The Gathering

by Michael Timmins

  Jason was another story. He would go out daily looking for Mike. He would ask her to tell him where Mike was, but she refused. The look of pain in his eyes at her refusal cut her deep, but she would honor Mike’s decision to be alone. When . . . if . . . Mike came back, it would be his choice.

  She sat on the couch in the living room of Beth’s and her apartment. Her refusal to leave her room had in many ways been because of her inability to look around the apartment and not see Beth everywhere she looked. Her bedroom had been a solace for her.

  She had ventured out here, to the living room, but had gone nowhere else in the apartment. She certainly hadn’t gone into Beth’s room. Nor would she.

  Beth’s parents had come to take the body home and clean out her belongings. They had questions. Needed to understand what had happened. The doctors had been unable to give them any. Beth had a heart attack. There had been no drugs in her system. No indication of any injury except for a small laceration on her arm. Their little girl was gone, and they had no idea why.

  Stephanie knew. Stephanie knew and yet, gave them nothing. They had left with a few boxes of memories and hearts full of loss. And Stephanie had given them nothing.

  She pulled the blanket she had draped across her up further on her body and leaned against the side of the pillow and stared at nothing.

  Jason had been gone most of the morning. Out looking for Mike, most likely. She hadn’t had the heart to tell him stop, but maybe she should. Mike didn’t want to be found and Jason needed to understand.

  A soft sigh escaped her lips. Jason. The one man she loved with all her heart. He was being so amazing during this, so understanding. But she knew he was getting restless. Knew he wanted to go back to Sylvanis and fight. He still believed in the cause.

  She did too. But . . . she . . . she couldn’t. She couldn’t trust to give lycanthropy to another. Not again. Maybe she could fight, but she couldn’t help with raising an army. She couldn’t lose another person. Be responsible for another death. Either way though, she wasn’t ready. She was empty and she no longer cared.

  The door opened with a crash and Stephanie bolted up. Jason came rushing in.

  “Jesus, Jason. You scared me!” She had her hand over her heart as if pressing there would slow it down from its pounding.

  Jason ignored her and went to the television, turning it on.

  “Jason? What is it?”

  Jason continued to ignore her while he frantically searched for the remote. The moment he found it, he wheeled on the TV and punched in the number for the news station.

  Stephanie decided not to bother asking Jason what the hell was going on as she realized she was about to find out anyway.

  The scene popping up on the screen was mind-numbing. The female reporter on the screen was talking, but somehow remaining calm as she explained what was being shown in a small window to the left of her head.

  It looked to be an aerial shot, either from a helicopter or maybe a drone. Police cars were scattered around in a parking lot and there were dozens of sheets spread out in little rectangles all around. It only took a moment for Stephanie to understand there were bodies under those covers.

  “We are getting mixed reports from people who were inside the refinery when the attack happened. According to several witnesses, and EMTs, three monsters attacked the refinery.”

  Stephanie was surprised the woman had kept a straight face. She could only imagine with so many witnesses collaborating the story, there could be no doubt.

  “Witnesses say one of the monsters appeared to be a large humanoid crocodile, while two others looked like humanoid boars. Witnesses, including the EMTs, insisted they were not wearing masks or costumes, but were in fact actual monsters.”

  The scene in the little window grew and took up the whole screen. There were police officers and other men beginning to bag the bodies.

  A scroll ran across the bottom of the screen stating there were over thirty dead and hundreds wounded. Among the dead were the police officers who were first on the scene, the president of the company and some of the upper management in charge of running the refinery.

  “The attack has left many dead. Mostly it was the brave men and women of the local police department who were all killed. Their wounds, we have been informed by a source who wishes to remain anonymous, appear animal-like in nature.”

  The on-site scene reverted to a little window to the left of the reporter’s head as she continued.

  “The president of Yulchik corporation who had been visiting from Russia to inspect the refinery is listed among the dead. In fact, apart from law enforcement, the majority of the slain were part of the management team at the refinery. Authorities have not ruled out industrial sabotage.”

  She paused. “There has been no comment yet from the Yulchik company.”

  Jason turned the TV off and sank down onto the couch and turned to her.

  “It’s begun.”

  Stephanie stared at him. Her mind raced. Hundreds injured. Injured! Didn’t they understand what it meant? There weren’t dozens killed! There would be hundreds more! If not from their bodies rejecting the lycanthropy and dying, but when they shifted, and began killing.

  “Jason . . . I . . .” She didn’t know what to say. It was all too overwhelming.

  He moved closer to her and took her hands into his, peering at them for a long moment before looking back up at her.

  “Stephanie. I know you aren’t ready. I understand. I do. But . . .” He glanced back at the now silent TV.

  “I can’t let this go on. How many more people are going to get hurt? Killed? How many are Kestrel going to force into fighting for her?”

  His eyes met hers again and she saw the moistness gathering at the corners of his eyes.

  “She has to be stopped. We . . . I, have to do whatever I can to stop her.”

  He glanced away and brought his hands to his eyes, wiping the tears away before they could fall.

  “I don’t expect you to come with me. You are still hurting. And know, that I love you, more than anything. And I hope you can understand that is why I have to go.”

  She knew this was coming. Had known for a while now. Had dreaded it. Had fought like hell to move past this grief, this agony of her heart, so, when the time came, when Jason had felt he had waited long enough, she would be ready. And now events had moved forward and the time was now.

  And she wasn’t ready.

  “I don’t want you to go,” she said softly and saw him tense.

  She realized immediately why. He was afraid she wouldn’t let him. Was afraid she would use the control she had over him to keep him from leaving.

  She reached over and this time took his hands into hers.

  “I don’t want you to go,” she said again. “But I won’t stop you.”

  Jason’s shoulders relaxed in relief and he turned back to her.

  “Will you come?”

  She turned away. Here it was. The question she had been afraid he would ask. Since they had started dating, and more so since she had turned him into a Werefox, they had been inseparable. They hadn’t been apart for more than few hours in a day. Didn’t want to be apart.

  And now, he would leave. He would leave her here. Alone. Or at least he would if she didn’t go with him. Her thoughts ran back to Beth and her heart ached all over again. She wasn’t ready to fight in this war which had taken Beth from her. Was she?

  Jason took her lack of response as a no and pulled his hands away. They felt so empty now. Standing, Jason opened his mouth to say more, than closed it before opening it again.

  “I’m leaving as soon as I can. I’m going to pack a few things. If you change your mind . . .” He didn’t finish, stood there for a moment looking down at her before turning and going to the bedroom.

  She didn’t watch him go. Instead, she returned to staring at nothing. Jason was leaving, and she was staying. A sense of urgency in her mind blocked out all other thoughts. It sat there, in the
back of her mind and try as she might, she couldn’t quite grab it.

  Jason returned from the bedroom with a small to go bag. Half full, it folded upon itself, pulled in from the handles.

  “I will call you as soon as I get to Chicago. I don’t know where we will be going from there. I guess it will depend on what Kestrel’s next move is.”

  She nodded absently, not looking at him. She wasn’t angry he was going. Only . . . numb. Numb everywhere. Except for the sense in the back of her mind. Like panic. Was she afraid she wouldn’t see him again? She didn’t understand what it was. Didn’t get what was happening to her.

  Jason stood behind the sofa. She knew she should say something. Say anything. Tell him it was fine. Tell him she loved him. Tell him goodbye. Anything. But she said nothing. She said nothing, while the sense of urgency trampled her thoughts.

  Jason sighed and headed for the door.

  She heard it open.

  “Mike?”

  Jason’s question smacked her, and she twisted around and searched the doorway. Mike stood right outside the door. He looked in a bad way — gaunt as if he hadn’t been eating well, or at all. His usual dour expression had been replaced by sorrow, tinged with . . . Urgency!

  That was it. What she had been feeling. It hadn’t been her sense of urgency. It had been Mike’s! She had ignored his presence in her mind for so long that when it had intruded on her own thoughts, she had thought it hers.

  “Can I come in?”

  Jason turned his body to allow Mike to pass. “Of course!”

  Mike swept in, striding right into the living room. He took her in, and his expression softened. Their eyes met and everything needing to be said between them was said in that moment.

  A sob broke out between her lips. He had forgiven her. He had forgiven her and knew she hadn’t forgiven herself. And she knew he felt the same.

  Jason hadn’t seen what passed between them, had only heard Stephanie’s cry.

  “Now, Mike . . .”

  “It’s O.K. Jason. I don’t hold Stephanie responsible anymore.”

  Hearing him say it out loud made her cry all over again.

  Jason dropped his bag and went to her. He wrapped her in his arms, and she cried against him.

  For a long moment, no one said a thing as she bawled into Jason’s shirt.

  “Did you see the news?” Mike moved over to them.

  Stephanie felt Jason nod.

  “I hadn’t known what to expect. And in a way, this was far worse than anything I had imagined.” Jason stroked her hair as he talked. “And I’m afraid this is only the beginning. It will get a lot worse. And quickly.”

  Mike began pacing.

  “When you two brought this to Beth and me. I really wanted nothing to do with it. Didn’t actually take you seriously, in fact. Didn’t see the whole picture, I guess.”

  He stopped before them.

  “Beth had. She had understood everything. That was why she so readily volunteered. Why she didn’t hesitate. She saw clearer than I did.”

  He paused. “I was a fool.”

  Mike bent down in front of them.

  “Stephanie?”

  She pulled her head out from where it had been buried against Jason’s chest and wiped her nose with the back of her sleeve and sniffed.

  Mike crooked a small smile.

  “You look as bad as I’m sure I do.”

  She smiled a little back at him. “Yep.”

  He peered into her eyes, his darting a little, as if looking for something behind hers.

  “Stephanie. I know you are still here, and not out there,” he jerked a thumb back at the TV. She understood what he meant. “Because of what happened . . .” His throat bobbed. “Because of what happened to Beth. And I understand. Believe me. I understand. But . . . do you think this is what Beth would want you to be doing?”

  The question hit like a punch to Stephanie’s gut. What would Beth have said seeing her here curled up on this sofa, not moving for days? Not moving while a war she was supposed to be fighting in happened?

  “No.” She smiled thinking about it. “She would have already kicked my ass off this sofa and out the door.”

  Mike shared her smile.

  “Exactly. She loved you Stephanie. You were her lil sis. She would be sad and hurt to see you like this.”

  He was right. Goddammit, he was right. Beth would be chastising her and would not have put up with the way she had been behaving. Grieving was one thing. Shirking your duty? Your responsibilities? Letting those who counted on you down? That wasn’t Beth, and she sure as hell wouldn’t have allowed Stephanie to be that way either.

  She turned toward Jason, who held such a look of gratitude toward his friend she couldn’t help but smile. He felt her look to him and turned to her, his eyebrows raised in anticipation of what she would say to all of this.

  “Jason? Would you mind waiting a little bit while I pack?”

  He offered her a broad smile in answer.

  “No need to wait on me,” Mike offered, “My pack is already in the car.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Hank leaned against the far wall of the hotel room where, once again, Sylvanis held an impromptu conference. All the usual suspects were there; Kat sat perched on the dresser, her keen eyes alight with passion as she laid out what the man, Jessie Brumfield had told her.

  Clint, eyes still haunted from all he had been through, and all he had done when he had lost control of himself, sat on the corner of his bed, staring at his hands as if they held all the absolution he needed.

  Ben sat opposite Sylvanis at the lone table in the room. He stared out the window at the soft, gray clouds covering the entire Chicago sky. His brows were furrowed in thought and his fingers drummed in rhythmic cadence on the tabletop.

  There was an absence here weighing heavily on Hank. In almost every previous meeting they had here, Sim had been present. He was always one to lighten the mood with a quick joke or a sarcastic comment which sometimes brought a disapproving glare from Hank. Which would only cause Sim to grin more, along with the rest of the group.

  Gods I miss him. He wasn’t a religious man, though he believed in God, and he prayed Sim knew how much he loved him. How proud he was of him for standing up to this threat, without any hesitation. He wanted to tell him so badly how he knew, with every part of his being, Jennifer would have been so proud of him as well.

  His vision fuzzed a little and he, as nonchalantly as possible, wiped the tears forming in his eyes. I’m not going to start crying again, dammit! He remained leaning against the wall, waiting to see what Sylvanis would say of this new development.

  It was good news — of a sort. Jessie, a former marine, had ties to countless others who he believed could be convinced to join the cause. It seemed too good to be true, which had Hank a little apprehensive.

  The corner of his lips dipped in a frown. He was being pessimistic, he knew. Or realistic. But after everything that happened, it was too much to process. First, there was the loss of Sim, followed by the death of Stephanie’s and Jason’s friend, Beth and their decision not to return because of it. Followed by the news of not one, but three separate attacks by Kestrel’s group, which meant hundreds would die or turn into Weres to join her army.

  They were losing this war before it started. But perhaps, their losses needed to be realized before others would come to their aid. Hank didn’t know. He hoped this Jessie could deliver on what he had promised.

  “What is your take on the man?” It was Ben who asked. It was a measure of respect the lawman had for her that he trusted her instincts when it came to reading an individual.

  Kat’s shoulders rose in a hint of a shrug. “He seemed honest. Adamant he wanted to help, and he understood the risks involved.”

  Clint snorted.

  It looked like Kat wanted to snap at Clint, but after a moment, she offered him a nod as if to say, ‘You’re right, he really has no idea.’

  She turne
d back to Ben. “Regardless of his understanding of the risks, he seems to understand the threat Kestrel and her group holds for, not only America, but the rest of the world, and wishes to fight.”

  Sylvanis nodded and the group waited for her to respond. Poor girl, she is barely a teenager . . . Hank paused his thoughts. Once again, he let the way Sylvanis look cloud his judgements. She wasn’t a teenager. She was, at least, in her mid-twenties in life experiences. Scratch that. Mid-fifties in life experiences.

  She had been to war. Fought and died in that war. Sent men and women to their deaths in that war. She was no child. These people had every right to show her deference. Sylvanis was their leader, and while she valued each one of their opinions, it would be she who would make the final decisions as to their course of actions.

  “I have not lived in this age for very long,” Sylvanis began, breathing out a short laugh and shook her head. “Not long at all, really. But what I have been able to learn in my short life here is that the men and women of the military in America are brave and would not hesitate for a moment to fight for their country.”

  She eyed each of them in turn. “The other thing I have learned in my short time is that the military is a branch of government and the government would not hesitate for a moment to try and subvert your powers for their own wishes.”

  Hank found himself nodding. She was right. They were all weapons. Weapons who could create countless other weapons. Worse, the weapons they created could create weapons of their own. Sylvanis impressed him with her understanding of the situation.

  Sylvanis looked to Kat. “For now, we will explain to Mr. Brumfield the risks involved in becoming a Were. I don’t want any confusion in his, or anyone he brings to us, understanding that this may end in their deaths.”

  Hank couldn’t blame her for her being adamant. After the loss of Stephanie due to Beth’s death, she wouldn’t want a repeat of losing any other allies.