Inheritance (The Dark Gifts) (24 page)

“Sorry, sir.  We’ve had an incident here at the jail.”

With a dull grunt, he pulled his mass into a sitting position on the side of the bed.  “What are you talking about?”

“Well sir, there’s been an escape.”

“What?  How in the Sam Hill did that happen?”

“It appears the Masada boy pushed the window out and went through.”

“He pushed what out?”

“The window, Sir.”

“Boy, you been drinking on duty?  Can’t no one push out a concrete slab window with iron bars.”

“I think you need to come down here and see this, Sir.  I don’t know what to make of it myself.”

“Be right there.  Have someone make a fresh pot; I’m going to need it. And Severs?”

“Sir?”

“This better not be a joke.”

“It’s not, Sir.”

The old man sighed and shook his head as he placed the receiver back on its base.  The mattress gave a slight bounce as he stood.  “Shirl, I’m going to work.”

“It’s three in the morning.” 

“Yep.”

Bleary eyed, he pulled on a clean uniform, shoved his feet into his boots, and headed to the lock box to retrieve his service revolver.

***

Five men stood around the bent bars lying in the alley behind the jail.  “Where’s Peg with that coffee?”  Sheriff Taylor growled.

Just then, a tiny redhead flitted down the passage.  “Here you go.  Fresh and hot.”

He gave her a curt nod as he accepted the large Styrofoam container.  “So nobody heard a thing?  Four prisoners in there, and no one heard nothing?”

“Oh they heard something, but it don't make any sense.  A bunch of drunks aren't the most reliable witnesses.”  Severs answered.

Sheriff Tyler took a long swig of his coffee. “Yeah, yeah.  Snuffling and growling, smelled like dog, then the crash from the bars.  And none of you heard a blessed thing?”

“I was the only one on duty.  Just me and Peg.  I swear I didn’t hear anything until the prisoners started yelling.”  Severs nervously ran his hand over his head. 

Officer Danville moved his gaze from the bent bars to the sheriff.  “Are you seeing those bars?  He did that from the inside.  There’s no way he could do that.  No way.  No one is that strong.”

The old man took another swig, then seeming to come out of a daze, looked at the officers standing around him.  “Well, what are you all still doing here?  Get in your cars and start searching.  The longer it takes you to get busy, the harder it’ll be to find him.”

“Yes, Sir.”  The men answered as they turned and headed towards the street. 

“Severs, put out an APB on the sister and that Indian kid.  If they don’t already know where he is, they’ll know where he’s going.”

“Will do.”

Light spilled from the windows and open door of Phaedra’s cottage.  Unseen, hidden just inside the trees, wolves guarded the perimeter.  Sarah sat at the table with a vacant expression on her face. 

“Do we know how many they have yet?”  Jason said.

Her expression remained the same as she raised her index finger.

He waited a few moments more before saying, “Well?  How many?”

Sarah’s lips moved as if in conversation, but no words came from her mouth.  Her head nodded and her eyes focused on Jason.  “Possibly two hundred.”

“Are you kidding?”

She shook her head.  “There is no way we can take that many.  How did they come up with so many so fast?  It’s going to be a blood bath.”

“Pete!” Jason yelled.

Pete stood in the kitchen doorway.  “What’s up?”

“They are saying two hundred, maybe.”

Color drained from his face giving him a sickly pallid look.  “That’s not good.  That’s seriously not good.”

Sarah gave him a cursory look before resting her eyes on her brother.  “We can’t win.  There is no way.”

Running his hand through his hair, Jason sighed.  “What do we do?”

A loud thwack resounded as Pete’s hand slapped the table.  “Run.  We run.  There is nothing else we can do.  If we stay here, they will kill most of us.”

“Bring in everyone except the hunters.  We’ve already wasted too much time,” Sarah replied.

Worried, Jason’s eyes darted to the clock on the wall.  “We need to let Ash and Shad know we are leaving.”

Moving her head from side to side, Sarah answered, “No, Jase.  We have to go and we have to go alone.  You know she’ll never stop looking for us.  Never.  The only way to keep them safe is to get as far away from them as possible.”

Jason peered out the window into the dark.  His face took on a distant faraway look.  “We could have been happy with them.”

Bending her head, she whispered, “I know.  It’s too late for that now.”

***

Fist’s clenching repeatedly, Damien hissed, “You are barking mad!  This isn’t how we handle things.  Wolves don’t run, they don’t hide, and they don’t give up their lands.  Not to anyone, for any reason.  We have to fight them.”

Gaze focused on the other two leaders, Jason answered, “I don’t care how you did things before.  Honestly, I don’t care what you do now.  I am disbanding this pack and advising them to leave.  Any of them that stay will face the consequences of their decisions alone.  We didn’t wan
t this from the beginning, Damien.  We didn’t ask for it, and we sure as shit didn’t expect it.  My sister and I are leaving and that’s final.”

Jordan slid his chair back and stood.  “I guess that’s it then.  You two go ahead--cut and run--but my clan is going to fight.  I won’t give up grounds, not without a fight.”

Sarah’s eyes darted between the two leaders.  “If you stay, she will kill you all.  She didn’t come here to just kill us you know.  She came here to take over.  I wish we could all go together, but I don’t see how that is possible.”

Leaning over to squeeze her hand, Pete said, “Where ever you go, I’m going too.  I won’t leave you to face her alone.”

“Thank you.”

“Ha,” Damien spat.  Pivoting, he stomped out the door, Jordan following close behind.

Jason sighed.  “Well that’s that.”

“Never could talk much sense to those two,” Pete responded.

Sarah stood and moved to the small kitchen window.  “How many are leaving, Pete?”

“Pretty much everyone.  A few old-timers are staying, but the rest are either heading out or have already left.”

She nodded.  “Good.”  Spinning around, she said, “Well let’s get a move on.”

“You want to go back for clothes?” Jason asked.

“You have the checkbook, right?”

“Yep.”

“No reason to go back.  I would have liked to have some of those pictures of Mom and Dad, but I’ll live.  Pete, you need to run by your house?”

Holding up a large knapsack, Pete grinned.  “I’m good.  Let’s get moving.”

They left the house, and began the long trek down the back roads to the main highway.  Every so often, through the trees, pin points of light would shimmer.  “
Good bye, my friends.  Be safe.” 
Sarah sent out.  And in reply, a mournful howl burst forth into the night.

***

Shad exhaled slowly, trying to contain his anger.  “You’re not listening to me at all.  This is way more than we can handle.  We don’t have nearly enough hunters here!”

“And like I said before, these creatures are deceitful.  You’ve let yourselves get drawn too far in.  I’m sure they made it
look
like they are in terrible danger.  But things aren’t always what they appear.  Especially with dogs.”  Grandpa White Horn responded.

“Gramps, seriously.  You should’ve seen them.  Every few hundred feet there were eyes.  It can’t be just one pack.  It just can’t.  There’s never been a pack that size.  If all of them belong to this pack, then everyone in this town must be part of it.  Everyone!  You’ve been in town; you know most of the people there don’t have the scent.”

“Oh come on, Ash.  You’ve got your head so far up that dog's ass, you don’t know which way you’re going.”  Heather spouted over her shoulder as she watched out the window.

“Shut up, Heather.”  Shad said.  “You don’t have the slightest clue what you’re talking about.  I’m telling you, I was there when the cops arrested him.  We were there when Sarah and Pete went into the woods.” 

Standing, he moved to the window and shoved it open.  “Listen to that.  Just listen.  How many would you guess are out there?  Fifty?  A hundred?  When they got out of our car, they were scared to death.  We don’t know what is going on here, all we know is that this is more than just a few pissed off Lycans getting together.”

Grandpa White Horn studied Shad’s face.  Observing no lie, or deception, he exhaled noisily.  “When the trackers get back we’ll know more.  We’ll not make a move until then.”

Ashley placed her hand on his arm.  “What if they don’t make it back?  Something is very wrong out there.”

“If they don’t make it back, then we’ll do what we always do.  We’ll hunt.”

***

Shana rubbed her face, and pushed a stray hair from her eyes.  “Explain yourself.  What do you mean they’re gone?”

The old man kneeling before her dared not look in her eyes.  Voice quivering, he answered, “They gave orders for the pack to disband.  Everyone was to take what belongings they could carry and leave.  Most already have.”

“
Arggg
!”  Planting her high heeled boot in the center of his chest, she shoved hard.  The old man landed on his back with a thud.  Too frightened to move, he lay motionless, eyes squeezed shut.

“I told you!  You just had to do it your way.  How am I supposed to compensate for your ignorance?  If you’d just listened to--”

“That’s enough,” Christian answered.

“Oh that’s enough, huh?  Now all of a sudden you grow some balls?  Well that’s just rich.  The one person you don’t need to have a backbone with, you turn on.  Lovely.”

For the first time ever, he had an overwhelming urge to slap her.  Fist clenched tight, he drew in deep breaths. 
What was I thinking?  I’ve let this vile woman spew her hate at me ever since I can remember. 

The scalding look he gave her spoke volumes.  She knew she’d crossed the line.  In an attempt to regain some lost ground, she turned on the charm.  “Look baby, I’m sorry.  You know how I get.  I just wanted this to be over.  For both of us.  Those kids won’t leave this alone.  We’ll never be together for real if--”

“Shut up, Shana.  I‘ve had enough of you.”  As he watched her face change from the mask of love, to a more natural look of rage, he noticed that she wasn’t quite as pretty as he’d thought.  Her eyes were too big and too close together.  The point of her nose and the way she held her mouth gave her face a mean spirited look.  Shaking his head, he walked away. 
All these years.  I’ve wasted on these years on someone who doesn’t even exist.

Watching him walk away, she knew she’d lost him.  She could see it in his posture.  Shoulders back, movements fluid, he walked straight and tall.  She sat and began removing her boots. 
Damn, I love these boots!  Good thing I didn’t bring my favorite jeans.  When this is over, I’m going to give them both an extra long beating for these boots. 

Naked in the starlight, she shimmered and transformed before slinking quietly into the night.  She might have lo
st him, but there were others. There were always others.

***

A gasp exploded from the back seat.  “What?  What is it?”  Jason asked.

Sarah’s face looked ghostly in the rear view mirror.  “She’s in wolf form.  I just felt her shift.”

Turning in the front passenger seat, Pete asked, “Can you read her?  Where is she?  Can you tell what’s going on?”

Closing her eyes, she drew forth the power within her.  Sending out her essence, she insidiously wove her way into Shana’s mind.  Quietly, carefully, she entered and began searching her thoughts and recent memories.  Another gasp escaped her as she saw hundreds of wolves prowling the quarry.  The emotional response alerted Shana to her presence.

“
What do you think you’re doing?  You think I can’t feel you in here?  Feeling nosey, hun?  Well here’s a memory for you to chew on!”
Shana laughed.

Sarah stood outside her parents' cabin.  A fire blazed in the small yard in front.  Shana laughed maniacally as two large men drug her mother and father from the house.  “You should have listened.  I warned you, but you just wouldn’t listen.”  Shana said.

Sarah’s mother brought her hands up, pleading, “Please.  You don’t have to do this.  We sent them away.  There’s no reason--”

“You sicken me.  I can’t believe you’re my own flesh and blood.  How did you get so disgustingly weak, anyhow?  What would Daddy think?”

“Shana, I beg you, let her go.  It’s me you’re angry with, she didn’t--” Sarah’s father implored.

“Shut up, Rod.  This isn’t about us.  This is about what’s best for the pack.  When you’re gone, we’ll take care of the abominations and then it will be over.”