“It’s Bryant. I'm back.”
“About time. Where have you been?”
“Personal time, Knowles. None of your damn business.”
Knowles let that slide. He would deal with Bryant later. “Alright. Where are you now?”
“I'm with Raymond. He wants to meet the package, now.”
“Package is secure. Raymond-”
“Who’s Raymond?” Jack said, from beside him.
Knowles whirled around, reaching for his sidearm. Jack couldn’t hide the smile on his lips. “Relax, Knowles, if I wanted to escape I could've ages ago.”
Strongest stuff in the UK, my arse. He spoke into the receiver again. “Scratch that Bryant, we're coming to you. Stand to.” He switched the radio off and turned to Jack.
“Jack, you can't just break free like that. People will shoot you.”
The chains were on the floor next to the bed. Jack had broken them and lowered them to the floor without Knowles hearing. He was getting more powerful.
“Stand to? That mean assemble the troops?” Jack said. He still had that same smile on his face.
“Something like that,” Knowles muttered. In one moment, Jack had proved who was really in charge. Just how much has he changed?
“Come on then. Let’s go meet the boss.”
3
Moments later, Knowles led Jack out into bright sunshine. Four soldiers stood in a rough semicircle around the door, guns aimed at Jack.
“All this, just for me?”
“Jack, for once, just shut it, ok?”
Jack looked at the soldiers, laughed, then followed Knowles. A path led past three buildings, each one taller than the previous. A jeep sat outside the last one, a large machine gun squatting in the back of it. The soldier standing behind the gun was staring at Jack with something close to hatred. A few months ago, I would have been terrified here. Now... Jack kept his eyes away from any soldiers. He kept focused on Knowles' back. He knew he could kill everyone here and escape. That would be the end of ever seeing Katie and Josh though.
Suddenly he stopped. Sweat broke out on his brow, and he started to tremble. Jack looked around at the soldiers surrounding him. Something was wrong, but what? He held his hand up and claws appeared, just for a moment, and then disappeared. What the hell?
Knowles kept walking, until he spotted the machine gunner turn the barrel towards him. He turned to look at Jack.
“What’s wrong?”
Jack shook his head. The feeling had passed now, as quickly as it had come. “Nothing. Keep going.”
Knowles held his hand up at the man on the jeep. Jack caught a slight almost imperceptible shake of his head. Then, Knowles opened the door to the largest building and ushered Jack inside.
4
Bryant stood to attention in front of Raymond.
“Relax, Bryant,” Raymond said, although his voice held a trace of irritation. “I don't mind the personal time, I just object to the timing.”
“Yes, sir.” Get this over with, you pompous overpaid twat.
“The journalist needed our full attention. Tracking his killer could be a matter of national security.”
“Yes, sir.” Every time you open your mouth you sound like a cliché.
“All leave, even for a few hours, is to be preapproved by me, understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And spare me the crap, Bryant, you did not get where you are by being a yes man.”
“No, sir.”
“Are you ok? You're sweating.”
“Yes, sir.” No, I feel awful. He could feel his arms and legs trembling.
Just then, there was a sharp knock on the door.
“Come!” Raymond barked. The door opened and Knowles walked in. Behind him came a man dressed in very loose combat fatigues, clearly at least a size too big for him. A few days’ worth of stubble graced his chin, and he had the dark skin and smell of someone who had not seen a shower for a long time. The stench of raw meat and stale sweat assaulted his senses. Bryant met the man’s eyes and before he knew what was happening, Bryant let out a guttural shout and changed.
5
Jack didn't have time to react beyond pushing Knowles out of the way. The soldier changed in front of him, bursting out of his clothes and leaping in one movement. Thick black fur erupted along his body as he jumped and then it was on top of Jack, jaws apart, drool hanging lower than its tongue.
Jack changed, just as the jaws snapped close, missing his face by millimetres. The Wolf bit back, aiming for the other’s neck, but it moved its head and body out of the way. The Wolf pushed up, using its back like a lever and catapulting both of them into the air. The other wolf banged into the doorframe, splintering the wood, causing the door to hang loose.
As soon as they landed, the Wolf spun on top, trying to bite the other. A popping sound filled the air and both wolves realised they were being shot at. Bullets tore into the Wolf and it yelped and crashed to the floor. The other wolf sprinted for the outside door. A soldier had pulled it open and now the wolf barrelled into him, knocking him clean off his feet. Almost as an afterthought, it ripped the man’s throat out, before running across the camp outside.
The Wolf yelped once more before its fur started to run back inside its body. Jack grunted, holding his shoulder where the bullet had torn into it.
“Knowles, it’s him. It’s the other Original,” Jack said, then passed out.
6
Knowles swore loudly as he jumped to his feet.
Behind him, Raymond was standing slowly, surveying the mess in his office. Files scattered all over the floor from where Knowles had hit the table. The door hanging off its hinges.
“Knowles, what the hell is going on?” he roared.
“No idea, sir. Stay here.” Knowles sprinted down the corridor, leaping over the dead soldier in the doorway. Blood coated the walls, arterial spray covering every surface in sight. Outside, the man on the jeep - Bryant’s man, Collins - was firing 50mm large calibre rounds across the base. Other soldiers were running towards Knowles. Every single one of them looked petrified. I'd almost forgotten what this was like.
“Where is he?” Knowles yelled at Collins, who waved in the direction the wolf had run. Knowles followed the gesture. The wolf -Bryant- was crawling towards the fence. Its back legs had been shredded by the machine gun, but it still dragged itself forward. Knowles ran towards it, feeling relieved when some of the other soldiers followed him.
Bryant was two hundred yards away, and a hundred yards beyond him was the fence. More soldiers were running from the right now, heading to cut off its route to the fence.
Got you.
Even as the thought formed, even as he saw the inevitable capture of Bryant, Knowles saw more wolves gather at the fence. He counted at least ten, all howling and snarling. Even at this distance, their teeth gleamed in the sunshine, ready to snap down on human flesh. He watched in despair as one of the wolves tore a hole in the fence with its mouth. The other wolves pushed past, through the hole and into the base. In seconds, they were amongst the troops, biting and taking them down. The soldiers were too shocked to retaliate and suddenly Bryant was at the fence. The wolf at the fence made the hole bigger and then dragged Bryant through.
Why isn't that electrified?
Knowles would worry about that later. The other wolves were now sprinting to the opening. Knowles managed a few rounds, but without time to aim, they went wild. Soldiers were also shooting, and he heard the satisfying thump of some of them hitting home. Wolves yelped, and made for the hole in the fence. None stumbled, none fell and as suddenly as it had started, the base was quiet.
The wolves were gone.
Bryant had escaped.
7
Chaos reigned. Soldiers ran in every direction, some carried wounded men to the infirmary whilst others ran to the hole in the fence. They were armed, some of them heavily, but they all looked scared.
This is a hell of a thing, especially the first tim
e. Knowles surveyed the base. Aside from chunks of grass where the 50mm had torn up the turf, the base itself was undamaged: a marked contrast to the last time Knowles had seen the wolves attack a base.
Raymond stood next to him, a scowl on his face. “Explain what is going on, Knowles.”
“Sir, I think Bryant might be one of the wolves.”
“Funny, Knowles, real funny. How did that happen and how the hell did those other wolves find him?”
“I don't know. But the last time a base was attacked, it was a lot more organised than this.” And lethal.
“Conclusion?”
“I think this was opportunistic.”
“They just happened to be passing?” Raymond nearly shouted this. Knowles winced. He knew how weak his suggestion had been.
“Where is Jack?”
“He is under lock and key in the brig, four men watching him.”
Knowles nodded, trying not to let his face show what he was really thinking. That’s not enough. Not nearly enough. If Jack wants out, he’s getting out.
“Is he still unconscious?”
Raymond nodded.
“Then we should speak to him as soon as he wakes. I'm not sure what just happened, but he might know.”
“Do it, Knowles. I want to see you as soon as you have discussed this with him.”
“Yes, sir.”
“In the meantime, I want every inch of those woods covered. I want Bryant in custody before nightfall.”
Chapter 9
1
Bryant pulled himself free of Rogers’ grip. “Let me go, I can walk.”
“You can’t walk: look at your legs. We have to run so let me help you,” Rogers said. He looked over his shoulder as the rest of his pack crashed through the undergrowth. Some kept going straight past him, two of them still in wolf form. They were in the woods, not far from the base, but surrounded by tall trees and thick bushes. Sunlight dappled thought the leaves overhead, and birds took flight to avoid the sudden commotion in their home.
“It’s the army, Rogers. Where exactly are you going to run to?”
The other man smiled. “We have a plan for that.”
“I’m screwed,” Bryant said. He fell to the ground now he had no support. His left leg was missing below the knee, but he felt nothing. His right leg was bleeding but not severely. He could put his weight on it. Healing already.
“Not yet.”
“They will hunt us down.”
Rogers nodded. “Yes, but they only know what you look like. The army do not know who we are. Please, Bryant, trust us.”
Bryant snorted. “Trust? We just met and I’m supposed to trust you? Anybody I trusted is either dead or back there, shooting at us.”
“That was the old you,” Rogers said. “Please,” he repeated, “we have to keep going. You do not need them.”
They both turned as they heard shouts behind them. Sounds too, of men coming closer. Bryant could smell their sweat. His men. His friends. Maybe Knowles too. Knowles, who would now kill everyone he was with.
“Ok, let’s go, but only until I can figure out how to get out of this mess.”
Rogers smiled then turned back into a wolf and ran. Bryant changed, marvelling for a moment at how easy that was, and started to follow Rogers. He tumbled to the ground and it was then that he realised he only had three legs. You can’t run enough. Stop and kill them all. The thought was not his – not entirely anyway. It came from deeper within him. The wolf shook his head, trying to clear the thought.
Turn around and kill them.
The wolf pulled himself up unsteadily and turned to face the men chasing him.
2
Collins crashed through the undergrowth, rage boiling inside him. Close behind came Parker and Wills. All three carried L85A2 assault rifles, each with thirty rounds in the mag. Wills’ rifle had a grenade launcher underneath it and he carried three grenades. I hope we don’t need them.
Collins stopped suddenly and held up his hand. The other two made weapons ready and stopped running immediately.
“The wolves get it big time, but Bryant comes home with us – got it?” Collins hissed. The other two men nodded, grim-faced. Collins pointed at Wills and then left, before repeating the motion to Parker but to the right. The men disappeared without making a sound.
Collins walked forward slowly, hunched over, making himself as small as possible. He was sure he had heard something. A twig or a branch snap. It meant they were close. He leaned around a tree and froze. In a small clearing, the largest wolf Collins had ever seen stood stock still. It was the same wolf he had seen running from the major’s office on the base. It was holding its left hind leg up off the floor. On second look, he saw that, actually, the leg was missing below the knee. Do wolves have knees?
Bryant. It’s not a wolf. It’s Bryant.
No sign of the other wolves. Bryant was on his own. Collins peered around the tree again, this time gazing down the sights of his rifle. Ever since the spiders in that cave, Collins had read and reread the file on Jack Stadler. As a soldier, he had been trained to believe his eyes and the situation that unfolded in front of him, not some hypothetical bullshit from the training ground. He could accept that his friend was now a wolf because that’s what was happening right now. Rationalising or saying he didn’t believe in this was for later.
“Bryant,” a voice called. The wolf’s head whipped round. Parker had stood up and was shouting at the wolf. “Bryant, hey, man! It’s us, what’re you doing?”
Oh shit.
The wolf leapt at Parker, jaws wide. Parker realised his mistake a fraction of a second too late and the wolf was on him. A tearing noise could be heard above the screams.
“Parker!” Collins yelled and opened fire. Bullets tore into the wolf’s flank and it lifted its head in pain. Blood flew out of its mouth in the motion and it spat a chunk of flesh onto the grass. It turned towards Collins, its own blood pouring out of its side. Its three legs were shaking, but it growled all the same. Then Collins heard a pop, had a second to realise what it was and then he leapt to the ground, dropping his gun and covering his ears with his hands.
The explosion came first as a loud bang followed closely by a heat wave. Lumps of earth showered down around him, as he gathered up his weapon and turned back to the wolf. It was lying in the crater caused by Wills’ grenade. Now both hind legs were missing entirely.
Wills nodded at him and they walked slowly towards the wolf, both with weapons raised. Good, he’s read the report too.
“Parker?” Wills asked. Collins shook his head, but he knew that wasn’t why Wills was asking. This was about trying to return to normality.
“Is he dead?” Wills nodded at the wolf. Again Collins shook his head.
“If he’s like Stadler, then no.”
“So, let’s get him back to base, yeah?”
Collins nodded. “Yeah.”
They looked at the wolf for a moment longer. “So how we going to do that then?” Wills asked.
Collins looked at the bleeding stumps of the wolf’s rear legs then at the massive head and jaws. “I’ll take the head.”
“What so I get covered in its blood? No way, man.”
“Alright, I’ll take the legs.”
“What so I get the head? Have you seen those teeth?”
“For Christ’s sake, Wills!”
“Just messing with you man. Jesus, lighten up.” Wills grinned and Collins chuckled, despite the situation. Just letting off steam.
“Come on then, let’s get out of here before those wolves come back.”
Wills stood by the head so Collins went to the back of the wolf. It really was massive.
“Ok, on three, lift,” he said. “Holy crap!” The wolf was heavy. It’s a long way back to base.
3
Rogers watched in wolf form as the two soldiers lifted the body of the Original. Their arms were straining under the weight and he knew they wouldn’t get far before having to stop. His ears
still rang slightly from the explosion, but other than that he was unharmed. Ryan appeared next to him, impressing Rogers with his silence. The big wolf looked at him with sad eyes.
Rogers nodded his head to the soldiers.
We follow and we wait for the right moment.
They didn’t have to wait for long. The soldiers had managed fifty yards before one of them gave a shout and dropped the wolf.
4
“His fucking leg grew back!”
Collins leapt back from the wolf, hitting a tree as he did so, but he didn’t care. Wills also dropped the wolf and ran a few yards away. He stopped and looked at Collins. “You’re kidding me.”
Collins shook his head. “No, I felt something scratch my arm, and man there it was. A leg.”
Wills walked slowly back to the wolf. He raised his weapon and looked down the sights. “Shall we pop a few more in him, just to be sure?”
The wolf moved. Its eyes snapped open and it launched itself at Wills, jaws wide. Wills squeezed the trigger, but it was already too late. The jaws snapped around his legs and Wills toppled backwards, screaming. He kept firing his weapon, bullets screaming into the air, ripping apart the trees above them. Leaves showered down around them, bringing autumn to July. The wolf moved again, this time biting down on Wills' stomach. His screaming stopped.
Collins didn’t move. He was frozen. Fear coursed through him, loosening his bladder and making his legs jelly. Something hit him from behind and he crashed to the floor, dropping his weapon. As he rolled, he saw what he already knew. The other wolves were here.
Please God, someone must have heard the shots, someone must be coming.
One of the wolves bit his leg, tearing a chunk out of his calf. Collins screamed and fumbled for his weapon. No-one is coming. You’re on your own. Deal with it!
A hand swatted his weapon away.
“Don’t,” a voice said. Deeper, rougher somehow, than usual.
Collins blinked away tears of pain and looked up at Bryant. The man was standing naked, leaning slightly on his right leg. Two wolves stood either side of Bryant, teeth bared and snarling. Without another word, Bryant turned into a wolf – it looked like it exploded out of him, consuming him completely – and all three wolves crashed away through the undergrowth.
The Original's Return (Book 2): The Original's Retribution Page 6
