Larry’s eyes sheened with unshed tears. Big Chief leaned forward and continued the tale. “We thought that there must be something better out there. Somewhere safe, a place run by those with a noble heart and unrivaled compassion. But, after searching for what seemed like weeks and finding nothing but corrupt towns run by their own oppressors, we decided to chance it out in the woods.”
“Bold move.” Huckle tore off a chunk of meat with his teeth and tried his hardest not to stare at the girls’ exposed chests.
Larry caught his eyes and chuckled. “Don’t worry, pal. When all your friends are stripped down to their dangly bits, you find they’re not so special in the end.”
“Oi,” the girl said, pressing her breasts together. “What do you mean? I’m proud of these.”
Huckle’s eyes nearly popped out. Ash looked at the floor, feeling Alice’s stare delving into him. When he looked up at her, Alice was smiling. “Dopey git.”
Larry continued talking into the night, explaining to the Revolutionaries that they had more than pits to defend the tribe from the Mad. Around the settlement was a series of rope traps, trip wires, and alarms composed of dried hollow fruit that knocked together when any Mad tried to sneak past. Between them all, they maintained the traps and lived in harmony in what Larry fondly called The Sweet Spot.
“That’s a rad name,” Ben said.
Larry nodded and smiled. “It’s our little piece of Heaven. Our safe place out in the wilds. We searched for somewhere perfect for what we were after, and here we are. In The Sweet Spot of the forest.”
“You call living in leaves and luring Mad into pits, heaven?” Flo asked. “Sounds like a nightmare to me.”
“How can you say that?” Ash said. “We picked you guys up from a town whose only defense was coils of barbed wire around its edge, where the men beat the women, claimed them, and abused them, and you think this is a nightmare?”
“Well…when you put it that way,” Flo conceded. “I guess we’ve all got our own Colonel Splatterbrains, right?”
“That was just a nickname, right?” Huckle asked.
The tribe looked uneasily at each other. Dylan noticed one tribesman sat at the furthest reaches of the fire, his face low and shadowed. Only the narrow glint of his eyes could be discerned, watching them all. He clutched the bone of a pig leg in one hand, dripping fat onto the floor.
“Let’s just say that the colonel had a love for firearms,” Big Chief responded at last.
Dylan looked solemnly at the floor, watching the shadows of the grass flicker in the dying embers of the fire.
“Come.” Larry found a way to change the tone. “Now that we’ve thoroughly depressed the shit out of you, let's make you a nice comfy bed of leaves.”
Dylan grinned, stood up, and followed him. As he left the light of the fire, he couldn’t help but flick his gaze to the shadowed man in the corner who still watched with unblinking eyes.
Abandoned Factory, Silver Creek Forest, Old Ontario
Jaxon sped ahead, darting through the forest. He moved effortlessly between the trees, pausing every now and then as he waited for them to catch up.
Caitlin was near breathless, her heart racing. Where had Kain gone?
She had come out of the factory the moment she had realized that the door was open. Cautiously, with Moxie leading the way, she headed into the forest, Mary-Anne and the others following closely behind, until she heard the cries of the dying Mad.
“This way,” Caitlin had whispered.
But by the time they arrived at the place where Kain had been, there was nothing more than several Mad dead on the floor.
“Damn,” Caitlin said.
“I know.” Laurie placed her hands on her hips.
“No.” Caitlin sighed. “Look. Four of them. He was gunning for my number.”
Mary-Anne sniffed the air. “Strange.”
“What?”
“I can smell… Weres.”
“Weres?” Tom replied, gripping his blade tighter.
“Well…yeah,” Caitlin reminded her. “It’s Kain we’re after.”
“No… Weres. Plural,” Mary-Anne said, working her nose. “Though…I might be wrong. Something smells…off. Not as strong a scent as I remember.”
“Which way do they lead?” Caitlin asked.
Mary-Anne furrowed her brow. “I’m uncertain. Already, the scent is losing its potency.”
Which is when they all looked at Jaxon.
They had set the dog to work then, his nose exploring the area to scent the Weres. After a moment of snuffling around on the ground, Jaxon’s ears pricked up, and he sped off into the foliage.
Caitlin wasn’t sure how she knew, but this was bad news. Kain would never voluntarily leave the group. Something must have happened to make him flee.
“Keep up,” Caitlin barked at Joe and the others. If they weren’t giving chase, Caitlin might have laughed at the small man and how ridiculous he looked trying to leap over roots and shrubs. After a short distance, Tom bent low and presented his back, and before they knew it, Joe was riding shotgun like a furry little backpack.
“Y’alls best not tells no-one abouts this,” he said, his voice shaking with each jolt and step of Tom’s stride. “You knows I have my prides, yes, I do.”
“Pride, schmide.” Tom grunted. “Get over yourself and let’s go.”
They ran for what felt like hours through the forest, hardly paying attention to where they were anymore. Oblivious to the ruins and reminders of the old world they passed, they focused on nothing more than the chase and on Jaxon in the lead. He set a brisk pace, forcing them to run until their calves began to burn and even Tom and Laurie could keep up no longer. Jaxon barked and yipped loudly, desperate to continue the pursuit.
“Forget it, Jax,” Caitlin said breathlessly. “It’s breather time.”
Laurie fell to her knees, her hands clutching her hips as she gasped deep breaths in and out. Tom approached, trailing through the trees and his steps laborious. He plonked Joe down and fell on his own ass, his head peppered with sweat which he smeared with the back of his hand. Only Mary-Anne seemed fit enough to continue.
“Humans,” she tutted, rolling her eyes.
“You know what?” Caitlin jibed. “If you want to drink from us all and turn us into nightwalkers, then, by all means, go ahead. That would make this whole thing a damned sight easier.”
Mary-Anne licked her lips. “Don’t tempt me.”
Jaxon continued barking, hopping on his hind legs and pointing his nose ahead into the trees.
“Jax, keep it down,” Caitlin reassured him. “Just give us a minute.”
“Doesn’t matter now,” Tom said. “Any chance of a sneak attack is pretty much gone anyway with him belting like that. I’m sure every Mad in a two-mile radius is already trying to zero in on our location.” Tom held up his arms and emulated a Mad. “I can’t have human, so dog will do…”
“Jax. Shut it.” Caitlin made her tone stern and commanding.
The dog looked back at Caitlin and whined, his ears dropping low against his head. She felt bad for the pooch. He was only doing what he’d been trained to do—to alert his master to any nearby danger. But at that moment, she didn’t care what came. They could tackle the Mad if they came, but she needed a quick breather.
She walked over to him, bent low, and stroked his back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to shout. You’re a good boy, aren’t you? You’ve got us this far, at least.”
Laurie stood up, disheveled from the run. There were dark stains under her armpits. “Which is all well and good. But do we know where ‘this far’ is? Where the hell are we, Caitlin?”
Shit, Caitlin thought. Where are we?
She extracted her map and looked at the parchment. It was too dark to see the drawings properly, and there were few landmarks to go by to provide an indication of their whereabouts. She trailed her finger over the page, doing her best to imagine their journey and where they might have stopped.
“Well?” Laurie asked accusingly.
Caitlin stammered and was about to open her mouth when a blood-curdling howl sliced the silence. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
“What was that?” Caitlin asked.
“I think we’ve found our Weres,” Mary-Anne said in a voice so soft they could hardly hear her. “Get your shit ready.”
They stood waiting, weapons drawn as twigs snapped and leaves rustled. Jaxon’s hackles were raised, although he moved backward until he pressed against Caitlin’s legs. Caitlin wondered what type of Weres these people were to make such a noise. Lions? Bears, perhaps?
And then she saw it. At first, it appeared to be a part of the trees until the thing staggered toward her, its eyes burning a fierce amber.
“What the—” Mary-Anne gasped.
What’s wrong? Caitlin was about to voice the question when the creature stepped into a shaft of moonlight and she saw the problem. “Oh…”
The thing was hideous. With a height way taller than any of them, razor-sharp teeth coated in saliva, and a body covered in fur, it reminded Caitlin of a larger version of how Kain looked when he was in mid-transformation. Its arms stretched from its shoulders almost to the ground, and its back was hunched.
The creature lumbered towards them, sizing up its prey. Strings of saliva fell from its mouth.
“Ma?” Caitlin said. “Care to explain this one?”
“What? You’ve never seen Kain with a hangover before?” Mary-Anne joked until the thing howled once again, its head to the moon, then continued its snarling. The vampire’s face fell, serious once more. “That’ll be a lycanthrope. A Were affected by the Madness.”
“Affected how?” Tom said.
Mary-Anne started to open her mouth, but the lycanthrope began to sprint towards them. It lumbered along, using its front paws like an ape, its long claws digging up dirt as it propelled itself towards them.
“Maybe now’s not the time,” Mary-Anne said, diving sideways out of its warpath. It turned, struggling to change its own forward momentum as it swung one of its long arms, catching Tom who flew backward and thumped against the trunk of a tree.
“Son-of-a-bitch!” He cried, clutching his stomach.
“No woman would claim this as her son,” Caitlin shouted, running at the lycanthrope. It reached for her and she ducked out of its way, catching one of its long hairy arms with Moxie. A stream of blood poured onto the forest floor and the creature began to screech in unmistakable pain.
“A little help, perhaps?” Caitlin called to the others.
Laurie, who had stood frozen in shock, now prepared her bow. She moved to Tom’s side, using the trunk as cover as she nocked an arrow, trained the sight, and let one fly.
The missile streamed through the air and found its target in the lycanthrope’s thigh. The beast looked down in disbelief. Then, with an angry roar, it snapped the arrow off and tossed most of it to the ground, the head of the arrow still buried in its leg.
“I think we can safely say this isn’t Kain,” Caitlin yelled. “One arrow and that whiny bitch would be out cold on the floor.”
“Harsh words,” Mary-Anne replied, running at the lycanthrope’s back. “True, but harsh.”
With a leap, she landed on its haunch and climbed up until she could plant her feet firmly on its shoulders. She dropped down into a seated position, put her hands beneath its chin, and began to pull.
“Pop goes the weasel…woah—”
In a speedy bout of rage, the lycanthrope bucked, forcing Mary-Anne to hold on for her life. The thing was strong—almost unimaginably so—and a second later, it grabbed at the vampire with one claw and threw her onto the floor.
Caitlin helped Mary-Anne up, then was forced to dive aside again as the creature took another charge.
Joe, who had stood behind the cover of the trees keeping Jaxon steady, now stepped into the space left in the lycanthrope’s wake. He sighted his eye along his shotgun and aimed it at the creature’s back. “And I thought those damn lunas were a pain in my ass,” he said, pulling the trigger.
The bullet tore through the air, finding its target, and a meaty chunk of flesh ripped off the massive body. It turned in anguish, one shoulder now slumping towards the floor.
Caitlin and Mary-Anne paused at Joe’s side.
“All for one,” Mary-Anne shouted, her sword high in the air.
Caitlin looked blankly at her.
“And one for…you know what? Never mind,” Mary-Anne muttered as they all attacked as one.
The lycanthrope roared, saliva spraying from its jaws as Laurie’s arrow embedded in his neck. A moment later, another bullet from the shotgun entered its chest. As the creature fell to the floor, Mary-Anne and Caitlin piled on top, doing whatever they needed to do to ensure that the creature went down and stayed down.
“I was always a strong believer in team-building exercises,” Caitlin commented wryly as the beast’s final breath rattled into nothing. “But next time, can we maybe forage for fruit or sing “Kumbaya?” I mean…what the fuck was that?”
All eyes turned to Mary-Anne, who now sat on the shoulder of the fallen creature.
“A lycanthrope.”
“Yeah, we heard that part,” Laurie said. “But what is it?”
“I’ve only heard rumor of them before—years ago before I went into hibernation. They are Weres who have degenerated so far that they can no longer change back into either of their forms.”
Caitlin thought back to Kain’s transformation at Ashdale Pond and how labored and difficult the transition had seemed. She felt a pang of guilt knowing that she had encouraged his transformation. What if he had never been able to turn back, too?
“Pretty soon, they all have to make a choice,” Mary-Anne said. “To live in their animal form, or to tough it out as humans. Those unlucky few who fly too close to the sun? They get stuck.” She looked down at the hulking beast of the lycanthrope. “Maddened, enraged, feral creatures.”
“Shit,” Tom said. “And I thought Kain was bad enough as it is. I’d hate to see him stuck doing the Time Warp.”
Caitlin chuckled, but her stomach fell, jarring her back to reality. With all the distraction from the lycanthrope attack, Kain could be miles away by now.
“Come.” She pushed to her feet. “We need to get a move on if we’re going to find wolf-boy.”
“Well I certainly feel well-rested,” Tom said as Laurie helped him back to his feet. His hand still clutched his stomach.
“Are you okay?” Laurie asked.
“Just bruised, I think,” Tom replied. “I’ve had worse, darling, don’t you worry.”
Caitlin clicked her fingers at Jaxon and sent him back to work. For a moment, he simply sniffed the floor in circles, and she wondered if the trail had been lost in the confusion resulting from the attack.
But He barked and sprinted ahead. Caitlin and the others gave chase once more. A series of red eyes appeared far behind them, too slow to catch up with the humans who sped off into the trees without looking back.
Chapter Eight
The Sweet Spot, Silver Creek Forest, Old Ontario
When Dylan awoke, the world was dark. He looked around, wondering where he was for a moment. A haze of sleep muddled his thoughts until he felt the wood beneath him and heard the gentle snores of Huckle and Flo on either side.
He stretched, shaking off the dream he had just had—a dream in which he was back at Silver Creek with Caitlin. Back when they were kids, racing through the streets, avoiding the Silver Creek guards through fear of punishment and reprimand by the governor. Ma back at home cooking something sweet-smelling while Pa was off God-knew-where, as usual.
It was a sweet dream, something which Dylan held on to tightly. He wondered what Caitlin was up to now. Had she found the vampire and was already on her way back home?
With Mary-Anne and Kain on her side, it should be simple, really. Bing-bang-bosh, done. Tick the box, make your way back
to your cozy bed.
Of course, his mission wasn’t at all difficult. Somehow, despite the strangers snoozing around him, he felt safe and at peace. Maybe Larry was right. They really had found The Sweet Spot in the forest, a little nugget of safety circled by countless traps and pits.
But is that really as sweet as a world with no walls, locks, or doors? A world in which folk can walk freely without fear of the Mad or the corrupt?
Dylan rose from his place on the floor and snuck outside into the open air. It was crisp and cool. The last glowing embers of the fire pulsed lazily amongst the charred twigs and sticks in the center of the huts.
He wandered to the edge of the settlement, let his pants drop, and pissed into the leaves. The night was clear above as he watched a shooting star arc across the canvas of sky.
Somewhere in the distance, he heard a Mad scream.
Dylan stood there a moment, listening and trying his best to be present as his urine trailed down the tree and soaked the earth.
When he had finished, he shook, turned, and wandered back to the small shack. He walked slowly, deep in thought, barely noticing as the shadow of a man crossed the settlement and entered through the door of his hut.
Huh? Dylan thought as the door creaked softly on its hinge. He looked up and caught the last of a leg disappearing inside.
He entered stealth mode, crouching low and tiptoeing to the hut’s window. He sat beneath it for a second, listening, but could hear absolutely nothing inside. He clawed his fingers over the windowsill and poked his head up in time to see the figure, crouched low over Ash as he pulled something out of his pocket.
“Hey!” Dylan called. “You. What have you got there?”
The figure looked up suddenly, eyes glinting in the shadows. In a flash, they were gone, out the door and sprinting away.
Ash sat up groggily, rubbing his eyes. The others followed suit. “What the—”
Hunting The Broken: Age Of Madness - A Kurtherian Gambit Series (The Caitlin Chronicles Book 3) Page 7
