by Tisha Wilson
It took Jerry a moment to absorb this news. “You think… you think they’re after me?” he asked surprised.
“It would explain why you been so unexplainably lucky with them. Did you see the way she reached out to you as if she had expected you to take her hand?”
He thought about that and nodded. “It was like… like she wanted me to want her. It was like if I rejected her, she was going to make dog meat out of me.”
“Well, until I can get a better grasp on what’s goin’ on, you better come with me.”
Jerry looked down and realized he was still wearing the hospital gown and his socks. “I can’t ride like this,” he said. A howl rent the air and Al looked off towards the hills.
“Well. You could risk the lives of more of your fellow townspeople by goin’ back for your pants, or you can get on this bike and we can spare them by getting as far from here as we can.”
He thought about it for a second. She was right. Either he or she was drawing them here. He didn’t ever want to see what happened to Sarah happen to anyone else that he loved and cared about. “Turn around,” he growled.
“What?”
“I said turn around. I can’t ride down the highway moonin’ everyone behind us. I need to turn this gown around and I don’t want you lookin’ at me.”
She grinned a little but did as he asked. He turned the gown to the front and did his best to tie knots in the gapping parts. It was useless. Instead of worrying anymore about it, he mounted behind her and settled his front against her back. The touch of her firm yet supple body against his lean hard one did strange things to him. Things he didn’t really want at the moment. It would be a long ride if his soldier was at full salute.
She seemed to consider something for a moment and he braced himself for another of her innuendoes. He was sure she could feel his arousal pressing up against her. She surprised him yet again though.
“I’m sorry… about your friend.”
That was all she said before she kicked the beast to life and sent them speeding through the night. Suddenly he felt like a heel for all the mean things he’d said to her. She’d spared him from a task that he could have never completed, and he’d blown up at her for it.
Chapter Six
Al looked to her right as they sped through the night at speeds pushing one eighty. Officer Cayman was clinging to her as if he was the paint and she was the wall. There was very little danger of him falling off the bike. If it was strictly necessary for her to breath there would be little danger of that either. He was nearly squeezing the life out of her. She might have smiled at this if it weren’t for what she saw in the trees, if it weren’t for what she felt, heard, and smelled speeding along beside them.
The night was absolutely still except for something out there running, stirring the trees as if they were little more than blades of grass blowing in the wind. Her bike had a wicked tale wind, but nothing short of a few dozen wolves could be making the trees move that way. She was surprised that they didn’t just get out on the road and run behind them. Bateman would have a field day with that. She would never hear the end of it if the wolves just got out and started running around in the open, she was supposed to prevent things like that from happening.
They were just so riled up. Not that they had ever been sweethearts, but something was making them reckless beyond their normal recklessness. She wanted to push the bike harder. She almost wished that she could just take off and fly. For some reason she felt the overwhelming need to protect Jerry. Not that she didn’t feel the same sense of honor to other humans, but with Jerry... she had to acknowledge that he had stirred something in her that she thought long dead.
To see that wolf with her filthy hands on him, it had scared her more than she thought possible. Just as she had that thought, the bike began to sputter. Her heart leapt into her throat as she looked to the gauges. They were nearly out of gas. She cursed.
“What?” he shouted over the wind that was whipping past them.
She smiled broadly as she looked over her shoulder at him. He was wearing the black helmet with the purple flames on the side that only had half its glass. She could only see one of his eyes and it was impossible not to laugh a little when she talked to him.
“We’re almost out of gas,” she yelled.
“What!”
“I said-”
“I heard what you said! How can you take us out here in the middle of nowhere with no gas in your motorcycle!”
“I’ve been a little distracted ever since you took my money at the bar if you haven’t noticed!”
She heard him curse in frustration behind her. She tried to focus, but for some reason all she could do was feel the way his body fit behind hers. She could feel every point at which their bodies touched and her head was nearly spinning with the sensation. Against all her will she felt herself sinking further and further into him. With a great effort she gritted her teeth and kept her eyes on the road.
“We need gas or a place where I can put you while I fight them,” she shouted. Her shout almost sounded like a growl, even to her own ears.
“No gas for miles. There is a fishing shack off the next dirt road. Just take a-”
His words were cut off as Al took a hard right and sped up the dirt road, gravel flying out behind them. Just as she turned off the highway one of the wolves came bursting from the trees and just barely missed pulling off their back tire. It couldn’t stop its momentum though and went sliding into the tress on the other side of the road. Branches cracked and dirt began flying as what looked like two dozen of the creatures came spilling out of the trees.
She stood up in the seat as she saw the building come into view. “Take the bike and then get your butt up there in that shack!”
“But I can’t-”
“Now,” she growled as she dove off the bike, did a tuck and roll while unzipping her jacket, and then landed on one knee. She ignored the gravel and rocks that tore holes in her kneecap.
She pulled her guns and started blasting as the beasts fell and burned before her. There were so many that she could pretty much fire in any direction and hit one. When she heard the door to the shack slam shut she pulled one of the grenades from her vest, pulled the pin with her teeth, then chucked it up in the air. She resumed shooting as a flash of light exploded from the grenade as bright as the sun.
Those who were in the clearing burst into flames and those in the trees howled in pain as they sizzled and retreated. She ran to her bike, grabbed the satchels of ammo, and ran up the stairs to the shack. The door was locked and she nearly laughed out loud. As if a locked door would stop these monsters from coming in after them.
*
Jerry fell to the floor when he saw her toss the grenade up into the air out the window. A light flashed so blinding that it penetrated his closed eyelids. He was trying to recover when he heard the door come crashing in. He reached for his gun instinctively before he realized that he didn’t have his police uniform on. Hell, he didn’t even have any real clothes on. He growled in frustration as he faced the door with his fists clenched ready to fight.
Her laughter reached his ears first, and it did not put him at ease. “What the hell! You’re the one who sent me up here without a gun,” he said as his vision began to clear.
She walked past him and slammed her loaded satchel on the table. The smirk didn’t fade from her lips. “I left most of my big guns with you cowboy. You left them outside on the bike, not me.”
She was right. He knew where she stowed her gear. He had pulled everything out earlier in the night. Had that really been tonight? It seemed like it had been longer.
“Is it just me or does this night just keep getting longer and longer?” he asked as he felt his head spin a little. He was tired of being knocked around. It was damaging to his body, not to mention his pride. Al just kept saving his ass while he kept getting knocked around.
“Oh you have no idea,” she replied as she pulled loose her shotgun and w
ent to the back wall. There was no window on this side so she took aim and fired. Jerry barely had time to cover his ears before he realized what she was about to do. She kicked at the spot she had fired on and a back section of the wall collapsed.
“Well. I sure hope that Dell always wanted a view out the back,” Jerry commented. The bartender was not going to be happy about his favorite getaway being demolished.
“If Dell likes you at all then I don’t think he’d mind trading your life for a hole in the wall,” she replied in a deadly serious voice. She tossed the shot gun at him and pointed at the hole as he caught it with one hand. “You cover the back, I’ll take the front.” She went to the front window and knocked out the glass.
Jerry moved a chair over near the hole to better steady his casted arm which would be holding the barrel end of the shot gun. He would have to do the pumping with his broken arm. He peered out into the darkness and narrowed his eyes. He drew in a breath when he saw how many glowing eyes were out there.
“Don’t shoot until they get close. That shotgun will spray at least five of them at once,” she said from the front window.
He felt his body tense as he waited for them to come. He saw them moving around out there. They were so big that the trees moved as they snapped at each other, waiting for their chance.
“Why aren’t they attacking?” he asked.
“They know I have the grenades. They’ll wait a while to be sure that the coast is clear before they venture out again.”
“Why not just throw one out there?”
“Too many shadows for them to hide in. They’ll singe, but they won’t burn, not unless they make full contact with the light. It would be a waste unless I could get them to come out into the clearing. From in here I can only get this side of the cabin anyway.”
“Why not give me a few?”
She looked at him and grinned. It made his heart do a back flip to see her pretty smile aimed at him. “My dear Jerry. For the exact same reason. Try to keep up, non?” she replied.
He returned her smile. It was the first time she had said his name out loud. It reminded him of the way she said cherie all the time but with a J. There were very few people in this world that could take a plain name like Jerry and make it sound anything but common. She made his name sound exotic. Coming from her lips he sort of liked his name.
The smile faded from her face as she lifted the gun in her hand and aimed it at him, her eyes completely violet. He blinked as he stared down the barrel of the gun and watched her pull the trigger. The bullet sailed past his left ear and he heard a beast wail in protest behind him. He turned then, as quickly as he could, all of the muscles in his torso tightening as he swung the barrel of the gun back towards the hole.
He forced himself to calm down and breath. They were coming at a full gallop, but he relaxed into his stance. They got closer and closer and still he held his ground. He gritted his teeth and looked them right in the eyes until he could nearly feel their breath, see the saliva dripping off their teeth. He took a deep breath.
“Eat this dog breath,” he murmured as he slowly squeezed the trigger.
The gun released the balls in a deafening bang and he watched as eight of them fell in the spray. He waited another moment before he fired again. Three more fell. He swung the gun from the left to the right scanning his range of sight for any other threat. He’d always been good at that. He’d gotten top scores in all his trainings at the firing range.
He turned to Al with a triumphant grin, only to realize that she was gone. He ran to the front window and didn’t even pause as he jumped through and took aim. She was right in the middle of it and he stopped for just a moment to watch her. She was like something out of a gladiator movie. She moved with fluid grace as she slashed and stabbed with a silver sword he didn’t even know she had. She looked like she might be training in the middle of a deserted field so fluid and unhindered where her movements.
When a few of them saw him they came rushing at him only to catch a face full of silver balls. They immediately burst into flames. Al turned to him with an angry look on her face as she shook her head.
“Get down,” she yelled in a husky voice. He hit the deck as he saw her pull one of the light grenades and throw it up into the sky. He covered his head as light exploded over him. Everything went dark and for a moment he felt a rush of panic. He was out in the open and he was blinded. Her voice was in his ear then.
“Next time I tell you to stay inside, save that macho bullshit and stay there,” she admonished. She nearly lifted him off his feet and drug him back inside through the front door.
He snatched his arm from her when his eyes finally cleared. “Excuse the hell out of me for trying to help you! You looked a little outnumbered out there.”
“I went out there to set off another light bomb you idiot. I could sense that they had all entered the clearin’ and I wanted to save our ammo. It is three hours until dawn and we can not afford to be wastin’ bullets.”
“How was I supposed to know that? I can’t read your mind. I just turned around and you were gone. I though that they had dragged you out there and were eating you alive. So I’m sorry for thinking I could save the big bad ass wolf hunter!”
“You’re damn right. I don’t need you or anyone else to save me, I do fine on my own. C’est des conneries! Who do you think you are, superman?! I’ve been on my own for years and I did not ask you to come out there and try to save me, like that is even possible. You don’t save me. I save you,” she yelled getting closer to him.
“So you think you are an island? You don’t need anyone to help you at all!”
“That’s right,” she said putting her hands up on her hips and standing square to him. Her head was tilted back looking up at him defiantly. Damn she was hot.
“That’s bullshit and you know it,” he spat back.
“What exactly is it that I need you for?” He saw her make a pointed look at his casted arm, dirtied hospital gown, and bleeding calf muscle.
He took a deep breath to cool his nerves. He was in over his head and he knew it. He wanted a cease fire. “I guess to stand around and look pretty,” he said holding his arms out so she could get a better look at his battered body.
She tried not to, but he saw the smile creep into her lips. She turned from him and went back to the front window.
“Does Dell have any clothes in this cabin that might fit you?” she asked.
He took a deep breath and moved over to a free standing armoire. He pulled open the doors and thanked God for small favors. He tried to pull on a pair of the pants but they were too tight and scraped at the few stitches that hadn’t popped on his calf. He sucked in a breath and gritted his teeth as the pain bit down on him. He could see stars behind his eyelids.
Al was at his side instantly guiding him to the floor. She took off the pants and looked at the leg herself. She tsked. “He got you good in the hotel room. I have some bandages in my satchel.”
She was about to get up to leave when Jerry noticed the rip in her clothes. He grabbed her arm. She nearly growled at him and her eyes looked predatory. He released her and she turned from him.
“Your shoulder. It’s bleeding. I thought you were supposed to heal fast or something.”
“I usually do but…”
“But what?” he asked as he watched her walk to the bag. She rummage through it until she produced a first aide kit sized tin. She came back to him and knelt down. Her eyes were tamer.
“I took more than one good hit when I was trying to save Russ. That thing in the room broke my arm, that’s why it took me so long to shoot it. In the woods at the hospital, they bit into my shoulder, and then the big one tossed me into the trees and broke my neck. After that, well, you saw what happened to the ones who attacked you. Even a hunter only has a limited energy pool and all this happening so soon after breaking my back in that accident.”
“So you’re hurting?” he asked in summation.
“Li
ke an elephant sittin’ on a little cats tail cher. But do not worry. I’ll live. I always do,” she said as she finished wrapping the clean bandage around his leg.
“Is there anything I can do to help you?” he asked as he saw the blood glistening at her shoulder. It was dark red and painful looking.
“You can help me by not asking me questions like that.”
“Why shouldn’t I-”
“Because it is very important that I stay focused right now, and you asking me gentlemanly questions like that just makes my little old heart go pitter pat,” she said with a wink as she went back to her post. He smiled.
“At least you’ve recovered your sense of humor,” he shot at her back.
He fished into her makeshift first aide kit and found a pair of scissors. He cut the legs out of the pants and had a much easier time getting them up this time though he didn’t dare button them. He took off the hospital gown and turned it around to cover himself in the front and instantly felt ten times better.
He got up and went back to his own post. He didn’t see anything out there but he was so keyed up that he didn’t dare do anything but stare out there into the darkness like a madman.
* * *
Her eyelids were heavy and dropping by the time the sky lightened to a shade of gray. A lonely howl split the air before silence reigned and she felt them receding. The silence after they were gone was a different kind of silence. The crickets began to chirp and the morning birds started to wake and sing a song. Her shoulders slumped with the realization that the night was over and the creatures had gone back to their hiding places, where ever that was.
This was a new experience for her. She was used to being able to kill them all before she left the area but there had just been too many. They’d just kept coming and coming. It had seemed like they might have the eternal struggle against good and evil right there and then and, she’d feared that she might be on the loosing side. She didn’t so much fear that for herself, for that was where she lived everyday anyway, but for Jerry.
