by Joe Fowler
“I tried to tell you. So what would be good for a second lunch?” Seth was as bored as I was. He was laid back on his bed with the remote in his hand.
“How about Mexican?”
“Sounds good as long as you’re not thinking Taco Bell. I like Taco Bell, but if we want Mexican, let’s get the real thing.” Seth suggested.
I found a nearby Mexican restaurant. They didn’t deliver but going out to pick it up would give me something to do. We needed to make a beer run anyway. I left Seth as he was. The area just east of Denver, where we were, had bad traffic. I couldn’t enjoy my time away from the motel since I was stuck in a traffic jam. Once I started moving I saw the accident that backed the traffic up. The rest of my trip was nice. I got a pleasant surprise when I entered the motel room. Austin was back with news.
“Hey, Josh. I was telling Seth where I’ve been. I went to spy on the witch. I went to the airport in Australia and found her. I found out a few other things. For starters, her name is Tara. She has five wolves and ten humans with her. The humans spoke of the rest of the mercenaries meeting them in Miami. That’s where her plane is landing. She hopes that you guys would be there to get the packs. She is hoping to have all of you in the same place. It is like we figured out yesterday, she wants to use them against you. She is guessing that the other werewolves won’t stop you again.” Austin was confirming our suspicions about the witch’s plans.
“We need Walt to hide them well. I’m tempted to tell the packs to blindfold themselves while they are travelling to their hiding place. That way there won’t be any accidental clues to where they are.” Seth muttered. I think he was more thinking aloud than anything when he said that. I liked the sound of it though.
“I’ll call Walt. I think the blindfold thing is a great idea. If it will keep them safer it will be worth it.” I said as I grabbed my cell phone. It only took a couple of minutes to tell fill Walt in on Austin’s findings. I then told him the plan for blindfolding the packs. He sounded like he agreed with us.
“That’s done.” I said as I hung up.
“Now, let’s eat. I’m starving.” Seth said with a smile.
I gave him his food and a beer before I sat down to eat my own food. We passed the day watching Gilligan’s Island and How I Met Your Mother marathons. Why couldn’t there be a good marathon? Something like Firefly, Buffy, or Heroes. Hell, I would settle for Teen Wolf. All this waiting wasn’t doing my nerves any good. All my thoughts kept returning to the baby.
What would my demon blood do to him? He/she would only be a quarter demon but that might be enough to turn the child evil. It took Keith/Gabriel a solid ten years to work the bad out of my system. Would we need to do the same for my kid? Would he/she be stronger or faster like me? Would he have the visions like me?
“What are you so deep in thought about?” Seth asked. I had lost track of time and was in my own world.
“Wondering about the baby. How will my demon blood affect it? I can’t help thinking of all the things that could go wrong.” I admitted.
“Relax. Worrying isn’t going to help. Your child will be a pureblood werewolf. He will be born with his wolf spirit. I think that will help out tremendously.” Seth sat up and looked me in the eyes. “I remember when Keith was telling us how bad you were as a child. I really don’t think you need to worry about that. You turned out to be one of the best people I have ever met. If we need to steer your child the way Keith did you, then we will. You aren’t alone in this. Alicia will make a wonderful mother and I think you will be a great father. So quit worrying and drink more beer.”
“Thanks Seth. I guess you’re right, worrying won’t help.” I said and reached for another cold beer.
The rest of the day passed by uneventfully. Rosalyn joined us after sundown. We filled her in on Austin’s spying and on the blindfolding plan. She seemed to agree with our choices. So the three and a half(Austin was only partially with us since he was a ghost) of us sat drinking beer and watching the tube.
The next day held more promise. Or so we figured. At sunset Rosalyn found us in almost the same position, doing the same damn thing. Walt made his call when he picked up the packs at the airport. They rented two vans which meant one of the pack members wouldn’t be blindfolded. We agreed that the phones would only be used in an emergency situation. Everyone knew not to discuss anything of their whereabouts or surroundings. Now, we just needed to wait until the witch landed.
We briefly discussed flying to Miami to be ready to ambush her but thought better of it. There would be the risk of human casualties if we attacked her in public. We decided to keep Austin on witch watch until she was in an area better suited for a confrontation. We did decide to start driving east tonight. Of course, Rosalyn might be the one driving since Seth and I drank the day away.
“So did the two of you even move today? Getting up for another beer doesn’t count.” Rosalyn teased.
“Of course we did. We had to answer the door for the pizza guy.” I countered.
“Can you drive a car, Rosalyn?” Seth asked.
“Yes. Why?”
“We should start heading east tonight. Josh and I have been drinking all day and I don’t think we should be behind the wheel right now.” Seth explained.
“I’ll go pack.” Rosalyn said as she left the room. Seth and I were ready to leave. We staggered to our feet and grabbed our stuff.
We hit I-70 and began our trip. Rosalyn was a bit rusty driving. I was very afraid she would total my car. She got better as we went. She loved the horsepower. The last car she had driven was in the 80’s and was a four cylinder. This was much better, was her way to describe the difference.
I slept most of the night. When I woke, Seth was driving us through Kansas. Rosalyn was leaning her head on the window looking out at the countryside. It was around four in the morning so I knew we would have to stop soon. Rosalyn needed time to get her room sun proofed. We stopped in Hays for the day. Seth and I went to the IHOP for a meal.
“I sure hope we can wrap this up soon.” Seth said as we waited for our food to come.
“Why can’t it be like the movies? They skip all this boring stuff and move right on to the action.” I joked. “You never see the hero having to drive for hours or sit in a motel room all day doing nothing.”
“I guess the reality scenes don’t sell tickets.” Seth smiled. “There isn’t much we can do to hurry things along. We could try to go after the witch more aggressively. I’m not sure if that would be the best decision. The bottom line to all of this is that as long as she can’t get to you, she can’t summon Lucifer.”
“Do you think it would be better for us to settle in somewhere and make her come to us?” I asked in a daze. I never looked at this problem from that angle until Seth said that. I was glad our waitress arrived since the new ideas were going to make me need some brain food. Also, I was really hungry.
We contemplated the new idea while we ate. I wasn’t sure how I felt about waiting around to be attacked. We were always the ones taking the fight to the enemy before. This would be a big change. Besides, the longer we waited the more chance the witch had of finding the packs. I continued to go back and forth with the idea while I stuffed my face. I came out firmly on the undecided side.
“If we wait, the witch might have a better chance of using me against you. I really wish she could have waited a few years until you became more powerful than me. I hate being a danger to you.” Seth’s words shocked me.
“I sincerely hope the day never comes when I’m stronger than you. I still worry that my demon half will rise and I would need someone to be able to stop me. I can see how fast my strength is increasing, though. I know it will happen.” I paused and put down my fork. “If she does get to you, I will try my best to make you have to kill me. My death would be much more acceptable than the alternative.”
“That’s the problem with this witch. If you die, there will be no one who can kill her. She is the physical equivalent of Rosalyn,
while having enough magic to kill or control everyone else. Walt is immune to her magic but way too weak to pose a threat to her. She can’t control Rosalyn but can use magic against her, as well as being tough enough to fight her. Then you bring in the guns the humans have and it gets even worse. I haven’t even brought up the other werewolves yet. You are the only one who can finish this.”
I sat there thinking it through. I knew Seth was right. It would fall to me to stop the witch no matter how the story played out. With the threats of possibly having to fight Seth, having to kill innocent wolves, and even the possibility of having to harm my own pack members, my appetite went away. I sat dejectedly wishing I were a normal human.
I looked around the restaurant and saw the families laughing as they ate their breakfast. The biggest problems they might face involved money or a wayward teenager. I was being put in a position where the fate of the world rested in my hands. I really didn’t like that feeling. At least during the vampire war, I had friends who were doing as much as I was. Now, for one reason or another, those friends might die or even become a threat to me. For all these thoughts, my mind kept returning to Alicia and the baby.
“Sometimes I wish you would have killed me instead of turning me. Looking at the trouble caused by my very existence, makes me feel horrible. How many people have to die because of my demon side?” I hung my head.
“You can’t think like that. Your mother’s cult did this, not you. You have the right to live as much as any other. Look at the good you’ve done. Those vampires didn’t even know about you when they started their plan to go public. How many more humans would have died if you hadn’t been there to fight? How many people would still be possessed by demons?” Seth’s words weren’t much comfort.
“I won’t give up hope, but this is looking really bad.” I took a deep breath and sighed. “I guess we go back to the original plan and attack the witch the next opportunity we get. The wolves with her will have to die.”
Our conversation weighed on me for the rest of the day. We sat around again, drinking beer and watching television. This new motel had more channels at least. There were many more shows we didn’t want to watch. Rosalyn came around to our door when the sun went down. We headed out for another night of driving.
The next few days were mostly the same. We traveled by night and slept during the days. Seth and I were extremely bored and getting more restless. We weren’t talking to the packs to cut down on the chance of giving away their position. Seth, Rosalyn, and I made it to Nashville and decided to just stay put. It seemed as good a place as any to wait for our chance at the witch. We hoped it wouldn’t be a long wait.
Austin checked in from time to time. There was nothing new to report about the witch’s plans. She was making her way north, slowly. She was reaching Atlanta about the time we reached Nashville. Apparently they had delays caused by her mercenaries. Austin wasn’t clear on the details of the delay. According to Austin, she was still watching the packs hoping to find them before we found her. The only thing keeping us from heading out and attacking her now was location. We needed to get her away from the public. So we sat and waited.
Chapter 7
Rosalyn walked in the door to our room snorting in disgust as Seth and I were obviously drunk. Nashville was full of entertaining possibilities. Unfortunately, we were stuck in a motel room waiting on word from Austin. Instead of berating us for being drunk, Rosalyn grabbed a beer and joined us. I was glad she only drank one before the phone rang.
“Hello?” I answered without looking at who was calling.
“Josh, we got some trouble.” Alicia had my full attention instantly.
“What’s wrong?”
“The local werewolf pack is hounding us. The alpha seems like he wants trouble. Their numbers are outrageous. I’m guessing there is about forty to fifty wolves in this pack. They slit our tires and have been taunting us. They’re rogues. I am fairly sure there will be fighting in the next day or two. Where are you?”
“We are in Nashville. Where are you guys?” I asked.
“Just east of Asheville, North Carolina.” Alicia sounded worried and maybe a little scared. I thought of the baby and was filled with a fury like I have never known. I growled loud enough to wake Seth.
“We will be there by morning. Keep someone awake and near your phone.” I told her as I stood and started collecting my things. Seth, who had been dozing off and hadn’t been able to hear, was doing the same thing while Rosalyn left to get her things from her room.
“Okay, I will. Hurry.” Alicia hung up.
“What’s going on? We need to stay away from them, not go to meet them.” Seth said in confusion.
“The local pack where they are hiding is causing problems. Slashing tires and making threats. Alicia is sure there will be fighting soon. She said that pack had grown way too large, like forty to fifty members.” I informed him as I zipped my bag.
“I’d almost decided that we don’t need to limit the size of packs too much anymore. I guess I didn’t figure on a rogue alpha though.” Seth admitted.
“You ready?” I asked. Seth gave a nod and we headed out the door. Rosalyn was a couple of steps behind us.
“I heard some of it through the walls. Do you really think this other pack will start trouble?” Rosalyn asked as we got in the car.
“There are idiots among all races, werewolves included. I have run across these kind of knuckleheads before. Sometimes a good beating is enough but if he is rogue, I have to kill them. By the sound of this one, it looks like a killing case.” Seth said sadly.
Alicia’s news did a good job of sobering me up. I drove us out of Nashville on I-40 going as fast as I dared. I knew a speeding ticket would not help matters. I thought briefly of having Seth call the President and see if he would tell the cops to leave us alone so I could open the Challenger up. I decided against it.
The miles flew by. The open country between cities was where we made the best time. No matter how fast I drove, it wasn’t fast enough. The thought of Alicia being attacked made me want to floor it and hope for the best. We made it in just under four hours. It seemed like an eternity.
“Josh! Where are you?” Alicia answered the phone when I called.
“In Asheville. How do I get to where you guys are?” I asked and listened closely as she gave the directions. It sounded easy to find. “We will be there in a few minutes.”
“Hurry. They are here and trying to get us to come out and fight.” Alicia said the last words I wanted to hear.
“Tell everyone to hold on for a couple of minutes.” I told her and floored the Dodge. Seth and Rosalyn didn’t need to be told that this meant trouble.
We arrived at the house to see dozens of wolves along with some who had not turned. They looked startled when we arrived but didn’t run away. If they knew what they now faced, they would have ran.
“Who the hell are you?” One of them asked.
“Who is your alpha?” I countered.
“I am.” It was the one who spoke first.
“Good, get ready to die.” I said and turned without bothering to undress.
The alpha turned and tried to stand his ground. He died on the same ground he stood. He wasn’t fast enough to even fight back. My first attack was the only strike necessary. The other pack’s wolves watched stunned as their leader’s head rolled to a bloody stop. I looked around at the other wolves almost wishing they would try something. They did.
One of them was trying to attack from behind but Rosalyn caught him by the head and ripped. Two down. The others attacked in force. Our packs flooded out of the house to fight as well. While these wolves were much more dangerous than the hordes of vampires I killed during the war, I still handled the ones coming at me easily enough. Rosalyn was killing her share.
The fight lasted a few minutes before the last few wolves died. I looked around carefully before I changed back to my human form. Alicia came out of the house then. She ran to me and I held her
close. So many emotions ran through me that I was overwhelmed for a moment. Relief was the foremost one.
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
“I am now.” She said and smiled up at me.
While this wasn’t a huge threat, it worked to show me the fear of losing Alicia. I thought of sending her to the North Pole until this witch problem was over. I would face death with open eyes and little fear, but the mere thought of something happening to Alicia made my knees want to buckle in terror.
“Papa bear was angry!” Jimmy interrupted my reunion with my wife. “Remind me to never piss you off.”
“Hey Jimmy. Is everyone else alright?” I asked. Once I had Alicia in my arms, my worries could turn to the others.
“We’re fine now. A couple of scratches and a broken bone or two will be healed by morning. Why don’t you get dressed and we can have a party. We need to toast the new daddy!” Jimmy was happy enough. I smiled at Jimmy and looked around for Seth. He was leaning against the porch, still dressed.
“You didn’t fight?” I asked, shocked.
“No, I went to make sure Alicia and Anna stayed inside.” He made the right choice. I wouldn’t argue with it.
“Well I guess there wasn’t enough of them to really be worried about. I wish the rest of our packs had stayed inside. No use putting them at risk.” I knew Rosalyn and I could have handled it on our own.
“No way! We are wolves too. We ain’t gonna stay inside when we can help.” Jonathan sounded a little wounded by my words.
“I’m just saying it would have been safer for you.” I said defensively.
“Jonathan’s right, we belonged out here fighting alongside you, not cowering in fear.” Sarah had to add her two cents.
“Okay, okay! You’re all big strong warriors. Now can we get dressed and have some beer?” I said in defeat.
The party started then. We drank and toasted to the new baby. Mostly, I was just happy to have Alicia in my arms again. I wasn’t used to her being in danger. I worried momentarily if that was the way she felt when I was off fighting but I think she knew how different it was for me. I am almost indestructible. She is a werewolf but not very strong at all. Her speed would keep her from harm in most situations since no one that would hurt her can catch her. Now that I knew she was safe, I could let my guard down for a while.
