She sat back down, letting Sage work on her battered face, and kept her eyes on Everett.
Chapter Five
“Pizza.”
“Beer.”
“Cupcakes.”
“Beer.”
“Everett! You can’t choose ‘beer’ all the time!”
“Ok, ok. Sorry.”
“Ice cream.”
“Beer-flavored ice cream.”
Nowen listened to Sage’s laughter and wondered at how much younger the girl sounded. Nowen was breaking a trail through the snow while Everett carried Sage and followed in her wake. The storm had raged most of the night and the sky was still cloudy and threatening, hours after the gas station had been left far behind.
She trudged through the snow, listening as the girl and the man talked about what they missed the most, and tried to connect with what they were saying. It wasn’t that she didn’t know what pizza or beer or television was - it was just that there was no longing in her for the trappings of civilization that had been wiped from the earth. I want to kill Vuk, and I want to go home to Wyoming. I’ve been too long away from my mountains. And that’s it. Looking back on things that are gone...I don’t understand it. If it’s gone, and it’s not coming back, why waste any time on it?
Delicate flakes landed on her nose, drawing Nowen out of her reverie. She eyed the sky before glancing over her shoulder. Sage was riding comfortably on Everett’s back, her arms in their puffy red coat sleeves wrapped around his neck. The coat Everett wore was dark brown but the dried spatters of blood along the front were still visible. He had stripped the dead men before dumping their bodies in a snowbank behind the station, and besides the coat he also wore boots and a wool cap that had belonged to one of the thieves.
Neither the girl nor the man seemed to have noticed the spitting snow. Nowen returned her gaze back to the road in front of her and eavesdropped on their conversation. They had moved on from food to television and were animatedly discussing some cartoon about a boy and a talking dog. Nowen let her mind wander again, and her thoughts circled around to the name that Everett swore was hers. Harper Addison. She turned the words over in her mind. Is that me? Is this the key to my identity? She mouthed the name silently, feeling the way her tongue moved against her teeth as she formed the syllables. Harper Addison. It doesn’t mean anything to me. It doesn’t feel familiar when I say it. It’s not me. So why can’t he just let it go?
Nowen sighed. Everett. I wish he hadn’t shown up. I can’t be what he wants me to be. Sage laughed again from behind her. But...I think he’s good for Sage. He’s giving her what I don’t know how to give. Companionship. Or...something more? Family? She looked up at the sky again. A few flakes of snow spiraled down from the cool grey clouds. But if that’s what she was missing, why didn’t she just say so? I don’t understand humans. Nowen heard her name being called and jolted to a stop. She glanced back; Everett and Sage were both pointing at something. She looked forward again and saw a sign: Sheridan 5 miles. Hanging from the sign was a body, twisting slowly in the slight breeze.
Nowen walked over to the sign. The crunch of snow behind her told her that Everett and Sage had joined her. She reached up and grabbed the bare foot of the corpse, stilling its motion so she could study it. It was human, not Rev, and female, still wearing the shreds of a long dress. The body looked to have been there for some time; the rope that held the dead woman to the sign was fraying.
“Hey, what’s that on her chest?” Sage said. Nowen looked; something glinted like metal on the corpse but she couldn’t make out what it was. “Let’s see.” she said, and jumped up at the body, wrapping her arms around the cold, stiff legs.
The weakened rope couldn’t hold both her and the body’s weight and after a couple of minutes it split. Nowen leaped free of the corpse as it landed in a deep snowbank. She pulled it free and flipped the dead woman over, stepping to one side to make room for Everett.
Everett, Sage still on his back, looked at the dead woman and whistled, low and long. “Someone was seriously pissed at this woman.” he said. Nowen, looking at the body, nodded in silent agreement.
The dead woman looked middle-aged, but it was difficult to tell for certain. Her empty eye sockets stared at nothing, and while birds or nature might have been the culprit Nowen took in the deep cuts that crossed the woman’s face and guessed her eyes had been cut out. Similar cuts were visible through rips in the faded yellow cloth of the dress. Small, circular, black marks were interspersed among the cuts. Attached to the woman’s chest by nails was a piece of metal with the word TRAITOR scorched across it. At the bottom of the sign were two small letters, also burned into the metal: HS.
Sage spoke in a hushed whisper. “Who did this? And who’s ‘HS’?”
Nowen looked at Everett, who was already shaking his head. “It’s new to me.” he said. “What’s interesting is the word - ‘traitor’. Whoever HS is, he - or they - has something set up to which you can be a traitor.”
“Or he’s crazy.” Nowen said as she turned her back on the body and started down the snowy highway. She heard low whispering and then the familiar sound of feet on snow as Everett and Sage started following her again.
She swept her eyes over the landscape as she walked. What had started as a few scattered flakes was steadily increasing to a constant snowfall. The barren prairie was disappearing behind a shifting curtain of white and Nowen looked for shelter of some kind in case the storm ramped back up into last night’s blizzard. This would be so much easier as wolves. The memory of Sage’s sad yet determined eyes as the girl stated that she wouldn’t change came back to Nowen. Yes, it would be much easier, but I don’t think it’ll happen soon. Maybe the next time we stop I’ll talk to her again about it. Sage laughed at something Everett said. Or, maybe have Everett talk to her. Now Everett was laughing, and Nowen tuned into the conversation behind her, slowing down without realizing it as she listened.
“So what did you teach at the school?” Sage asked.
“I was a professor of anthropology.”
“What is an-thro-pology?” The girl seemed unfamiliar with the word.
“It’s the study of humans, both past and present. I like to know where we come from and where we’re going.” Everett said.
“Hmph. Sounds boring. I’d rather study animals.”
Everett laughed. “Yeah, humans can be pretty boring some times. But I believe the only way to move forward is to know where we came from. There’s a quote by Socrates-”
“Who?” Sage interrupted.
“Socrates. Famous old dead guy. Anyway, he had a saying that always seemed to speak to me. ‘The unexamined life-”
“Is not worth living.” Nowen said. She had gone a few more steps before she noticed the silence from the other two. A glance back showed Everett standing still, a look somewhere between shock and joy on his face. “What?” she said.
“I kept that quote up on a whiteboard in my office. Always.”
Nowen frowned as she realized what he was thinking. “No.”
“You were with the custodial staff. That’s how we met. You’d come in to clean my office, and we’d talk.”
Everett’s voice was rising, Nowen noticed, taking on an evangelizing tone, as if by believing it hard enough he could make it come true. She shook her head sharply and turned away. The sound of hurrying footsteps followed her.
“How else would you know that quote?” Everett asked, panting as he moved up next to her.
“It’s a familiar quote, right? Why wouldn’t I know it?” Nowen replied, jamming her hands deep into her coat pockets to keep from hitting someone.
“Because you told me you didn’t know it. Harper, you came from a poor family and couldn’t afford to go to college, but you were very interested in learning. The first time you came in my office you asked me what that quote meant.”
Nowen walked faster, the snow kicked up by her boots mixing with the snow falling from the sky. “Don’t call me that.”
“Maybe he has a point, Nowen.” Sage said.
“Don’t you see, this proves you’re Harper.” Everett added.
Nowen whirled in a fury. “It proves nothing! I don’t know the name, and I don’t know you! I’m not going to discuss it with you anymore. Bring this up again at your own peril.” She was almost snarling as she finished speaking. Everett’s face paled a little as he watched her. Nowen looked up at Sage; the girl’s eyes were wide and staring but she wasn’t looking at Nowen. Instead, her dark gaze was pinned on something behind Nowen.
Nowen turned. Between the dancing veils of snow she saw a series of large wooden Xs. Strapped to each one was a body, and as she got closer she noticed that the bodies were as damaged as the dead woman’s had been. Again there were the metal signs attached to the corpses; the only difference was the words burned into the metal.
“‘Spy’. ‘Insurgent’. ‘Infiltrator’. ‘Consorter’.” Everett read the words out loud.
Nowen glanced at him over her shoulder. “And all signed ‘HS’.”
“What do those words mean? I mean, I know what ‘spy’ mean, but the others?”
Sage asked.
“It means that, whatever ‘HS’ is, if they don’t trust you they kill you.” Everett replied.
Nowen squinted her eyes against the driving snow and studied the horizon. The low boxy shapes of the Sheridan skyline shimmered like a mirage between the swirls of white. Is it safe? She looked back at Everett and Sage. The snow was quickly covering them and the man looked like a strange humpbacked creature. There was a small car about twenty feet away, sitting half-on and half-off the highway. Nowen headed toward the vehicle, checking to see that the other two were following her. The car was unlocked and empty. Nowen sat in the back seat. Sage and Everett took the front. Nowen waited until the other two had gotten situated before speaking.
“I’m going to go into Sheridan and take a look around. You two can wait out the storm here until I get back.”
Everett, looking back at her from between the front seats, frowned. “I’ll come with you.”
“No. You stay and keep an eye on Sage.”
Now it was the girl’s turn to frown at Nowen. “I don’t need anyone to keep an eye on me, Nowen. I can take care of myself.”
“Let’s not go into Sheridan at all. We can bypass it by following the highway.” Everett said.
Nowen shook her head. “I want to look for any sign of this ‘HS’. Also, we’re getting low on food. I can catch something for us.”
“That’s why I should come with you. If there’s trouble, two can handle it better than one.”
“Everett, I want you to stay here with Sage.”
“Damn it, Nowen!” Sage’s outburst caught Nowen by surprise. “I don’t need a babysitter! I can take care of myself! Everett’s right - two are better than one in case of trouble. I’ll stay here, lock the doors, and wait for you to get back.”
Everett looked from Sage to Nowen. “Why don’t all of us go? We’re going as wolves, right?”
Nowen tried to catch Sage’s eye but the girl turned her head away and looked out the windshield. “Fine, you can come along and Sage can wait here.” Nowen said to Everett and opened the car door, stepping out into the storm. Quickly she stripped off her clothes, savoring the cold sting of the snow-laden wind, and then let the wolf out. Her reddish-brown skin disappeared beneath heavy black fur. Her legs shortened and strengthened, her feet and hands re-shaping themselves in wide and solid paws. Her senses increased, her eyes picking out the distant bounding shape of a rabbit, her ears catching the sound of a mole turning the earth beneath her feet.
The wolf shook herself, settling her fur as the transformation finished. She bounded forward through the snow, snapping up mouthfuls of the cold flakes before dropping to her side and rolling back and forth in a swirl of white. She sensed the other, the human female in her head, laughing with her in the pure, unadulterated joy of being alive and wild.
The wolf turned at the sound of a bark. The grey wolf stood near, his long plumy tail waving slowly from side to side. She curled her lip, for once completely in agreement with her human. I wish he’d never shown up. The wolf snorted and turned away from the other wolf. Ok, let’s go.
The black wolf ran through the snow toward the town of Sheridan, and the grey wolf followed.
Chapter Six
Nowen looked out through the wolf’s eyes as they came into Sheridan. The storm was lessening, with the snowfall light enough now that visibility was greater. The black wolf slowed to a trot, sensing the grey wolf behind her do the same. The area they had entered was industrial, with warehouses and storage buildings sitting in neat rows along the highway.
The wolf paused as the road she was on opened onto another street. She sifted the wind for any sign of danger but found nothing. Dead. Let’s head for the center of town. She turned onto the connecting street and paced through the snowy buildings. Gradually the warehouses gave way to parks and shops and homes, all showing the wear and tear of two years of neglect. Windows were smashed, signs tipped over, roofs caved in due to snow and rain.
The wolf swung her head from side to side as she went, examining the buildings. She didn’t know what she was looking for but her human did, and as long as the other was content to let her take charge when necessary she was willing to do as the other asked. Jewelry. Cafe. Pharmacy. Hmm...let’s check that out, see what’s in there.
The wolf angled toward the building. She stopped at the front door, which was empty of glass, and looked into the dark interior. The grey wolf moved up next to her and then past, heading into the pharmacy without a glance at her. Her hackles rose; the wolf wasn’t used to following anyone. She snarled and entered the building.
Her human directed her up and down the aisles. She looked at the empty shelves and felt the other’s frustration. She sent a questioning feeling to her human. Sage. The pup. She’s not easy with her wolf, so she stays human. Humans get hurt easier than wolves, so we need medicine in case she gets hurt. The wolf rolled her eyes at the silliness of pups. Her human sent her a silent nod of agreement.
The grey wolf barked from somewhere at the back of the building. The black wolf trotted toward the sound and found the interloper pawing at a large white box. First aid kit. Hopefully there’s still something good inside. The grey wolf picked the box up awkwardly in his mouth and carried it toward the front door. Her human directed the black wolf toward a high counter. She stood on her hind legs and peered over the counter. The shelves and bins here were also empty. The wolf dropped back to all fours and headed toward the entrance to the pharmacy.
The grey wolf stood outside the door. Somewhere he had found a plastic bag and had managed to drop the white box into the bag and then get his head through one of the loops of the bag. The wind slammed the plastic against his chest and waved the other loop in his face. The black wolf grinned - the interloper looked very undignified and she wanted to let him know, so that he would quickly learn his place around her. To her surprise the grey wolf didn’t respond with anger or respect. Instead, he grinned back and wagged his tail. She growled at this and quickly trotted past him.
At her human’s urging the wolf stopped in at several other buildings, looking for anything of use. Each quest turned up nothing. Makes sense, everything will be either gone or gone bad by now. Let’s go a little further, and then we’ll head back. A loud crunching of snow caught the wolf’s attention. She trotted toward the source, the flapping of plastic telling her the grey wolf was right behind. She came around the side of a building to see a herd of horses before her.
The wolf stopped. There were I count about ten horses. The stallion, a stocky black-and-white horse, was the first to notice the wolves. He raised his head and trumpeted, warning the wolves to stay back. The black wolf’s eye was drawn to a foal at the far end of the herd. Solid brown, the little animal looked only a few days old. Icicles hung from the soft whiskers around its mouth. Hmm. An early foal
? Looks a little weak. The black wolf licked her lips.
There was a whisper of grey off to one side. The wolf slid her eyes to see the interloper shed of the plastic bag, moving low and quick through the snow. He was heading to the far side of the herd. In a flash the wolf understood his plan. Yeah, I think we can take the foal. Let’s get this herd moving. The black wolf moved toward the stallion, her fur raised in stiff black waves on her body. She growled at the stocky horse. He whinnied, and his mares did too, and in their voices she heard his fear. Halfway there. They’re scared - make ‘em run.
The wolf lunged forward. Her jaws snapped shut a hairsbreadth from the stallion’s legs. The black-and-white horse screamed and rose on his hind legs, striking at the air with his front legs. The wolf ignored the intimidation tactic and darted past him to one of his mares. The buckskin shied away from the wolf and in doing so slammed into one of the other mares. From the rear of the herd the wolf could hear the interloper growling and barking. She feinted at the buckskin and that was all it took.
In a flash the herd was thundering away through the snowy streets. The wolf fell in behind, angling for the small brown foal. She could see the grey wolf further up on one side of the herd, darting at the foal in an attempt to make it fall or veer away from the other horses. Without warning a mare the exact same shade as the foal whirled on the grey wolf, driving him away. The black wolf took advantage of the distraction and closed in on the foal.
The thin hind legs were just in reach and she angled in for the grab. STOP! Her human’s command was so strong the wolf stumbled and fell into the snow as her body fought to obey. She rose in a fury, snow falling from her like a cloud, watching as the herd of horses disappeared through the trees. She growled at the other. I know, I’m sorry. But I need to see this.
The grey wolf appeared from behind. He looked at her with a quizzical expression. She ignored him and walked toward what her human wanted to see. They were in a park - white-shrouded trees rose up all around them. There was a large parking lot and a green-roofed building off to the right. Hanging from the edges of the building were bodies.
Wolf Hunting (A Wolf in the Land of the Dead Book Book 3) Page 4
