This is where I belong...
He moved off at a slow pace, feeling heavy and lethargic but quite hopeful. An annoying itch troubled him. It was not a bodily itch, but an itch of the mind. Something he must do ... something to combat and beat this human the others called Stroud. Something he had put away in his mind but could not yet recall. The drugs and weakening agents they had used on him had shorted out the powers of his mind and his cunning.
But slowly ... surely, those powers would return. Like the cunning of having used his shape-changing to lure the one fool into his grasp. He knew such an attack would send Stroud racing to him. He wanted nothing more than to die with Stroud at the end of his fangs.
The hatred for Stroud had kept him alive. His hatred for this one man transcended every other consideration. He did not know why--not completely. He did not know how Stroud had managed to track him. He did not know the full significance of the dark-eyed, dark-haired woman who stared into his eyes whenever she came near, and who hung on Stroud. But he knew she was Stroud's weakness; that if he could get to her ... then he could get to him.
Kerac made his way deeper and deeper into the forests, feeling gay at the freedom that was his. He made his way down from the hill and up along ridges, following the path of a secret and hidden stream where the only scents were those of animals.
From above the cloud cover, the whirlybirds waited as Cage monitored Kerac's movements from the air. Chopper one, with the others following a close second, kept Kerac within the range of the transmitter. Cage's words were like a chant as they filled everyone's earphones: "He's moving, moving, moving fast ... almost a straight line ... moving, like he knows where he wants to go. Moving on."
The beep of the transmitter was impossible to hear with all the noise of the helicopter, but the light was unmistakable. They stealthily followed on Kerac's trail.
"Signal's getting weaker," announced Cage. "Some interference."
"Bring us down, Dave," Stroud told the pilot, who responded immediately, dropping their altitude. Below and ahead of them they saw a large valley into which Kerac had gone.
"We're going to lose him in there," came Saylor's voice over the radio from the helicopter behind them.
"Anywhere to set down, Dave?"
"Just to the left ... looks like a bald ridge."
"Do it."
"Signal is really now interfered with, Abe," said Cage.
"What's the cause? Can density of trees do that?"
"Perhaps some, but this is irregular fluttering."
"Damn it," said Saylor as his chopper was settling down beside Stroud's, "we're going to lose him, aren't we?"
"No way."
"Something's wrong with the transmitter, Abe," said Cage.
"But you implanted it yourself, Lou."
"I know that, but look at these fluctuations."
"I say we stop fooling around and just track the bastard," said Saylor, speaking for his men. The third helicopter's rotors now came to a spinning halt on the knoll that overlooked the darkness into which Kerac had disappeared. The soldiers hopped from the machines at the ready, spreading out on Saylor's orders, told to stand at watch.
Saylor had pulled away his headphones and was now standing at the cargo bay door, where Stroud waved him over. "Something's going haywire with the transmitter, but I'm not so sure we ought to go down in there, Earl. This isn't going to be like fighting other men, and if you and your men rush into their territory..."
"Abe, you're paying us to do it for you. So, we'll follow your orders. But I don't see how we're going to keep Kerac in our sights. If the bug's not doing it for us, then we have to use the eyes in our heads."
Stroud understood the logic, but he feared sending anyone down into the big gully where the wash seemed to go on forever below a canopy of jack pine and other fir trees.
"They start getting the scent of all that raw meat you brought with us, your band of wolfmen are going to be coming to us," said Anna More. "And maybe that's how Mr. Saylor would like it?"
"Not a bad idea, ma'am," said Saylor. "But how's this for an even better one?"
"Go on," said Stroud, hearing that Cage inside was still having difficulty with the transmitter equipment. Much static was blazing from it now.
"Take the choppers over toward the other side, upwind. Drop the meat in a clearing, guide us by radio contact to that clearing, and we'll open fire on the damned beasts when they come to feed on it," Saylor said.
Tulley had joined the conference, and now he added, "Guide us toward the static. We'll still pick up Kerac by the static, on foot, if you lead us in from the air. Hell, it may not be working cleanly, but it's still working and it's surgically implanted, so we ought to be able to track the sucker."
"Good idea," said Stroud. "All right, let's do it, but for God's sake, Saylor, all of you, take great care with these beasts, and at the first sign of darkness, get to a designated rendezvous point for pick up. We don't stand a chance in there in the dark against them. Cage tells me they have night vision."
"You ought to hold back here, Dr. Stroud, with the choppers," suggested Saylor.
Stroud shook his head vehemently. "No, no way. This is my show, Earl."
"You're sure?"
"I'm going in, too," said More, tossing down several of the gas masks they'd be carrying, and hefting one of the TV remotes she'd have to carry on her shoulder.
"Anna, you're staying with Cage. He'll need your assistance."
"Not this Indian," she said firmly.
Stroud saw there was no use arguing with her, and Cage was shouting from inside that the transmitter was nearly faint.
"Indicates he's still moving," said Abe.
"No time to waste," said Saylor. "Let's be at it!"
Provisions and the silver bullets were unloaded along with the AK-47s. Everyone also had to heft a canister filled with the gas that was lethal to Kerac's kind. They took very little of the raw meat that had been impregnated with the toxic poison, not wishing to become Kerac's target. As the provisions were being downloaded, Lou Cage voiced his objections to anyone going in after Kerac on foot.
"I thought this was going to be done strictly from the air, Abe! This is madness, to go in there afoot without knowing how many of these things you face!"
"I'm not about to send men in there to risk their lives when I'm not willing to do it myself, Lou."
"But we need you in the air, in control."
"That will be left to you now, Lou."
Abe turned his back on his old friend and began preparing for the descent into the valley that gaped below them. As the soldiers, Anna More and Abe assembled their bulky gear, behind them the helicopters lifted off; this made them all turn and stare after the choppers. With the helicopters went any semblance of safety, along with the large stores of poisoned meat that would be dumped at an agreed-upon site.
As they moved into the woods, Blue said to Nails, "These devils get a whiff of you, Nails, and we could all wind up like those happy campers we saw this morning."
"Give your mouth a rest, Joe."
Meanwhile, Stroud and Saylor checked their communications line with the helicopters as they all moved along.
Anna More drifted toward the other female in the group, curious about her, and also feeling some connection with her. As they walked, More asked Nails, "Why do you do this?"
"What?"
"It couldn't be for the money."
"Why not for the money?" asked Nails a bit scornfully.
Anna said simply, "If you and the others did this for money, and money alone--but maybe it's none of my business."
"You got that right, Chief!" said Nails sarcastically.
They continued on in silence a moment, but then Nails cleared her throat and said, "Me and Blue have a thing going, you know. We love to hate one another, but we love it more than we hate it ... I don't know."
Anna half smiled at this, nodding. "Think I know what you mean."
"I noticed something betw
een you and the doc," said Nails.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Obvious? It's all over the two of you anytime you're within sight of one another. He's a handsome guy, and from what Saylor's told us, one brave sonofa--well, he's okay."
After another pause, Anna asked again, "Why are you here, Miss Nells?"
The other woman laughed and mimicked this. "Miss? Nobody's called me Miss in years." She hefted the AK-47 to Anna's eyes. "Where else am I going to get to play with toys like this, huh? That answer your question? Think about it."
There was some static between Stroud and Cage, but when this cleared, Cage's voice came over, making everyone relax. It was good to know they had contact with someone on the outside of this world without rules.
"Take every precaution. From the air, we've seen nothing of what you'd call a herd movement, Abe. They seem to be invisible. Probably everywhere around you."
"Thanks, Lou ... that's comforting to know."
"Abe, you should get out now."
"Lou, you yourself just told me that Kerac can't be tracked by air."
"But Abe, you're risking everyone's life--not just your own."
"We allow these things to spread, Lou, and who will be safe?"
"Damn it," replied Lou. "Just, all of you, be extremely careful."
"Will do, my friend."
All of the soldiers had stopped in their tracks to listen to the dire exchange. Cage was sounding more and more unhinged, and he was safely away. The soldiers of fortune looked about at one another and Priest said, "What good's the money, Saylor, if we don't live to use it?"
"Can that crap, Priest. We're better equipped to handle these ... these things, and we've got more brains than they do. So, can the bull."
Blue cleared his throat to say something, and Saylor shouted, "You, too, Joe!"
"Will do," replied Blue, who took Nails aside for a private word.
The soldiers were anxious to get in. "Let's find this herd!" Tulley shouted, his gaunt frame like that of Clint Eastwood.
"The moment we locate the main colony, the strike will again become an air raid, do you understand, Tulley, Saylor?"
"Roger," said Saylor.
"Ditto," replied Tulley without enthusiasm.
Stroud spoke by remote to Cage overhead. "Keep us within your monitor range, Lou."
"Absolutely, Abe. Pilots are scouting ahead for good sites to dump the meat, and for rendezvous with your unit."
"Roger that, and thanks."
"Take every precaution, Abe."
"Understood and out."
They began making their way through the brush, Nails and Blue at the point.
-17-
Abe Stroud stared down at the hand-held monitor that was picking up the weak signal coming from the transmitter in Kerac's forearm. He recalled how they had sedated Kerac and how Lou Cage had surgically implanted the device, closed it over with stitches, and until now it had worked perfectly. He wondered what could have gone wrong with it. From overhead, Cage, too, was continuing to get poor, unpronounced readings, and it was touch and go as to exactly where Kerac was.
"Anything?" asked Anna More, coming alongside Stroud now.
Just as she spoke, Stroud began to get a stronger reading. "It's getting stronger, indication is southeast." He pointed. "That way."
"I see your reading is stronger," said Cage from far above, monitoring through Stroud's shoulder remote camera. "Also, we have located a clearing for pickup about seven hundred yards from your present location, bearing--what is it, Dave?--twenty degrees northeast."
"That's a long way off," said Stroud. "And we're going away from it. Can you find anything closer to our location?"
"Nothing quite so safe," said the pilot, "but we'll have another look-see."
The signal was very strong now. "He's close," said Stroud. "We must keep silent. He has extremely good hearing."
They moved in the direction of the signal. In fifteen minutes they were atop it. Stroud indicated it was right before them, but there was no sign of Kerac. The party moved in cautiously, guns at the ready. Stroud was frustrated by the cat-and-mouse, disappointed that things were going so badly. Should Kerac suddenly, leap from one of the trees and be shot to death with the lethal silver-tipped bullets, the hunt would end here and the others of his kind would never be found.
Yet, there was no sign of Kerac. Only the beeping signal disturbed the pristine silence of this place until Nails suddenly shouted, "Oh, Jesus! Over here! Over here, now!"
Blue was the first to reach Nails' location, and he stared down to the leaf-strewn earth, pointing and saying, "There's your damned monster-finder, Stroud! Christ! We've been following a useless signal all along!"
Tulley, Saylor and Priest joined the other two, all the men standing in a circle, staring down at what remained of Kerac's left hand and forearm where Kerac had literally broken the bone and ripped or chewed through his own limb to free himself of Stroud and the others. Stroud and Anna now stared at the hairy forearm, matted with blood where ants and flies picked at it.
"Sonofabitch."
"Damn."
"Unbelievable."
Stroud stood shaking his head. He tried to recall what, if anything, had ever been said within Kerac's earshot about the signal implant. Stroud and the others had been too cavalier about how much Kerac understood, and just how cunning he could be. "We can't ever underestimate him again," Stroud said now.
"Got to hand it to your little pet, Stroud," said Saylor. "He'd make one hell of a soldier."
"Think you could do that if you had to, Blue?" asked Nails.
"If I had to, yeah," lied Blue, making the other soldiers laugh.
"Well, now he's suckered us in deep," said Tulley. "What do you suppose his next move'll be?"
Priest did a 360 turnabout, staring up at the trees. "Bet he's looking right at us, right now. Having a good laugh ... or growl."
The others began to search the forests for signs of the creature. Every tree and bush was in spring growth and some of the underbrush was so thick they'd have to walk around it or spend hours cutting through. Saylor said, "Stand down, relax. If he was within a mile, we'd smell him. Take five."
They all went for their water canteens, some pulled out smokes. Saylor, Tulley, Stroud and Anna More came together to parley over the situation as Stroud informed the helicopter crews and Cage about the turn of events.
"So we gathered from the remote pictures you're sending back," said Cage. "Should have considered it ... should have implanted it in an unreachable area, say the small of his back, but--"
"Who knew he'd do such a thing? Who knew he was even cognizant of what we were doing?" countered Stroud.
Werewolf's Grief (Bloodscreams #2) Page 18
