Chapter Twenty-Nine

Darwin had run the entire gambit to the cave only missing one turn along the way. Quickly realizing his mistake he made an abrupt U-turn, having mistaken a fork in the trail for a place where the trail double-backed on itself, moving higher up the hillside. It was a minor problem caused from a lack of concentration. His mind was filled with possibilities with only one option garnering his attention.

How could Darwin live with himself if he didn’t at least try bringing Steve home? If the outcome was the same…and the escape failed; Steve would be lost. If he stayed and did nothing he would be lost—and he was already nearing that oblivion. It made sense that the only option worth trying was to bring Steve home.

His mind was made up.

When Darwin arrived in front of Steve, he found that he hadn’t moved. Still on his knees and nude, Steve looked up with his fang-encrusted face and growled lightly.

“I’ve got what you need,” Darwin declared as he pulled out the vial from the back pack.

“Where’s Shawn?” he asked in a deep husk.

“He got hung up; he’ll meet up with us later,” Darwin replied in partial truth. “Here, drink this.”

Darwin handed over the vial expecting Steve to drink it right away, but he didn’t. Steve held the vial and looked at Darwin but made no further motion. Steve rocked slightly on his knees and huffed occasionally.

“This will only delay it,” Steve reminded. “I’m tired Darwin, I want it to end.”

Darwin dropped down and placed his hands on Steve’s shoulders, “I have a plan to save us both. You must drink that if it’s going to work. I think I can end it!”

Trounced, Steve took the vial and poured the contents into his mouth, placing the last shred of trust he had in what Darwin had said. In one large gulp he swallowed and the waiting began. “I only do this for you.”

“Thank you,” Darwin said, squeezing his shoulders. “How long does it take to work?”

“Last time…” Steve stopped in mid-sentence and began to shake.

His body vibrated in one continuous muscle spasm. His back lurched upwards creating a hunch before concaving back down. Steve’s face opened in anticipation of the mounting pain in his gut. He snapped his jaw a few times and hissed before collapsing to his chest on the floor and raising his rump as though he was presenting. The skin on his back inflated momentarily before subsiding as the hair began to spread outwards from the spine, thickening as it went. The shoulders cracked and stretched wider as Steve kicked out, extending his feet.

Steve turned his darkened face upwards to see Darwin. In that moment he could feel the last of his humanity slipping and by Darwin’s expression, he knew it to be true. He howled a scream before crumpling to the floor where he sprawled out and went limp.

His breathing stopped and the muscles relaxed in an unusual way, mimicking bread dough on a baker’s bench. Darwin knelt down in front of Steve, placing his palm on his head. Heat radiated from the cranium that was uncomfortable to the touch as Darwin pressed his hand down firm. He could feel nothing. The hair felt like a mounted taxidermist prize.

Darwin expected to cry at this moment. He had already been here before. Maybe that was why he didn’t—he was done with emotion. He was finished with good-byes.

He stroked the mutated head of his friend, waiting for something to happen. If Steve was dead, he should have changed back into a human form. On the other hand, things weren’t the same in the underworld. Even Darwin couldn’t transform—it seemed like all the rules went out the window.

Darwin sunk to the floor and cradled the large head. He would wait as long as he had to…there was nothing else he could do. Darwin didn’t even know how to return to New Haven. He was imprisoned.

Twenty minutes after Steve stopped moving, Darwin still felt extreme heat exuding from his body. The heat gave him hope. If Steve were dead he should be cold, but heat meant life. Was it part of the enigma?

At thirty minutes, Darwin broke the silence and decided to talk to Steve. Maybe it was time for another good-bye?

“All this…” he started with a pause, “after everything, you started it. I wanted to tell you that I am a werewolf. I wanted to bite you! After everything, you did this to me. It’s still hard for me to wrap my brain around that. We wasted so much time.”

Darwin stopped for a moment, his face sagging as he realized more truths. “They used you. It was me they wanted all along. Once they got me, they didn’t care what happened to you. Wasn’t that the story of your life?”

Snot billowed from his nose but he paid no attention. He was lost in thought.

“I want to know what to do next. Why is my family so…fucked up…important to these—whatever they are! Marta was marked, there’s no doubt about that. Zack did horrible things to me, probably Cornell, too. Was Zack marked? And Cornell…” He stopped as he felt something under his hands.

By the time Darwin had noticed the change, Steve had already shifted back to his human skin. In Darwin’s hands, Steve was awake and smiling. His skin was still searing hot but all traces of the wolf were gone.

“It worked!” Darwin shouted, lifting Steve off the ground for a hug.

“For now,” he sputtered out. “I have to be careful of what I think about, otherwise the change will start all over again.”

Darwin insisted, “that’s why we must find away out of here and back to the world. We must leave, now!”

“You know I can’t,” Steve grumbled as he sat up, closed his eyes harshly before re-opening them to a new view on things.

“I know what was said! Hear me out!” Darwin begged. “If you stay, you change. If you leave and get pulled back in, you change, or change faster. So, let’s risk everything and try to leave. The gate is opening! If the barrier between the two worlds is weak, maybe this will be our best chance to escape! Their hold on you won’t be strong enough and I think we can break away.”

“Then what?” Steve asked already seeing the next problem. “The gate will be open and Marta, the baby and whatever else is down here will be free in the world above. There’s no escape.”

“That’s right! Unless we close the gate after we escape. The message I had you send Teddy, that’s the first step in closing the gate. I wasn’t sure how this would work, but I’m sure now. Will you come back with me?”

Darwin had barely finished the question when the wind picked up outside and whistled through the caverns.

A gummy winter storm closed in and Darwin knew at that moment his plan had merit.