Eternal Chains

EC 78: Captured

Carl was already losing his mind when he heard the news about Xerra's bodyguards who were found dead then he was not able to contact Xander no matter how much he tried. He even went to their house and saw that there was no one in there despite the driver telling him that he drove Xander home.

"Then where could he be right now?" he punched the wall and cursed at the current situation. He already called the police to report what had happened but he can't calm down.

"I think this might have something to do with that phone call that he received while we were on the road. I found it a little bit weird but he said that it was nothing." The driver remembered the phone call which was an information that Carl needed.

"If that's the case then that call must have come from the kidnappers. That idiot, why did he go without even calling me or anyone!" he roared in angered before he started to pace inside the house. He was in the middle of thinking about it when his phone suddenly rang.

He angrily picked up the phone and when he saw the familiar number, he did not hesitate to answer. Xerra's trembling voice came from the other side of the call. "Big brother Carl!" she almost shouted but she was able to control herself.

"Xerra, are you alright? Where are you right now?" He immediately asked while gesturing for the driver to call the police officers outside the house.

"I-I'm fine but brother you need to come and save brother! He-he said that once I call you, you'll know where I am," she stuttered as she fought the fear that continued to creep inside of her.

Carl's eyes widened when he heard Xerra's words and he looked at his phone and saw that the gps on the phone was activated. "Alright, stay there okay. We will be coming right now and don't end the call, stay with me okay."

Several police cars together with Carl's car left the house and followed the direction to the location depicted on the GPS. He was still talking with Xerra on the phone to at least calm her down and to reassure her that they were on their way.

Loud growls. He could hear them getting nearer and nearer to where he was and he could breathe a sigh of relief once he knew that the rogue wolves were really after him at least he was reassured that they were not after his sister and anytime now, Carl might be already on his way.

He stood up from where he was hiding and faced the growling wolves that already surrounded him but all he could do was glare at them. it was impossible for him to fight those monsters and he knew that so he could only resign to his own fate.

"Although it is tempting to see you dead, we needed you alive," a voice came from behind the rogues that were surrounding Xander. A man walked out with his hands behind his back and was smiling at him.

"Who are you and what do you want?" He was having a bad vibe from the man's creepy grin and how the wolves suddenly stopped growling after he spoke.

"No one of significance since it is not necessary for you to know who I am and my only business with you is to take you alive." He raised his hands and flicked it forward then the rogue wolves started to attack him.

Xander gritted his teeth and braced himself from the pain he was about to feel but maybe due his instincts he managed to dodge some of the attacks. He stepped from side to side and bent his body to avoid their fangs but after a few minutes the wolves were able to pin him down. He tried his best to shake them off but their claws tightened around his limbs and he could feel the sharpness of it on his skin. He could also feel that there was already blood from the laceration made by the claws.

"That was impressive but not enough to save you for now," the crouched down and forcefully tilted Xander's head to see a silver flower glowing on his neck, "and if not for this mark, you could have used that dark energy inside you to save your life."

He stood up and took a step back before several men in black clothes came to take him. They tied his hands on his back without giving him any medical attention before dragging him towards the direction where they came from. The man followed from behind as they heard the sound of sirens from a distance.

"That was quick but not quick enough." He chuckled before all of them disappeared into the woods.

Carl and the police reached the place where they saw Xander's car and a warehouse. They searched the place but there was no one there only the signs of someone setting up a barricade but that barricade only collapsed. With the help of the GPS tracker, they followed the direction and came to a tree there they heard Xerra's voice.

"Brother Carl!" she shouted in relief after she saw the people who stopped underneath the tree branch where she was perched in.

"No, no, no! Stay there Xerra, I'll come get you alright!" he immediately waved his hand after he saw that Xerra was eager to go down so with the help of the police they were able to get her down safely. "Where is Xander?" he asked once the child has already calmed down.

"We need to save my brother! He was being chased by bad wolves. They chased after us but my brother lured them away while I called you," she answered while her face was buried in Carl's shoulder.

The police who heard the statement looked at each other in confusion. "Are you sure about that?" One of them asked to make sure that she was not imagining things because there were no wolves in that part of the city although it was filled with trees. Wolves generally don't get close to places where there are human civilization or human activities.

Xerra nodded, "Yes, they were big and scary and they were growling at us." She started to treble once again so Carl needed to calm her down again.

"Which direction did your brother go?" Carl asked instead and waited for Xerra answer. She lifter her hand and pointed at a certain direction before hiding back again.

Carl gave the police a nod so without any more questions they went to the direction with their guns ready to fire any time. If the child's statement was true then they needed the guns to protect themselves. They could already see signs of grasses being stepped on and some branches that were broken from the path they were following. There were also some footprints on the ground and based on their shape, they could say that they were wolf prints. The child's words were definitely true and there was not only one wolf, there were several of them as to why they were chasing after Xander, they don't know not unless they can rescue him in time before the wolves can tear him apart.

After walking for a while, they came to slightly opened space where the tracks ended but there was no one there, no wolves and no Xander. They tried to look around but they did not find anyone. It was as if they disappeared into thin air.

"Have you checked properly?" Their captain asked and every one of them nodded but they found nothing.

"Sir I think it's here," one of them was crouching on the ground and looking at something that they almost missed. "I see some traces of blood here and the direction of the flattened grass is different."

The captain went down to look at what the other found before looking back at the others and singaling for them to move. Although they did not have any certain tracks to follow, they still continued on that general direction until they came to a dirt path that was passable by car.

"Whatever happened here, it's clear that someone has taken the other victim away and even though I have no idea how, this is already a case of kidnapping." After that conclusion, they mobilized several of their men to follow the dirt path and report to them immediately if they found something.

"What's the chance that we can we find him?" Carl asked after the dispatch were done. Xerra was no asleep and this was his chance to ask if they can find him.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know. I've already let the forest rangers scout the area with some animal experts to give us at least a little bit of an explanation as to what happened here because all of us are currently confused." The captain answered while shaking his head. They were baffled as to why there were wolves in the area and how did they disappear in an instant without leaving any trace and who could have dragged Xander away after that.

"It's happening all over again but this time I'll do anything to find him," Carl looked at the distance with his fists clenched. Whatever or whoever was behind all of this he will make sure to find them and make them pay.