Wolf Running (17 page)

“I believe you’re smarter than that. Also, judging from the backpack you had on when we found you, you were going somewhere. You have your own destination in mind, correct? You help me, I help you.”

Another quick look at the Revs. They were just a bare twenty feet away from the fence now. She slowly shook her head. “I’m not interested in whatever power trip you’re on. The best thing for us both is for you to let me go. I have my own destination and you’re just slowing me down.”

Tuck cocked his head curiously. “Where do you want to go?”

Nowen let a slow, insulting grin curl her lips.”None of your business.”
Almost there, almost there.

The wiry man looked away from her. Nowen could see a muscle twitch along his jaw line.
He’s angry again. Good. Just keep his attention on me.

The grey-green hands were very close now. She took a step to the left, positioning herself in front of Tuck.
Just reach out and push him against the fence. And keep him there. So, distract him.
“The consensus in the camper is that you were in the military. Is that right?”

“What do you think?” Tuck said, looking at her.

“I think you’re really good at bluffing.”
Get ready, get ready...

Now the smile that spread across Tuck’s face was wide and genuine. “Better than you, my dear.” He stepped away from the fence a split-second before the first Rev reached it. “You would never have made it as a poker player. Too many tells.” He laughed as he walked past her to rejoin the others, and as she turned to watch him go she couldn’t keep from growling, low and deep in her throat.

Chapter Sixteen

Now

Nowen braced herself against the swaying motion of the camper and looked out the small window set in the door. They had left the self-storage unit about five hours ago, and now the little caravan was making it slow way down a neighborhood that still showed signs of its well-to-do past in large houses and expensive cars. Except that those houses now sat on unkempt, dead lawns and the cars sat on flat tires. The street itself was surprisingly clear of wreckage and debris; what was slowing them down was the presence of the Revs.

In the deep quiet the sounds of their engines carried far and wide and the Revs responded like they heard the dinner bell. Nowen watched now as a mass of them trailed alongside the camper, grasping for any purchase with their mold-colored hands. A steady, monotonous moaning rose and fell from the Revs like an eerie heartbeat. She knew there were more of the creatures than she could see; an almost constant crunching sound came from the wheels as the dead were mowed down by the truck and camper.

No matter how many were destroyed, the number that she could see through the window never grew smaller.

From behind her Lennon sighed. “Still there?” he asked.

Nowen watched as one lucky Rev managed to hook his ragged hand through the door handle. His yellowed eyes saw her. He bared his teeth and growled, his tattered suit flapping in the breeze. He still wore a blue-and-black striped tie, and a gold tie clip flashed in the sun. The camper pulled the man along for a few yards before he tumbled loose and disappeared into the crowd.

She looked over her shoulder at Lennon. “Still there.”

He sighed again, running a hand through the wispy beard that had sprouted from his chin. “God, what I wouldn’t do for a shower.”

“Not going to happen today, I think.”

“I’d settle for a bathroom break soon.” This came from Zoe, who didn’t seem to like being left out of any conversation Lennon had with anyone.

Nowen shook her head. “Unless we can break free of the Revs, I don’t see that happening any time soon, either.”

Zoe exaggeratedly rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Captain Obvious.”

Lennon opened his mouth, probably to chide Zoe again; Nowen caught his eye and gave a subtle shake of her head. She turned back to her post and watched the ravenous horde. It was easier to let the young woman get her jibes in than try to stop her. Tuck and his men were either oblivious to the stewing tempers in the camper or didn’t really care if their prisoners went crazy, as long as they obeyed orders.

A heavy wave of weariness swept over Nowen, and she dropped her head against the door, closing her eyes in the process.
I’m so tired of this
she thought.
I’m tired of these people. I’m tired of Tuck and his pathetic attempts at bullying me. I’m tired of Oliver and his useless bluster. I’m tired of Matt, who never stands up to the others.
A soft growl echoed through her head.
And I’m tired of fighting you. I
can’t
change with these cuffs on. I tried, remember? It didn’t end well.
The muscles in her arms twitched in sympathetic memory of the pain that had swept her to the thin edge of oblivion the one time she had tried to change. Even the memory of her bones creaking, ready to snap, could set her nerves on fire. Strong as the wolf was, the constraint of the cuffs was stronger.

And I’m tired of being tired.
The constant strain of controlling both the wolf and herself was wearying, and sleep brought little respite. In her dreams she ran across the open plains of Wyoming, hunted rabbits in the Vedauwoo Mountains, slept under the endless diamond stars. She woke from her restless slumber with a deep and endless longing to go home.

She felt a presence next to her and opened her eyes to see Lennon looking out the window. “I meant to ask you, did you find out what Tuck’s plan is? I saw you and him talking earlier.” he said.

“He wants to go to Colorado Springs, to some air base, and either take supplies or take it over.”

“And that’s his plan?”

“Lennon, I don’t think he has a plan. He’s like- “she struggled to find the right description, “He’s like a lower pack member who wants to be on top, and now has the chance. And will do anything to stay there. I actually think he might be insane.”
Pack member?! Try to remember you’re human.
Nowen glanced at the young man, but he didn’t same fazed by her choice of words. Instead he nodded slowly as he looked back out the window.

“I can see that. He wasn’t bullied, but he wants to be the bully.”

They stood in companionable silence for a few moments. Nowen, to her surprise, found herself casting about for something to say to continue the conversation.
Do I actually
want
to talk to someone?

She cleared her throat. Lennon looked at her questioningly. She tried a smile, but it felt unnatural and she dropped it. “You’re obviously not from around here.”

His lips quirked in a slight grin. “That obvious? No, I live in London. England. I’m a-or rather, I
was
a- manager of a music store.”

“What were you doing here in America?”

His face fell. His eyes took on a distant look as he spoke.”My boyfriend is from Colorado. He works at a bank in London, and hadn’t seen his family in about a year. So we took this trip to visit his home, see the country.”

Nowen remember what Zoe had said, that first day in the camper. “I’m sorry for your loss.” Even to the wolf the comment sounded fake. “What was his name?”

Lennon laughed quietly. “Travis Hunter. Such a cowboy name, huh? But he is very special to me.”

Nowen tried to think of something to turn the conversation away from this dark road. “You never told me your first name.”

“Ha! Very well. Brace yourself...it’s Mycroft.”

Nowen looked at the young man blankly. “What?”

He smiled. “ ‘Mycroft’. Sherlock Holmes’ brother? My father was quite the fan of Doyle.”

“That couldn’t have been easy, growing up with a name like that.”

“Actually-” Whatever Lennon was going to say next was cut off by a rough jolt that shook the camper. Nowen looked out the window to see that the nice neighborhood had changed to office buildings and restaurants. “We’re going faster!” Zoe said from behind her, and as Nowen watched the mass of Revs stumbling alongside the camper thinned out and then disappeared. They took a corner at speed and shouts of fear and surprise filled the interior as the camper rocked violently to one side.

Lennon stumbled and fell to the floor. Nowen managed to keep her post by the door. They had entered a more run-down area now, strip malls and gas stations and cheap motels. With a squeal of brakes the truck and camper took another corner. Behind her came a loud grunt of pain. Through the window Nowen caught a glimpse of a sign pointing to a highway junction. “They’re trying to get off the side-streets.” she said to no one in particular.

“They’re trying to kill us!” Zoe shrieked.

Another rough turn and then their motion smoothed out and their speed increased. Nowen listened to the low murmur of voices behind her and watched the landscape unfold out the window. She thought they were on the east side of Ft. Collins, and she saw small suburbs and industrial parks tick by. Everything she caught a glimpse of showed decay and abandonment. There was a long manufacturing plant of some kind that had no unbroken windows. An area of about four blocks that ran parallel to the road they were on had caught fire sometime in the past, burned down to a few lonely struts of blackened wood. A faded sign outside a trailer park begged for help in large and ragged letters. She searched for any markers that would show where they were but saw none.

After about thirty minutes of smooth driving, broken occasionally by sudden swerves to avoid obstacles, the camper slowed down. A much gentler turn this time, and everyone went to the windows to watch as they pulled into what looked like a junkyard. Matt ran past, heading to the rear of the camper, and then came a screech of rusty metal. They were fenced in.

It took their captors another thirty minutes to release them. At the familiar sound of the lock and chain rattling loose from the door Zoe leapt to her feet. She muscled her way past Nowen and didn’t wait for Matt to call them out; she shoved the door open and jumped down, cursing loudly. The rest of the captives looked at each other; from outside Zoe’s stream of profanity was abruptly cut off by a slap.

Finally the call came to come out. Nowen let the others leave first, following the wretched group into the overcast day. Tuck, Oliver, and Matt stood some distance away, near a dilapidated garage. Tuck had a tight grip on Zoe’s arm and was speaking to her in a low, intense voice. Nowen concentrated and could make out some of the threats he was making to the young woman. None of them were pleasant and a lot of them involved turning her over to Oliver. Zoe’s face was pale as milk and bright tears shimmered in her eyes when she searched for help among the others’ faces. Only Lennon met her gaze. She didn’t look at Nowen.

Nowen turned away from the scene and took in her surroundings. The garage was the only building in the large, fenced-in area. A battered, hand-painted sign advertised used parts at cheap prices. Junked cars, in every state of disrepair, filled most of the space around the building that she could see; the rest was taken up by piles of rusty hubcaps, mufflers, and car parts that Nowen had no name for. Their two vehicles and the camper were filling what space remained, right in front of the garage. She drew in a breath of air, scenting for anything dangerous, and at first only got back the smells of rust and metal. Then the odors of unwashed human bodies came to her - but these were not the ones of her fellow captives. She turned her head back and forth, trying to narrow down from which direction the smell was coming from.

She had managed to maneuver her way to the rear of Oliver’s SUV when she scented the new people. Now she looked back to where the rest of the group still stood in front of the garage. She could hear Matt’s voice, raised in excitement, and watched as he pointed at something she couldn’t see. A few steps away from the brick-red vehicle afforded her a better view.

A large mobile home was parked along the far fence. Nowen could see that it looked in good shape except for two flat tires. Tuck dropped Zoe’s arm and motioned to Oliver to join Matt. The two men brought their weapons up and approached the vehicle. Behind them, Tuck drew his rifle from its familiar position on his back.

Suddenly, the door to the RV swung open and an elderly white man in faded overalls stepped out. He held a small handgun. Oliver and Matt quickly brought their shotguns to bear on him.

“Drop it! Drop your weapon!” Matt’s words were weedy and nervous. The man raised a palsied hand to his wrinkle-seamed face, cupping one ear.

“Drop your goddamn weapon, fucker! Now!” Oliver shouted. Zoe, Lennon, and the Roberts backed away to the relative safety of the camper. Nowen tensed at the anger in his voice, twisting her wrists against the cuffs as her the fine hairs on the back of her neck rose. Imminent violence flavored the air and she drank it in like the clearest water.

The elderly man took a hesitant step forward, still cupping one ear. Behind him someone moved in the gloomy interior. Matt, closest to the RV, screamed “Gun!” in a thin voice on the edge of hysteria. The loud report of a shotgun shattered the air, and half of the old man’s head exploded in a cloud of blood and brains. His body dropped to the ground, and someone screamed. Nowen couldn’t tell who had screamed or who had fired, and now the situation was devolving into chaos. Tuck was shouting at his men, and his men were shouting at the RV. The Roberts, Zoe, and Lennon stood perfectly still, their backs to where Nowen was.

She took a step forward, straining against the cuffs, a deep growl building in her chest, and then she realized that no one was watching her. She reined the wolf in, not without some difficulty, and ran.

She darted down the right side of the garage and around to the back. More gunshots came from behind her as she ran. A maze of cars spread out behind the garage, some stacked two and three high. Dead weeds beat against her legs as she ran to the back of the lot. She looked down both sides of the fence. The wire continued smoothly to the left until it turned and headed to the front of the lot. Far down the right side, however, she thought she spied a small gap where the fencing had pulled free of the ground. She took off in that direction.