by Kody Boye
Shadow launches himself at Mister Wells and thrusts his hand forward.
The shotgun falls from his hands moments before he can aim it at his chin.
The gun goes off.
A bullet strays goes wide.
I cry out.
In mere seconds, Shadow knocks the man from his feet, then pulls a pair of handcuffs from his belt and cuffs the man to the stairwell.
Jackson shifts into his human form.
I edge forward.
Paxton Wells groans and growls, “Bastard.”
But I am standing above him instantly, and saying, “Tell me where they are. Now.”
He lifts his eyes to face me. “And what do I get in return?” he asks.
“Your life.”
He narrows his eyes at me.
I narrow mine at him.
He says, “They should’ve shot you when they had the chance.”
“I’m too stubborn to die,” I reply.
“Fine,” he says. “Just promise me one thing.”
“What?”
“That you won’t hurt my wife or my son again.”
My hand balls into a fist at my side.
“Oaklynn,” Jackson warns.
“I won’t hurt them,” I finally say, after what feels like an age’s worth of hesitation. “Just tell me where they are.”
“The Brotherhood is in the woods,” the man says, “just on the north side of town, near where the highway begins.”
“I think we have what we need,” Shadow says.
“Good.” Scarlet nods. “Wipe them.”
He waves his hand over Mister Wells’ face.
The man passes out.
The Wiper does the same to Missus Wells, then turns and faces Scarlet. “It’s done,” he says. “Security cameras are as well.”
“Good.” She nods. “Then let’s get the hell out of here.”
Chapter Nineteen
“There’s no time to waste,” the Hunter says as we make our way out of the Wells family mansion and into the woods at the edge of the property. “We need to make our way to the Lillock Brotherhood. Now.”
“Now?” Jackson asks.
“They’re going to come around eventually. It’ll be easier to hit them head-on then risk them scattering once they catch word that the Agency has become involved.”
“And you’re sure that’ll work?” I ask.
Scarlet nods. “Yeah. I’m sure.”
“I take it you’ve done this before?” Jackson inquires, pushing himself into the woods and scanning the perimeter before adding, “It’s clear.”
“I’ve done more than enough frontal assaults to know that most humans don’t expect them.”
“Subterfuge isn’t Scarlet’s strongest point,” Shadow offers. “As you’ve probably noticed.”
The woman smirks. “Exactly.”
We cross the distance between us and the Meadows family home within less than ten minutes.
Come time we arrive at the other side, Zachariah, Bernard, and Justin are waiting for us.
“We heard gunshots,” Bernard says.
“We were just about to make our way there,” Justin adds.
“Rule number one,” Scarlet replies. “Don’t interfere in Agency business.”
“Did you find out where they were?” Mister Meadows asks.
“Yes,” I say. “We did.”
“And you’re going there now?”
I nod.
“Dammit,” the man says. “It figures that we’d end up at war with wolf hunters.”
“There’s no time to dawdle.” Scarlet turns her attention to Bernard’s RV. “Mind if we take that for a spin?”
“You’re going to take my RV?” Bernard asks. “Into battle?”
“I’ll have it back to you within two hours,” Scarlet replies. “Three at most.”
“You really think it’ll only take that long?” Jackson says.
“We don’t have time on our side right now, kid. We need to get our asses into gear now, before the Lillock Brotherhood finds out their commissioner has been incapacitated.”
The rage inside me has still not ceased. The anger—which continues to rise to the surface like magma churning within a volcano—threatens to burst free, spilling forth lava over any and everything around me.
This needs to be over, I think. This needs to be finished.
I stalk toward the RV.
“Oaklynn!” Jackson calls.
“Come on,” I say. “Let’s go.”
“I didn’t give you—“ Bernard starts.
I spin and glare at him before he can argue further.
“Permission,” the man finishes.
Jackson, Scarlet and Shadow move to follow. “Keys are inside?” the Hunter asks.
“Yes,” Bernard replies, defeated.
Within moments, we are loading into the vehicle and engaging the engine.
“You guys stay back,” Scarlet says as she buckles herself into place. “Something tells me this is going to be a bumpy ride.”
I know it will only take us minutes to reach the highway that Paxton Wells talked about. I also know that we will soon be entrenched within yet another conflict—one where our enemy will either expect us, or others like us. As a result, I brace myself accordingly for what is to come, and lean forward to take several deep gulps of air.
“Feeling okay?” Jackson asks.
“I’m ready for this to be over with,” I say. “I’m just… trying my hardest not to panic.”
“You were brave,” he says, “going out there like that.”
“Sometimes I feel more stupid than brave.”
“And I love you for it,” Jackson offers.
I frown.
Did he just— I begin to think.
But Scarlet is clearing her throat and saying, “Oaklynn. Come closer. Not too close, though.”
I edge myself off my seat and bridge the distance between me and the threshold leading to the front cab. “What is it?” I ask.
“I’m going to need you to divert their attention one last time,” she says. “I’d ask Jackson to do it, but you’re more noticeable than he is.”
“Gee. Thanks.”
Scarlet turns her dark eyes on me. “Don’t think I’m throwing you to the wolves.”
“No pun intended,” Shadow offers.
The Hunter shoots a dirty look at him.
“Hey,” the man replies, then offers a smirk. “You learn sarcasm when you’re around humans enough.”
“You mean when you’re around me enough,” Scarlet says, then clears her throat before adding: “Now. The plan.”
Shadow, Jackson, and I fall silent.
“If Shadow can get a visual on where the first of the Lillock Brotherhood are,” Scarlet says, “and you can lure him out by proxy, then he can disable the shooter and me and Jackson can make our way into their camp.”
“You think they’re going to be out and about?” I ask.
“They’re going to be somewhere where they think we won’t find them,” Scarlet replies. “We also need to avoid using guns as much as possible. The highway’ll probably cover the noise, but we don’t know if anyone’s going to be around.”
“I think a few people live out here,” Jackson offers.
“Same,” I add.
“Which is why we have to be extra careful.” Scarlet turns her head to look out the front window. “How far are we from where that man said they were?”
“Maybe five minutes tops,” I say.
“Good.” Scarlet leans forward and pulls the glovebox open. From it she withdraws a single large knife, which she pulls from its sheath to consider for a moment.
“We mean to kill them,” I say, “don’t we?”
“They won’t stop coming for you once they start,” the Hunter says. “Better to eliminate the targets, get the Agency out there to clean up the mess, then let the proper channels handle anyone who may remain.”
“All right,” I say, and sigh.
I’d hoped there wouldn’t be anymore bloodshed.
I guess I’m still too naive for my own good, I think.
A sigh escapes me—and though I try my hardest not to succumb to loathing and doubt, I find myself doing just that.
The trees, as they pass by, are haunting.
The road, as we travel along it, is menacing.
And the people within the RV—they are silent, because the truth of the matter is that we have all been made victims as a result of one person’s hatred.
But not anymore, I think.
No.
Now, we will end the cycle of violence—and as a result, the terror this whole farming town has experienced.
Within moments, we are clearing the final stretch of territory before the sign designating the old farming road appears.
“Well,” I say as Shadow begins to slow the vehicle to a halt. “This is it.”
“You’re sure?” Scarlet asks.
“There’s no other old farm road like this,” Jackson replies. “It just… goes on from here.”
“I see.” Scarlet frowns for a moment, then turns her head to consider the highway nearby. It is here that she says, “Remember: we do this quick, fast, and carefully. And most of all: we let no one get away.”
Jackson and I nod.
Shadow disengages the vehicle.
I turn to the set of stairs leading out of the RV, and gaze at Jackson only for a moment.
He asks, “Are you ready?”
To which I reply by saying, “Yes. I am.”
Jackson stands. Steps toward the stairway. Steps down it.
Then, in moments, I am becoming the Light Wolf.
Chapter Twenty
I bound from the RV with speed I know is born of desperation. Fueled by need, adrenaline, and the distinct fear that we will be discovered, I rush from the old farm road and toward the thicket of woods with only one thought in mind:
Ending the Lillock Brotherhood.
I do not see a glitter of metal that would indicate there are wolf hunters nearby. Instead, I sense upon the air a distinct odor, one that instantly ignites my senses and sends me into overdrive.
Sweat.
Alcohol.
Blood.
The three scents combined stirs within me a primal need to hunt.
Blood rushes through my heart. My lungs. My brain.
A fourth scent enters my nostrils, and for a moment, I wonder.
Then I hear the gunshot.
Thankfully, the wolf hunter is a bad shot, as the bullet goes wide and strikes the grass beside me rather than hitting me head-on.
Be careful, I think, pushing myself toward the woods as fast as I can. Remember what you’ve learned about shooting.
A moving target is harder to hit. Because of this, I continue to make my way toward the woods, dodging left and right, zig-zagging, moving one way and then another. A second shot goes off, but this time, dirt and grass are kicked up into the air, then my face.
What— I start to think.
But black smoke trailing in front of me stops me before I can think further.
I don’t hesitate.
I take off.
I hear Jackson bark something in wolf tongue behind me, but ignore it as I bound into the woods behind Shadow’s smokescreen form.
The minute I’m in the woods, my teeth are bared.
The man standing before what appears to be a dilapidated barn turns and tries to run, but is instantly cut down as Shadow materializes before him and slams his open palm into his face.
Blood spurts. Taints the air. Flies throughout it.
I launch myself on top of the man and crush his ribcage with my weight before barreling toward the barn.
“Be careful!” Shadow calls.
I don’t hesitate, though.
I charge head-on.
The campsite is sparingly populated. With only five other men in attendance, I am able to circle the interior of the barn and avoid the gunshots peppering the area with relative ease. My heart slams against my chest, and my mind rushes in overdrive, but my sense of smell—betrayed by the overt amount of gunpowder in the air—alarms me, to the point where I spin about at one point only to nearly get shot through the head.
Focus, I think.
Scarlet comes barreling in just as I jump over an old horse stall.
Take cover! I try to bark, but realize I am in wolf form rather than human, and she cannot understand me.
The gunfire peppering the area causes both the Hunter and the Wiper to take cover behind a thick wooden wall. Swearing, Scarlet brandishes the knife in her hand and turns it over in her hand as she calls, “Oaklynn! Jackson!”
A blur of movement appears to my right.
I spin.
See Jackson jump over a horse stall just in time to avoid a maelstrom of bullets.
I take the diversion as an opportunity to launch myself at the next man and tear his throat out before he can do any further harm.
The remaining four spin, forming a semi-circle to protect themselves from either sides.
“Should’ve known the wolves would come!” one of the men calls. “But we’re ready for this! Aren’t we, boys?”
The barn door slams shut.
Scarlet calls, “Look out!”
But before I can turn, a force far larger than I could ever possibly be slams into me.
I grunt. Whip my head about. See the flash of pure black fur.
Then I see the red eyes and feel my heart slam against my chest.
A wolf, I think.
The creature snarls at me as it attempts to rip my throat out. Pinning me in place, and whipping its head back and forth, it bares its teeth and nips at my neck just in time to cause blood to trail from fresh flesh wounds.
Jackson hops over another horse stall and yells, “Shadow! Wipe them!”
“I can’t!” the Wiper calls back. “They’re supernaturals!”
What? I think.
One of the men laughs and calls, “Thought you could get rid of us that easily?”
The black wolf bays as it pins me in place.
No, I think. It can’t be.
But it is.
Rage fills my body as the Light Wolf attempts to rear herself free from her prison inside my body.
Don’t fight me, she says. Let me fight for you.
But I— I start. You—
You’ll die if you don’t let me do this, Oaklynn!
Okay, I say. Do it.
I feel the tug of the Light Wolf fighting me for control.
At first, I resist—because the last thing I want to do is willingly give over my body to another being. Then I realize that, if I don’t give up control, me and my friends may very well die.
For that reason, I snap the cord of control free from our bodies.
Then I feel the disconnect occur.
The Light Wolf throws the black monster from my body and spins about just in time for the men to cry out.
Jackson launches himself over the horse stall and hurls toward one of the four remaining men.
Scarlet whips her knife through the air, killing one of them instantly.
Shadow fires a shot off, incapacitating a second.
And I—I can only watch as the Light Wolf circles the black monster before me.
It isn’t a regular wolf. That much is already apparently. With smoke in its red eyes and mangy fur covering its body, it resembles something straight out of the depths of my worst nightmares, and causes me to tremble as the Light Wolf readies herself to do battle with it.
What is it? I ask.
A Hell Hound, the Light Wolf says.
Then, it launches itself forward.
The Light Wolf dodges aside and thrusts herself at the Hell Hound as behind us the others do battle. Scared witless over what may occur, and unsure how the Light Wolf is going to win against this nightmarish monstrosity, I watch in horror as she circles the creature, nipping and snapping and sinking her teeth into its flesh. The ranc
id smell of its body is enough to make me squirm, but the taste of its blood as it enters her mouth is hot—like peppers too high on the Scoville heat scale. I grimace as the taste enters her mouth—as the sour feeling burns at my tongue—and beg her not to bite it anymore.
I have to, she says, even as her mouth burns, as her gums become enflamed. I have to kill it.
You’re not alone, a voice says.
Jackson hops into the fray, and twists about to lure the creature away from the Hell Hound.
Scarlet appears not long after.
The creature laughs its sardonic laugh.
Then, several tentacles burst from its back, and whip Jackson aside.
Oh shit— I think.
The Light Wolf dodges the incoming attacks and lunges at the Hell Hound just in time to have the tentacles wrapped around her neck.
No! I scream internally. Stop!
The Hell Hound laughs once again as it tightens its hold on her—our—neck.
I grimace.
The Light Wolf cries out.
I scream.
Jackson sinks his teeth into the Hell Hound legs and attempts to dislodge us.
But the creature doesn’t. Rather, like an octopus, it tightens its tentacles around the Light Wolf’s neck and attempts to strangle her with everything it has.
Scarlet drags her dagger along its side and attempts to dislodge it one last time.
“I can’t do it!” she cries. “It’s not budging!”
“You must do something!” Shadow replies. “It will kill them otherwise!”
What do we do? Jackson cries in his wolf voice. What do we do!
I will save her, a voice says.
What’re you— I start to say.
The Light Wolf begins to emit a prominent golden light from all around her fur.
The Hell Hound’s tendrils begin to burn.
It yelps, then releases its hold on the Light Wolf.
With startling strength, the Light Wolf lunges from her place on the ground, and opens her mouth in a feral scream.
Light bursts from the depths of her person and incinerates the Hell Hound in an blaze of glory. Fueled by something beyond our control, it sets ablaze the creature from another dimension, and slowly but surely drives it from this mortal plane.
Within moments, it is over.
The Hell Hound is dead.
The Lillock Brotherhood is gone.
