Moonlight Medicine: Inoculation

by Jen Haeger

  “Are you okay?”

  Kim held her smile. “I’ve been worse.”

  As David shifted to prop himself up and get a better look at their surroundings, soreness mingled with exhaustion made his muscles shake. His stomach groaned with hunger. Kim helped adjust the pillows so that he was sitting up. They were in a small, spartan bedroom with yellow walls, bare hardwood floors, a single white dresser, and a green, straight-backed chair in which, Kim was sitting, leaning over to avoid the discomfort of the high back.

  “Where are we?”

  “Safehouse.”

  David wanted numbers. He wanted to know how high the casualties were, if they had evidence that the Vulke had sabotaged the fight, and if they’d heard from the other packs, but he didn’t want to ask Kim these things. Most of all he didn’t want to ask her about Evelyn, if they’d found…he needed to know, but it wasn’t fair to Kim.

  “Clem here?”

  Kim shook her head. “No, he and a few others have gone to check on their families. Some have gone back to the woods with search and rescue teams. There are still some unaccounted for and they’ve rounded up a couple of strays already.”

  Unaccounted for. David cleared his throat. “What about Roberto?”

  “He’s downstairs. Been on the phone mostly. I…I didn’t ask, but I don’t think that things…well, he doesn’t look happy.”

  Unable to wait any longer, David pulled back the covers and maneuvered his legs to hang off the edge of the bed. Noticing that he was wearing dry, black sweatpants, he wondered who had changed his clothes for him, and thought he saw Kim blush as she stood to help him up.

  “I need to talk to Roberto.”

  Ducking under his arm to support David, Kim put her other arm around David’s waist. “I can go get him.”

  “Thanks, but I need to move.”

  Kim’s smile vacated her face and was replaced by a more serious, somber expression. David attempted to coax it back with a touch of humor.

  “Plus, I’m hoping that downstairs is where the kitchen is. I could really use some chow.”

  The strained smile his words elicited told him that he hadn’t managed actual humor, but that Kim appreciated his efforts.

  “I’ll see what I can scrounge up.”

  49

  Fifteen minutes later David sat at a modest kitchen table in front of an empty plate and an empty glass waiting for Roberto to get off the phone. Kim sat across from him, silently sipping from a bottle of water. Other Wahya and Amaruq occasionally visited the kitchen, but no one spoke much. It was too soon after the disaster to have much to say, but furtive glances his way gave at least one bit of information away. They hadn’t found Evelyn. Eventually a Wahya named Jackson sat down at the table with them.

  “Roberto wants us outta here by tonight. You feeling up for traveling?”

  “Tonight? What about the search and rescue efforts? I want to go back out.”

  Jackson shook his head. “Sorry. The Wahya are in good with local law enforcement up here, but not good enough for them to see a lot of new faces. Besides there are enough human searchers that we have to keep the number of us Wolfkin low. Can’t risk it. Roberto wants us all to disperse. He’s afraid the Vulke may try to find us up here, finish the job. He doesn’t want us clustered.”

  “No I do not.” Roberto appeared in the doorway, his cellphone finally cleaved from his ear.

  David wanted to scream at him, What the hell happened? But instead he took in a long breath and reined in his emotions. “What happened?”

  Roberto squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. “What we know is this: the helicopter was never signaled but the pilot saw the blaze begin not too far from our gathering point, dropped the deer carcasses, radioed in the fire, and then retreated.”

  “Do you think the Vulke set the fire? Sabotaged the fight?”

  Roberto opened his eyes. “I doubt that very much. First, it is not their way. Second, their advantage right now is numbers, so why would they risk decreasing their own troops with something as non-discriminating as a fire?”

  “Maybe because they see the strays as disposable and easily replaceable?”

  Roberto shook his head. “No, we have intelligence that the strays have been trained…in a manner of speaking. I do not believe that the Vulke would throw away those efforts so carelessly.”

  David blinked. “Intelligence? You mean from strays we’ve captured since yesterday?”

  Roberto cleared his throat. “Not exactly. We have known for some time that the Vulke had training facilities where they were keeping the strays, torturing them, and forcing them to fight one another in human form.”

  David jumped from his chair knocking it over backwards. “And you didn’t tell us!”

  Next to him, Kim flinched and spilled her water.

  Roberto met David’s eye in a steely gaze. “And what would that have accomplished? It would only have confused the stray issue even further. I made the decision to withhold that information in order to save the lives of as many strays as possible, and make the packs more comfortable with your distraction plan. The strays are innocent victims, no matter what they have been forced to do.”

  Breaking eye contact, David bit his tongue. Roberto was right. They knew that the strays were new to being Wolfkin, undisciplined, and therefore a danger. The fact that the Vulke had honed the aspects that made them a danger really changed nothing, but might tempt the packs to kill them instead of trying to rescue them. Forcing himself to relax, he turned, picked up his chair, and sat back down.

  “Casualties?”

  “Nine confirmed on our side, and twenty-two Vulke, mostly strays. Many of them panicked when the fire started and well…didn’t make it out. We were lucky. Several packs didn’t fare as well. The—”

  “Sire?” A voice came from the front room behind Roberto. He glanced over his shoulder.

  “Jim just radioed. There’s a car coming. Looks like it could be Bill’s Jeep.”

  Even with just half his face visible, David spotted Roberto’s deep frown. “Bill is dead.”

  David heard the distinct sound of a shotgun being cocked, and turned to Kim. “I think you should go back upstairs.”

  “Do you really think that the Vulke would drive up so obvious for an ambush if they knew we were here?” Jackson asked.

  Roberto’s face was tight. “I am not sure what this is, but we should not take anything for granted. David, please take Kim upstairs.”

  Standing, David crossed his arms. “I’m not hiding.”

  “Almost here!”

  Roberto rolled his eyes and bared his teeth. “Fine. Jackson, please.”

  Jackson rose, nodded to Roberto, and then motioned for Kim to walk ahead of him. As she passed, she squeezed David’s shoulder. “Be careful.”

  She and Jackson disappeared through the doorway and creaked up the stairs.

  “Brian, you are in front with David. I will take the back. David, in that drawer there is a gun. Please tell me you know how to use it.”

  Following Roberto’s finger, David found the right drawer and palmed the gun. “I do.”

  “Good.”

  Roberto motioned him into the front room then stalked down a hallway towards the back of the house. Brian, positioned just to the side and under a large front window behind a worn couch, gestured for David to take up position next to the door. Easing up to peer out of the corner of the window, the other man held a walkie-talkie to his lips.

  “Car’s stopped. One person getting out driver’s side.” He paused, squinted. “Holy hell, that looks like…can’t be.” Wide-eyed, he glanced over at David.

  “Who? Who is it?”

  Before Brian could answer, banging on the door right next to David’s head made his heart gallop into his mouth.

  “Hello? Please? Is anyone still here?”

  Though the voice was muffled by the door, David would have recognized it anywhere. Scrambling to undo the locks and unlatch t
he chain, he slung the door open, and there she was, covered in soot and ash, hair like a rodent’s nest, wearing half-burned jeans, and with a pair of mangled sweatpants tied around her upper body. David blinked and his head swam as if in a dream. He wanted to draw her close and never let go, he wanted to tell her that she was never allowed to make him think that she was dead again, he wanted to forbid her from fighting in a battle like this ever again, but he found himself suddenly petrified, unable to move or speak.

  “David?”

  The sound of his name on her lips broke through his stone shell.

  “Evie?” David thrust his arms around her and pulled her into the house, shutting the door on anything that might take her away from him again. “What happened? Where have you been? You…you were right behind us…” His voice hitched and caught painfully in his throat.

  “I…it’s a long story, but please, I’m so hungry, and…” Her voice broke into a sob.

  “Shhhh, it’s alright now. You’re safe. Here, sit on the couch, I’ll get you something to eat.”

  Evelyn sat, but the sobs didn’t stop. Glancing up at a bewildered Brian, David pointed at the stairs.

  “Go get her a blanket!”

  Shaking his head in disbelief, Brian headed up the stairs, reporting into the walkie again. “All clear. It’s…it’s the doctor. She made it.”

  50

  Everything after arriving at the safe-house and seeing David’s face was a blur. Evelyn’s medical brain registered that she was in shock, but was unable to bring the rest of her mind back to a functioning state. She ate, though what she ate, she couldn’t recall. Then she remembered being carried upstairs and placed in a bed. Sleep.

  Evelyn awoke to angry voices trickling up from the main floor and permeating the bedroom door. She was still exhausted, but at least the gnawing hunger in her belly had been sated. Lying there, not wanting to face the reality of what had happened, she wished for the oblivion of sleep to return, but instead of sleep came memories. Flashes of the fighting, the fire, and the Vulke cycled through her brain like jumbled clips from a horror film, forcing Evelyn to open her eyes. As she stared at the slanted sunbeams on the ceiling and tried not to think, the voices got louder and were underscored by the creaking and groaning of the stairs until they sounded like they were right outside the door.

  “She needs to rest!”

  “We need to leave this place. We have already lingered here too long.”

  “You don’t really think that the Vulke are still here, that they’re looking for us? So what’s the rush?”

  “I will not go over the reasons again with you. This is what is happening. Do not make me—“

  “Make you what, Roberto?”

  “David, I am aware that this is an emotional time. But you need to think rationally. Staying would put Evelyn at risk much more than transporting her. Surely you must see that.”

  “Oh, don’t act like this is for her sake. This is so you don’t have to deal with the locals, so you can run away from all this and get back to your comfy suite at the casino.”

  “David, Roberto’s right. Evie’ll be fine. She’s tough. And maybe not the Vulke, but strays could still be on the loose. We won’t go far, just a couple of hours south. I’ll go wake her.”

  Kim’s voice stood out in the storm of testosterone, and Evelyn heard the door open and shut softly. As the other woman’s face came into view, Evelyn was struck by how different it looked. Her normally bright eyes were dulled and ringed in black circles, and her cheeks, typically bubbling with cheer, were sunken. Evelyn didn’t want to know what horrible recent news had so crushed Kim’s spirits.

  “Oh, you’re awake.” Kim’s smile didn’t touch her eyes. “How are you feeling?”

  Evelyn wanted to tell Kim the truth, that she felt like hell and that hearing about what had happened and who had died last night might push her over the edge of sanity. “Better…We’re leaving?”

  Kim nodded. “Now that the official battle is over and things went…so poorly. Roberto wants us to spread out, says we’ll regroup later.”

  “But David doesn’t want to go?”

  Kim shook her head. “He’s worried about you, and doesn’t think staying in the safe-house one more night is a big deal.”

  More images flashed through Evelyn’s mind: blood, glassy eyes. She smelled smoke. “No, we should go. Get some distance. Try to…” put ourselves back together “…regroup.”

  Reluctantly Evelyn drew back the quilt and blankets. Her ruined and makeshift clothes had been replaced with clean sweats.

  “Do you need help?” Shuffling forwards, Kim closed the gap between them.

  “Sure, thanks.”

  Evelyn held onto Kim’s arm as she stood and tested her injured leg. The skin around her knee was tight, and it was still stiff and painful, but the leg held her weight. Trying not to limp, she let Kim lead her to the door and then down the stairs. Below, on the main floor, Evelyn watched the hustle and bustle of bodies going back and forth, including Roberto, but when they reached the bottom she spotted David brooding on the couch. Upon noticing her, he rose instantly and came to her side.

  “Kim said she was going to wake you, but I didn’t know she’d bring you downstairs. I would’ve helped.”

  “It’s okay, I’m fine. Really.”

  “Well, here,” he said, attempting to get one of Evelyn’s arms around his shoulders, “Let’s get you over to the couch. I still have to go get the car.”

  Evelyn gently placed her hand on David’s chest, rejecting his aid. “That’s okay, I want to help pack up or whatever.”

  Roberto entered the living room from the kitchen.

  “Roberto, what can I do to help?”

  Roberto eyed her then smiled briefly. “There are perishable food items that I would like packed up. Some of it can also be loaded into the Jeep, if Kim would like to help too.”

  Kim nodded. Evelyn frowned. “Will someone get it back to…Christian?”

  Confusion fell over Roberto’s face.

  “Bill’s grandson, not a werewolf,” David clarified.

  Roberto nodded once. “Eventually.”

  David scowled at him and turned back to Evelyn. “You’re sure you’re up for this?”

  Evelyn sighed. “I’m fine now. Please go get the car.”

  David caught her gaze and held it, his eyes hard. “I’ll be right back.”

  As Evelyn watched him leave, a fine, but needle-sharp pain stabbed into her heart. He’ll be fine, she told herself. It’s over. For now.

  *

  After Evelyn had rearranged the contents of the cooler for the third time, Kim touched her shoulder. “Evie, I don’t think that they care about separating the meats from the cheeses at this point.”

  Evelyn put down the package of salami she’d been sorting. “Right. I just—”

  “Trying to take your mind off it. I know. Been trying to do that all day.”

  “Evelyn.” Roberto motioned to her from the doorway of the kitchen, and Kim gave her shoulder a squeeze as Evelyn rose to follow him. Leading her to the back of the cabin and onto a sun porch, he closed the door behind him and gestured for her to sit in one of the wicker chairs. Taking a seat opposite her, he placed his hands underneath his chin and scrutinized her before speaking. “Evelyn, I wish to tell you something that I want you to keep to yourself, and by that I mean, I wish you not to tell even the other members of your pack. Can you promise me that?”

  Evelyn frowned. “Why can’t I tell David?”

  Roberto sat back in the chair. “I fear that David’s emotions may get the better of him in this matter. I need someone more cool-headed. Someone I can trust to be logical and discrete.”

  Evelyn considered Roberto’s words. “Okay, shoot.”

  “I believe there is a traitor amongst us.”

  Evelyn’s insides crumbled. “What?”

  “While I do believe that the fire last night was set intentionally, I do not believe that the Vulke s
et it. Judging by the spread and the direction of the wind, it started on our side of the battlefield.”

  Trying to swallow a lump that had formed in her throat, Evelyn shook her head. “Why tell me?”

  “I do not believe that the traitor’s actions were as successful as they had hoped. We took only nine casualties on our side—“

  “Who? Clem?”

  “Evelyn, there isn’t time for this, David will return soon.”

  Refusing to back down, Evelyn spoke through clenched teeth. “Who?”

  Roberto glanced at the door, then back to Evelyn. “Four Amaruq including Bill. Not Clem. An older Wahya from California, one from Florida, one from Vermont, and two security guards from the casino. There.”

  Evelyn sagged in the chair, the relief that she didn’t know any of the dead other than Bill welling up guilt in her gut.

  “Now, as I said, I do not believe that the traitor fulfilled their purpose last night, therefore I believe that we will see more sabotage from them. That is one of the reasons I want us to disperse. It will be more difficult for them to affect many of us at once if we go our separate ways for now. But I need people I trust to know what is going on, and to look for signs, for suspicious behavior. I need you to trust your instincts. I am going to do the best I can to look into this, but this is a delicate time, and the last thing that we need is unfounded suspicion causing people to act rashly.”

  Evelyn nodded as she took in what Roberto was saying. “Do you think that they’ll try to kill me?”

  “I’ve taken great pains to hide your location from even our allies, but everyone knows that you are working on the virus now, so it is possible that they could trace you through the lab.” Roberto’s normally impassive face softened. “There is only so much that I can do to protect you now.”

  A sad smile graced Evelyn’s lips. “I know.” She rose. “I should get back. David might get suspicious.”