Life After Humanity

by Gillian St. Kevern

  “Who knows? One thing I’m sure of—they know exactly where Grant is.” Gunn ground out his cigarette on the windowsill and cocked his gun.

  Nate stared down at the gathering of wolves. It was hard to tell exactly how many there were. They seemed to melt together as one mass in the shadows, only their glowing eyes, catching the street lamps, separating them. “But this is all kinds of illegal! Where are the police?”

  “Cowering behind their badges and praying that everyone’s obeying the curfew.” Gunn’s lip curled. “They’re not authorized to deal with this kind of situation.”

  “But this means—” Nate stared down. “No one’s going to stop them?” Now he saw Wisner’s purpose in disbanding Department Seven. He was in charge of New Camden’s security, and there was no one to stop him and his wolves from doing as they liked.

  “There’s us.”

  Nate stared at Gunn’s back. For the first time since he’d first met Gunn, the man sounded—upbeat. No. Positively happy. “You’re serious? No—stupid question. You are.”

  Gunn grinned. His expression was wolfish. “I’m not hampered by any ‘departmental regulations.’ I got nothing to lose, and Wisner risks everything.” He looked down at the street of wolves with satisfaction. “Finally, we got a level playing field.”

  There’s only two of us. And— Nate did some quick mental calculations. Even divided by two, the glowing eyes came to a lot of wolves.

  A movement went through the crowd of wolves. They melted aside, clearing a path for a tan-colored wolf, larger than those surrounding it, and flanked by two almost identical tan wolves. It made its way to the center of a pool of lamplight before it raised its muzzle to look up at the apartment, baring its teeth.

  “Wisner.” Nate caught his breath.

  “So he finally makes his entrance.” Gunn watched. “What is he waiting for?”

  Wisner didn’t so much as glance at the wolves surrounding him. In his werewolf form, he was even more supremely assured of himself than as a human. He raised his voice in a powerful howl. Unlike the siren call from earlier, this one had a penetrating note that had Nate raising his hands to his ears. Immediately the call was taken up from inside the apartment. Grant snarled, battering the door in a renewed attempt to break free.

  “Fuck.” As Nate stared, a book was dislodged from the shelf. “He’s not supposed to be able to do that.”

  “That was a challenge.” Gunn leaned against the glass of the window. “He knows we’re not going to let Grant answer that. So what—”

  Wisner raised his head, repeating the chilling howl. Immediately it was taken up by his sons, and in the next breath, all the surrounding wolves.

  Nate clapped his hands to his ears. It wasn’t the volume, though that was bad enough. It was the sound itself. It was like being face-to-face suddenly with something primal and out of control, something he knew instinctively to fear. “What are they doing?”

  “They’re going to drive the kid mad.” Gunn glanced at the window and then decided against it. He pulled the curtains shut. “Is there anything in here that can muffle the sound?”

  Nate helped him check the windows were secure and the curtains pulled. He helped Gunn stack all the mattresses they could find against the bookshelf blocking the safe room entrance. “You’re sure about this?”

  “The full moon is a difficult time for wolves even in less fraught circumstances.” Gunn beckoned Nate out the study door and shut it behind them. “Wisner knows this, knows that Grant, a young wolf facing his first solo moon is especially vulnerable. He’s deliberately antagonizing the wolf inside, playing on its fears of being trapped and hunted.”

  Nate glanced over his shoulder. “You know that?”

  Gunn’s snarl was unexpectedly vicious. “I can feel it. And I tell you, Nate, it’s dangerously close to working.”

  Nate froze. Gunn had displayed teeth that were savage, too close to the wolf’s for his peace of mind. Lemur. He feeds on negative emotion—

  “We have to put a stop to the noise downstairs as soon as possible.” Gunn flung open the doors of the apartment. “Or—”

  “Hold it right there!” The two police officers stationed on the doorstep raised their weapons.

  “I’m putting an end to the wolves downstairs,” Gunn said.

  “We’re under orders,” said the first police officer. He was blond, with sweaty hands, and he kept readjusting his grip on his gun. “We know you’ve got the rogue werewolf in there. You’ve got to let him out.”

  “Are you crazy?” Nate’s explosion earned him the attention of both cops. He found himself on the receiving end of both barrels. “If you heard him, then you know what kind of a state he’s in.”

  “You don’t want an upset werewolf loose, especially not in close quarters like this,” Gunn agreed. “You’ll be dead before you’ve had the chance to radio a report.”

  The second officer gave her colleague a worried glance. “The superintendent said it’s the only chance to get the wolves downstairs to disperse. The city’s in a full state of emergency. The army’s not going to get here in time—”

  “I’ll talk to him.” Gunn snatched the radio. “Jacobs. You’re out of your mind.”

  Nate hovered in the doorway, unsure of what he should do. The officers had lowered their guns, but the woman kept an eye on him as her partner monitored Gunn. Nate winced as the howl drifted up from downstairs, seemingly even louder than before. Every moment we waste here is another moment that Grant goes through hell—

  He stopped.

  An acorn rested in the center of the foyer, shiny beneath the overhead light. Nate knelt to pick it up discovering that it was warm in his hand. It wasn’t here earlier. I cleaned up the leftover wood, I would have seen it… So where had it come from? And why does it remind me of something?

  Jacobs’s voice was distorted by the radio but still audible. “Wisner left instructions for this situation. Should the wolves form a group and take to the streets like this, we are to avoid provoking a confrontation at any cost. The only way to do that is to give the wolves what they want—the rogue werewolf—so they can deal with him their way.”

  Gunn’s vicious snarl made them all jump. “You spineless cretin! So you’re going to turn over the kid to save your own pathetic hide! I can’t blame you for throwing a wolf under the bus, but I thought you’d draw the line at sacrificing your own officers!”

  The two cops exchanged a startled look.

  Nate turned the acorn over in his hand. The situation was dire, but somehow he felt comforted. The acorn was no coincidence. It was put there for me to find. By someone who knows what it means to me. And that—even more than the reminder of Nate’s own strength—gave him resolution.

  “Wake up and smell the wolf piss. These wolves didn’t unlock themselves from their cages. This is not a spur of the moment outbreak by werewolves pushed to the limits of their endurance. Wisner had this planned. This is the city’s head of security demonstrating how little he thinks of the rules handed down to protect everyone.”

  “But even if that’s true, what do you want me to do? If we don’t do something, those wolves are going to hurt someone. Listen to them!”

  The wolves had lost their synchronicity. They still howled, but it was now a discordant series of howls that followed one after another in an endless loop, made worse because of how unpredictable it was.

  Nate’s hand tightened around the acorn. “Hey, Gunn? What would happen if someone were to challenge Wisner now?”

  Gunn snapped his head around to stare at Nate. “I don’t have to dignify that with a response, do I? That’s suicide.”

  “Yeah, but would Wisner accept?”

  “He couldn’t do anything but. With his pack, hell, every wolf in New Camden watching?” Gunn narrowed his eyes at Nate. “The idea is ludicrous.”

  “And if I win?”

  “You’re not going to win.” Gunn raised his hands as if he wanted to physically shake Nate but was
prevented by the presence of the two cops. “I appreciate an idiotic endeavor as much as the next guy—”

  “But if I did win? Could I make Wisner call the wolves off?”

  Gunn narrowed his eyes. “It’d be chaos. You’d have destroyed the wolves’ hierarchy. It’d be every wolf for himself—” He glanced down at the radio. “The perfect opportunity for the cops to step in and establish order.”

  The radio crackled. “I don’t condone this. Who is this idiot, Gunn? What does he think he’s going to do?”

  “Challenge Wisner. And I’m doing it whether you condone me or not.” Nate’s heart thudded in his chest, but it was the steady beat of certainty. The way when a difficult decision falls into place and the path forward is clear. “I win—he loses control over the wolves. That’s all that matters.”

  The radio gave an outraged squawk, and Gunn casually silenced it, tossing it back to the nearest police officer. “The last time you fought a wolf, you got your ass handed to you,” he said. “Or did you hit your head so hard, you forgot?”

  “I did all right,” Nate said. “And this time I know what I’m in for. Wisner doesn’t.” He looked Gunn dead in the eyes. “I know I can do this.”

  Gunn snorted. “I can never resist a stupid idea and overwhelming odds. All right, Nate. You talked me into it.” He glanced at the two officers. “Monitor the situation from up here, but don’t interfere in the fight, even if things look bad for Nate. Any interference from an outside party and the challenge is void—and we lose any protection we’ve got.”

  The police officers exchanged a glance. “You really think this will work?” the woman said. “It sounds really unlikely to me.”

  Nate slipped the acorn into his pocket. “Full moon. Anything can happen.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  THE INTERIOR OF the elevator was completely silent. Gunn leaned against one side. Nate stood stiffly in the center, his hand on the acorn within his pocket.

  Ben had long since given up on trying to get either of them to notice him. His body ached, and he was exhausted. It had been a long walk back across the city to the apartment, and he’d suffered in the altercation between the hunters and his friends. Being effectively invisible was no defense against being trampled, charged, or bumped. Ben wanted nothing more than to collapse and let the nature of his new reality crash down on him.

  But I can’t. Ben took a deep breath as the elevator opened on the ground floor. Nate needs me. Even if he couldn’t see Ben or hear him or even feel his presence, he was not letting Nate face Wisner alone.

  “Werewolves are about as strong as a grizzly,” Gunn said casually. “And an alpha even stronger than that. If he pins you, that’s it—game over.”

  Nate, halfway across the lobby, glanced back. “A pep talk? Gunn, you shouldn’t.”

  “But it’s the bite you’ve really got to worry about.” Gunn swaggered after him. “A werewolf’s bite is considered lethal. If you don’t die outright, it’s ten to one your first full moon will kill you.”

  Nate snorted. “That’s assuming I get infected. And I’m pretty sure that I don’t work that way.”

  “Here’s hoping you’re right.” Gunn had no business sounding so pleased with himself.

  Ben shot him a glare and then darted ahead to make it out the door with Nate. Existing only to yourself meant that he was vulnerable to things like closed doors. The buttons on his phone refused to register his touch. And any marks he left on surfaces disappeared instantly. The acorn had been the only thing to work. Ben was sure there was a clue there—if only he had time to understand it.

  And they were out of time.

  Nate walked to the edge of the steps, looking down at the crowd of wolves in front of them. Ben stood at his side. Even knowing the wolves couldn’t see him, it was an alarming sight. The wolves’ eyes glowed eerily, reflecting not the streetlights, but their own wildness. The full moon hung in the air above them, impossibly large and threatening.

  The last wolf trailed off as Nate’s presence registered slowly through the crowd. The silence was almost more alarming than their howls. No wild animals should stand so quietly. Was there still something human left within them? Or was this a sign of the near-absolute control that Wisner held over them?

  The large tan wolf that was Wisner stepped forward. Ben felt Nate tense and automatically put a hand on his arm. “You’ve got this.” Even if Nate couldn’t hear him, the words made Ben feel better. He raised his jaw, staring hard at Wisner, projecting his own confidence as loudly as he could. He couldn’t interact with the world, but maybe, just maybe, he could still be felt.

  I have to believe that. If I don’t—

  Ben wasn’t going to let himself think of the alternative.

  Wisner barked an inquiry. One son growled, and the sound was quickly taken up by the rest of the wolves. Ben watched the wolves nearest to him move, clearly eager to leap. They snapped their teeth, creeping forward into the glow of the streetlight, their eyes fixed on Nate.

  Ben felt Nate shift beside him and could imagine his misgivings. Somewhere among the crowd was the wolf who’d attacked them at Century.

  “Yeah, tell someone who cares.” A wolf got too close and Gunn flicked his cigarette ash at him, before making his way to join Nate on the steps. “Wisner. Not showing much regard for the rules now.”

  Wisner’s snarl spoke volumes. It was deliberate and nuanced, far more articulate than Ben would have ever believed possible for a transformed werewolf. It said, as plainly as if Wisner had spoken the words, that Wisner was himself far above the necessity of rending Gunn limb from limb personally, but he would be delighted to order his underlings to destroy him.

  Gunn grinned. “You don’t say. I got an offer for you. I’m not one for making deals with anyone holding my city hostage, but the kid here is young and foolish, and well, they got to learn at some point. He wants—” and Gunn’s voice was suddenly loud, projected to be heard across the entire scene “—to challenge you, Wisner.”

  Wisner’s bark was sharp and savage. It sounded like a laugh.

  Nate clenched his fists. “I’m serious.”

  “Let me do the talking,” Gunn said. “I speak the universal language of fear. And if Wisner looks at you, make sure you look him in the eyes and don’t flinch.” He resumed his loud tones. “Wolf to man. First to fail to rise loses the match.”

  Wisner yawned, displaying an abundance of sharp teeth. The surrounding wolves edged closer.

  “If you lose, you agree to cease your pursuit of the pup,” Gunn said. “But if you win, we’ll let you have him.”

  Wisner cocked an ear. He immediately laid his ears flat against his head, thinking, but Gunn had been heard and understood by the surrounding wolves. They began to bark, baying for Grant’s blood.

  Gunn grinned. “Well, Wisner? What’s it going to be? Don’t tell me you’re afraid of a foolhardy pup.”

  Wisner’s gaze fell on Nate.

  Nate’s eyes widened. Ben saw him move as if to step back, but only just stop himself in time.

  Wisner’s mouth fell open. He looked over his shoulder and barked once more. The baying wolves fell silent. Wisner began to walk in a circle, the wolves drawing back before him, forming an empty space in the center of the road.

  “First not to get up, right?” Nate took a deep breath.

  “Make sure you get up.” Gunn said. “Once you’re down and you stay down—there’s not going to be much I can do.”

  Nate stared at Wisner. “Here goes everything.” He walked into the ring.

  Ben followed, but the moment he reached the bottom of the stairs, the wolves closed in, forming a barrier between himself and Nate. They hung back from the combatants, hissing and snarling, constantly in motion.

  Ben struggled to keep his feet. This is deliberate. Scare tactics. The wolves didn’t know Nate if they thought that was going to intimidate him.

  Intimidate—or distract? Ben saw Nate take a deep breath, steeling himself
for the fight—and his concentration waver as a wolf broke the barrier. “Nate! Look—”

  Wisner leaped. The wolf barreled at Nate, landing with his full weight. Nate hit the concrete surface of the road with a crash that sounded like felled timber. Wisner rolled to his feet and turned to see Nate stagger to his knees. Wisner growled low in his throat.

  “Why the surprise? You knew he wasn’t human.” Gunn flashed his teeth in a wolfish grin. “Nate’s only doing what is natural to him as you’re doing what’s natural to the wolf. Surely you’re not afraid?”

  “Don’t encourage him,” Nate said. He flexed his fist, the ivy spilling down his arm moving with the gesture. “You’re supposed to be on my side—”

  “Heads up!” Gunn barked too late. Wisner had made his leap.

  Nate went down under the full weight of the wolf again, but Wisner didn’t have it all his own way. He was engulfed in vine, and for a second, Ben lost sight of the combatants as the bodies of the wolves jostling each other for a better view threatened to crush him.

  “Move!” Ben shoved the nearest wolf with both hands. He didn’t succeed in budging it, but the wolf’s ears flattened against the back of its head, and it snapped at its neighbor.

  It—felt me? Ben stared. But that would mean—

  Wolves couldn’t read. So were the werewolves not governed by the Register…?

  Only one way to find out. Ben ran his hand up the back of the nearest wolf, deliberately going against the smooth weft of its hair, leaving fur spiked up behind him. The results were immediate. The wolf snapped its jaws and lunged at the wolf nearest it.

  This wolf was already on edge from the situation. He dived at his attacker, and the two went down in a tangle of furry limbs and snapping jaws, the surrounding wolves darting back to avoid being drawn into the fracas.

  Ben was knocked down in the rush. He curled up, awaiting a chance to draw himself up in safety.

  A slow growl made every hair on his body rise. Ben looked up directly into Wisner’s tawny eyes. The alpha wolf kept his gaze locked on the scrapping wolves as he continued his menacing rumble. Behind him, Ben heard the two wolves whimper as they sank to the ground. That was a clear warning against any more fights.