A Town Called Nowhere

by VK Tritschler

  ‘Hi Nicci, I’m Glo. Lovely to meet you. We have heard wonderful things about you from Corey.’

  Nicci raised an eyebrow at Corey and caught the tinge of red on his cheeks.

  Tucked in behind Glo were her kids, Jasper and Matilda. The red-haired twins were both twelve and stood long limbed and awkward as their mother introduced them. Her husband Mark was next, the man who Corey had earlier greeted. His glowing amber beard hid much of his facial features, but his eyes were dark and warm. After that names and faces were paraded past her and she smiled and shook hands with them all, feeling the tightness in her chest growing. I’m never going to remember all these names, she thought to herself. Corey stood diligently by on one side, with Dru flanking her on the other. If nothing else, she felt safer with them both there. With introductions made, they all turned to Dru for directions on what to do next. That was the way of the pack they knew, and they expected you to do what you were told.

  Dru looked down at Nicci, making a small heat rise in her stomach, before he turned to face the crowd.

  ‘Thank you all for coming. I know that this has been a tough decision for you all to make to even get this far, and that you have come here with expectations. I can only hope that we can live up to them and create something magnificent from this place.’

  There was a murmur of agreement.

  ‘First things first, I want to advise you all I consider myself only a temporary Alpha here.’

  The crowd muttered and talked amongst themselves. Arguments broke out and were resolved, and Dru sat waiting patiently letting them air their concerns and speak their stories. He owed them at least that. Eventually, Dru raised his hand again. ‘I know, this isn’t what you’re used to. We have been told for generations that the only way for pack to be was totalitarian. My father instilled in me that the strength of the leader is bred, not earned. Corey and I plan to prove he was wrong. I think the best thing to do first and foremost is get you all settled in, go and explore the town and then we can sit around the fire tonight and we can discuss things further. Does that sound good to everyone? In the meantime, let’s have some fun camping out together.’

  The surrounding members nodded and gave agreement before they started splitting up into their family units and lifting things out of their cars. Corey started directing people to the best places to put up tents and showing them some of the building. Glo set about sorting out the kids like a school group, providing them with rules about where they could and couldn’t go. As the pack unit worked, Nicci stood in awe of their efficiency. These were people who knew each other well. They knew how to work together to get things done. As cars were unloaded and they erected tents, several of the woman in the group approached her. Nicci swallowed hard.

  ‘Hi, Nicci, isn’t it?’ A rotund, short woman with auburn hair smiled nervously at her.

  ‘Yeah hi.’ She couldn’t remember the woman’s name so she left it off completely.

  ‘Do you have a kitchen or something around here?’

  Another woman, older and leaner, spoke up. ‘And what about running water or electricity?’

  ‘I have got a camp cooker and the water’s fine from the taps. I think they are trying to get electricity set up, but I haven’t seen anyone yet. I don’t know how quick things get done in the middle of nowhere.’

  The auburn woman laughed. ‘Probably about twice as long as it takes in town. It’s not that hot anyway. The food will keep in the coolers for the meantime.’

  Nicci led them back to her supplies by her tent and showed them where the nearest taps were.

  One lady with long dark hair which flowed past her shoulders paused by Nicci’s tent and looked around. Her clear blue eyes narrowed.

  ‘You look like you’ve been here for a while.’ She commented. ‘Which tent is Dru’s?’

  Nicci could feel the heat rushing to her face, but she set her jaw. She didn’t need to guess what she was thinking.

  ‘It’s the one way over there,’ she emphasised, pointing to the blue tent farthest from her own.

  ‘So I guess that’s Corey’s?’ she asked, her eyebrow raising as she pointed to the red one next door to her own.

  ‘Yes.’ She didn’t have time for the petty rivalries that went with a hierarchical pack. She realised they might be efficient, but they could also be nasty. A shiver of familiar anger simmered under her skin. Her whole life she had been judged and treated like this. Perhaps it had been too much to think this place would be different?

  ‘I better find some wood for the fire,’ she told the women, ignoring the curl of the dark-haired one’s lips. ‘You can use whatever you need. I’ll catch up with you later.’

  As she fled into the forest, she could feel the relief of the quietness flood over her. Taking a couple of deep breaths, she reminded herself that change was uncomfortable, but she would be fine. At least, she hoped so.

  #

  CHapTEr TwenTy oNe

  Dru had followed her for the first couple of steps into the wood, but he stopped when he heard her pause mid-step. He didn’t want to get caught and accused of stalking her; he was just worried about how she was going. Since everyone arrived she looked nervous, her eyes constantly darting and a slight tremor in her hand. Anyone who didn’t know any better would think she was being antisocial, but Dru knew better. They scared her. He wanted to be there to support her, and protect her, but she wasn’t letting him anywhere near her. He sighed, returning to stand at the tree-line and watch the potential new pack arrange itself.

  It seemed unreal to see all these busy bodies fluttering around Nowhere. He smiled as he watched kids pull out a soccer ball and kick it to each other on the street. There was something cathartic about hearing playful voices amid all the decay. Romantically, he wonder if the town recognised it was slowly being brought back to life.

  ‘Dru!’ a woman’s voice called out across the township to him as she waved. He recognised Caitlin immediately. Her long dark tresses of hair had splayed between his fingers more than once through the years. As he made his way over to her, he watched as she battered her long lashes in his direction. She came, he sighed. Just what I needed, more complications. He had made his feelings brutally clear to Caitlin when he got engaged to Ashley. But that didn’t stop her from trying to get him back any chance she got. If Ashley found out she was here, things were going to get messy.

  ‘Hello Caitlin,’ he greeted her with a cool tone. She hadn’t changed. Always a beautiful woman on the outside, it belied her ugliness within. ‘How can I help?’

  ‘Your friend Nicci has gone and left us to do all the work while she floats around in the woods somewhere. I was wondering if she does things like that normally? I thought this was going to be a pack where everyone has to chip in and help.’

  The words rolled off her tongue like a squirt of venom.

  ‘My friend Nicci,’ he purred back, giving the same emphasis on the title as she had, ‘can do whatever she wants. And I doubt she’s going to come back empty-handed. She’s been here helping set up for days ahead of your arrival. In fact, she was so concerned about making a good impression with you a lot, that she single-handedly cleared that entire back yard for your tent yesterday. So I would suggest a bit of gratitude would go a long way, Caitlin.’

  Her eyes narrowed as she looked up at him, and her finger reached out to curl around a long dark lock. ‘I wasn’t being critical Dru!’ she battered her eyes again. ‘I was just noting that it seems strange that while everyone else works so hard to get set up, she is not here to help. That’s all. I meant nothing by it. I’m just so glad to see you. It’s been too long since we got to spend time together.’

  They both knew that she meant everything by it. And she was testing the waters to see what threat Nicci would be and if she could worm her way back into Dru’s bed.

  ‘Well, thanks for the concern, guess you had better get your te
nt sorted then,’ he muttered.

  In the distance, he heard another car approaching. As far as he knew everyone had arrived, so the small hairs on the back of his arms prickled. But with relief he saw it was a white van covered with power company logos. Maybe Ben had finally made some headway with the electrical stuff.

  ‘Excellent,’ he murmured to himself. ‘Look sorry Caitlin, I have to go. It’s about the power supply.’

  He pushed past her, ignored her complaints and made his way to the new arrival. A large, darkhaired man stepped out of the truck. Larger in stature than even Dru himself, he was solid muscle. His eyes, black as tar, stared into Dru’s as he made an assessment of him.

  ‘Are you Andrew Maxwell?’ His voice held a thick American accent, the rounded vowels sounding out of place.

  ‘Yes hi, are you here about the electricity?’ Dru put forward his hand for the man to shake it. The stranger looked down and then continued ignoring Dru’s question completely.

  ‘So what’s the go here exactly?’ He turned to take in the groups of people moving around through the township.

  ‘We’re rebuilding the town.’ Dru pulled his hand back and placed it in his back pocket. This guy was strange. Still, who was he to complain? He was just grateful someone knowledgeable came as quick as they did. ‘So we need to restore mains supply for power as quick as we can.’

  The man gave a nod. ‘That’s a big job. I’m just here to assess your requirements at this stage.’ His dark eyes returned to Dru’s face. ‘It’s a big job. I reckon it might take us a month or two to hook up everything depending on if you’re going solar or mains. But we still need to plot out the new town plans.’

  Cursing to himself, Dru put on his best smile, the one he saved for his racing sponsors.

  ‘Well, you know I would be more than happy to endorse your organisation or whatever, if you can just make this happen as quickly as possible. It would be much appreciated.’

  ‘Endorse it with what exactly?’ the man drawled out, his eyes narrowing slightly.

  ‘Well,’ Dru stammered. ‘I’m quite... famous around here. I could do a short advert about how efficient you are or as a tourism promotion for the area, or something.’

  It was not the first time he hadn’t been recognised, but it was a rarity. As he looked over the man again, he wondered if maybe it was because he was American that he didn’t know who he was. They had different racing in their own country. But there was something about the size of this man and how his shirt seemed too small to be his own. The tingles on his arms were back.

  ‘Hey, do you have some ID or something?’ he blurted out.

  The man’s mouth twitched and clamped down.’Let me make some phone calls and see what I can do. Do you mind if I have a look around?’ The man pulled a phone out of his back pocket and reached into the van and pulling out an ipad and pen. He opened an app and began to punch in details, the pen thumping on each key as he typed it.

  ‘Okay thanks,’ Dru stepped aside to let him pass, but the niggling feeling wouldn’t shift. ‘Did you want me to join you?’

  ‘No, I’m okay. I won’t take long.’ The burly figure entered the nearest house, and Dru lifted his head to catch a small whiff of his scent as he left. His blood froze. Panther.

  Turning his head sharply, he listened out for sounds of Nicci in the woods, but he couldn’t hear anything through the whispering of the trees. ‘Actually, I’d rather someone came with you.I’ll be back in a minute,’ he called after the guy. ‘Wait right here,’ he commanded.

  Rushing through the streets, he harkened for the sound of Corey’s voice. With all the excitement of the new arrivals, it was hard to narrow it down. Finally, as he rounded the end, he heard him. Rushing over, he pulled him inside one of the building and spoke to him in hushed tones.

  ‘Corey, I think some guy is here looking for Nicci and he’s taking notes about our whole town.’ Corey stopped dead and stared at him through the shadows.

  ‘What? Why?’

  ‘Some bloke just turned up looking officious but he hasn’t shown me any ID. He’s walking around typing stuff into some app,’ he started.

  Corey interrupted. ‘Yeah, I expect it’s someone Ben sent. Don’t worry about it.’

  ‘No, you’re not listening,’ Dru snapped, grabbing him by the shoulders. ‘This guy is massive. He would make your average office worker look like a stick figure. And he has dark hair, a strong American accent, and he’s a panther.’

  Corey paled. ‘Fuck.’

  ‘Yeah, fuck,’ Dru agreed. ‘What if Dad told Ashley about his theories, and one of them told her tribe about where to find her? What if this guy is from the Knute?’

  ‘What are we going to do Dru? If he is, and he finds her, and they know the layout of this place, we’re all in danger. Her most of all!’

  ‘Don’t you think I fucking know that?’ cursed Dru, running his hand through his hair.

  ‘Have you seen her?’ Corey asked, his hands shaking. ‘We can’t start a pack war before we have even got a pack.’

  Similar ideas had already begun rolling around in Dru’s mind. He felt like vomiting. ‘I saw her head into the woods. You try to find her, and I’ll monitor this bloke until you get back. Try to restrict what he sees as much as possible. Whatever happens, don’t let anyone see you. We don’t need to create a panic.’

  Corey nodded, his eyes large and rounded. ‘Good plan. I’ll transform as soon as I get out of the township. It will be easier to smell her then.’

  Dru nodded. ‘Thanks mate. God, I hope she’s alright.’

  As he watched Corey running out of the building and across the field into the woods, he felt the cool grasp of fear around his throat. He just hoped he was wrong.

  #

  CHapTEr TwenTy Two

  Nicci picked up another stick, adding it to the pile already growing in her arms. Up ahead she noticed there was a white van pulled over to the side of the road, its sole occupant leaning against the driver’s door, his huge dark frame new to her. He seemed out of place with his ill-fitting clothing pulling tightly across his bulky frame. She crept forward as far as she would dare. Pausing beside a rock, she listened intently, her ears tuned into the conversation.

  ‘No, I didn’t find her, but there are a lot of scents there. It’s impossible to tell who is who. I caught something familiar around one tent, but the occupant had left, and I didn’t smell anything on any of the people were in the town.’

  The man had a strong American accent, and it sounded out of place amongst the eucalyptus trees. The hair on the back of her neck rose. ‘But there’s definitely something weird going on here. That guy, Dru Maxwell, the one your informant told us about? Yeah, he’s building some kind of new pack down here. Using an abandoned town to get set up. I have managed to get a basic outline though, so I know where its weaknesses are.’

  There was a pause as the person on the other end of the phone replied. ‘Yeah sure, I’ll do some more digging. I told the guy I was an electrician, so he’s expecting more of us to come in the next week or so because I told him it would take several people to renew the power. We can bring in a couple of the boys in the next few days and start setting up some surveillance. If she’s here, we’ll find her.’

  The words rang loud and clear through the forest. Nicci’s heart beat increased again.

  ‘I know my orders sir, capture and control. Got it. She’s not going anywhere.’

  She backed up, losing her footing behind her and making the bush she was hiding behind shake loudly. Stopping midstep, she caught her breath. Her eyes focused on the man, who had looked up and in her direction. His eyes narrowed, and she felt her blood freeze.

  With a shake, he dropped and ripped out of his clothing, the monstrous size of his panther form rippling with muscles. Cowering, she turned to flee, her feet unsteady as she pushed through the underg
rowth. Behind her, she could hear the soft thud of his paws closing in. As she climbed a tree defensively her panther instincts kicking in, she heard the subtle growl of another panther coming over the hill from ahead, rushing at them like lightening. Corey.

  The two big masculine cats hit each other like freight trains colliding on the rails. Teeth and claws tore ferociously at each other, blood streaking the ground red around them. Corey’s teeth sunk into the man’s shoulder, and he roared pushing him off and backwards leaving a long claw scratch along his shoulder as he did so. The two cats circled, oblivious to Nicci’s trembling form in the tree above them. She watched the horror unfolding like a scene from an awful movie that she couldn’t turn off. She knew if she didn’t do something that they would tear each other apart. Climbing up a branch, she pulled another branch free and threw it at the newcomer hoping to hit him somewhere. The motion distracted the intruder long enough for Corey to twist and grab him by the throat, his teeth burying into the flesh. Twisting and turning under his grasp, the man tried to free himself, the sinews in his muscles bulging along with his eyes. But Corey’s grasp was firm, and he would not let go. Afraid that she was about to witness something that she knew Corey would regret, she dropped to the ground and hissed at them both, her teeth sharpening in the process. Corey’s surprised mouth released just enough for the man to drag himself free, blood gushing from his neck and seeping into the ground beside him. Corey’s wild, round eyes drove into Nicci.

  ‘Stop!’ she commanded raising her hands up. ‘Enough!’

  Recognition flickered in Corey’s eyes and they softened.

  The wounded man had weakened and transformed back into his human form, placing a hand up to his neck to try to stem the flow of blood that was now slowing to a steady ooze.

  Corey hissed at him, a deep growl in his throat. ‘It’s okay Corey,’ she reaffirmed for him, reaching forward to stroke his fur and feeling the shudder that ran along his back as she did so. ‘I’ve got this.’