Gary looked back to the freak. “Rachel’s here.” He smiled.
35
Rachel followed Brandon through the trees. For her, it was hard to do. She had trouble in trying to keep up with his speed. He moved so fast she had trouble believing it. He moved so briskly that she had to stop a few times to catch her breath. Every once and a while, he did slow down long enough for her to take one, but it didn’t last long.
He only stopped to get a bearing on which way the wolf went, and when he found it again, he moved on. He had to keep to their scents. He had to keep on their trails.
He didn’t do it for her, she could tell that much, but she did feel glad that he did stop from time to time.
He led her through the trees, and came into a small clearing out in the middle of them, and from there, he could smell the musty scent lead off just ahead of them. This time he stopped long enough for her to reach the clearing with him.
“Now where?” She took the time to catch her breaths again. She felt winded. She also felt tired. She needed all the time he could give her, and maybe, even a little more than that, before she could go on.
“They went that way.” He raised his arm straight ahead of him and in front of her, showing her the direction he intended to lead her next. He could almost see the smell as a mist on the air. It went off through the trees, and bent in around them, almost looking like a deep fog winding its way through the world. It made him feel magnificent seeing it. He almost couldn’t believe his own eyes. Looking from the mist, he turned back to her. “You okay?” He could hear her breathing heavily. He could hear heart racing hard behind her chest. “Do you need a moment?” he had to ask. As for him, he felt better than ever. He didn’t feel winded. He didn’t feel anything at all really.
She nodded, and took a deep breath.
He waited a minute, waiting for her to tell him that she was ready to move on.
She took the minute. When her heart seemed to calm down some, and she felt able to take in air again, she gave him a nod.
He nodded back, knowing that she was ready.
They headed off, following the mist of scent. They ran for a few moments until they came to a stone covered dirt road out in between a row of trees. Seeing it, and looking around themselves, they both knew where they were.
Rachel was the first to say it. “This is the same road where that Kenny lived on.” She looked back to the back of Brandon’s shirt.
He nodded, not really caring what she told him, but instead, he turned to his right and could hear what sounded like a person talking in that direction. Hearing it, he realized he never heard the voice before. The mist of the scent went in that same direction. “I hear a man talking.” He turned to her. Hearing it, he suddenly felt odd. He felt—almost nervous. It didn’t feel like a game anymore. It felt real. This was all really happening.
“Is it Jimmy?” If Brandon can hear him, then he’s safe. He’s okay.
He shook his head. “No. He sounds different. He sounds angry. He sounds almost bitter.”
What he said made her sigh. Bitter? She stepped to his side and looked out through the trees, but saw nothing. I wish I could see like they do. I wish I could see him. Her heart rose in her chest, and seemed to find its way into her throat.
Brandon felt her. He still listened to the man talking. He couldn’t hear what he said exactly, but he could tell his voice was growing harsh. He knew what it meant. He’s preparing himself to change. We have to go. We have to get to Jimmy before it’s too late. “It’s this way.” He ran off, heading down the road, making his way to the sounds. When he saw the barn, he stopped. The smell came on strong. He could also smell Jimmy there too. He could make him out easily, mixed in with a deep must that reeked around the area. He did know it. He did recognize it as the wolf back at the motel. He took another deep breath, and could even tell that the wolf was human again, which explained the voice he heard.
Rachel again stopped behind him, and looked to the barn. She heard nothing at all. “Is this it?” She took a deep breath. She already felt herself starting to calm. She already started to regain her lungs.
Brandon turned around and brought a single finger up to his lips. “Shhhh.” He looked back to the side of the barn.
She took his gesture for what it was worth, and quieted her mind. She looked in all directions. She couldn’t see anything, nor hear anyone, but stayed ready for anything. She had no other choice.
“Stay here.” Brandon turned, and right after he did, a blur followed where he was.
He vanished so fast that only the hint of his body was still with her. Seeing that, she couldn’t believe how fast he left her. He was there one moment and then gone the next. She saw nothing but the blur. With it, she had to catch her breaths again. Now what? She looked to the sidewall of the barn. She reached in her left jean’s front pocket and felt for the vial. She used the same hand and found the syringe still there in the back pocket of her jeans. Comforted with what she felt, she turned back to the barn. They had to be in there. It made sense, but still, she had to find out.
She headed off, reached the side of the barn, and stopped at its corner and looked for a door. She saw one, just to her left, so she went for it, opened it up, and went inside.
36
Jimmy watched her step inside and felt his heart sink. He then turned his attention back to Gary. What would happen next now strongly flared through him like a torch, burning his mind and his thoughts. Feeling that, and now knowing it, he griped the butt of the revolver tighter in his hand.
Gary kept his eyes on her as he watched her walk through the door. “Welcome beautiful.” He smiled.
Rachel walked towards Jimmy. At first, she saw only him standing there, being that he was directly in front of her but when she heard the other male voice coming from the other side of the car she turned towards him. Seeing Gary made her mind fly into every direction imaginable at once. She had no idea of what to think about it. “Gary?” She looked back to Jimmy. Seeing him obviously still alive, she winced. With Gary there, she would have thought otherwise, especially for everything he did with the others. She expected something else. Gary showed no mercy, so why would he do anything differently now. “What are you doing here?” she heard herself ask him with a sharp doubtful wince.
Jimmy swallowed a dry mouth. He blinked several times. “He’s the one Rachel.” He took a deep breath. He squeezed the metal of the pistol tighter. “He’s the black wolf.”
Hearing that, she shot her eyes back on Gary. That’s when she realized that he looked completely naked. She could even see what looked like blood on his right shoulder. She knew it was the same place the black wolf was struck by the bullet. Even knowing that, she couldn’t help but feel dumfounded by all of it at once. “It’s you?” Her voice sounded like it was a thousand miles away. If she wasn’t the one talking, she wouldn’t have guessed that it was even her saying it. She had no idea what to think, or even what to say.
Gary bowed his eyes. He placed his left hand to the roof of the car. “I didn’t want you to see me like this. I didn’t want you to know any of this at all.” He looked back up to her beautiful face. “You look so much like her, you know that? It’s the black hair I think.”
She looked back to Jimmy. She turned her attention back to Gary. Everything Jimmy told her finally sunk in. “How?” She stepped closer to Jimmy and there she stopped. “Why?”
Jimmy winced. She was getting too close. She should leave now. She had to get out of there before he changed.
“Ask your friend here.” Gary bowed his eyes again. It hurt looking at her face. It hurt smelling her scent. It felt hard to contain what he felt for her. It felt so hard to be what he was, and now that she knew it, he felt ashamed. She would have never loved him for what he was. He always believed that. Why would she? Why would she care, when he didn’t himself.
She turned back to Jimmy, and waited for the answer.
“He was one of the couple in the park. He was
one of them in the dream. I attacked them Rachel. I killed his wife. He lived.” Jimmy bowed his eyes some. He didn’t want to do it. He had to keep them trained on Gary. He had to remain ready for anything, but he couldn’t. Hearing himself say what he just did made it seem unavoidable. He couldn’t help himself from feeling ashamed for what he did.
Rachel turned her attention back to Gary. The shock of everything still tried hard to sink in. “Why? Why the charade? Why hide it like this?”
Gary shrugged. “You kept getting in the way.”
Jimmy winced. “He’s right.” He glanced to Rachel. “He never came after you as himself.” He looked back to Gary. “Why?” Even though the fear replaced his anger in him, now because Rachel was there, he still felt it burn his face. He felt it heat up his chest. The flames still burned in his core.
Gary laughed, sounding subtle and almost sublime. When he finished he looked back to her. “Silver is heavy. I couldn’t guarantee not to hit you. I couldn’t hurt you Rachel. I never would forgive myself for it, if I did.”
Jimmy nodded, with everything making sense all at once. “But as the wolf, you were in control. Shooting her was something you couldn’t risk.”
Gary bowed his head again.
Rachel gushed. “But that doesn’t explain anything. Why? Why did you do what you did?”
Gary said nothing. Embarrassment shot through him hard.
Jimmy nodded. He left where he stood and crossed the few feet over to her side. “He wants revenge. He wants to kill me for what I did do.” He kept himself facing him. He might not be able to keep his eyes on him directly, but he still felt determined to keep himself facing towards him, just in case.
Rachel now blinked. She now swallowed. She now winced. “That still doesn’t answer why. Why would you kill all of those people? How could you?”
Those few words she said did what nothing else could have done.
Gary shot his eyes back forwards, and blazed them onto both of them. “People?” he shot out with venom. “They’re not people Rachel. They’re fucking animals!”
The booming nature of his voice made her jump some. She didn’t expect it, but knew that she probably should have. She knew he hated what they were, she always did, but she never thought of how deep that feeling went. Now she knew it for sure. “What gives you the right to do that? Who made you God to decide who lives and who dies?” She had to make him understand what he did. She had to try. Quite frankly, she said what she felt on pure instinct alone. She spoke her mind only.
“They did.” Gary growled. His voice grew low. He waved a hollow arm towards both of them.
Jimmy heard the sound and recognized it. The wolf was there. It was there and it was ready to show itself. He was getting angrier. He was growing more vicious. It was now only a matter of time before the wolf would come out all on its own. He knew the feeling well. He had to think of something to say to keep it from doing just that. “Gary?” He stepped forward one simple step. He raised his left hand up towards him, palm out. “Let us help you.” He breathed. He tried hard to sound inviting. He could only hope that he did, but wasn’t so sure that he did do it.
“I told you. I don’t want your help.” Gary’s voice curled lower. It grew harsher. It seemed to roll, almost sounding like thunder rolling over a gentle slope.
“What do you want?” Rachel came in.
Gary smiled. Fangs now protruded from both his upper and lower jaws. “Him to die.” He turned his gaze at the freak.
Jimmy could see a slight hint of yellow in his eyes. “Rachel go.” He took a deep breath. The smell of must came out again, and began filling the room. The wolf was coming.
Rachel scoffed.
“She should stay freak.” Gary growled. His voice became jagged. It sounded almost no longer human. “She would enjoy watching this.” His face dropped. His skin began to bubble around his skull. His slightly tanned skin faded to black. His blonde hair turned gray and then black after that.
Jimmy watched this and turned back to Rachel and screamed, “Go!”
Gary lifted his head and screamed. At first, it sounded like a man’s bellow of agony, but only at first, as the sound quickly turned into a snarl and then a roar. The bottom of his chin became jagged at first, but soon elongated out into a snout. Black fur came out from all parts of his body. His chest protruded out into an oval shape. He began to grow taller, until his hips became exposed from behind the car in between all of them. His ears formed, as he dropped his head.
Jimmy had fear grip him all at once. “Get the hell out of here!” He raised his right arm. He pointed the barrel in the direction of the wolf.
Rachel backed up towards the door, but she could only manage a single step. She felt frozen in place. She felt almost helpless to move.
The wolf saw what the freak had in his right hand and jumped over the hood and swung mightily at his raised right arm like a flash of light. He moved so fast that he became nothing more than just a blur of black.
Jimmy pulled the trigger just as the wolf’s hands swiped his wrist. The gun flew out of his hand, but it didn’t go off. The pain and the burning of the strike gripped his arm. It all happened too quickly. It all felt too brutal. It all happened too fast for even him to register all of it.
The wolf came down on the other side of the car. Its momentum carried it to the ground.
Rachel saw it land. Being on that side of the car, she watched it roll over to its hands and knees.
Jimmy gripped his burning wrist. It felt covered with blood. He could see three streaks of it flowing down his arm. They looked like claw marks. They looked deep. They felt more than just painful, they downright screamed.
The wolf picked itself back up to its pawed hind feet, and turned its attention back to Jimmy.
He watched it stand. He saw it on the other side of the car, and seeing it, it dawned on him that it was on the same side as Rachel. “No!” He rushed to get in front of her. He did, but the wolf met him there.
It caught him in mid run. It lifted him up off his feet with a brutal blast.
Instantly, he felt the wind lost from his lungs. Instantly, the beast’s power gripped his waist. Instantly, he felt helpless against all of it.
The wolf snarled. It howled. With one giant push of strength, it tossed him through the air of the barn. It did it effortlessly. It did it just as fast.
Jimmy could see the hood of the car go by him underneath, and next, he felt wood break all around his face. He could see the splinters. He could feel them slash across his cheeks. The next thing he felt had to be dirt rush up and around his eyes. He had to have struck the ground.
“Jimmy!” Rachel screamed, watching him fly through the air, over the hood of the car, and smash through the far wall.
The wolf turned towards her. It snarled hearing her voice.
She turned to it. She had to bend her head up to look it in the face. It just looked so massive. It looked huge.
The wolf stepped forward.
She gasped.
Jimmy picked himself back up to his feet. He brought his hands up in front of him and reached for the hole in the wall. He used the shattered boards to pull himself back up until he leaned back through it.
He looked out, and could see the wolf step towards Rachel. With that, he saw enough. “Gary!” he screamed. He pushed his way back through the wall and out next to the side panels of the car.
Rachel and the wolf both turned.
She couldn’t believe how bad Jimmy looked. He had dirt covering his face. Deep looking slashes covered his cheeks and forehead. Blood was everywhere. His black hair looked matted down to the top of his head. He looked like a mess. Hell, he looked worse than that.
Jimmy rushed it. He jumped. He had to get to her and quickly. He didn’t think. He just reacted. It ended up being a dumb move; one he would only realize after he made it.
The wolf swung at him with its right arm, just as he came up and over the hood. It struck into his chest with a solid
blow.
His chest felt almost like he was just hit by a small car. It felt like every rib broke under his skin. All he saw was the windshield of the car, and then saw the roof. He saw what looked like a wooden pillar just by the back fender of the car, as he came at it with full force. He struck the pillar, and hit it hard. He could almost hear it snap some from the impact.
The wolf left Rachel. It made its way over to the pillar, stopped, and looked down at him lying with his back against it.
Jimmy took an agonizing deep breath. His face burned. His mind flushed with pain. He gripped at his chest with his right arm. He felt like agony. He could have sworn that he almost felt like he was dead. When he saw the wolf step in front of him, he knew he was about to feel a whole hell of a lot more than that. “That’s it,” he gasped, trying to swallow some of the iron taste he could feel around his tongue. He knew it had to be blood. He could taste it everywhere in his mouth, so he had to swallow some of it down before he could continue saying what he needed to say. “It’s me you want. Kill me. Take me. Eat me!”
The wolf snarled. Drool free flowed out of both sides of its mouth. Its nose curled up. Its teeth sparkled on both sides of its jowls. It lifted both of its hands, as it bent in at the knees. It started to come down.
A thunderous smash of glass and wood breaking echoed around the room just as the wolf reached down towards his face. The sound seemed to come out of nowhere and everywhere all at once. A sharp breeze blew over Jimmy’s face, and just to the wolf’s side, he saw a blur and then watched as the car behind it fly out towards the back wall. It had been there one moment and gone the next. The sounds of metal breaking and glass shattering followed everything.
The wolf turned, made a yelping sound, and then made what sounded like a whimper.
A Werewolf's Saga Books 1, 2, & 3 (A Werewolf's Saga Boxed Sets) Page 77
