few tribes in other parts of the East and West Coast.' He said.

'There was one group in particular over on the West Coast; he said they were troublemakers; they intervened with the human population. I am unsure if he ever mentioned about vampires being in the same area.' Billy remarked.

'It is very rare for many of the tribes to cross paths, everyone knows to keep their distance and there are certain boundaries they can't cross. But sometimes there are those who chose to ignore the rules and make rules of their own,' he added.

'Like who?'

'Well I have heard of one particular wolf his name is Bryce. He, is the complete opposite to Sam, and even far worse than Paul's bad temper.' Billy said Jacob was just about to ask his dad what he meant Billy though turned his wheelchair around and went back into the house Jacob jumped to his feet and followed him in. Billy headed into the lounge stopping in front of the TV he opened up the drawer beneath it and started to rummage around.

'What are you looking for?' Jacob asked Billy kept on looking through the drawer when he didn't find anything he closed it and opened the next one. He spent a few more minutes going through the contents inside the drawer before finally getting his hands on a thick leather-covered book.

'Here.' He said holding it out to Jacob; he stepped forwards taking the heavy book from his dad's hands he noticed there was a piece of white string sticking out from the middle of the book he guessed it was just a make-shift bookmark.

'He detailed everything he had seen in that book from his trips to the West so it might be of interest to you.' Billy answered.

'Thanks.' Jacob said he tucked the book underneath his arm and trode towards his own room.

The two police officers sat in their car parked in an empty space at the hospital's car park. The ambulance had arrived outside the hospital twenty minutes ago and the man was taken on the stretcher inside the van had moved off for the night and it was quiet.

'What do you think?' the first officer asked.

'Mr Lawson's reaction to the man who turned up out of the blue causes me to be quite suspicious. He also seemed a little bit stand-offish with his daughter.' The second officer replied.

'If she is even their daughter.' He added, the first officer burrowed his eyebrows.

'What make you think that?'

'Did you not see the photo in the hallway?'

'Yes.'

'She looks nothing like her parents at all.'

'Anyway; what about the two men who turned up saying they knew her? I think they were a little bid odd as well.'

'There has been some unusual activity happening around here lately. We've had people complain about sightings of werewolves a lot.'

'Yeah, well until we find out what is going on my guess is all these sightings will probably continue. Hopefully this guy they took into the hospital might shed some light on the matter,' the second officer answered the two got out of their car and started towards the entrance of the hospital and unknown to the two police officers they were being watched by three pairs of eyes.

'You sure this was the right move bringing that man here?'

'Yes. He, in his state will be saying everything and anything, and once those cops have the information they will be bothering the Lawson people and they too will have a lot of explaining to do.'

The two officers were directed by a receptionist at the front desk down the hall and told to wait outside one of the rooms, she had informed them that the doctor seeing the patient in question would be able to speak to them in a few minutes.

'He had a lot of dried blood on his clothes,' the first officer remarked.

'Yeah and it smelt strange too,' the second officer said.

'Like what?'

'It was a cross between an animal sort of like a wet dog or cat and human. Kind of sweet but sour if that makes any sense,' the first officer replied.

'You're weird.'

The two officers heard the door of the room open up; a man dressed in a long white coat and black pants stepped out, he had a clipboard tucked under his left arm and in his right hand he had a tape recorder.

'Excuse me.'

He turned to look seeing the two officers come up to him.

'Can I help you?'

'We'd like to know what information you have about the patient in this room,' the first officer said.

'Ah, yes well we don't know his name he didn't appear to be carrying any identification on him. He has sustained quite a bit of damage to his chest and legs probably from some kind of physical altercation.' The doctor remarked.

'I noticed a few bite marks especially around his neck.'

'It doesn't appear like the bites punctured vital nerves.'

'Ok thank you.'

'Do you know when we could possibly speak to him?'

'He is pretty heavily sedated at the moment so unlikely to be tonight. I expect him to be awake late tomorrow morning.' The doctor remarked the two officers nodded and the doctor continued on his way down the hall.

'I guess we will have to leave it until then.' The second officer said.

'Yeah we'll just call it a night now and come back tomorrow.' The first officer agreed.

Mary shook her head at her husband she didn't agree with him.

'I don't think this is such a good idea Harold, she doesn't understand what is even going on around her, if you dump this on her now she won't be able to cope,' she said.

'We don't have much choice now, that man told us years ago when he returned she would be in danger, and had to know the truth. Once she does then she will understand.' Harold explained.

'Ashley has been with us ever since he came and dropped her off out of the blue; we are her parents and we must protect her,' Mary remarked.

'At this time we have done what we can and must let her take it from here.' Harold answered he leant back in his chair casting his eye over the pile of papers, it explained every detail and he had memorized it from the moment the man turned up at his house.

'Besides, you have seen the state she's been in lately. Going off into the night on her own that was already a sign something was changing and our times with her is about to come to a close.' He added.

'I know.' Mary remarked she too leaned back in her seat arms folded across her chest.

'I know I just wished this day would never have come.' She answered Harold got up from his seat and walking around his desk he lay his hand on her shoulder.

'Everything will be all right we have taught her well.' He remarked he headed out of his office and started up the stairs Mary sighed quietly she closed her eyes for a few minutes hoping nothing would go wrong; and then she got up and headed out and climbed up the steps; and when she reached the main hallway she saw Harold already up the stairs towards Ashley's room.

'Be careful Harold.' She replied; he turned around looked down at her he nodded his head and walked to his daughter's bedroom door and knocked.

'Come in.' Ashley replied she looked up seeing her dad walk into the room.

'Is everything ok?' she asked.

'Ashley; there is something you need to know.' Harold began she burrowed her eyebrows close together eyeing her dad with a little bit trepidation; he seemed nervous and uncertain and that was a very big contrast to the way he was behaving towards her earlier in the evening.

'Ok.' She said. Harold stared down at the floor gathering his inner thoughts before he spoke; in truth he was worried he didn't want to give his daughter this news if it was to upset her and as his wife had already said to him about her not coping with it. He pushed the concern aside and took a deep breath.

'I know you want to live your own life and not have your mother and I worry about you all the time,' he said.

'But, you see we have reasons to being protective of you.' He added.

'The man that was here, you remember the one who was on the floor outside the front door?' he asked she nodded her head.

'Your mother and I have met him once before. It was a long time ago and he had looked quite a bit different to the way I saw him tonight.'

'He-he was-he brought you to us.'

Ashley cocked her head to one side confused by his comment she shook her head.

'I don't understand dad.' She said Harold sighed he ran his hand over his chin.

'Maybe you should come downstairs it might make a bit more sense to you,' he added and before she had to the chance to ask another question he had turned around and left her room.

'What is going on?' she muttered sliding off her bed she was about to set out after her dad, when she paused momentarily and looked at the mirror, her eyes widen and she stumbled backwards.

'Wh-who-who are you?' she exclaimed in shock.

'Ashley!' Harold called out. She glanced at the door then back to the mirror the strange-looking figure hadn't moved and just continued to stare back at her. Then he slowly raised one arm finger pointed straight at her; she shook her head unable to digest what she was seeing it didn't make any sense. Being cautious in case something could happen she kept her eye on the mirror and slowly manoeuvred her way to the door.