by Anh Do
Sunrise growled at him. Make him be quiet.
‘Is that an actual wolf?’ said Rupert, his mouth hanging half open.
‘Her name is Sunrise and she wants you to be quiet,’ I said.
We ran on in silence, and after a good while we were deep in the trees.
‘Hold up,’ I said, noticing that Rupert could run no longer. Thankfully, we were far enough away that I felt we could stop. ‘We need to rest.’
The dogs circled around, looking up at me.
I dropped to my knees and flung out my arms. They all jumped on me at once, and we continued our interrupted reunion hug.
‘I’m so glad to see you guys.’
We’re glad to see you too!
I’m so happy, I wanna bark!
No Zip! No barking, just hugging!
Eagle screeched from above.
I looked up at Rupert, remembering his worries from before.
‘It’s not just me and you breaking into the compound,’ I said. ‘It’s the two of us, plus . . .’ I nodded at my rag-tag pack of dogs, nuzzling me and licking my face. ‘. . . them.’
We made our way towards the mountain, which loomed above us and covered the horizon. We soon reached the road that ran between the kids’ camp and the adults’.
We followed the road from the safety of the forest, keeping a lookout for soldiers. They probably won’t search for us here, I thought. After all, why would someone who’s just escaped choose to go somewhere even more dangerous?
Rupert said it wasn’t too far to the adults, and soon enough, we sighted a high brick wall.
‘No digging under that,’ I said, as I scratched Zip behind the ears.
The road ran up to an iron gate set in the wall, with a platform above it. There was a soldier on the platform, keeping watch.
As we sat thinking about what we were going to do next, there came the sound of a vehicle approaching.
‘Stay still, everyone,’ I said.
A jeep, with its headlights blazing, drove up to the gate. The driver had a ponytail, and two bearded men stood on the back.
‘Oi,’ called down the Gate Soldier. ‘The mighty hunters return. What have you brought us for breakfast, boys?’
The men didn’t seem pleased. Red Hunter and Blond Hunter both scowled up at Gate Soldier.
‘It’s been a difficult night,’ called Ponytail. ‘There are not as many beasts in these parts as there once were. We may have to start venturing further afield.’
‘You caught nothing?’ said Gate Soldier. ‘Nothing at all, not even a sparrow?’
‘Let us in!’ shouted Red Hunter.
‘Okay, okay. Keep your beard on.’
Gate Soldier pressed a button on a panel next to him. The metal gate beneath swung inwards, and the jeep bounced along through. Gate Soldier walked to the other side of his platform and watched them drive off.
‘How are we going to get in?’ I said.
Rupert frowned. Then he opened his mouth but didn’t say anything. I could sense he was thinking about something that made him afraid.
‘What is it, Rupert?’
He took a deep breath. ‘Well, I get in there all the time. The soldiers are used to seeing kids with loads of rocks. See those wheelbarrows leaning against the wall?’ he said as he gestured to a dozen of them. ‘If you were to hide in one of those, and we put some rocks on you, I could probably just wheel you right in.’
I saw a problem. ‘What about the dogs?’
‘You’d never all fit. We’d have to leave the dogs behind.’
I looked around at the upturned eyes of my pack.
You’re not leaving us behind again.
Where you go, we go.
Yeah. Forget this guy if that’s what he thinks.
‘Maybe not,’ I said. ‘They could go up to the wall when no one’s looking. Then, when the gate opens for us, they could run along the wall and slip after us. If the gate guy does the same thing as with the jeep, he’ll walk to the other side of the platform to watch us enter. Then the dogs could sneak in before the gate closes.’
Rupert looked doubtful. ‘Sounds complicated. Are they going to understand all that?’
‘We’ve been hunting for years together and they understand me,’ I said, then proceeded to explain the plan to the pack.
‘So, doggies,’ I said, down on one knee before them, ‘you get all that?’
‘Amazing!’ said Rupert.
‘How do you think we survived so many years out here, if not by working together?’ I said.
He stared at me for a moment, then sighed. ‘Okay then, Wolf Girl. Let’s do this.’
I lay cramped in the wheelbarrow as stones jostled around on top of me. Some of them were pretty heavy.
I grabbed a few of the smaller, loose rocks bumping against my hand and put them in my pocket.
The wheelbarrow came to a stop, and a ray of light from the rising sun pierced the cracks in the rocks and fell right in my eyes. I shut them tightly and hoped we wouldn’t be here too long.
‘Boy!’ came Gate Soldier’s voice from above.
‘Got another load for the piles, sir,’ called Rupert.
I heard the gate swing open. I couldn’t see my dogs, but I prayed they had understood the plan. I might have sounded confident about it to Rupert, but this was a new experience for us all.
The wheelbarrow trundled forward, moved under the platform. I tensed, listening for sounds of alarm – but none came.
‘The dogs are in,’ whispered Rupert. ‘They’re all around us under the platform.’ There was a note of wonder in his voice.
I wish I could say I relaxed a bit, but really, nothing about the situation was relaxing.
Rupert pushed the wheelbarrow onwards and I heard the gate close behind us. Hopefully Gate Soldier would go back to watching the road, the dogs would stick close to Rupert, and no one would see them as we—
‘Hey!’ Gate Soldier yelled. ‘What are all those dogs doing with you?’
Oh no.
‘Ah . . .’ Rupert said. ‘I don’t know, sir. I think they’re just . . . harmless strays?’
‘Dogs!’ shouted Gate Soldier. ‘Hey, there’s a bunch of wild dogs over here!’
I wasn’t going to lie in hiding while my pack was in trouble! I burst out of the wheelbarrow, showering rocks everywhere.
Above me, Gate Soldier wore a look of great surprise. My dogs circled around me as I took in my surroundings.
We were in a yard similar to the one back in the kids’ camp, but much bigger. Ahead, a building rose several storeys high. Off to the side, workers moved about among trucks. The hunters were unloading gear from the back of the jeep.
They looked over at the sound of Gate Soldier’s cries.
‘Intruders!’
The hunters dropped everything and scrambled back into the jeep.
‘What do we do?’ said Rupert, pale as ice.
We were out in the open and completely exposed. To have any chance at all, we needed to get inside.
‘Inside!’ I said and broke into a run towards the open doors of the main building.
‘Everyone, with me!’
The jeep’s engine revved and it lurched towards us, quickly picking up speed. As soon as my dogs saw it coming, they started barking. I could tell they didn’t like it at all. The memory of the last time they had seen men in a vehicle was still very fresh.
Stay away, two-legs!
We’ll protect you, Gwen!
‘Let’s get inside!’ I shouted.
The dogs were too worked up to pay attention. Sunrise growled savagely and broke from the pack, directly towards the oncoming jeep. Tiny was quickly after her, yapping angrily.
‘Doggies, stay with me!’ I called out to them.
It was no good. As soon as Sunrise and Tiny tore off, the others were hot on their heels. I could see Blond Hunter raising something up towards them. I went cold. Was it a gun? It seemed too bulky.
The pack converged in a tigh
t formation, except Zip, who zoomed ahead. Blond Hunter pulled the trigger and something blue shot outwards, instantly expanding into a flying net.
It passed over Zip, flying towards the rest of the pack. I heard yelping as the dogs slammed into the ground, trapped under the mesh net.
Zip turned off to the side, confused but still barking furiously.
‘We have to free them!’ I shouted at Rupert, as I ran towards the net full of dogs.
The jeep squealed to a halt, and Red Hunter raised a tranquilliser gun at Zip, who was sprinting towards a small bush beside the building.
Red Hunter aimed the gun at Zip and then moved it slightly to the left. He thought Zip was going to run around the bush, so was leading his shot. I grinned. He didn’t know Zip.
Red Hunter fired, and Zip ran straight into the bush. The dart shot past where Zip should have been and clattered off the building.
Zip rocked back on his haunches, dazed. I was happy his poor eyesight had done him a favour!
I reached the net and glanced back to make sure Rupert was still with me.
‘Rip it up!’ I shouted to Rupert. I reached down to pull out a spike, and Rupert did the same. A moment later Zip was back at my side. He growled as he wrenched a spike clear with his teeth. I noticed one of his eyes was now closed entirely – he was injured. It was going to be even harder for him to see now.
The hunters leapt off the jeep with their tranquilliser guns. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a rock. An overhead swing sent the stone hurtling towards Blond Hunter. It smacked him on the forehead, and he jolted backwards with a stunned look. As he stumbled, Red Hunter raised his gun.
I reached for another stone, but my pocket was empty.
I heard a shriek above. ‘Eagle!’
Eagle ripped up the air as she dived straight towards Red Hunter. He flung up the gun to protect his face and she seized it in her talons.
Red Hunter stared open-mouthed as Eagle flew off with his weapon.
Beyond the jeep, I could see other people watching from the garage. They didn’t seem to be soldiers, and weren’t running towards us, but shouts were going up elsewhere. We had to get out of this yard.
I turned back to the net. Tiny was now free and ripping up spikes. I grabbed another and pulled it up, which raised the net high enough for the other dogs to burst free. They bounced to their feet and we took off.
‘Stay with me!’ I ordered the dogs as I grabbed another handful of rocks.
We ran for the building and burst into the doorway. Rupert and the dogs ran inside. Zip was last, having more trouble now he had just one eye. I called his name constantly until he found his way.
I turned back to check that Eagle was okay and saw her rising back up into the sky above the hunters.
‘Don’t mess with my pack,’ I muttered.
I ran into the building and slammed the door.
We entered a room full of tables and chairs. There was a fridge in the corner, and plates stacked up near a sink.
‘Where are the adults kept?’ I asked.
‘On the other side of this building,’ said Rupert. ‘I think.’
‘You think?’
‘I’m pretty sure. I saw it once.’
We moved out into a corridor.
‘Soldiers!’ Rupert whispered.
A group of three men appeared around a corner ahead.
There was nowhere for us to run now, so we only had one option left.
‘Get them!’ I shouted.
My dogs didn’t need much encouragement. The soldiers started to draw weapons as my pack raced to close the distance. I reached for my sling and sent a rock whizzing straight down the long corridor, smashing out a light above the soldier’s heads. They cried out as broken glass showered down on them.
Sunrise crashed into a soldier, bringing him down to the ground. Tiny latched onto another’s leg, biting him through his trousers. The soldier spun about, trying to shake off the little dog, but Zip careened into his backside and sent him flying. Nosey ran behind the third as Brutus barrelled into him, knocking him backwards.
As Rupert and I ran around the struggling figures, the radios on their belts crackled.
‘They’re in Lower Corridor 3!’ said a voice on one of them.
We turned a corner and came to a long window that looked into a room full of panels and screens. There were three more soldiers inside.
‘That’s the compound’s control centre,’ said Rupert. ‘I’ve got an idea! Do you think your dogs can overpower these three?’
‘Definitely,’ I replied.
We tore into the room as the officers rose wide-eyed from their desks. Brutus and Sunrise stalked forward, baring their fangs. The officers backed up, raising their hands to show they had no weapons.
‘Please,’ said one, as I entered the room behind my pack. ‘Call them off.’
‘Put a message through the radio that we’re heading upstairs,’ said Rupert.
The officer swallowed. ‘Well . . . I’m afraid I can’t do that . . .’
‘Brutus!’ I said and gestured towards the officer.
Brutus snarled at the officer.
‘Put the message through!’ said Rupert.
The officer gulped and picked up a radio.
‘The, er . . . the intruders are heading upstairs,’ he said into the handset.
Rupert was at the screens. ‘They run the whole building from here,’ he said.
He began typing. I could hear running footsteps echoing along the corridor – but then they seemed to grow fainter, as if heading away.
‘Got it!’ Rupert said. He pressed a button, and a sort of thrum went through the building. The lights went out, and the screens powered down.
‘Now these guys can’t warn their friends once we leave,’ said Rupert. ‘Everything’s knocked out.’
Rupert, it seemed, was full of surprises.
‘Good job,’ I said. I didn’t know if he could see as well as my dogs and me in the shadowy building, so I helped him towards the door. ‘I’ve got you.’
We had to move more slowly now that everything was dark. We heard feet clumping around overhead but met no more soldiers on the lower level. It seemed the trick had worked.
We made it to the other side of the building and came to a corridor where windows let in sunlight.
‘There!’ said Rupert. Outside, across a short field of grass, was a long, low building. It was like the one where the kids slept, except made of stone.
We raced along until we found a door and spilled out into the daylight. As we headed towards the stone building, the potential joy of seeing my parents again rose up in my chest and took over my heart.
My mind swirled excitedly with thoughts. Would they be just there, inside, waiting? Was I right on the verge of finding them?
Would they look the same? Would they recognise me? Would they be angry with me for leaving them behind that day?
But really, the only question that mattered was whether they were here or not. My heart just about exploded with excitement.
I reached the doorway and ran inside.
There were rows and rows of bunk beds and washbasins, casting strange shadows in the dark. All of them were empty.
I came to a stop. ‘They’re not here.’
I turned my face up to the ceiling, my hands balled into fists. ‘They’re not here!’ I screamed, in a pitch that even I didn’t recognise.
Neither did the pack, as they all circled me, looking around to try to spot what was in the room that was hurting me – they couldn’t tell that my pain came from what . . . who . . . was missing from the room.
‘Maybe, uh, they’re at work?’ sputtered Rupert. The look on his face said that I was freaking him out.
A soldier appeared on the other side of the room.
‘Pin him down!’ I shouted, making Rupert jump. The dogs surged forward, and though the soldier tried to run, they dragged him down. Sunrise leapt onto his chest and lowered her snarling f
ace to his.
As I approached, he tore his eyes from my wolf’s, and stared up at me with terror.
‘Where are the prisoners?’ I demanded.
‘They . . . they’ve been shipped!’
‘What do you mean, shipped?’
‘I don’t know any more than that!’ squeaked the soldier. ‘Last I knew, they were being loaded into trucks. In the garage! If you hurry . . .’ He seemed hopeful of the notion we might be about to leave. ‘. . . you might still catch them.’
I looked at Rupert. ‘We saw all those big trucks in the garage before.’
‘Come on then,’ he said, his eyes shining. It seemed his fear had been replaced with something else – maybe courage?
I reminded myself this had all been his idea, and he wanted to see his parents just as badly as I did mine.
We ran back out and around the main building. As we came around a corner, a line of trucks was driving out through the open gate. In the back of the last one I saw adults in chains, staring out in amazement at me and my pack. I searched their faces but did not see my parents.
Still, Mum and Dad could have been in any one of the trucks!
As I ran across the yard, Gate Soldier spotted us. He did a double-take, then lunged for his control panel. I instinctively reached for my sling and . . .
We ran through the gate in time to see the last truck driving off in a cloud of dust.
‘No!’ I cried, collapsing to my knees. Tears welled in my eyes. ‘Not after all this . . . ’