by M. D. Massey
“You’re Hispanic with a South Texas accent. That means you come from a traditional family with local roots. You were named after an angel. The odds that your parents were Catholic are pretty high.”
“I’m a Latina, not a Hispanic.”
He barked a laugh at me. “Actually, you’re both—if you want to be exact about it. And a bit on the feisty side as well.”
This wolf was getting on my nerves. “Oh yeah? Well tell me what your name is, and let’s see if I can guess your background,” I said as I huffed my way up a hill.
“John Smith. Good luck figuring that one out.”
I nearly laughed out loud. “You’re pulling my leg, right? John freaking Smith? Were your parents spies or something?”
I caught a shrug out of the corner of my eye as I ran. “I was an orphan, and the hospital put John Smith on my birth certificate. So, John Smith I am.”
“So you never knew your parents. I lost my parents when I was young.”
“Yeah, yeah, everyone has a sob story these days. Crying about it just marks you as weak. A little advice—nobody needs to know your weaknesses, and it’s best to keep them to yourself. Else someone might use them against you someday.”
I nodded. “I’ll take your advice to heart.”
“You do that, child—you do that.” He motioned for me to stop, and I did as he padded up beside me. “I smell smoke, and something cooking.”
I sniffed and realized that I smelled it too, but I hadn’t been paying attention. Still, I didn’t want to let him know that I could smell just as well as he could. I figured letting an enemy in on your strengths could be just as dangerous as letting them in on your weaknesses. And John Smith was my enemy.
For that reason, I played dumb. “I don’t smell anything.”
He looked at me with contempt. “That because you humans are weak and don’t have the senses of a were. Just one of the many reasons why you’ll always be sheep and slaves to us and the vampires.”
“I thought werewolves didn’t get along with vampires?” I asked.
“We don’t. But many an unlikely alliance has been created from necessity.” He made a chopping motion with his hand. “Now, stop asking questions and tell me what I’m walking into.”
“Okay, sheesh. Ahead beyond those trees is our cabin, where we hide out between jobs. He likes to stay away from people when we’re not hunting your kind, so he’ll be alone.”
The ‘thrope cuffed me across the jaw, not hard enough to do serious damage, but hard enough to sting. Still, I could feel the barely-contained strength behind that blow, and it made me painfully aware of how dangerous this plan was. But I’d come this far, so there was no sense in turning back now. Not with Raleigh and those kids in Tío Saín’s cages. If I died trying to free them, so be it.
His eyes narrowed as he scolded me. “You’ll never hunt our kind, child. You’re not strong enough. Now, explain where he might be and what I can expect to find inside that cabin.”
I rubbed my jaw sullenly and stared at the ground to avoid making eye contact with him. He might see it as a challenge, and the last thing I needed was to get my head chewed off before I even had a chance to save those kids.
“He’ll be down in the cellar, more than likely, if he’s not inside the house. There’s a trap door in the floor under the table, and it’s where he hides his supplies when we leave. If he’s downstairs, you can easily set an ambush for him as he comes back up.”
“Will he be armed?”
I shook my head, still looking at the ground. “Not on him. He usually keeps a rifle by the door, though.”
Now I was just making stuff up. I hoped like crazy that we’d catch Tío Saín upstairs and not in the basement, because I had a feeling that a fight between those two would quickly get out of control. No way I’d be able to get the kids out if they got into it down there.
“Good. Stay close, and don’t make a sound. If you’ve spoken true and I capture him, I just may let you live when this is done. However, if you’ve lied to me, I’ll strip the skin from your flesh while you scream, and I’ll keep skinning you until you tell me everything you know. Then I’ll leave you for the coyotes. Understood?”
I gulped and nodded.
“Well then, it seems we’ve reached an understanding. Let’s go.”
He headed toward the cabin and I followed him. John Smith was stealthy for such a large creature, I had to give him that. But I wondered what sort of challenge he’d be for The Sack Man. I hoped enough to give me time to get the kids out of there. If not, we’d all be screwed.
We snuck up to the side of the house and the ‘thrope looked into the window. I heard someone rattling around inside, and figured it was Tío Saín. I breathed a small sigh of relief that he wasn’t messing around in the cellar. If things went as I planned, they’d be fighting outside and I’d be able to sneak in and release the kids while the monsters were trying to kill each other.
I just hoped that this ‘thrope hadn’t been there when Uncle Tony took out his pack mates. If so, he’d recognize the difference in their appearances immediately and know he’d been fooled. I watched his reaction carefully as he leaned away from the window and whispered in my ear.
“Make one move to warn him, just one small peep, and I’ll kill you slowly after I’m done with him.”
I looked at the ground to hide the relief on my face and nodded once. The ‘thrope grunted softly and ducked under the window on all fours, slinking around the corner to the front door of the cabin. I watched him go, and steeled myself for what I had to do next.
Whatever happened, at least I’d know I’d done what I could to save Raleigh and the other kids. Hopefully, it would be enough.
John Smith opened the door stealthily, turning the handle bit by bit and barely making a sound. Like everything else in Tío Saín’s place, it was well-maintained and swung open silently on well-oiled hinges. I didn’t even want to think about what he might have used to keep the door from squeaking.
I peeked around the window sill and watched as The Sack Man poked around in the cabin’s small kitchen area, just around the corner from where John Smith snuck up on him. As the ‘thrope drew up to the corner where he was preparing to attack Tío Saín, I smashed the window with my elbow and screamed as loud as I could through the broken pane.
“Tío Saín, I’ve come back, and with help! We’re here to take your children away, and there’s nothing you can do about it!”
TWENTY-EIGHT
REFLECTED
Smith started slightly as soon as I broke the window, and the look he gave me was pure murder. At that moment I believe he knew he’d somehow been had, but Tío Saín didn’t have a clue about my plan. The Sack Man turned around slowly, still moving like an old man. But as he pivoted, the look on his face was filled with hatred despite his harmless appearance.
“You’ve come to take my children away from me, eh, wolf? Well, you’ll soon find that wolves aren’t the only creatures with claws.”
John Smith’s brows narrowed. He took a good long sniff, and recognition played across his wolfish face. The ‘thrope took a step back, holding up one clawed hand as he spoke.
“Just wait a minute here, you old duffer. You and I have been set up. I don’t care about any kids, and I don’t care about the girl. All I care about is finding the hunter that girl was working with.” He tilted his head toward the window where I watched the scene unfold, taking another step back as he did so.
Tío Saín wasn’t having it. His face took on a terrible transformation; his eyes and mouth blackened, his skin turned an ashen gray, and his hands lengthened while his fingers curled into razor-sharp talons. As he transformed, a darkness began to surround him like thick black smoke. When he finally spoke, his lips curled back from his mouth to reveal perfect, needle-sharp teeth that gleamed in contrast to the long black tongue that darted to lick his lips.
“You lie!” he screeched. “You lie! You’re in league with the
girl, here to steal my children, my prizes. But you can’t have them!”
With that last declaration, Tío Saín leapt at the ‘thrope with superhuman speed. He wasn’t quite the blur he’d been that night he took Raleigh, but he was fast. Way fast—faster than my uncle, even. And strong, too. As he collided with John Smith, his charge propelled them both through the front door of the cottage, smashing it to bits. I heard them roll off the small front porch and out into the grass and dirt.
I stuck my head out around the corner of the cabin to see how the battle would unfold. At the moment they were fighting way too close to the door for me to sneak by, and as fast as they both could move, I didn’t want to risk it. Instead, I waited for one of them to get the upper hand, or at least for the two of them to move their battle away from the cabin.
Tío Saín was a deadly opponent, and watching him battle the ‘thrope made me glad that he’d wanted to keep me alive so he could snack on me later. It was like watching a tiger fight a wolf. They rolled and scratched and bit and tore at each other, both of them trying to get the upper hand.
Finally, John Smith grabbed Tío Saín by the lapels of his coat and kicked him over his head as he rolled back. It was a tremendous throw made even more powerful by the strength in the ‘thrope’s arms and legs. The Sack Man flew through the air, bouncing off a tree and landing catlike on his feet and one hand.
John Smith rolled to his feet as well, and the two began circling each other, one growling in anger while the other seethed and muttered crazy talk to himself.
“Have to save the children, don’t let him take the children, won’t let him take the children, the children are my portion, my promise, my fee. The children are mine, mine—mine—mine—mine—mine…”
The bizarre old creature babbled on and on, and it was clear that he was not only evil, but absolutely positively one-hundred-ten percent insane. Not that I was surprised, really—but it was awful to see the depths of insanity that bubbled up from inside that thing. He was every child’s nightmare come to life, and I knew deep down in my own soul that if John Smith failed it would be my responsibility to end Tío Saín’s existence.
Smith cracked his neck and roared, then he charged the old man. Tío Saín swiped at Smith’s head, but the ‘thrope was too smart for that. He’d figured out how fast and dangerous the old man was up close, so he stayed out of range, using his longer arms to reach in and dissect the old man a piece at a time. A swipe of the claws here, a gash there, and Tío Saín’s coat was soon shredded. Yet no blood appeared in the places where his flesh was revealed by the rips and tears in his clothing; only darkness bled from those wounds.
I shivered as I realized he was a creature of pure darkness. And for a moment, I nearly cheered for John Smith.
Then the tables turned as Tío Saín was able to step inside the werewolf’s reach, and they were tussling again. Well, tussle is too mild a word to describe what happened; they tore each other apart by pieces. Where the ‘thrope’s claws tore skin, blackness leaked out. Where the Sack Man’s claws and teeth tore at the ‘thrope, he bled freely, but his wounds closed soon after they were made.
I had no idea how this battle was going to end, and decided I had to free the children and get them away before that end came. The werewolf could do as he wished to me once he’d finished Tío Saín, so long as the kids were safe. If The Sack Man came out on top, I’d either find a way to deal with him or sacrifice myself to him so the kids could escape.
Either way, I would be at peace with what I had done here. I headed into the cabin and made a beeline for the stairs, pausing only to grab the set of keys the Sack Man had left on the kitchen counter next to the stove.
I caught a glimpse of what was cooking inside the large pot that was boiling on the range. I peered at the contents just as a deformed and blistered human finger danced to the surface of the bubbling grease. It took a moment for my brain to recognize what it was. The fingertip split and burst with a sizzle and pop, tossing up little flecks of grease that burned my arm and neck. I recoiled from the stove and choked down bile. Despite what I’d told John Smith earlier, I prayed to God I wasn’t too late to save those kids.
TWENTY-NINE
SAD
I yanked open the trap door to the cellar with more strength than I thought I had and bounded down the stairs two at a time. The door to the room beyond still lacked a lock, but in its place there was a screwdriver shoved into the latch to prevent anyone from getting out. That told me there were still children alive on the other side of the door.
I hesitated for just a second, then pulled the screwdriver loose and threw the door open. The children gasped and scrambled to the backs of their cages, until they saw it was me and not Tío Saín. I quickly counted heads as the kids started screaming for me to let them out. My eyes flitted to the tree stump at the back of the room.
It was covered in fresh blood.
I searched for Raleigh and saw him inside the very same cage he’d occupied just hours before, and I let out a small sigh of relief. Scanning the room again, I realized someone was missing. It was the girl with the dirty blonde hair. My eyes started to tear up, and I wiped them quickly on my sleeve and ran to the first cage, opening it and pulling a kid out. He was small and portly, with light brown hair and serious green eyes.
“Go stand by the stairs and tell me if you hear anything or anyone coming. Go!”
He nodded silently and did as I asked. I went to each cage in turn, releasing the kids who had been captured by Tío Saín. I came to Raleigh’s enclosure last, and he smiled with tears in his eyes as his fingers grasped the cage door.
“I knew you’d come back for us, Gabby.”
I shook my head. “I was too late for her.” I nodded at the empty cage close by.
I opened the door and backed away while Raleigh crawled out of the enclosure. “She said if you came back to tell you it’s okay that she died, because it gave us more time to live.”
Tears ran freely down my face. “She seemed so bitchy. I guess she was braver than I thought. What was her name?”
Raleigh gazed at the empty cage. “April. Her name was April.”
I nodded. “Let’s get you guys out of here.” I looked to the first child I’d released, who was standing by the stairs like a soldier on guard duty, listening intently and watching the top of the stairs.
“Hey, kid—lead everyone upstairs and to the kitchen window. Crawl out and run away from here as fast as you can. Got it?” He had a determined look in his eyes, and I felt a touch of pride for how brave he was being. The kid nodded in reply and took off.
I pushed Raleigh toward the stairs. “Go, Raleigh, now—before Tío Saín comes back—or worse, maybe.”
He frowned at me. “What did you do, Gabby? How did you manage to get us out?”
“I’ll explain later, Raleigh. But right now you have to run—just stay hidden and don’t look out the front door.”
“Alright,” he replied. Something hit the wall above hard enough to cause the floor to shake, and dust rained down on our heads. Raleigh hugged me quickly, then he covered his head and ran for the stairs.
I looked around for a weapon, something to use to hold off the wolf or the Sack Man, whoever might win the battle still raging outside. The only weapons I saw at hand were the tools Tío Saín had used to butcher April, and I’d die before I touched those wicked things.
Instead, I headed up the steps hot on Raleigh’s heels. I saw the last of the kids off and tried to find something that would help me against whichever nightmare might walk through that front door.
Raleigh squeezed his fat butt out the window, and I watched him hauling ass after the other kids, yelling for them to follow him as he headed in the direction of his family’s farm compound. I waited until they were out of sight, then started tossing the place looking for an equalizer of some sort.
After a short search, I found what I needed under the kitc
hen counter, and checked it to make certain it was in working order. But for it to work properly, I’d need a source of ignition. I looked around for matches or a lighter, then realized that the gas stove would work just fine for what I intended. I hid my find behind an empty pot on the counter, then crept over to the front door.
The scene out front was insane. It looked like a tornado had landed in front of the cabin. The wreckage from the fight was strewn everywhere, and two of the logs in the front wall had been cracked. I assumed the damage to the wall had been caused when the place had rattled like an earthquake moments before. The thought of how much strength it would take to do something like that made me want to bolt and run. But someone had to stand between the kids and whatever creature won the battle.
Since I was the only one left, that job fell to me. Lucky girl.
I looked around the area to see where they’d gone, and saw Tío Saín dragging John Smith’s broken body out of the woods and back into the clearing before me. The ‘thrope’s arm dangled by a strip of skin and flesh, and broken bones stuck out from the arm above and below the wound. His face was mangled and his body was shredded, and the wolf was covered in his own blood.
But Tío Saín wasn’t much better off. His overcoat was torn in a dozen places, as well as the white shirt he wore underneath. Inky, greasy blackness spilled out from numerous gaping wounds, and he walked with a crazy bad limp. One of his legs turned sideways at the knee, and I didn’t know how he still walked on it. His face held an expression of complete and utter fury, and those black eyes and jigsaw grin told me he was and always had been bug nuts crazy.
The Sack Man spotted me as he dragged the wolf’s corpse to the center of the clearing.
“Where… are… my… CHILDREN?!” he shouted at me, so forcefully I could feel his roaring voice reverb through my body from fifteen feet away.
Calling on every last bit of self-control I had, I took a deep, shivering breath and backed into the cabin.
