Graveslinger

by Darren Compton

  As the squad of ghouls seemed to have diminished, in each window appeared another werewolf, carefully stepping over the broken glass. The first of the surprise attackers twitched on the floor, already beginning its regenerating process.

  Rutger studied them all as they surrounded him and Fiya and then replied, “I’m 67, you sons of bitches, and you can still kiss my hairy ass.”

  In unison, Rutger and Fiya defiantly raised their weapons.

  Fiya asked without taking her eyes off the surrounding intruders, “Who is this guy?”

  Before Rutger could reply, the man in the doorway answered, “My name is Kael Kipling, and you’re correct Fiya Diaz, we should be getting introduced.” He smiled, not unlike most smiles she received from men who thought they were being smooth.

  She scrunched her nostrils and raised a single eyebrow, not that anyone could see. “You were named after a lettuce? Kale? You poor thing, no wonder you’re over-compensating by breaking down doors.”

  Kael’s face tightened and he brooded his eyes. “Pronounced the same, but not spelled that way.” He fought the urge to immediately jump in, knowing that as the pack leader, the pack served as his muscle.

  He gave a low growl, which served as the trigger for the wolves to attack.

  He observed the other beasts move in and made a move only when necessary, which given now that there were two Immortuos Venandi hunters in the same room, he knew his time would come soon. Though tradition was for the alpha to hang back, he still itched to do the dirty work himself.

  Kael had expected the two hunters to mow through the ghouls like they were nothing, they were there to pad out the assault and hopefully exhaust the hunters before bringing in the bigger guns. What he didn’t expect was the supposedly retired Rutger Bronson to keep pace as the wolves maneuvered into their turn. Every attempt from the wolves to swipe at him when his back was turned against another foe was deflected. The girl maneuvered the same way, only faster. It was as if they were trained well enough to defend themselves when they’re surrounded, a tactic Kael didn’t expect as hunters normally worked alone in his experience. Kael enjoyed studying them.

  Rutger made two swings at the nearest beast and then slid two inches to the right, dodging a severed werewolf arm that Fiya launched, splattering against the wall next to him.

  Fiya moved at an incredible speed, and Kael became more impressed with her than he did in the woods the other night. He had seen a few female hunters in action before ─ none ever lasted long with him ─ but something about her struck him as different: someone with potential. His gaze found her rear and smiled again at the world of potential.

  Shaking off his admiration, Kael saw he was going to need to step in very soon and pushed for a full change. His face roughened, his brow darkening, and he growled as the rest of his teeth sharpened. The canines now protruded from his lips like tusks. His gums poured blood like bad water pipes.

  Fiya heard the growl and motioned for Rutger. Defeat washed over him as he realized the monster standing in his doorway was an alpha werewolf. He’d begun to feel tired as he caught the jaws of another werewolf with the shaft of his axe before it tore into his throat. He really didn’t want to deal with an alpha. He knows they are bigger, stronger, tougher, and he was much older now than the last time he tussled with one. He had seen an alpha werewolf rip through a Volkswagen like a soda can back in ‘84: one of the few moments after potty training as a toddler that he recalled actually wetting himself.

  The werewolf kept its jaws gripped on Rutger’s axe like a dog that wouldn’t let go of its toy. Rutger yanked from side to side, twisting hard enough for the beast to roll over on his couch, possibly knocking some teeth loose in the process. The teeth marks embedded in the handle made it slightly less comfortable to grip.

  “The cabin is surrounded,” Kael said, growling through his huge teeth as his mouth pushed forward into a grizzly muzzle. His voice, already a deep baritone, dropped to cavernous registers as he spoke. “Nowhere to run, we’ll get the other two. You can either step aside and spare your lives, or … not.” His growls turned into a heavy laugh as his chest bulged. He had come prepared with bare feet, which grew into large paws that stressed the wooden floor. Kael hunched over and had trouble fitting in the doorway.

  Rutger leaned to Fiya and said softly, even though the werewolves could hear him anyway, “Hall bathroom.”

  “Why?”

  “Just do it,” he commanded in a harsh whisper.

  Fiya gave him a quick nod and elbowed a smaller werewolf that encroached on her personal space, certain she just broke its snout; wouldn’t matter if it would be healed within the hour, it still hurt the beast like hell. It cried as it tumbled back into the kitchen, clutching its face, and Fiya disappeared into the hallway.

  Rutger kept his eyes on Kael, who had stepped forward into the den to make room for completing his change. The hairs on the tips of his long, pointed ears grazed the ceiling. The alpha werewolf’s legs and shoulders spread wider than the doorframe.

  As Kael stretched his jaws for the final growth spurt, Rutger grabbed a log from the fire and threw it on the couch between them. The couch burst into flames, and the other beasts leaped away, giving Rutger some walking room. One was so close to the couch when it erupted in flames, its arm and shoulder caught fire. It panicked and leaped out of one of the broken windows, as clumsy as possible, helping spread the flames.

  Inching closer to the hallway, Rutger eyed all the leery werewolves that kept their distance from the raging fire in the middle of the room.

  “Cute,” Kael grunted.

  Then Rutger slipped into the mouth of the hallway and set his hand on a wood panel to his right as he still kept his eyes on Kael. “Tell me about it, I liked that couch.” he said as he pressed the panel.

  Steel bars dropped from the ceiling, like the wall of an old -fashioned shark cage built to handle great white sharks. As their rattling echoed when they hit the floor, a loud click boomed as it locked into place. The bars separated Rutger from the fiery den. He smirked as Kael sneered.

  The flames spread throughout the den of the cabin, and Kael leaped over them to the bars while the others moved out of his way. He slammed all his weight against the cage as Rutger backed away, still smirking. Kael snarled through the bars, “You have nowhere to go! We’ll rip through this just as we will you. You’re just buying time, seconds, if that.”

  “Yeah, okay,” Rutger replied dryly before dashing down the hall.

  Kael pounded on the bars, and after only a few slams, they slacked. He paused to glare at his hunting party and waved his monstrous hand, followed by a jerk of his mighty head. The others read his signal and fled the cabin to the outside, surrounding the exterior.

  A double knock rapped on the bathroom door, followed by Rutger’s curt voice, “It’s me.” The security bar shot up, and Rutger hurried in, sliding it back in place behind him. The bathroom already felt overcrowded with just Thomas and Liama, but now making room for Rutger and Fiya made it feel like a New York subway car during rush hour. “Oh, the big one’s pissed,” Rutger said, thumbing toward the door.

  “What now?” Fiya asked. She kept herself against the door.

  Rutger reached around Thomas and pointed to the toilet. Liama’s eyes bulged, and she shook her head. “Down there,” Rutger pointed. “We have to go fast, I’m pretty sure he’s gonna rip through my security bars like funnel cake any second.” He caught Liama wrinkling her nose. “Don’t worry, it’s squeaky clean. Never been used.”

  As Rutger maneuvered to the toilet, Fiya slid into the corner of the bathroom to make room for him, and Thomas stepped into the bathtub with Liama. He watched curiously as Liama latched onto him.

  Outside, the animal sounds grew louder, and Kael’s brutal beatings against the bars clanged throughout the cabin. The lighting fixture on the ceiling rattled with each impact. Fiya touched the wall that separated them from the hallway and felt warmth, telling her the fire’s spreading
quick.

  The toilet was cool to the touch, and Rutger crouched to grab both sides of the bowl. Underneath the tank was a switch that had been disguised as a loose screw. Rutger plucked the screw out and then pulled on the toilet. It slid with ease, along with a perfectly cut square of vinyl tile, like it was on a rolling track. Toilet water splashed outside the bowl. As they dragged it forward, the metal hoses in the back of the tank extended without ever tightening, unwinding out of the wall. Under the toilet revealed a hole big enough for Rutger to squeeze in, leading to an underground tunnel. Complete darkness waited for them, save for the bathroom light shining into the entrance.

  “Go down, quick,” Rutger ordered, standing back up.

  Thomas gawked. “This is … impressive.”

  Rutger put a hand on Thomas’s shoulder and said while lowering his voice, “There’s no sewer line down there. The only shitter is the one in my bedroom. Now you know why this one’s not working right.” Rutger smiled.

  There was another eruption of metallic clangs from down the hallway. Colossal stomps charged to the bathroom and slammed into the door. The security bar jolted.

  THOOOM!

  Rutger put a finger up to his lips, urging them to be quiet. Thomas nudged Liama toward the hole, and she looked up at her daddy, asking him with only her eyes if she really had to. He nodded and lowered her into the hole. She warily stepped into the darkness as he followed right behind her. He had to duck a little, as he was a bit tall for the tunnel, but it wasn’t uncomfortable for him.

  THOOOM!

  Vicious scratches were coming from the outside of the wall. The other wolves had surrounded the cabin and were trying to claw their way in. The tiny bathroom window was too high off the ground for them to see into, but they could still reach it, and one hammered it with its fist. It took several blows before it could cause the glass to even crack, as Rutger had equipped the bathroom windows with heavy-duty glass. Even Fiya felt impressed. He never went this far when I was growing up.

  THOOOM!

  Fiya kneeled at the hole, lifting her mask from her face, wearing it like a baseball cap. She needed her best vision down there, and as protective as it proved to be, the mask unfortunately narrowed her scope. Not because of the lenses, which were chemically altered to enhance vision in the dark, but instead, her peripherals just didn’t work as well. In tight places, it worked even worse. She’s considered a new mask with bigger lenses more than a few times, but just hadn’t gotten around to it.

  THOOOM! THOOOM!

  “Keep moving, girl,” Rutger said, tapping her shoulder.

  “Yeah, yeah,” she replied, sliding into the hole. She stepped forward to make room for Rutger.

  THOOOM! THOOOM!

  Rutger climbed into the hole, just as the tiny window cracked into web-like lines. It only made visibility into the bathroom worse for the werewolves trying to look in.

  The door frame creaked with each wallop, and Rutger heard more rattling with the security bar than moments ago. The bolts were stripping with each hit, loosening from the walls. With a rope-handle grip under the tile that moved forward, Rutger pulled the toilet back into place from underneath until he felt a click.

  They lost all their light.

  KRATHOOOOM!

  The bathroom door splintered inward. Shrapnel of oak and titanium littered the sink and floors. The security bar itself exploded off the frame, shattering the mirror and getting stuck in the wall behind it. Smoke swirled into the bathroom as Kael kicked the bottom half of the door off its hinges.

  Other than the mess Kael just made, the bathroom appeared pristine. He could smell them, especially Fiya’s coconut-scented deodorant, but they were nowhere to be seen. He growled like a diesel engine, waiting to hear a gasp or a whimper, and shattered the bathtub glass door, then yanked the countertop of the sink out before demolishing the rest of the sink area. The ruble fell on top of the toilet, further hiding their escape hatch.

  In the darkness, Rutger shushed everyone. Heavy thumps from above stomped around, and dirt dusted the tops of their heads. In the tunnel, the only thing anyone could hear was their own heartbeat and Liama’s open mouth-breathing.

  When the destruction finally settled, and they were sure Kael stormed off, Rutger cracked a glow-stick, giving off a mild lime-green illumination for a few feet around them. The dim light revealed additional glow-sticks embedded in the wall, which he promptly grabbed.

  Thomas held Liama, comforting her heart rate. She had been shaking like a hunted rabbit. Her tears had dried up, but her eyes were still bulging with stress and panic.

  Fiya looked to Rutger, and he pointed his finger, signaling where the other three should start moving.

  Everyone except Liama had to crouch with varying degrees, even Fiya. When they moved the first several feet farther into the tunnel, Rutger stopped. Fiya noticed and glanced back, worried. When Thomas and Liama noticed they stepped out of range of the glow stick light, they stopped and turned, too.

  Rutger dug into the side wall, almost wrist deep, next to a rock painted with fluorescent blacklight paint, which glowed bright next to the glow-stick. He grabbed onto something and tugged. He pulled a short length of rope out of the dirt wall and then gave it a second yank, which caused a collapse of dirt and rock where they had come from.

  When the dust settled, Rutger turned back to look at the others and advised softly, “No doubt they heard that. Keep going.”

  The sun drifted itself across the eastern sky. A burst of tangerine splashed on a soft blue, with only a few scattered purple clouds. Morning stretched itself fully awake now, and in the center of it all, a rising stream of black smoke smeared above the tops of pine trees. Rutger’s cabin was engulfed in flames, spiraling and whipping the air like a wild drunk celebrating an endless stream of touchdowns.

  Kael watched the blaze in the nude, as he had returned to his human form. He was very muscular, lean, and massive, with very little body fat. Even though he sported a long mane of hair on his head, he only had the faintest evidence of body hair anywhere else and kept a well-groomed beard. A small trail leading to his pubic area and symmetrical patch in the middle of his sweaty pecs would be all the body hair anyone would find upon close inspection, which many women had. The orange glow of the fire danced off his sweaty body, recovering from the change. His face stared like a stone statue. He breathed in slowly, held it for a moment, and then exhaled.

  Other werewolves limped, looking over their ragged shoulders, watching the towering flames. Some were burned from escaping the flames. Another comforted its snout as it healed over. One approached Kael, slender and lithe.

  “The fire department will arrive soon,” Kael said, not even turning his attention toward the slender wolf. “We stay until the fire’s out. Stay out of sight but keep watch.”

  “There’s a pit in the back, filled with bodies.”

  Kael looked at the creature with pleasant curiosity. “Really? That … that’s going to get the attention of authorities. Fuck. Anything else, Sheyla?”

  Sheyla shook her head, and her ears flicked backward. She was a competent soldier in the pack, tough and lethal, but unfortunately unfit for breeding—thanks to taking a silver knife to her lower midsection, ruining her uterus for good. Most packs either would’ve run her off or even eaten her, but Kael knew she could still be useful. He may be barbaric, but he still knew there was more to a woman than just her womb.

  “I want to see their bones before we leave here.” Kael paused, taking another deep, long breath while watching the flames lash higher and higher. “Shame about the girl, though.”

  Fiya, along with Rutger, Thomas and Liama, navigated the tunnel with ease. Though there were several turns, there were never any forks or crossed paths to cause them any confusion. Fiya estimated it had been about half a mile into the underground when Rutger stopped at another fluorescent rock and collapsed the dirt behind them. She felt safe that the wolves would not follow, but she worried that they could be wait
ing where the tunnel emerged aboveground.

  She and Rutger thought it was a good idea for one of them to be at the front and the rear, keeping Thomas and Liama between them. Since Fiya moved faster, she spearheaded the group.

  After what seemed like an hour of walking, they found the tunnel’s opening hidden behind a waterfall. The group stopped when they could go no further.

  Fiya put her hand through the sheeting wall of water, waiting for a response from someone on the other side. Only the roar of the water made a sound, and she looked back at Rutger with a shrug. “It’s okay,” he said. “There’s a pond on the other side, not a big drop. We can just jump through.”

  Without waiting for his cue, Fiya leaped through the waterfall and found herself landing in a small pool that bled into a creek. Freezing cold water, worse than a shower without a working water heater, nearly locked Fiya up with shock, but she managed.

  She stood up in the water and turned to look at the waterfall. Fiya shivered as the air met her soaked clothes. Rutger was right: It wasn’t a far drop at all. She saw through the waterfall to the rocky ledge she leaped from, only a few feet above the pond’s waterline. The others in the tunnel weren’t visible at all.

  The waterfall source couldn’t have been more than 20 feet up; the water level came up to her upper thighs. She studied the surrounding mudbank, expecting something to be watching them. Instead, she saw a peaceful dense forest, lushly green.

  In the distance, in the direction from where they came, she could see black smoke rising like a smudge across the sky. When she felt it was safe, she whistled and called out, “Next!”

  After a moment, Liama burst through the waterfall, flapping her arms like a duckling, and fully submerged when she landed in the pool. Fiya sloshed through the water to get to her and stopped when she popped right back up. Liama giggled.