Afflicted

by Susanne Valenti

  He let out a small chuckle as he pulled the first knife free and I raised an eyebrow at him questioningly. He handed it to me by way of explanation and I smiled as I looked at the novelty handle which was shaped like a dog.

  “Well if I'm gunna be fighting wolves, I'd like to have a dog on my side,” I said.

  “You might as well have two,” Spencer said, handing me another. “As we've got a set of six.” He gave Rose two more of the knives and kept the final pair for himself.

  “Give me the rolling pin too,“ Rose said as she pocketed one of her knives. “I think I'd prefer having something I can swing.”

  Tara handed it over with wide eyes and moved aside as the three of us shuffled towards the rear of the van. The dog-shaped handles dug into my palms as I gripped the knives like my life depended on them. Which it quite easily could.

  “Last chance for someone to come up with a better plan,” Spencer said as he placed a hand on the door handle.

  “Wait,” Ryan said, catching my wrist. “I'll go instead of you.”

  A little voice in my head jumped for joy at the prospect of waiting in the van while Ryan faced the wolves in my place and I hesitated. But I didn't want to be rescued. And I sure as hell didn't want to feel responsible if something happened to him. No. I’d volunteered to go out there and that was what I was going to do. Backing out would just make me feel like a coward.

  “It's my plan,” I said firmly. “So I'm going.”

  “Kaitlyn-“ Reese began but I glared at him.

  “Let’s just get this over with,” I said turning back to Spencer and Rose.

  “You guys ready with those beers?” Spencer asked as he pushed the handle down.

  “Ready,” Lacey agreed. Tommy and Jason had crowded in next to her with bottles of their own ready to throw. Everyone else moved back, getting out of the way.

  I'd never been much of an adrenaline junkie but as I stood waiting for the doors to open I felt energy coil in my stomach. My heart pounded and my grip started to feel slick on the hilt of my knife. I could have almost confused the feeling with excitement if I wasn't so sure it was terror.

  Spencer took a deep breath and threw the door wide.

  The street outside seemed clear and we hopped down, glancing around nervously.

  Rose took the lead and slipped around the van to the righthand side where the shadows were thicker. A huge truck was half on the curb beside us making a narrow gap for us to run along.

  Our friends started screaming warnings and breaking glass sounded on the street behind us as they launched their beer missiles.

  We broke into a sprint and dashed for the passenger door.

  A wolf leapt out of the darkness just before we reached it and Rose swung her rolling pin as she screamed in fright.

  The wolf yelped as the rolling pin collided with its jaw and it spun away.

  I passed Rose as she staggered back and reached the passenger door of the cab. I dropped one of my knives, grabbing the handle and flinging it open.

  I scrambled inside, dragging myself over the first seat and onto the next. The driver’s door was open and I crawled across the seats as I reached for it. My heart hammered uncontrollably and I lurched to a stop as my waistband caught on the handbrake.

  I fumbled as I tried to release it and slipped off of the edge of the seat, steadying myself with my foot on the floor.

  “Move, move!” Spencer urged as he clambered in behind me and shoved me towards the driver's seat to make room.

  I grabbed the steering wheel and wrenched myself over the handbrake, hearing the other door slam behind me as Rose made it inside too.

  I reached for the driver's door as a low growl sounded right outside. Before I could grab the door, the wolf lunged and I fell back with a scream.

  I kicked out, catching the wolf in the snout as I turned the steak knife towards it. I swung the knife as the wolf came for me again.

  Warm blood splattered my face as the wolf howled in pain and leapt away from me. I dropped the knife and it clattered into the footwell as I grabbed the door and slammed it.

  I fell backwards and felt Spencer's arms close around me as I practically fell across his lap. I couldn't catch my breath and I just lay there for several seconds, staring at the closed door as the shock wore off.

  A wolf slammed into the door, yapping angrily and I flinched.

  “Are you okay?” Lacey called from the back of the truck, her voice muffled through the thin wall.

  “All present and accounted for,” Spencer agreed shakily. “Everyone alright back there?”

  “We’re fine. Can you just get this thing moving?” Demi called impatiently.

  “We need to swap places,” Rose said as she pointed to the steering wheel in front of me.

  “Okay,” I agreed.

  I moved aside as Rose clambered over Spencer, half falling into his lap as she did so. I expected him to crack a flirtatious joke but he just lifted her off of him and slid along to the far passenger seat. As he gazed out of the window, a low howl sounded, sending a shiver down my spine.

  Rose clambered over me next and I wriggled underneath her into the centre seat as she finally made it behind the wheel.

  Spencer reached forward and used his sleeve to wipe the wolf blood from my face. “You were pretty badass there.” He smiled at me and I returned it.

  “Let’s just hope I never have to be again,” I replied with a shudder. I had just come far too close to death for my liking.

  I gazed out into the gloomy evening and tried not to panic as I spotted several canine shapes circling between the abandoned cars outside.

  I jumped as the electric engine roared to life and Rose gave me an apologetic smile.

  “Let’s see if we can get out of here,” she said as the truck started moving.

  “Hold on back there!” Spencer called to the others.

  Rose twisted the steering wheel hard to the right and bumped up onto the curb. There wasn't enough space for the van to fit between the car in front of us and a low wall that lined the sidewalk so she rammed the car aside. Metal groaned as the van forced a path into existence and the red sedan was shoved out of the way.

  A wolf mounted the pavement ahead of us, baring its teeth in the headlights.

  We made it past the sedan and Rose floored it. The wolf jumped aside just before we reached it and Rose swerved left suddenly, narrowly avoiding a lamppost.

  I almost fell into her at the sudden shift in direction and Spencer caught my arm to pull me upright again.

  Swearing came from the rear of the van at the sound of falling boxes. I couldn't help but feel glad to be in the front and let out a small laugh before I could stop myself. I must have been mad to be laughing in our situation but I suddenly felt like I couldn't hold it in.

  Rose swerved right between abandoned cars and Demi screamed behind us.

  I slapped my hand over my mouth as I laughed again and Spencer let out a snigger too. That was enough to make me completely lose control and I pressed my hand over my mouth to smother the sound as I laughed harder. Rose slammed on the brakes suddenly and someone thumped into the wall behind my seat.

  Spencer let out a bark of laughter and I completely lost control. It must have been shock but I hadn't laughed that hard since I was a kid. And after the things we'd seen I really needed to laugh.

  “Err guys,” Rose said slowly as I wiped my eyes.

  “You're both assholes,” Lacey called through the grille behind me but I could hear the amusement in her voice.

  “I can't get any closer,” Rose said, ignoring Lacey. She'd tried to force the van through a gap between an SUV and a haulage truck but they hadn't budged. Spencer's door was flush with the truck and Rose’s was in line with the hood of the SUV.

  “We’ll have to climb out the window,” Rose said, her finger hovering over the button.

  “Is that the place?” I asked as I looked through the windshield. We were about half a block from a large coffee sho
p with a red sign hanging above the door.

  “Yeah and I think we should move. Those wolves probably aren't far behind us.”

  Spencer banged his fist against the wall a few times sending a dull thud echoing through the metal.

  “Time to run guys,” he said. “It's a straight shot to the coffee shop from the front of the van. Big red sign, easy to spot.”

  “What about the wolves?” Tara asked, her voice laced with fear.

  “No sign of them at the moment,” I reassured her.

  “Let’s not give them time to catch up then,” my brother said. His voice was followed by the sound of the rear doors opening and I could hear my friends rushing to follow him out.

  Rose hit the button for her window and it slowly sank into the door, letting in the crisp evening air. She hopped up onto her seat and scrambled out onto the bonnet of the SUV.

  I hurried to follow her but something caught my eye, glinting from the footwell. As I looked closer I recognised the steak knife I'd dropped earlier and snatched it into my grasp before wriggling out after Rose.

  She had moved aside and was standing on the hood, looking back down the street behind us, still as a statue.

  The hood flexed beneath my feet as I stood too and I wondered briefly what the owner would think if he saw the two of us denting his pristine paintwork. The thought almost made another laugh bubble out of me and I had to mentally slap myself as I tried to pull it together. I was definitely going into shock. I just wasn't sure if there was anything I could do to stop it from happening.

  “Holy shit,” Rose breathed and I turned to follow her gaze.

  Between the cars at the far end of the block, shapes moved between the cars. As they drew closer they came in line with some of the street lights and I counted at least eight wolves before the shadows swallowed them again.

  “Run!” Rose shouted just as a wolf in the centre of the pack lifted his head to the moon and howled. She turned and jumped from the hood before sprinting away down the street.

  My heart spluttered to life in overdrive as I turned to follow her but Spencer still hadn't made it out of the van. His broad frame was making it harder for him to clamber through the window and I grabbed his arm, dragging him free with all my strength. I slipped as he fell through and we both tumbled to the ground.

  The back of my head slammed into the concrete and I yelled out as pain erupted through my skull. I blinked furiously as darkness curtained my eyes and felt Spencer’s strong arms lifting me to my feet.

  “Come on,” he urged as he shoved me forward and I tried to blink my vision clear.

  I ran blindly and stumbled over my own feet, only staying upright because Spencer’s hand clamped around my elbow and forced me to. He dragged me on and I ran faster, the howls of the wolves making me forget the pain in my head and focus solely on escape.

  “This way!” a girl yelled ahead of us but I couldn't tell who it was.

  Spencer dragged me around an overturned car and I finally made sense of what was in front of me. We were almost at the coffee shop and Rose was holding the door open ahead of us. The rest of our friends were staring out through the glass windows and the looks on their faces were enough to let me know how closely we were being followed.

  I put on a spurt of speed to close the final few steps and flew past Rose with Spencer right beside me. She slammed the glass door behind us and the sound of locking bolts followed us.

  The wolves howled angrily as we escaped and I turned back to see three of them glaring through the glass. I stepped back involuntarily as the closest wolf snarled, revealing a row of razor sharp teeth.

  We were safe again though. At least for now.

  “Where's Bryony?” Tommy asked suddenly.

  Everyone started looking between each other to search for her.

  “She was right beside me when we jumped out of the van,” Chloe said shakily.

  A scream from outside drew our attention back beyond the glass.

  Bryony leapt out from behind a parked car and started sprinting for the door.

  Everyone began yelling and screaming at once as Rose ran to unbolt the locks.

  The wolves yapped excitedly, rushing to cut her off before she could make it to us. Spencer and Ryan grabbed two chairs and headed for the door, holding them ready to swing.

  Rose fumbled with the bolts as we screamed for her to hurry while Bryony tried to duck away from the advancing wolves. Before she could get any closer to us, a wolf leapt from the roof of a car and tackled her to the ground.

  Her scream was louder than all of ours combined and the rest of the pack howled as they raced to join their meal.

  Bryony’s scream cut off abruptly just as Rose undid the final bolt. Ryan and Spencer rushed out and five of the wolves turned their way.

  Bryony was on the ground behind them. Her eyes stared at us glassily as blood soaked the floor from a massive wound at her throat.

  The wolves snarled as they approached the boys, Bryony’s blood dripping from their teeth.

  “Come back!” Jason shouted. “She’s… you can't help her.”

  Ryan hesitated and the closest wolf dropped low, preparing to pounce. Spencer launched his chair at it and backed into the cafe as the wolves scattered. Ryan followed suit and Rose hurried to bolt the doors again.

  We stared out in horrified silence as they descended on Bryony again.

  I felt numb. A voice in the back of my head was screaming in fear and rage and horror but on the outside I just felt cold. I couldn't tear my gaze from the feasting wolves. Couldn't even blink.

  We were standing in a coffee shop in the centre of town watching a pack of wolves eat one of our friends. The police weren't here. The army wasn't here. There wasn't even a security guard in sight. Whatever was happening couldn't just be an isolated incident. My whole world was caving in on itself around me and I was powerless to stop it. All I could do was stand and stare and hope to hell that I might make it through the journey home.

  Demi took a deep breath as she looked out at the carnage on the street. “She always was a slow runner,” she said quietly.

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Kaitlyn

  “Rose?” A voice sounded behind us and I turned suddenly, raising my steak knife against the unknown man.

  A tall guy with dark skin stood behind the counter pointing a shotgun at us. He was wearing a green hoodie with the sleeves cut off to reveal his large arms and plenty of ink.

  “Shilo!” Rose exclaimed as she ran for him.

  He dropped the gun to one side as she leapt onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. He pulled her close with his free arm and they seemed to forget the rest of us for several seconds as they were reunited.

  “Who are your friends?” Shilo asked as he finally released her.

  “I've picked up some high school jocks and the cheer squad,” she said with a smile. “Come on, let’s get away from the windows. And where did you get that gun?”

  “It was behind the counter but it's not much use; it isn't loaded,” he replied.

  I kept my back to the glass wall which faced the street and followed them through a door behind the counter and into a small staffroom. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jason catch hold of Tara’s arm and force her to follow us.

  “We can hole up here until the cavalry arrives,” Shilo said as he ushered us towards two worn leather sofas.

  “You think someone's coming to rescue us?” Chloe asked hopefully.

  “Gotta be,” Shilo replied. “They aren't just gunna leave people here while those animals run wild. My guess is the army will come.”

  I couldn't help but think of Lincoln. He was a Marine. Would they be sending him out to help us? I wasn't sure if I found the thought reassuring or terrifying. I didn't want him caught up in this if he didn't have to be.

  “I hope so,” Lacey said as she sank into a seat and chewed her thumbnail. Reese sat beside her and pulled his cellphone from his pocket.
r />   “Still nothing,” he cursed as he banged it against his knee.

  “What are we doing then?” Tommy asked.

  “I want to go home,” Chloe moaned. “Why did we even come out today? That film sucked-“

  “Shut up Chloe. No one wants to hear you blathering on,” Demi said angrily as she took a seat in the corner of the room.

  Ella sat in the floor and pulled off her shoes, I remembered her saying they'd been pinching her feet and gave her a sympathetic smile.

  “Maybe we should just wait here until help arrives?” Rose suggested.

  My heart sank as I realised she was right. It was too dangerous to go back outside with those crazed animals roaming about. We weren't going to be able to get into the city with my mom and dad. If they started the quarantine process then we'd just have to head there with the rest of the population. I definitely didn't want to go back out onto those streets any time soon.

  “I think that's our best option at this point,” Ryan agreed.

  “I'm hungry,” Demi complained. I had no idea how she could have an appetite after what we'd just witnessed.

  “There was a fresh sandwich delivery out front,” Shilo said. “I'll go grab some.”

  He headed back out of the staff room towards the cafe and Jason followed him to help. The rest of us stayed in silence while we waited for them to return. I couldn't think of anything to say and I was fairly sure everyone else felt the same.

  Shilo reappeared with a tray stacked high with pre-wrapped sandwiches and started handing them out. Most people accepted theirs with a murmur of thanks but Demi scrunched her nose as she took hers.

  “I don't want egg,” she said as she pushed it back at him. “What else is there?”

  Shilo raised an eyebrow at her as he glanced at the rest of the sandwiches on his tray. “Chicken?” he offered.

  “Is that it?” she asked. Shilo shrugged one shoulder and she took the chicken sandwich with a sigh.

  I flinched as Jason pressed a cold bottle of orange juice into my hand and stared at in confusion for several seconds as he moved on to hand more drinks to the others.