"I will be fine. The wound will heal in an hour," he replied.
I scooted closer to him and glanced off the side of the truck down the road. The woods passed by with the branches of the trees scraping against the rusted metal of the vehicle. The noise grated on my ears, but we had bigger worries than sore eardrums. "So what's the plan now? We keep running along these roads hoping they don't find us?" I wondered.
"We travel as far to the facility as the road will allow, and walk from there," he explained.
"And then?"
"And then we infiltrate the facility and destroy the samples of the de-scenter, and find the chemical used to control Stevens and destroy that."
"You make it sound so easy, like we're not going to be as holey as swiss cheese before we find the de-scent stuff," I commented.
Luke chuckled. "I will guarantee nothing like that will happen to you," he told me.
I rolled my eyes. "I know those things only happen in cartoons, but seriously, this isn't going to be as easy as you're making it sound," I argued.
The humor slid off his lips. I wasn't glad to see it go. "No, it won't be. We have no idea how many allies Lance has gathered, nor where in the facility we are looking for the formulas and samples," he admitted.
"I was afraid that was the truth," I murmured. I sighed and leaned the side of my face against his shoulder. "Well, if we're going to go out in a hail of silver bullets at least it'll be for a good cause."
"And not for another night. We will spend the day at the outskirts of the facility and see how best to infiltrate the perimeters," he replied.
"Then where are ya going to want me to stop?" Rick called through the open cab window.
Luke turned to Stevens stuck in the middle of the cab. "You told us the facility was a day's lope for a werewolf. How close can this road take us?" he wondered.
"It joins with the main road about a mile away from the facility, if it's where I think it is. After that mile the road narrows and the sides of the roads are built up because they tore out hills to make the road," he told us.
"Then we will park the car as close as the road swings to the facility and walk the rest of the way. We'll have to find cover for the truck to keep it from being visibly seen and smelled," Luke surmised.
The swamp road wasn't any smoother than the other parts of the road, and by the time we stopped for the night my butt was hardened into diamonds. When I stepped out my legs still shook with the tune of the shaky road, and I vibrated over to Luke and my blanket. The darkness of the night pushed against us and the stars were blotted out by the thick canopy of trees. There would be no fire tonight. We couldn't risk the smoke being seen or smelt by any patrols. Rick and Steve were already asleep, and Stevens was quiet in the cab of the truck.
As I plopped myself down on the blanket beside Luke I noticed his eyes were wide open and his nostrils were flared. "Something wrong?" I wondered.
"We made it this far much too easily," he commented.
I snorted. "You call the fight at the truck easy?" I reminded him.
He shook his head. "The patrol was small. Rick and Steve may have destroyed all of them without our help," he pointed out.
"So you're saying what? That they want us to reach the-" Luke jumped to his feet and the driver's side door swung open as Stevens jumped out. Their eyes scanned the woods as my hackled rose. I rose to my feet and glanced into the forest, but my wolf eyes didn't see anything moving. My sniffer wasn't telling me anything, either. "What is it? Foe or food?" I whispered to Luke.
"Quiet," he hissed.
The danger came not from the brush but from the canopy above us. Luke's eyes widened and he pushed us far apart as two forms dropped to the ground where we had stood only a moment before. His push felled me to the ground and I turned toward Luke to see Ian and Emily standing between us. They were still in their human forms, but their yellow eyes glowed brightly in the darkness.
"What do we have here? Some unwanted guests?" Emily teased.
"We should gift-wrap them and take them to Cranston," Ian suggested.
Emily turned to me and smiled through her sharp teeth. "That sounds like a wonderful idea. I get the girl and the old man," she offered.
Ian turned to Luke. "I will fetch their leader," he agreed.
"We won't be fetched, and we have no fight with you. If you will leave us alone we won't be forced to kill you," Luke warned them.
Emily laughed. "We'll see who kills who," she growled.
As promised, Emily jumped at Stevens and me while Ian lunged at Luke. I remembered the last time Emily had tussled with our group. She'd handily defeated Stacy, who was a far better fighter than I. That meant my frantic mind could only hope this two-against-one would win the day. I scrambled back on all fours as she rushed me. Stevens jumped over me with his claws out to strike her, but Emily was too fast. She jumped to the side clear off the ground and landed on the side of the pickup bed.
The truck rocked, and above the side of the bed appeared the sleepy faces of Rick and Steve. Their eyes turned upward at the she-wolf perched above them, and Emily turned to them and snarled. Rick grabbed the top of Steve's head and plunged them beneath the side of the bed just as she swiped her claws at the empty air where their heads had been.
Stevens raced over to the bed and tried to grab her legs, but she jumped off and over his head to land between the pickup and me. She glanced between Stevens and me, and grinned. "This isn't much fun. I thought you would be more of a challenge, but I find you're just inexperienced fighters and cowards.
I wasn't going to take that insult lying down, and neither were the others. Rick stood from the bed with his shotgun in hand, but he couldn't take aim with me in the line of sight. I tried to dodge out of the way, but Emily matched my movements and raced toward me. She grabbed my arms, pinned them behind my back, and pinned my back against her chest. Then she faced us towards the pickup.
"Our orders were to bring her alive, but if you don't put down the weapon I may ignore my orders," Emily warned them.
Oh hell no. She was not going to be using me as the damsel in distress to get them to surrender. Not while I had my strength and hard-headed stubbornness. Speaking of hard head, that gave me an idea. I growled and jerked my head back so it collided with her nose. There was a sickening crunch as skull met soft nose bone. Emily howled and let go of me to stagger back. I swung around and my fist collided with the side of her face.
The force sent her crashing into the forest and thick brush ten yards off. Stevens, Rick and Steve hurried to my side, one half-transformed and the other two packing heat. There was a howl of frustration and Emily burst from the brush with fangs bared and claws out. Rick and Steve each got a shot off before we dove out of the way. Stevens jumped at her and the pair collided in a flurry of fur and fists. It was terrible watching a cat fight between two dogs, and even worse when Emily emerged the victor. When the dust cleared around them Emily held Stevens like she held me, but with her bleeding nose safely away from the back of his head.
Emily glared at us and tugged on Stevens' arms. There was a terrible crack of bone and he winced. "Give up the guns or I break his arms," she threatened us.
"I would recommend you not do that," Luke spoke up. He stepped into our little standoff holding Ian much as Emily held Stevens. Blood dribbled down Ian's forehead from a horrible gash and he glared at all of us.
A grin slipped onto Emily's face. "It seems we have a standoff. You have my mate, and I have your friend," she commented.
Luke sneered and tossed Ian toward Emily. Stevens mouth opened in horror the same as Emily's mouth opened in surprise. "What the hell are you doing?" Stevens shouted at Luke.
Luke shook his head. "I won't take hostages," he refused.
Emily raised an eyebrow. "Not even to save your friend?" she wondered.
"That is Lance's style, not mine," Luke affirmed.
Ian struggled to his feet and stumbled over to stand beside his mate. "We merely follow Lanc
e because Cranston follows him, we don't mimic him," Ian insisted.
"Prove your word by releasing your hostage," Luke challenged him.
"We don't-"
"Quiet, Ian," Emily spoke up. She shoved Stevens toward us and the humans caught him. Emily turned to Luke and crossed her arms over her chest. "You shouldn't be so kind to your enemies," she scolded him.
"I didn't make you our enemy. Our goal is to stop Lance, not kill others," Luke argued.
Emily snorted. "You can't kill your own brother. You can't even kill us," she pointed out.
Luke narrowed his eyes and a flash of something angry slipped through them. "You're not my brother," he reminded her.
"So what do you expect us to say to that? Thank you for giving us kindness and we'll help you?" Ian mocked Luke.
"I don't care what you say, but you two don't appear to be as foolish as Mullen or the others who follow Lance. He will find out you helped us in the maze, or he knows now, and he is biding his time to show you how unforgiving he is," Luke told them.
Ian laughed. "Help you? Why would we help you?" he returned.
Luke nodded to Emily who sullenly looked away. "Ask her why, but do it elsewhere. We need sleep," he commanded them.
Ian scowled and took a step toward us. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Rick called as he shoved Stevens away form him and lifted his shotgun. He had both barrels pointed at the pair. "I don't have any qualms about killing either of you, but just do as he says and I won't have to waste any buckshot on you."
Emily smirked at us, but grabbed Ian's arm and tugged him into the woods. He reluctantly followed her, showing who wore the pants in that relationship, and in a few moments they were gone. Steve and I breathed loud sighs of relief, and Rick lowered his gun.
Luke walked over and picked up our blanket, and shook the dirt from the cloth. "We had better be on our way. They may return with others," he commented.
Stevens swung around and glared at Luke. "What's the point? They know we're here and they must know we're coming, and all because you let them get away," he argued.
"What other choice do we have?" Luke pointed out.
"You could have killed them! You have the skill to-"
"I will not kill unless they try to kill us, and those two won't kill us," Luke refused.
"How can you be so sure of that? They follow your brother in his insane attempt to control our world," Stevens countered.
"Yes, but those two Captains have more than an ideal to live for, they have each other," Luke pointed out. "They won't risk one another for something as single-minded and selfish as power."
"That's a flimsy assumption to endanger us," Stevens persisted.
"It saved your hide, so quick whining," Rick spoke up.
Stevens sullenly quieted, but the glare on his face showed he was still upset. We piled into the truck and continued on our journey to the facility.
5
Our group was quiet as we slowly bumped along the dark road onward to our destination. Day replaced night and at mid-afternoon our long, boring, tense journey finally came to an end.
"Stop here," Stevens commanded Rick.
The truck was stopped and we all stepped out. The trees still surrounded us on all sides, but far off, beyond the forest, our werewolf ears picked up on the sounds of voices and machinery. "The facility?" I guessed.
"The facility," Luke affirmed.
"We should wait until night to make our way into the compound," Stevens suggested.
Luke shook his head. "No, Rick can't drive the truck fast in the dark, and since we all know this to be a trap it won't matter what time of day we infiltrate the area. They will know we are there."
"Then why bother going inside at all if we are only to die?" Stevens growled.
"Because Lance is oftentimes blinded by his overconfidence. We must depend on that to get us inside and out of there," Luke replied.
Stevens sneered at him. "What a reckless plan," he mumbled.
Luke glared back at the elder werewolf. "If you have a better plan than I am sure we would all like to hear it," he returned. Stevens glanced away and didn't reply. "Then we will move to the perimeter and find a weakness in the patrols. Rick and Steve, you will both remain here should we need a quick escape."
"You mean when you need a quick escape because this sounds like a suicide mission," Rick quipped.
"It may be, but our souls can rest in peace knowing we tried our best," Luke argued. He pulled out an envelope from his pocket and handed it to Rick. "But should we fail, please try to deliver this to a Mr. Burnbaum. He is the owner of one of the inn's around Sanctuary, but he may be hiding in the Wildlands region."
Rick solemnly took the envelope and stuffed it into his pocket. "I'll try, but I still don't like your plan," he replied.
Luke smiled. "If you think of a better one then let me know. For now let's not waste any more time here," Luke commanded us.
Luke led the way through the woods. We were human, but our bodies were tense and prepared to transform at the slightest crack of a stick none of us stepped on or a fart none of us made. The forest swamp dried to an ordinary forest and we found trails created by countless patrols over the area. Luke stopped and sniffed the first trail, one that led from our left to our right.
"There hasn't been a patrol by here in several hours," he mused.
Stevens frowned. "That is no accident," he mused.
"No, and it tells us we are on the path we are meant to be on for the trap," Luke agreed.
"So do we find a new one?" I suggested.
Luke shook his head. "No, we continue on this trap until we are in the facility. Then we will see what we can do to escape being captured," he replied.
My mate's plan was starting to look bleak even to me as we continued on our way. The trap trail led us southward for a mile before the trees thinned and the end of the forest lay ahead. Luke led us off the trail and we crouched down behind the last wall of brush. Ahead of us the trees opened to reveal a sloped hill that led down into a large plain with a compound of warehouses and research buildings in the middle of the open area. Around the compound was a ten-foot tall chain-link fence complete with two feet of barbed wire on the top. There was only one entrance, on the north side, and through that was a steady stream of trucks and patrols.
Inside the compound the buildings were lined up in a long row at the southern end with parking and machinery at the front near the gate. Guards manned the entrance and patrols walked around the inside and outside perimeter of the fence. There were no dogs with the guards, but from what I smelled they didn't need any. All the scents from the people were of werewolf, probably to keep in line with Lance's werewolf-centered world and better protect the area.
My final verdict on the situation was a big uh-oh. The place crawled with guards, sometimes literally with those who were transformed, and I couldn't see any weakness through which to penetrate the area.
"Are we to walk in through the front gate?" Stevens quipped, evidently noticing the heavy amount of guards.
Luke's eyes scanned the area and I saw them stop at the rear of the compound. I followed his gaze and noticed a small metal shed fifty yards outside the southern part of the fence. Nothing suspicious about that except-well, everything. "What's that?" I whispered.
"Possibly our entrance into the facility," Luke replied.
"If it is then Lance has gift-wrapped it for us in metal," I commented.
"What a thoughtful sibling," Stevens quipped.
Luke slunk past us and southward toward the shed, all the while transforming into a wolf. "Follow me," he instructed us.
Stevens and I reluctantly followed Luke in form and feet, and he led us along the edge of the forest to the shed which, conveniently, stood on the edge of the forest. There were no patrols around and no cameras in sight. Not even a guard skunk or lookout squirrel. It was all so easy, and yet the hairs on the back of my-well, everything were hackled. They waited for something to jump out and
surprise us, and it wasn't even my birthday.
We reached the shed without incident and Luke tested the handle. The door swung open and revealed a set of stairs and the smell of my old friend, the sewers. By the time we were done with this adventure I would know more about the sewer system of the werewolf regions than the people. I nearly gagged when Luke sniffed the air inside the shed while Stevens kept a lookout for the guards.
"Don't dawdle for long or you will doom us all," Stevens hissed.
"No patrols down here. Let's go," Luke commanded us.
Luke trotted down the stairs with me close behind and Stevens taking up the rear. The stairs led forty feet below the ground and finally leveled off in a large, concrete tube. A concrete, elevated walkway kept our paws from the muck that flowed down the tube and into the distance far beyond the compound. In my infinite, stupid curiosity I crept up to the edge of the goof and took a deep sniff. My nose was bombarded with a million different smells, all of which resembled hell mixed with a skunk and three-week old rotting garbage.
I coughed and gagged, and somehow kept my food down. "What the hell is this stuff?" I asked the others.
"The refuge from the experiments, and judging by the direction of the pipe I would say the outlet lays in the Manutia region," Luke guessed.
Stevens growled. "Those damn fools are dumping their contaminated waste in my region."
"We can slap them with environmental crimes after we ensure the survival and freedom of our race," Luke scolded him.
Luke led us up the stream of goop. After sixty yards we came to the head of the tunnel and another flight of stairs. The goop spilled down through a half dozen thick, plastic tubes that came from the ceiling above us.
"We don't know where these stairs will lead us in the facility, so be ready for a fight," Luke advised us. We crept up the steps and came to a short landing with a plain white door at the end. Luke pressed his cute, fluffy ears against the door and listened for a moment. "I don't hear anything, but if we find trouble don't retrace your steps. They could easily block off both ends of this tunnel. Search for the nearest window or door and make your escape through there.
My muscles were tense, my radar ears twitched and moved, and my sniffer frantically twitched as Luke tried the door. Again, it was unlocked. My mind thought what we were all thinking: this was way too easy, and that made it a trap, but one that while we knew it existed, we had no idea how to escape. We were the ones in enemy territory, and thus at the disadvantage. Luke opened the door wide enough to stick his head out. The tip of his tail in front of my face alternated between twitching and stiffness. Luke slunk through the door and I could do nothing but follow with Stevens close behind me. This conga line of werewolves would have looked hilarious if we weren't expecting to die at any moment.