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Hayden
The sound of rain falling on the trailer cajoles me awake. I open my eyes, allowing them to adjust quickly to the dark interior. I glance to the slightly ajar door, noting the sun’s position in the sky. I quickly judge it won’t be long before it sets. We need to continue our journey, but one look at Kristina and I regret having to wake her. She has slept so soundly that not once has she moved.
Her head rests comfortably on her sweatshirt, folded and positioned under her to take the place of a makeshift pillow, her body intimately pressed against mine. Earlier, I’d stacked several cardboard boxes on the floor, topping them off with one of the blankets, using the other to cover our naked bodies with as we laid down to rest during the aftermath of our mating.
She fell asleep shortly after. I stayed awake for a bit longer, reliving the brief periods of intimacy we have shared over the course of several days. Nothing compares to what I have experienced thanks to her. Kristina has changed my life, my beliefs, and helped me learn that although created to destroy and annihilate, there is still some goodness in me. It is up to me now to ensure a better future for others.
Kristina may never know how much she has done for me, and the imminent future, where we eventually part ways, is not one I’m looking forward to. I owe her so much, but I am not ready to say goodbye. I cannot picture myself walking away from her, though I am aware that I will have to.
I sit up, scanning the inside of the trailer. Time has finally caught up with us and it is imperative we move on. I tear myself from the warmth of her body, the wonderful feel of her soft curves pressed against me, and shove the blanket aside. I stand and go in search of my clothes, locating them near the makeshift bed. I dress quickly, careful not to make a sound so as to not disturb Kristina’s slumber.
Next, I stroll quietly to the door and push it open another two inches. It’s raining heavily, the sky darkened by the gray clouds floating overhead. This might work to our advantage or it might hinder our escape. In any case, we cannot delay our departure any more. Doing so will give our pursuers the opportunity to catch up. Also, we stand the chance of ruining our timeline.
I close my eyes and concentrate on our surroundings, deciding it best to ensure there is no imminent danger nearby before waking Kristina. I listen carefully as far and wide as my sense of hearing will allow. It is a basic survival skill I find useful at times like these. During the last five years, I have worked very hard at sharpening this sense. At the Institute, one of Gerard’s prized prisoners is an ancient werewolf. During an escape attempt, his eyes were severely damaged and now he is blind. It was during my long days and nights locked in my enclosure that I realized how effective it is to make good use of all our sensory faculties. In spite of his blindness, the Ancient One has perfected his abilities to such a degree, it’s impossible to tell he’s lost his eyesight. He’s as stealthy, if not more so, than before, and still fights with the same ferocity as when his vision was intact.
About a mile down the road I pick up on the familiar voices of the men who’d entered the trailer earlier, looking for us. Perhaps realizing we were still somewhere in the vicinity, they have returned to search for us. Logically, the men have likely figured out we couldn’t have gone far, but their proximity puts Kristina and me in peril. We won’t be able to slip past them without being seen. They have gathered near the only exit between the nearby road and the one we have to take to leave this area.
Mind made up, I quickly exit the trailer, closing the door quietly on my way out. With the men about a mile to the west, I take off to the north, using the heavily wooded area surrounding this part of the neighborhood as my cover. Half a mile into the woods, I take a sharp turn to the left to bury myself deeper into the woodlands, since I begin to stumble upon a few sparsely located houses near the main road Kristina and I had used earlier in the day.
I keep hidden within the thicket, rushing past trees and brush as I move swiftly through the woodlands. A nearby dog barks as it senses me go by, but the rain keeps his owners from stepping out to the yard to investigate, presumably uninterested in his incessant wailing.
I continue on, climbing a hill after having covered the distance to where the men have congregated. I peer at the men below from behind the trunk of a large pine tree. There are six of them now instead of the original three, and from what I can hear, they are setting a perimeter of some kind, apparently convinced we are nearby.
“Hector, I told you already they took off on foot. Unless they were offered a ride, they must be around here somewhere,” a man with short, blond hair insists while he holds on to an umbrella with two pale hands.
“You don’t know that.” Hector points to a piece of paper in his hands. “This neighborhood is big, but buildings are scarce. They could very well be hiding anywhere. Maybe they took refuge in one of the residents’ homes.”
“Shitload of sense that makes,” another man offers, this one with no hair on his head. In its place is a rather large sketch of a wolf in white and black ink, which covers the entire left side of his scalp, from the crown to the back of his ear. “Tiger’s running. Given his personality, he’ll think twice about involving anyone else. He may not look like much, but that there boy is smart. He’s hiding all right, but not in one of those houses. Not while they’re occupied.” This particular individual comes across as familiar. In my twenty-five years of being held at the different Institutes, I have seen him once, but apparently he remembers me well.
“Hey, Kevin, how are you so familiar with this guy?”
“Let’s just say that bastard owes me.” Raising his right hand, he stretches four fingers in front of him. The pinky is missing. I recall taking it off by accident ten years ago, while he beat me with a baton and I lashed out to protect my face. “I’ll return him to Gerard all right, but not in one piece.”
The threat does nothing to me. Unless he captures me, I don’t see the danger.
“Let’s spread out. With more manpower, we can cover twice the territory. In the next half hour, let’s cover a two-mile radius if possible. With this rain coming down as hard as it is, it will be harder for us to search properly, but we have to be very thorough. No stone goes unturned. Gerard’s orders are to bring them both in alive. Is that understood?” The man takes a moment to make sure everyone is following him. When no one speaks up, he adds, “Now, just to be clear, keep your cell phones handy and call for backup if you need it. Be discreet. Don’t attract attention. We especially don’t want to seem too suspicious to the people living around here and have them phone in the local authorities on us.”
The men grunt their agreement, separating into groups of two a moment later. All but one man carries an umbrella, which he closes and tosses inside one of the two vehicles parked to one side of a path that breaks away from the main road, some thirty or so feet to my left. The first group starts off to the east, in the same direction I came from. The second group heads farther west, walking below me, completely unaware of my presence up the hill.
The third group lingers, discussing another possible route for their search. I listen carefully for the other groups, making sure to track their locations as they hike farther away from me. Once I’m positive they have put some distance between the last group and themselves, I crouch as close to the ground as possible. Sneaking to the tree to my right, I quietly slip to the side and as the men turn their backs to me, I rush forward and jump the overhang.
I land on the bottom with barely a sound, stealthily creeping toward the first of the two cars, using it as a shield. The men continue to argue as I approach, the heavy drops of rain easily distracting their limited hearing against any noise I make. In moments, I’m behind them, waiting for the appropriate time to strike. When one of the men decides to call the leader to inform him of the direction they’ll be heading, I pounce.
I’m on them before they realize what has hit them. The first man goes down quickly, with one punch to the lower jaw. He hits the ground like a rock, passing out immediately. In a state of panic, the second man begins to press random buttons on his cell phone, his hand shaking almost violently as he stares in mute horror in my direction.
I spring forward, knocking the phone out of his hands as I take him to the muddy, wet ground with me. A startled gasp escapes his half-open lips, the pressure of the impact forcing all the air to leave his lungs at once. We make contact with the ground harder than he probably anticipated, his head taking the brunt of the fall. He goes limp in my hands even before I have the chance to get off him. He’s out too, but not for long.
Having little time to spare, I hurry to the first car and slash all four wheels with my claws. Next, I collect the men’s cell phones and obliterate them into useless scraps with my bare hands. The second car soon becomes the object of my attention and after I tear the tires to shreds, I take off running in the same direction the first group took moments earlier.
The men are growing uncomfortably close to the trailer, leaving me with no other option but to go after them, as opposed to pursuing the second group. I charge through the forest, unperturbed by the possibility of being seen. My only concern lies in preventing these men from finding Kristina.
I spot them ahead, oblivious to what’s headed toward them. Determination fueling my steps, I jump on a fallen tree, using it to gain momentum as I lurch forward...only as I push myself upward, the trunk cracks and reveals my location. The men spin around quickly, guns locked and loaded. The look of surprise on their faces is soon replaced with one of disdain.
I land a few paces away, limiting their reaction time to a fraction of a second. Before the blond man can squeeze the trigger, I’m twisting his gun arm behind him. With a cry of pain, he releases the weapon and it hits the ground with a clunk.
“Tiger! You little shit!” The man with the mark of the wolf on his head aims his gun at my face as I hold his partner in front of me, using him as a shield. “Let’s be civil about this.”
“You don’t know the meaning of the word ‘civil’,” I retort.
“Kevin, blow his goddamn brains out!” At his refusal, I tighten the hold on the blond man’s arm, bringing it dangerously close to the breaking point. The man stiffens, moaning as he struggles to keep from losing consciousness.
“Let’s end this. There’s nowhere you can hide. Gerard has men looking for you and the girl all over the place.” He’s analyzing the situation, trying to come up with a way to get a clear shot at me, but I manage to hide my larger frame behind the blond man. He won’t be able to hit one without first going through the other.
“Have you told your companions what will happen to them once they bring me in? Are they properly informed of the consequences of what they have taken on? Do they know the promise of riches is false?”
The blond-haired man moves his head to the right, trying to get a look at me over his shoulder. “What the hell does that mean?”
“Nothing. Don’t listen to this freak.”
“Once I’m in Gerard’s custody, your teammates and you are expendable,” I reply.
The blond man’s heart skips a beat. “Kevin? Is that true?”
Kevin opens his mouth to respond but I interrupt by adding, “Deny it all you want, but by the time your men realize I’m right, it will be too late.” Using their momentary distraction to my advantage, I shove the blond man forward, sending him careening in Kevin’s direction. Anticipating my move, Kevin avoids the collision by stepping quickly to his left. The blond man ends up on the ground, face first.
Free from obstructions, Kevin immediately takes aim. I crouch low and bolt forward, leveling my right shoulder with his stomach. He pulls the trigger, but as my shoulder hits his lower abdomen and my arms wrap around him; the shot is lost, having missed me by a few inches.
Using the momentum I’ve gained, as well as the element of surprise, I shove him against a tree a few feet behind us. He grunts, bringing the butt of the gun down in between my shoulder blades over and over again, effectively succeeding in forcing my anger to boil over.
My hold on him never slacks as I slam him against the tree’s trunk a second time. A yelp escapes his lips, followed by a hollow grunt. I repeat this action before releasing his midsection to grab hold of his neck with my left hand, and his thigh with my other. He thrashes violently as I lift him over my head. Kevin fidgets with the gun as he struggles to shoot at me yet again. I whirl around, spotting the blond man on his knees with one hand cradling what looks like a slightly swollen eye, and I hurl Kevin at his companion.
They both go down in a heap of tangled limbs. Kevin’s weapon lands a few feet from where he does. I grab it and smash it against a boulder to my left. The weapon breaks apart almost instantly. As Kevin scurries to his knees, I bring my elbow down on his nose, knocking him to the ground once more. A punch to the temple and the blond man goes down with a grunt and is fast asleep before I kneel beside them.
Having heard the gun go off, the remaining group is now heading our direction. I make haste to remove the men’s shoes, depriving their boots of their laces, and use them to tie the men’s hands and ankles together. Once the deed is done, I run off toward the trailer.