CLAN

by Harry Shannon

  "Oh hell!"

  Case turned. Kelly was on the left side of the back seat looking out. The narrow road had vanished; it dropped away into nothingness on the east side of the car. Kelly backed away from the window as if afraid her body weight would tip them over the edge. Case couldn't see the drop from where he was in the passenger seat, but clearly it was quite severe. The bounce made the headlights go out.

  Jennifer flicked the headlights again. Only one was working now, still weak, but that lone beam was remarkably comforting under the circumstances. "Nobody can see this far up and into the forest," she said. "It should be safe to use lights until we get there."

  "How much further?" Case startled himself by shouting. He was so accustomed to the need on the ride up that he nearly deafened her; like a man answering a friend while wearing earphones.

  "There it is, just ahead."

  The dirt road took a sudden loop to the left, which Case took for north. The single beam revealed a plain two story, wood frame cabin set back at the edge of the cliffs. A small garden lay on the east side of the property, long gone to weeds. On the opposite side lay a thick forest of pine trees and thriving undergrowth, probably fed by a nearby creek or underground water supply.

  Jennifer drove them up to within a few yards of the porch. She left the ragged engine running. "Hurry up, I have to get back before anyone knows I'm gone."

  Case got out and opened the door for Kelly. They had nothing but their street clothes, his gun and the metal briefcase. He'd never felt quite so naked.

  "Don't worry," Jennifer said. "I come up her to read sometimes and be by my lonesome. There's a picnic chest inside with some drinks in it and some canned food in the cupboards. No electricity or running water, but you can pee outside or in the sink, and there's a shovel if you got other business to do."

  "I need to ask you some questions," Case said. He thought about pulling the gun, but that seemed pretty rude. "This is all just way too weird for words."

  "No time." Jennifer yanked on the gearshift and spun in a wide circle, throwing up dust. "Get inside and stay there."

  "Damn it, Jennifer!"

  She finished her turn. "There are a couple of lanterns, but if you use one keep the windows closed tight. I'll come back to get you after sunup. You've got to get through this night alive. That's about it."

  She started back down the road. Case put his arm around Kelly and they watched Jennifer go. As the night grew silent again, the shadows rolled through the trees. Some rocks moaned as the wind slipped through them. The trees rustled and an owl hooted faintly as if whispering good night.

  "Let's go inside."

  The door was unlocked. Case went first. He stepped into the empty living room and then called Kelly. They moved through the dark and fumbled around. Kelly finally found a lantern and some matches. She lit the lantern and placed it on the floor. Case made sure all the shutters were closed and then locked the front door behind them.

  In the yellow light they checked their new surroundings. The living room was spacious, occupying most of the lower floor and furnished with two dusty couches, two easy chairs and some end tables. The room continued on into an open kitchen on the west side of the cabin. It had a filthy sink, a dead refrigerator and the picnic chest Jennifer had promised. Case opened it and found several plastic bottles of soda and exercise drinks floating in cool water.

  The kitchen window looked out at an expanse of dead grass that ended at another cliff. The slope fell away into the inky night. Far in the distance Case saw the lights of an airliner cruising toward Salt Lake City.

  Kelly was staring out the back. "Look at this."

  He found her at a large picture window, covered with wooden shutters. There was a doorway that apparently went out onto a long wooden porch that hugged the back of the building. Again, the porch butted up against a huge cliff with nothing down below but rocks and forest. A long, long drop. Case whistled.

  "That view must be something in the daytime."

  "I hope we make it that long."

  He put his arm around her again. "We will."

  "You mind doing the guy thing and going upstairs all by yourself? I'm still pretty freaked out."

  "I'm on it."

  "I'll light another lantern for you."

  There was a ladder on the far left side of the living room that led up to a loft perhaps one-third the size of the floor below. Case tested it for strength and then climbed carefully to the next floor, carrying the second lantern. He kept it turned down low since he had no idea how many windows there were, or if they were all covered.

  The upstairs had a queen-sized bed and a small bathroom. As Jennifer had said, there was no running water. The bed was covered with dust. There were cobwebs everywhere. Case lifted up the edge of the bedspread. The sheets looked reasonably clean underneath. He put it back in place.

  The upstairs had windows all around, probably because of the spectacular view of the valley below. They were all locked and the wooden storm shutters were closed. The place was a mausoleum, and about as comfortable. Whenever he turned his back on one area of the room the shadows seemed to lean forward to whisper. Case felt like a little kid hearing campfire stories for the first time.

  "Joe?" Her voice had fear in it.

  "I'm fine. There's a big old bed and a toilet that's useless. Like Jennifer said, I guess you could pee sitting on the sink if you had to."

  "That's not a very pleasant thought, but frankly neither of us is going outside in the dark and squatting."

  Case moved back to the ladder and took the lantern. Turning his back on the empty room made him uneasy. "I'm coming back down."

  Kelly was waiting at the foot of the ladder. "Funny. This place is a little like my dream house." She stepped back to let him drop to the floor. "I always wanted a ski chalet in Switzerland."

  "Sounds beautiful." Case understood her need to talk about something other than their predicament. "Ever been there?"

  "I was in Zurich one time for a couple of days. A friend from college took me up to a little ski town called Laax for Christmas Eve. Huge pillows of snow everywhere, that amazing Alpine feeling. I fell in love."

  Case jabbed. "With your friend?"

  Kelly made a face. "My friend was an anorexic law student named Martha. She was a skiing fool, though."

  "Must have been colder than a well-digger's butt." He turned his lantern down and blew it out. Hers seemed bright enough for the time being. "We need to save these. There were plenty of matches there, right?"

  "Yes."

  "We may as well get comfortable." He took her by the hand and led her over to the couch. Case pulled one of the easy chairs close, sat down and propped his legs up on the armrest. Kelly joined him. "Since I don't plan on sleeping, it's going to be a long night."

  She dropped her head onto his shoulder. "Oh, and Case? I'm scared out of my mind."

  "Damn straight," Case replied. "Me, too."

  26

  When the meeting was over, the Alpha dismissed his Clan. He allowed them all one free hour to feed on small animals and drink enough water to sustain them. Deeply concerned, he went to his shrine to beat the drums and chant to Ohenan for superior cunning and ferocity. When an hour had passed, the Alpha went outside and howled for the hunt to begin…

  The pack rallied to his voice; running low to the ground with growls and whines of excitement. The Alpha led well. He gathered them together at the edge of town; all his grey, white and brown children. They came from every direction, some soundlessly and some with noisy arrogance, displaying their courage and pride.

  To him, they were magnificent. Almost all were fully changed now; sleek fur almost luminescent by the light of the full, Buck Moon. He took his proper place at the front of the group and spoke in his human voice, low and deep and resonant. "Hold! Before the hunt begins, hear me one more time!"

  They came together.

  The Alpha surveyed his tribe. What he saw made him proud. Fang and maw, tongue and claw
; the snuffling and the fevered snarl: They were beautiful, these wondrous children of the wolf. Their spittle flew like rain.

  "A brother has just come to me to report that the worst has happened. These outsiders know our secret."

  The Clan reacted with anxiety and growling.

  "This only means that our mission is doubly important. They must not leave here alive, or they will tell the world of the change. Our precious race will be doomed."

  Grunts, groans. The bloodlust awakening.

  "Witness! I will not lie to you. I disavow and disapprove of Samson's actions in slaughtering those humans. His actions have now placed our very survival at risk. But they have also committed us to further action. There is no time for debate, not tonight. Prepare yourselves. Tonight…we hunt!"

  The howling commenced OOoooooooOOOOooooo as the pack raced in circles, becoming more and more excited; the females making promises their bodies would keep and then forget before the first rays of dawn. They swooped into the woods in perfect formation, like a mottled flock of birds, sensing each other perfectly; twisting and turning as if by design. An unspoken signal broke them into sections; small platoon-strength packs went out to sniff, paw and search the forest floor. Three beautiful females raced up Castle Rock to bay at the moon. Afterwards, they flattened, ears forward, to listen for the slightest trace of the enemy.

  Their teamwork was perfection. Their acute senses focused on the slightest detail pressed into every roadway, hiking trail or streambed. They leapt and twisted in ever-expanding, concentric circles searching for the spoor.

  Three females raced down the streambed, crossing back and forth through the shallow water looking for signs. A mated pair paced them along opposite sides of the muddy bank. Several males went up into the dry brush, pawing at tumbleweed and deep-sniffing the ground.

  The pack gradually eliminated several alternatives. Within an hour, the bulk of them were coming back together to focus on the two highways leading back to the forest or higher up into the mountains. At the base of Castle Peak, the massive male known as Samson sniffed an oil spill and some tire tracks. He instantly knew the vehicle had left the area sometime after dark. He followed the traces further up the road and when they turned higher, along a narrow dirt road, he howled his excitement.

  The pack answered and came to join him.

  The Alpha had now made the change, but he was older and needed to save his strength. He was still just outside of Salt Lick, waiting for the signal. When he heard that the spoor of the prey was located, he raced to join the group and lead the way. He arrived at the roadway, barely out of breath unlike the others, and moved to the front of the pack to take his proper place.

  With a snarl, Samson leaped to block his way.

  Although the Alpha had expected to be challenged sooner rather than later, he was surprised by the timing. He did his best to communicate the need for patience and cooperation; to remind Samson and the others that there were more important matters to attend to and that primacy could wait.

  Samson demanded he bare his throat.

  Under other circumstances the Alpha could have expected some of the others to come to his aid. But their bloodlust was up, and Samson clearly had all other contenders cowed. Many of the females seemed aroused by the idea of witnessing a challenge. The Alpha growled low in his throat and showed his fangs, but Samson sat quietly, panting. He was clearly not intimidated.

  The others withdrew and left them together in what amounted to a small clearing in the rocks.

  The Alpha was left on his own.

  He silently thanked Ohenan for his time as their leader. He thought perhaps it would actually be a good time, a lovely moon, good for death to finally claim him. He moved back and forth, trying to loosen scarred flesh and arthritic tendons.

  Then he lowered his nose and snarled.

  Samson growled for the first time, and at the sight of those white teeth the Alpha sprang. He struck Samson high on the chest and flung him backwards against a boulder. Everything became reflex for them both; shrieks of pain mingled with low and rumbling threats and a blur of fur, blood and bone. They flew through the air and slammed into the ground, paws thumping for purchase.

  Within seconds the Alpha knew his time as their leader was through. Samson was simply too strong, too quick. His jaws teasingly ripped holes in the older wolf's flesh; snapped at tendons that further weakened already aching legs. The Alpha fell and with great reluctance rolled onto his back. He looked away from Samson's intense gaze and bared his throat. Samson bit down, but wisely chose not to sever the jugular. He refrained out of respect for his predecessor.

  "No one touches him!" Samson snarled. "He may go."

  When he stepped back, the old man-wolf struggled to his feet with dignity. Head down and bloody, he limped away into the woods to die in peace. This was his right and his honor.

  ArOOoooOooooOOOOOOOOOOO!

  Samson howled his triumph to the full moon. The others took up the cry until the night sky filled with that eerie wail. Then the entire Clan returned to the manhunt, energized and motivated. The intruders would die.

  And a new leader had been chosen.

  27

  "You know what?"

  The dark cabin felt claustrophobic, oppressive. Case had found a small, chipped bowl. He filled it with some of the drinking water and tore a strip of cloth from an old drape to make a washcloth. His eyes had gotten used to the pale light of the lantern on the floor, so he tried to figure out a way to shave without cutting himself to ribbons. It was more to have something to do than for any aesthetic reasons. Case finally realized that Kelly had spoken and he hadn't answered her.

  "What?"

  "Why don't we open it?"

  He nicked himself and grunted. "You mean the briefcase?"

  "In fact, I've just been sitting here wondering why we haven't done that already. Opened it."

  Two more strokes and Case was finished. He splashed water on his face. "I don't know about you, but I think I'm afraid there's nothing in there."

  "Or that it's not what we think it is."

  "In which case…"

  Kelly tried to smile, but it came out lopsided and weak. "In which case I am seriously screwed."

  "That about says it." Case patted his face dry. "But I'm not doing so good lately myself, if that helps any." His sniffed under his arms. "Jesus, and I smell like a locker room. Wish I could take a shower."

  "Splash some water on yourself."

  He walked over and sat on the floor next to her. Kelly's face looked wan by the light of the lantern. "Are you sleepy yet?"

  She shivered. "No. And I'm cold."

  Without thinking, he put an arm around her then hugged her close. Case could feel the coiled tension in her body. "Relax," he said. "Just using our body heat to keep warm."

  After a long moment: "You're right. You smell like a locker room."

  Case laughed. "Suffer."

  "I'm half serious," she said. "Go ahead and wash up. Then maybe you can turn your back and I will."

  "Later."

  She raised her eyebrows. "Later? Why, Joe Case. I do believe you're actually feeling embarrassed."

  She'd read him correctly. Case put his arm back down. "Maybe. But not for the reasons you're thinking."

  She stuck out her tongue. "Prove it."

  Case studied her and then got back to his feet in one smooth motion. He turned his back and stripped off his shirt. He walked over to the bowl and used the rag to wipe down his upper body. He faced the cabin wall.

  "Chicken," Kelly called. "Turn around."

  Uneasy, Case took his time. When he did turn, he had to resist the urge to cover up. He hadn't wanted her to see the long pattern of purple scars crisscrossing his abdomen. When she did, Case heard a small intake of breath, saw Kelly's pretty eyes widen before she could disguise her shock.

  "It happened maybe ten years ago," he said. His voice had a scratch in it and carried the ponderous weight of guilty secrets.


  "Was this when your family…"

  "No," Case said. "Something else."

  "I'm not asking."

  "I want to tell you. But first, turn around."

  Blushing, she did as she'd been asked. Case dropped his jeans and washed his privates, too. Then he got dressed again. When the T-shirt dropped over his deformed belly he instantly felt better. He squeezed the rag and changed the water. Kelly did not move at all. Finally he whistled.

  "Okay, your turn to wash up."

  Her shoulders slumped forward, but she got to her feet and faced him. Case walked a few feet away and turned his back. He sat down on the floor, cross-legged in the dust, and studied the shadows in the corner of the room. He heard the rustle of her clothing and the light tinkling of the water as she washed her body. Case adjusted his position briefly, and felt her freeze the second he moved.

  "I was dumb," he said. He kept his eyes on the corner.

  Behind him, Kelly sighed. Case understood. It felt good to do something as simple as bathe, even in such a haphazard way. As she cleaned herself, the shadows moved like black flames and smoke. But she did not react to what he said. Case had expected her to prompt him to continue, and thus found the silence unnerving. Finally she focused.

  "What do you mean you were dumb?"

  "I was pretty new to the department back then," he said. "When all that happened. It's a long story."

  "Tell me, Case. I want to know. That is, if you want to talk about it." She chuckled without humor. "You see, the other potential topics of conversation, like a pack of freaking werewolves and a bunch of dead people lying around…well, they all seem a little overwhelming to me right now."

  Case studied those twisting shadows. He listened to the warm water caressing her skin. His mind gave him pictures that aroused his body. His throat went tight and dry. "My partner and I got a call to investigate a prowler. This was in the San Fernando Valley, up around Panorama City in the barrio, so we were a little puckered."