Wild Keepers

by Dee Bridgnorth

  He picked up his phone, staring down at the screen. Allie hadn’t called or messaged him back. Again, a wave of uneasiness swept over him. Was she okay? He hadn’t been able to check on her the previous night, after the attack. Had that bastard demon hurt her? The mere thought of it filled him with rage.

  Even if she wasn’t physically hurt, she would still be reeling from it. She had fainted in the streets on the night of the festival after being stalked by one of them, and now she had been attacked. She wasn’t safe. They knew of her involvement, somehow, and they wanted to silence her. He had to get to her, immediately.

  He stood up, putting his full weight on both legs. Yes, it hurt, but he could endure it. He would take some painkillers, but find ones less strong than the ones Thad had given him last night. They had made him woozy, and he needed to be alert. Luckily, there was a whole cornucopia of medicines here for him to choose from. The Wild Keepers had to be prepared—they never knew when they would be injured in the line of duty.

  He would have a quick shower then go to her flat. His leg was still covered in blood, and besides, he needed to change. His clothes were shredded from the previous night’s turning. Hardly a fit way to see her.

  He walked to the bathroom, wincing as he put pressure on his leg. The sooner he took some tablets and dealt with it, the better. He didn’t have any time to waste. He had to get to Allie’s apartment.

  If she was there, that is. Another shiver of fear went through him at the thought that she wasn’t safe.

  ***

  Allie woke up, slowly. She must have fallen asleep on the sofa.

  She barely remembered getting here, the previous evening. She must have been still in shock, and driven on automatic pilot. It was a wonder she hadn’t crashed. She had been meaning to crawl into bed, but her eyes had closed almost as soon as she had sat down on the sofa. She hadn’t had a choice. Her knees had started buckling underneath her almost as soon as she had stepped into the apartment.

  She sighed and got up, making herself a coffee. Only yesterday morning, Caleb had been in here, making breakfast. She could still see him whizzing around, whipping eggs. And now, she had no idea what had happened to him. He had cut her off, as if she was a poisoned limb.

  She picked up her phone, left on the charger. Her eyes widened as she stared at the shattered screen. Two missed calls from him. She hadn’t even heard the phone; she must have already been fast asleep.

  She bit her lip, thinking. Did she want to talk to him?

  She knew what the answer to that question would have been the previous evening. She had made up her mind that she wanted nothing more to do with him; that she couldn’t keep going like this. And she was still angry about the fact that he had just left her at the building, without a word of what he was up to. It wasn’t on. She had more self-worth than that. She wouldn’t let a guy treat her that way.

  She sipped her coffee, still staring at her phone. One part of her wanted to call him back. She yearned to speak to him, tell him what had happened to her. And she also wanted to tell him what she had found when she analysed the water, before she had been attacked.

  But another, stronger part didn’t want to speak to him at all. He had treated her shoddily, and she didn’t like it, not one bit. Yes, he had told her that he didn’t want a serious involvement. But he had also made her complicit in his plan to get the samples without Dr. Morgan’s authorisation and then left her hanging. That wasn’t cool, on any level.

  Unless he hadn’t been able to call or message her? Had something happened to him, as well?

  She thought of the creature that had attacked her. Putting aside thoughts about what it was, why had it been there? Did it have something to do with what she had been doing in the lab?

  Her mind drifted back to how the police had reacted the previous night when she had told them about it.

  “A creature?” The police officer taking her statement had stared at her. “Could you be a bit more specific?”

  Allie had sighed. “It had leathery, grey skin,” she said haltingly. “No hair, or very little. Black eyes. But it had the figure of a human—it had two arms and legs.”

  “Right.” The officer had pursed his lips. “Reptilian, then? Like a lizard?”

  Allie had nodded. “Sort of. In the appearance of its skin, at least.”

  The officer had sighed, putting down his notebook. “It doesn’t sound like any animal I’ve ever seen. Could it have been a person with a mask on? There’s been heaps of people on the streets with the parade and the festival last night, in costume. Perhaps one of them was your attacker?”

  “I guess,” said Allie with a shrug. She didn’t pursue it. She could see that he didn’t believe her, and why would he? It was ridiculous. But she knew that the face that she had seen hadn’t been a mask, like the person on the streets who had pursued her. The texture of the skin had been too real.

  They had looked at her doubtfully when she had described the wolf, too. They obviously thought she was just a hysterical woman, jumping at shadows at being alone in the lab. They had taken photos of the blood left on the floor of the lab and said they would make enquiries.

  And that had been that.

  Todd, the security guard, had walked her to her car, and she had driven home.

  Allie sighed, putting her phone down on the kitchen table. She wouldn’t call Caleb, at least not yet. She had to think things through a bit more. She didn’t know how she would react if she spoke to him now.

  She would have a shower, freshen up. That might make her feel a bit better, at least. Then she would decide what she would do.

  ***

  Allie was towelling her hair dry when she heard the knock at the door.

  Her heart stopped beating, for a moment. Fear squeezed her stomach so tightly she could barely breathe. For just one second, she was back in that moment, when the creature had attacked her in the lab. Its face, and the mask of the person who had said that strange thing to her the night of the festival, began to merge together in her mind. Was this post-incident shock?

  There was another knock, longer this time. Taking a deep breath, she walked towards the door, heart pounding. Relax, she fiercely told herself. Attackers rarely politely knock.

  Still, she kept the security chain on the door when she opened it.

  It was Caleb. He stared at her, his eyes wide.

  “Allie,” he softly said. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to get back yesterday, or call you.” He took a deep, shuddering breath. “Can I come in and explain? I’m so glad to see that you are okay.”

  She stared at him. Then she shut the door.

  For a moment, Caleb thought she had closed it on him, completely. But then he heard the unlatching of the security chain, and the door opened, again.

  “Come in, then,” she said. She wasn’t smiling.

  He stared at her back as he followed her inside. She had obviously just had a shower; her hair was still wet. He suppressed an urge to reach out and touch it. She didn’t seem happy with him, and he didn’t want to startle her.

  She turned around when they got to the living room, facing him. Her blue-green eyes were wide.

  “What happened to you yesterday?” she said, through tight lips.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, reaching out and trying to take her hand. She pulled away.

  “Not good enough,” she said curtly. “I waited all day in that lab for you, Caleb. All day. Apart from one message earlier on to say that you were running late, you didn’t bother to contact me at all.”

  “I couldn’t,” he said, staring at her. “I wanted to, but things got a bit out of hand. As soon as I left the hospital with the samples, I realised I was being followed by someone in a car. I spent all the rest of the afternoon trying to shake them off.”

  Allie stared at him. “You were being followed? What did they look like?”

  Caleb took a deep breath. Should he tell her that it was a Vilgath demon? She had been attacked by one herself, s
o it wasn’t as if the concept was just being introduced to her. And it might make her feel better, that she hadn’t hallucinated what her attacker of the previous evening had looked like.

  “How about I make us a coffee,” he said, slowly. “Then we can sit down and talk about everything.”

  For a moment, he thought she was going to say no and order him out of her apartment. But then she turned and started walking to the kitchen.

  “I suppose I owe it to you to hear your side of the story,” she sighed. “It’s only fair. I’ll decide afterwards if I want to talk to you or not.”

  He walked over to the coffee pot, pouring them both a cup.

  Allie frowned, staring at him. “Is there something wrong with your leg, Caleb? You seem to be limping a little.”

  He passed her a cup and shook his head. “It’s nothing. Just an old sport injury playing up a bit. It starts to ache in the colder weather.” He stared at her, straight in the eye. Would she question it further?

  “Sit down,” she said, taking a seat herself. “You were telling me about the person who was following you.”

  He sat down, taking another deep breath. “Yes, I was. Except it wasn’t an ordinary person, Allie. It was a demon. That was how I knew that I wasn’t imagining it.”

  Allie paled. “A demon? What are you talking about?”

  “They aren’t human,” he said quietly, sipping his coffee. “They can disguise themselves as human, but in their true form, they don’t look like people. They have grey skin and very little hair. Beady black eyes.”

  Allie gasped, leaning hard against the table. “That was what the creature that attacked me last night looked like!”

  Caleb looked at her. “You were attacked?” He tried to keep his voice level but still sound surprised.

  She nodded, biting her lip. “Caleb, it was awful. One minute I was sitting in the lab, working, and the next the lights started flickering.” Her eyes filled with tears. “Then they went off, completely. I was in total darkness. And then…and then…”

  He reached out, taking her hand. “What happened next, Allie?”

  “I was thrown to the floor,” she whispered. “And this…thing was looming over me. Oh, it was horrible.” She shuddered at the memory. “It had grey, leathery skin and beady black eyes, like you described. A few wisps of hair, but otherwise completely bald. It looked like something out of a bad horror movie, or a nightmare.”

  Caleb stared down at her hand he held. He was appalled to see that she had begun to shake.

  She was so upset, and he didn’t blame her in the slightest. He was immune to what the Vilgath looked like now; he had been battling them for years. In their demon form, they weren’t pretty. In fact, they were downright frightening.

  “But it wasn’t just that,” she continued, shaking. “I could feel…something in the air. Like a cold wind. A breath of evil. I thought it was going to kill me, Caleb.”

  He gently squeezed her hand. “I am so sorry this happened to you, Allie,” he whispered. “I was trying to get back to you.”

  She laughed, a little brokenly. “Yes, well, I wasn’t very happy that you hadn’t returned,” she said. “I was thinking about leaving. But it wasn’t just the attack by the…demon, did you call it?”

  He nodded.

  “I still can’t quite believe it,” she whispered. “It’s like something out of a dark fairy tale. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would think that you were totally crazy, talking about demons.” She took a deep breath, composing herself. “I suppose I have to believe it. The police tried to tell me it was someone from the parade, in a mask of some kind. But it wasn’t. It was real.”

  Caleb was silent, gently holding her hand. She obviously needed to talk about it.

  “Anyway,” she said. “I thought it was going to kill me. And then, the dog that I was telling you about—remember, the one that saved me when I was mugged—was suddenly there! But I realise now it isn’t a dog, Caleb. It’s a wolf. And it attacked the demon, fighting it off me.”

  “Hang on a minute,” said Caleb. He took a deep breath. “You are telling me that the…wolf that saved you from the mugger was in the lab, and it attacked the demon?”

  She nodded her head, mutely.

  “How do you know it was the same animal?” He stared at her.

  “I recognised it,” she said. “I watched when they were fighting. The wolf had the same coat as the one in the street. Exactly the same. Same texture and same colour. A rich black. Kind of like the colour of your hair.” She stared at his head, wonderingly.

  Caleb gulped. “So, the animal had a black coat,” he said. “What else?”

  Allie frowned, trying to remember. “It was the same size,” she said. “I can’t think what else. But I know that it was the same animal, Caleb. And when you think about it, it makes sense—well, as much as any of this situation makes sense.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She took a deep breath. “It’s so bizarre, all of it. A wolf saving me on the street. And then for it to happen again? What would be the chances that it was two different wolves that just happened by while I was in trouble? No.” She shook her head, vigorously. “It was the same wolf. And it has obviously been following me.”

  “Why would it be following you?” He held his breath.

  “How do I know?” she said, her eyes wide. “But nothing else makes any sense. It must be protecting me, although how it knows is beyond me. But then, I would never have thought that demons existed, either, before last night.”

  “Allie,” he said gently. “Are you okay? The demon didn’t hurt you?”

  She shook her head. “No. It didn’t have a chance. The wolf got to it before it could do anything. But it did shake me up a lot.”

  He got up and put his arms around her. She was stiff, for a moment, before relaxing into his arms, burying her face against his shoulder. She stifled a sob.

  “I was so scared, Caleb,” she said, shuddering.

  He took her face between his hands, gazing at her. “You are amazing,” he said. “One of the strongest women I have ever met. And I promise you, Allie, I will never let anything happen to you again.” His fingers tightened on her face, marginally.

  If only he could tell her that he had saved her last night. And been injured in the process. Not so that she could praise him but so she would know that he was watching out for her. Watching over her. Protecting her, the best way that he knew how, from this evil that was all around them.

  She smiled wanly. “Well, it’s over with now. But I am still jumpy. I wish that this whole situation was resolved, and I could just go back home, at least for a weekend. Get out of the city for a while.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t feel safe here, Caleb. Not at all. I’ve been attacked twice and followed by someone. They aren’t great odds, considering I have only been here a short time.”

  His blood ran cold. What was she saying? That she wanted to move away?

  The thought of losing her stabbed at him like a knife. It was ridiculous, he knew it. Regardless of whether she moved away or not, he could never see her again after this was over. It was why he had been fighting against getting involved with her so much. He just didn’t lead a life where he could have a regular girlfriend, and he couldn’t leave his pack.

  But it had all been theory, something that was going to happen at some distant point in the future. Now, he was forced to look at it. He was going to lose her…and soon.

  He hadn’t realised just how painful it was going to be.

  “Allie,” he quietly said. “I know that it seems crazy. And it is. I am sure now that these demons are behind what is happening with this illness, and that is the reason both you and I are being targeted.”

  “Caleb,” she said, her eyes wide. “How on earth do you know about them? What they are?”

  “I can’t tell you.” He stared at her levelly. “But I know them, and I know what they are capable of. They realise that we are getting close to th
e truth, and that is why they are doing this. We must be brave, Allie. I know that it is going to take courage, but we have to believe that what we are doing is for the greater good.”

  She stared at him. “You can’t tell me, or you won’t? Why should I believe you, Caleb?”

  He sighed. “Please, just trust me. I can’t tell you for your own safety.”

  She looked away, tears in her eyes. “I know you told me that you don’t want to get involved,” she said, slowly. “And I respect that. But what I don’t like is you hiding things from me and lying to me. I have to be able to trust you, Caleb.”

  He took a deep breath. “Trust that what I am doing is for the greater good. Yours, as well as everyone else.”

  She gazed at him. “Well, I suppose I have no choice, for the moment.” She turned her face back to him. “I want to stop this as much as you do. And I’m not going to be intimidated. Caleb, there’s something in the water.”

  He stilled, staring at her. “What? You got the water tested?”

  “I tested it myself,” she said. “It was what I was doing when I was attacked by the creature.”

  “Tell me,” he said, sitting back on his chair.

  “You were right,” she said. “I found an amoeba. I had just fixed and stained it to take a closer look at what it might be when I was interrupted.”

  “That’s why,” he said, his eyes gleaming. “I was right. That was why the demon attacked you at that moment. It saw that you were getting close to the truth.”

  “What are we going to do?” She stared at him. She could feel sweat dripping down her neck. “This is getting dangerous.”

  He nodded. “It is. If you don’t want to be involved anymore, Allie, I will understand. You can bow out of this now. Tell them you’re sick. Considering what’s been happening, they will believe you. You can walk away from all of this, now.” He took a deep breath. “You can go back to your home town and leave it behind you. I wouldn’t blame you.”

  Allie gazed at him. “It sounds tempting, I must admit,” she said. “But I would feel terrible. Like I was running away. I want to solve this too, Caleb. I want to bring whatever is causing this to light and those responsible to justice. And I accept that there is a risk involved in that.”