by Mia Rose
Edmund saw two guys standing in a gateway. One flicked his cigarette against the far wall of the alley then raised his hands over his head to stretch.
“Time for a nap,” Edmund heard the guy say. “Push the gate closed when you’ve finished your cigarette.”
The second guy nodded and took another puff. The scent of the cigarette must’ve masked his smell because he was within a few feet and crouched behind a large dumpster. He waited for a sign when he could move. A shower of embers flew from the opposite wall of the alleyway as the second wolf flicked his cigarette. Edmund watched the cigarette fall to the ground. The tip glowed a bright orange as the wind caught it, and then it faded into nothing, and a thin plume of smoke rose from the tip.
Edmund peered over the top of the dumpster. His arm covered his mouth and nose as the stench of rotting food filled the air. Jesus that stinks. Edmund wafted his arm as flies hovered and buzzed in front of his face. He stepped away from the dumpster as the gate was swinging to a close. He dashed forward placing his hand on the large, black, steel sheet. The gate stopped from closing as Edmund moved in, obviously sensing his presence. He waited and listened. He couldn’t hear any voices or footsteps, so he made his way into the courtyard.
The courtyard was empty and silent. He stood for a moment to get his bearings. The lower windows were boarded shut from the inside, and the large door looked closed. Crap, this seems a waste of time, I’m not gonna get in.
Edmund walked along the inside of the wall to the far end of the yard, and he saw a padlocked steel cover. Ha, ha. He dashed over to the cover. The lock and chain were rusty, and he could see they hadn’t been open in a long while. Edmund looked around for something he could use to leverage the lock from the chain. There was nothing he could see. Edmund tugged on the rusty chain cursing, while his hands turned orange as the rust rubbed off onto his fingers. Edmund shook his head, and in a fit of rage, he yanked the chain. He dropped it back to the cover and stood to stare. I don’t believe it…
Whoever had put the lock on the chain last hadn’t checked it. Edmund could see the lock had popped open because a non-rusted part of the metal was visible. He crouched and tugged at the lock. It felt solid in his grasp, yet, as he twisted the metal, it opened bit by bit. Edmund slid the chain from the lock and pulled it from the hoop on the cover. He peered to his left to make sure no one had exited from the rear door.
He placed his rust-covered fingers through the hoop of the steel cover and tugged. Edmund heard a slight creak as the cover opened on its rusted hinges. Stale air flooded from below him as he lowered himself onto the steps leading from the cover. He tugged on the edge of the cover and lowered it shut.
Edmund stood and listened. His eyes struggled to focus as he stared into the darkness. His hand fumbled in his pocket, and he pulled out his cell phone. He scrolled to the torch app. Shit, low battery. Edmund held the phone ahead of him and placed his other hand against the wall. He stepped forward. The smell changed from stale air to something like the dumpster. Edmund lowered his phone, the dim light casting an ethereal glow over the bones that sat in piles on the damp floor.
“Crap. It’s a feeding room or something similar,” he mumbled. Edmund expected to reach the end as the door opened, with a couple of hungry wolves there, stood to face him. That would be a fitting end for him, to say the least. He slowed his imagination and tried to remain positive.
The smell fell behind him as the floor cleared of bones. He saw a steel door a few feet ahead. Now, this must work if they’ve been feeding in here. He raised his hand and twisted the handle. The door opened toward him, and he stepped into a white, tiled room. The room was dim, and Edmund could see the many freezers placed around the edges of the walls. He stepped closer and lifted the lid on the nearest freezer. The interior light lit the contents. Large chunks of meat filled the freezer. Edmund opened the second. The same. Shit. Gabriel has stocked up on meat, he’s expecting a war. Edmund closed the doors of the freezers before moving to the doorway.
He put his hand on the handle and pulled the door open. The hallway was silent, and he saw the basement entrance a little way from him, just a touch further from where he stood. Edmund waited then dashed over to the basement door. He stepped inside and leaned against it. He looked at the tarpaulin-covered equipment he’d left behind. Edmund sighed and walked over to the tarp and pulled up the corner. He threw it back, rummaging for the bottles of elixir, and the refrigerator storing Noelle's blood.
The Elixir sat in a carry case, like what a bartender uses to carry six bottles at once. Edmund reached across the bench and pulled it toward him. He saw the part-covered refrigerator and had to drag one bench away from the other. Edmund placed his hands on the bench and inched it apart with all his might. He crouched at the side and opened the door of the refrigerator. His hand fit through the small gap and he took hold of Noelle’s blood. Edmund paused. He heard voices from outside. Shit, I’m a dead man. He pulled his hand from the refrigerator. He pushed the bench with his hip. A small bottle of ether fell and rolled to the floor. The pungent smell quickly filled the basement. Fuck. Edmund pulled the tarpaulin back over the benches, then froze.
The voices were louder, and he saw the handle of the door turning. He looked around the room. The only place was the closet where Noelle’s parents had taped him. No good, they’ll check. He lifted the tarp. Edmund clambered underneath the bench and lifted his feet from the floor.
Edmund held his breath. The stench of the ether made him feel nauseous. The voices entered the room. It’s Gabriel, shit.
“So, we’ll have to move all this if we’re having…” Edmund heard Gabriel say.
“What’s that smell?” asked the second voice.
A female voice replied, “It smells like alcohol.”
Edmund’s eyes were fixed on the tarp. He stared as he saw the shadow standing inches away from him. “Has anyone moved this?” asked Gabriel.
The sound of Gabriel’s voice sent a chill down Edmund’s spine. The tarp fluttered as the corner was lifted. Edmund closed his eyes and prayed. He heard Gabriel sniff. If it hadn’t been for the smell of the ether, Gabriel would’ve smelled the fear coming from Edmund.
“I think someone must’ve knocked it, there’s a small bottle on the floor,” the female voice replied. The tarp fell back to the floor, and Edmund felt a sigh of relief.
Another cold chill shot down Edmund’s spine as Gabriel spoke again. He said, “If I ever lay eyes on Edmund, I’m gonna kill him, personally.”
“Right, turn right,” Judy screamed.
Declan spun the car onto the dirt track. The turnings were hard to identify, and they’d almost missed two of them. If it weren’t for the old wooden signs partly overgrown by ivy, they could’ve been driving in circles all damn night. Declan’s car kicked up dirt and gravel as the rear of the car fishtailed down the track.
“If this weren’t so serious, this would be fun,” Judy said, clinging to Declan's backpack.
The car slowed, and the headlights fell onto the jetties that sat before them. They stepped from the car after Declan killed the engine and walked to stand to look at the jetties. One small boat was tied at the side of the swamp. Declan gestured that they’d have to use that, once they knew the direction they had to go in.
Declan pulled the plastic from his pocket and looked at the instructions again. Declan knew the hard part was after this boat bit. He stared at the sky, and the sun had already started falling over the horizon.
“Anytime now we should see something happen,” Declan said, as he pulled on the mooring rope of the boat.
Judy approached the edge of the jetties and looked down at the stilts which sank into the water. She could see the levels rising, and within twenty minutes, most of the piers had become submerged. Declan jumped into the boat and rowed close to where the piers where. Now, two remained and then… there was just one. Judy walked to the end as Declan positioned the boat. She handed him his backpack and stepped inside. She sa
t facing him as he grabbed hold of the oars and made their way down the waterway the jetty pointed into.
“The second raised piece of ground,” Declan said, pulling on the oars. The air was silent, apart from insects and the oars crashing through the water’s surface. Then, out of the dark, they heard a howl.
“It sounds as if our presence is already known,” he said as they approached the first raised piece of ground.
He pushed them away from the mangrove trees with the oar and steered them around to the other side. He peered over his shoulder and saw an open expanse of water.
“I hope she’s got this right,” Judy commented. Declan was more concerned about the slithering objects he saw entering the water, just a few boat lengths away from them.
“Crocs, big fucking crocs,” he said, nodding his head over to the bank of the swamp.
Judy looked to her side and squinted. Her enhanced vision cut through the dim light. “I count six.”
Declan rowed more, and Judy raised her arm to point over his shoulder. Another jetty sat in the water. The boat floated to the jetty and Declan tied them securely.
“Now it’s time to see how far I can run,” Declan said throwing his backpack over his shoulder. “You better turn, we don’t know what we’re gonna meet down this path.”
Judy handed him her large bowie knife and grinned. “A little security, be very careful.”
She clenched her fists and flexed her shoulders. Her neck rolled as Declan watched her fingers tear from her hands and elongate into claws. He cocked his head to the side as he heard another howl from the darkness.
He looked back at Judy, her head rocked from side to side as her mouth opened. Gurgling sounds escaped from her lungs as her jaw stretched into a wolf muzzle. As her shoulders split and her white fur began to appear, she let out her own howl toward the moon. Judy lowered herself to all fours. Declan admired her white and gray coat.
“You still look hot when you’re a wolf,” he said, not expecting Judy to answer, apart from a feisty glare of her yellow eyes.
“Watch your mouth,” she replied. Declan realized he’d forgotten Judy was an alpha, of course, she was able to talk. “I’ll lead the way, and just yell if you get left behind,” she said. With that, she hurled herself forward and ran down the path leading away from the water’s edge.
Declan adjusted his backpack and tightened his grip on the knife. He took a deep breath and ran after the white fur that was vanishing into the bushes. His arms pumped at his sides as his focus stayed on the rear of Judy’s wolf form. Every now and again he saw her looking over her shoulder. Spittle flew from her lips as she panted, and her tongue lolled at the side of her jaw. Declan pushed branches from his face and his lungs seared with the hot breath that was filling them.
He managed to yell to Judy, “Wait up. I’m shot now.”
Judy’s paws dug into the damp earth. She turned and walked back to Declan raising herself onto her hind legs. She glared into Declan’s eyes as her front leg pulled back. She began to swing her arm forward as Declan closed his eyes and listened to her snarl.
Damn, have I been tricked?
“When you’re trapped, there's no way out.”
Chapter 12
The Start of Something Big
“The road home can be just as tricky.”
Noelle sat staring across the large grassed area that fronted Lucas’ home deep in the forest. She understood his reasons for leading a solitary life. It was a life Noelle could see her slipping into if she had access to her inner wolf. The chance to run for miles with no worry of being hunted —and away from the likes of Edmund, who wanted to turn all the wolves back into humankind. She sighed as her bottom lip curled over her top lip. We should all have a choice. That decision isn’t for Edmund or the hunters to decide. It’s supposed to be a free world for everyone. Noelle was sure that werewolves were roaming the earth before man, so, if anything, it was man who was encroaching onto something that wasn’t really theirs.
Noelle saw Lucas appear from the trees holding a couple of rabbits. He’d been hunting for dinner, and now that the sun had fallen, it’d be easier for him to pounce.
“I hope you’re gonna cook those suckers?” Noelle yelled across the space that separated them.
Lucas grinned as he neared the patio. “Sure, it’s not much for the last supper, yet it’ll make a change.”
Noelle’s heart sank as she heard the words “last supper.” It wasn’t the way she was thinking of it, and it wasn’t the way she wanted to think of it once she left. She knew where he lived, and deep in her heart of hearts, she knew that Lucas would invite her in with open arms, anytime that she arrived.
“I’ve never really thanked you, Lucas,” Noelle said as Lucas hung a rabbit on the side of the house.
He slid his hunting knife through the rabbit’s skin and turned to her. “You’ve got nothing to thank me for, it’s a good turn between wolves.”
Lucas slid the knife up the rabbit's belly and pulled the fur from its body. Noelle tore her gaze from the dark clouds that were pulling together high above them. Flashes of lightning struggled to bare themselves from the clouds. In the seconds it took to turn her head to Lucas (who was in the process of removing the rabbit’s head from its body), Noelle had flashes of Declan —and her family. She hadn’t thought of them much since she’d been out in the woods with Lucas, let alone while she was alone in the woods.
Noelle thought it strange no search parties had been sent out, and thinking back, she hadn’t even seen a plane overhead that might have been a search plane. Declan —she could understand him not searching, because he’d gone his own way. But her family, her mom? Her dad? They had, as far as Noelle could gather, never made an effort.
“You’ve never mentioned Declan much,” Lucas asked as he treated the second rabbit to the same ceremony as the first.
Noelle thought for a moment about how much she could remember and how much was a blur, and what she thought she could remember. All that time in the wilderness with only yourself to talk to has a strange effect on your memory.
“It’s a long story I think,” Noelle said.
Lucas speared the rabbits with the metal skewers and hung them over the grill he’d started at the side of the patio. “I’m not certain Noelle, but I have a good idea we have an empty evening in front of us. You have more than enough time to tell your story to me.”
Noelle would (on most occasions) shy away from spilling her guts about her relationships, yet it all felt a little surreal, as if she was telling a story, rather than recounting events that belonged to her past.
Lucas finished grilling the rabbits, and carried them into the house as the first drops of rain fell onto the patio. Noelle looked at the floor and watched the light gray slate darken, the wetter it got.
“Psst, you gonna come inside or sit there daydreaming?” Lucas said, now leaning against the large glass door.
“I was miles away, and nowhere in particular. My mind was blank.” Noelle stood as she took a final look at the sky. The clouds had merged with the dusky darkness of nighttime. “Yup, there sure is a storm coming, and not the usual type. I can feel it in my bones,” she said, stepping onto the stone floor in the living room.
Lucas cast his upturned hand to the table, and Noelle saw the meal Lucas had prepared without her even noticing. He smiled happily, hoping she would enjoy what he had prepared for them.
“Shit, I was dreaming quite a bit, wasn’t I?” she said as Lucas pulled a chair from under the table. “Why thank you, kind sir,” Noelle murmured, sitting.
Lucas rounded the table and sat in his own seat. He raised his glass of red wine. Noelle raised hers, and they both sipped together. Lucas put his glass on the table and leaned in to Noelle.
“Tell me, tell me from the beginning…”
It had taken Noelle the best part of four hours to tell the whole story to Lucas. He sat through it all and listened intently. For the first hour, they had been having dinner,
and then they’d moved to the couch for the final three; hunched up in front of the log fire he had started. The logs had crackled and spat as Noelle had said how she fell for Declan before she knew he was a wolf, and how her family were hunters who’d sworn death to all werewolves.
Lucas never batted an eyelid, and nothing was a shock to him. He had interrupted a couple of times with something to add. The part where Edmund and Mr. Sanders came into the picture. That interested him as much as the hunters that were roaming the country.
All that talk had been last night, and now Noelle found herself standing at the side of the pickup truck that first carried her to Lucas’ house on the night he’d saved her.
“Lucas,” Noelle said, as Lucas pulled his truck onto the main road. “You do know my leaving has nothing to do with you. That doesn’t mean it’s none of your business, it means my decision’s not, um…” Noelle started to say.
Lucas laughed as he turned the truck to head across the old wooden bridge that spanned the ravine. Noelle peered from her window and saw the river crashing against large rocks. It was no wonder she was lost in the forest; this part of the state was like nothing she recognized. She’d never even heard of the Arapaho National Forest until Lucas had told her where she was. It was even easier to see why she could never find her way out. Edmund had dumped her in the middle of seven-hundred-thousand acres. That son of a bitch has a lot to answer for.
Lucas pulled his truck into the lot of the hospital, then he opened the door for Noelle and helped her out. They crossed over to the hospital doors and stepped inside. Noelle scanned the front of the hospital. A few patients sat waiting as they leaned on walking canes or sat in wheelchairs. No nurses were dashing here and there with cries of emergency, or prepare the theater. It was all calm and relaxed.
