Wolfen

by Alianne Donnelly

  Nate tried to tie the rope around her, but Sinna pushed him away. “No!”

  “We don’t have time for this, Sinna!”

  The next screech sounded just outside the door and Sinna got her first glimpse of the pack’s leader up close. Definitely male—Grays didn’t wear clothes. He walked with his head canted forward to better scent the air, his body comprised of little more than skin and bones. But his eyes were piercing, ravenous, with a vast, gaping emptiness and a terrible hunger to fill it. His gray skin was mottled with bite marks and open sores; there were chunks missing from his sinewy flesh. A patch of long, dark hair fell over his face in disgusting blood-drenched strands. His teeth were bigger than the usual Gray’s; he couldn’t press his lips closed. And his claws… God, she’d never seen anything so monstrous.

  Sinna stood transfixed by the sight of him. This is how I die… Fitting. The concept of Karma in practical application—

  Nate gave her shoulders a hard shake. “We’ll do this together. Come on, it’s easy. Nothing to it.” He squeezed through the door, stepped onto the ladder, and held his hand out for her.

  A snarl. Three more Grays behind the leader pushed to get in, but he wouldn’t let them, still scenting the air for his prey.

  Monsters behind her. Blackness of hell beckoning ahead.

  I can’t do this.

  “Sinna, move!” Nate hissed.

  I can’t! Shaking, terrified, she looked Nate in the eye. He nodded, ready to climb down with her. She was only a few inches away, and the Grays were holding back. They could make it.

  But as Sinna toed the edge, she couldn’t take her gaze off the tips of her feet, already dipped in shadow. The rusted pipe bracing the doors open held on by the grace of good luck a half-inch above her shoes. Staring at the orange patterns of corrosion, Sinna’s haze of terror lifted for one brief moment.

  The pipe.

  Nate had to lean far to the side, jeopardizing his own balance to help her; he couldn’t dislodge the pipe from that angle. Even if they made it down to another floor and found a way out, if this door didn’t close, the Grays would only follow. They were fast; there’d be no chance of escape.

  “What’s going on up there?” David called. “Nate? Come on!”

  The Grays’ leader growled, feet smacking the marble floor as he stepped into the lobby. His pack spread out around him.

  Again, Sinna met Nate’s gaze.

  He must have read something in her expression. His own eyes widened and he shook his head. “Don’t…”

  Sinna shifted back a half-step.

  Nate launched forward, trying to grab onto her, but his fingers skimmed her jacket sleeve instead. The desperate lunge cost him his balance; his foothold slipped, and he slammed hard against the metal ladder. “Sinna!” He righted himself and, instead of going down, climbed higher to try again, wasting precious seconds on a lost cause. Sinna couldn’t let him risk them all. Not for her.

  “Good bye.” She kicked in the pipe and the counterweight forced the door shut, just as the Grays broke into an awkward lope.

  Sinna spun on her toes and ran toward the back of the building. Behind the elevator bank, the wide hallway branched off in a T, the left one ending abruptly in a set of restrooms. She stumbled to a halt, turned quickly, and dashed off the other way. The Grays had reached the elevator, screeching and snarling, claws scraping at the smooth metal doors where the scent of their prey was strongest. They’re animals, she reminded herself. They couldn’t use tools, and wouldn’t be able to fit their claws into the door seam to pry it open. The others were safe, but the Grays wouldn’t hang around forever. They’d give up on that lost cause and come for her.

  And there was nowhere to hide! Nothing but small utility closets and a dead end. Not even a ceiling air shaft—nothing! Heart in her throat, Sinna reached the very end of the hallway and pounded on the wall. Solid concrete. No way out.

  Shaking with excess energy, she turned and spotted a small open window high up, halfway back toward the main lobby. Could she make it? Do I have a choice?

  She took the chance.

  But three running steps into her attempt, she skidded to a halt and froze.

  Five Grays rounded the corner, heads canted forward to scent the air. They were horrifying creatures with half-rotted skin covered in scars and scabs stretching over their bones to the breaking point. The front two had broken claws. Another was missing an eye. The fourth, a female, had only one breast, with the left side of her chest torn open to expose her ribs and lung. Sickening green saliva dripped from their mouths. The female dribbled onto her chest, shaking herself every so often as if the acid hurt her open wound.

  Sinna didn’t dare move. The Grays were in no hurry to advance, perceiving an end to the path. The anticipation probably whetted their appetites. Claws flaring and curling, they shuffled closer, step by uneven step. It was meant to mislead. They were capable of mind boggling speeds; they could run six blocks in less than two minutes.

  Sinna looked at the gun in her hand. She could empty the magazine into them, and it would only piss them off. These creatures didn’t feel pain like humans did, and they were incredibly difficult to kill. Severing the spine was just about the only thing that could keep them down long enough to possibly bleed out. Had Nate known that? Was that why he’d tried to get them to hide, rather than open fire with his assault rifle? Did he even have any bullets left?

  She sobbed a chuckle. What the hell did any of that matter?

  I’m coming, Gerry. I’m coming home.

  She could almost see her den mother smile at her. Not yet, baby girl.

  Sniffling back tears, wiping her nose on her nice, clean jacket, Sinna resolutely raised the gun to her temple. Yes. Now. It was time.

  Eyes squeezed shut, she tried to recall her happiest memory. The Grays would not be her last sight on this Earth. She wanted to go out with a smile on her face. She remembered Beethoven’s Tempest, a song that always reminded her of Victorian costumes and the gleaming parquet floors of a ballroom. Not that she knew what parquet looked like. With the melody in mind, Sinna pressed the barrel harder into her temple, finger quivering on the trigger.

  But she couldn’t pull it.

  The Grays shuffled close enough for her to smell their rank breath, to hear their claws clicking on the marble floor. And still she couldn’t do it. One’s chin brushed her shoulder, pressed its nose to her skin as it sucked in a harsh breath, and huffed it back out against her neck. She squeezed her eyes shut even tighter. Shoot! End it!

  Her hand refused to obey.

  A low growl rumbled in her ear, leathery skin grazed the knuckles of her free hand.

  Sinna whimpered, recoiling.

  Another nosed her chest.

  I can’t die like this.

  Then—fucking—fire!

  The Gray at her back tried to fit its head into the crook of her elbow, jarring the gun up, and Sinna’s finger tightened in reflex, startling her so badly she cried out—

  Because there was no explosion.

  Safety on.

  Stupefied, Sinna opened her eyes. The Grays mere inches in front of her were tilting their heads like confused animals, not attacking. The leader muscled his way through to sniff her face with a whistling sound reminiscent of a badly set broken nose, but his facial structure looked normal. His hair, reeking of rot, slipped over her shoulder, over her nose, and she gagged, then held her breath, standing perfectly still as those terrible black eyes bored straight into hers.

  After taking in her scent, the leader screwed up his face and shook his head hard, garbling a sound Sinna had never heard before. He backed away a step, sneezed, and shook his head again as if trying to get rid of a stench, and then…

  He turned away. Just…turned away, and headed back. The others followed after him with what might have been questioning squawks, shuffling down that corridor and leaving her behind.

  Whuh…?

  Sinna’s eyes widened with every step they took a
way from her. What was happening? Grays didn’t abandon a chase, and they certainly never let fresh meat walk away.

  Was this a trick? Were they capable of deception?

  No. They were mindless animals, incapable of higher thought or verbal communication, much less trickery and psychological torture. They lived to feed and breed—period.

  Yet they hadn’t done either.

  They’re really leaving me here.

  Sinna didn’t take a breath until they’d turned the corner, nearly passing out from the lack of air. Confused and shaking like a leaf, she leaned against the wall and sagged to the floor as tears poured in rivulets down her cheeks. She held a hand to her mouth to contain the wretched sobs that shuddered through her. The gun clattered from her grip, and she frantically wiped at her face and hands, desperate to remove every speck of their DNA. She felt filthy, contaminated, but she was alive.

  My God, I’m alive!

  How? Nobody ever walked away from a Gray, much less a pack of them!

  Then: The others!

  Sinna picked up the gun, bolted to her feet, and ran back to the main hallway, stopping at the corner only long enough to make sure the Grays were gone. She peeked out. No sign of them. She listened hard, but there was no sound of movement. Her gut said they were probably lying in wait, but she saw nothing. Not willing to test her luck a second time, Sinna crept toward the elevator, stepping with her toes first. The rusted pipe marked the shaft where her company had hidden. Keeping an eye out for more danger, she cautiously knocked on the door.

  “Nate?”

  No answer. Of course there wouldn’t be. The elevator door was so thick, it’d be a miracle if they could hear her.

  She had to think like the soldier. Nate wouldn’t have stayed so close to a threat, and Isaac wouldn’t have made the climb back up, not with his bad knees. No, Nate probably had them get into the elevator, which he’d claimed was two floors down, and exit the shaft onto one of the lower levels. They might not be that far away.

  There was that stairwell on the other side of the lobby. Sinna looked left, then right as if about to cross a damned street, then ran across the hallway to reach it.

  One floor down. Two. There was the exit!

  She burst through the doorway into a cavernous, gray-on-black underground parking lot with random splashes of color in the form of abandoned cars. After so much time, they wouldn’t do any good; batteries didn’t have a decade-long shelf life and gasoline evaporated little by little. A light in the distance meant a ramp to the top level, and a way out. But also a way in. If the Grays circled around to find the opening, there’d be nowhere else to hide.

  Sinna licked her dry lips. Where would Nate have gone? Away from the danger, surely. Not up. Down, then? How many more levels did this place have? She looked over the concrete railing, and her knees went weak. Two levels underground already, and there were at least two more. This garage was huge. How would she ever find the others? In the dim light, any movement could be either one of her group or one of the Grays. She couldn’t trust her eyes.

  She had to listen instead.

  Taking a huge risk, Sinna closed her eyes and strained for any small stir in the silence.

  Her heart leapt. Was that a voice?

  Yes! Voices, and she could tell where they came from. Her friends were alive!

  Sinna hurried after the sound. Not up the ramp, and not down, either. They’d gone straight, farther into this level, no doubt searching for a more defensible location, and the closer she got, the louder the voices became. Her excitement grew; she moved ever faster. She’d survived, and they were alive! Soon, she was running, heedlessly dashing around a corner pillar—

  —and slammed right into David. She knocked him to the ground like a bowling pin.

  He gave a shout, flailing to fight her off. Sinna rolled away to get her feet under her. Then Nate’s assault rifle cocked, ready to fire, and she froze.

  David was still wailing, fighting no one, but Sinna’s attention had locked onto Nate and the barrel of his weapon pointing straight at her head.

  It took him longer than she would have liked, but he finally swore and lifted his gaze from the sights to stare at her. “Sinna?”

  She slowly pushed to her feet so she didn’t startle him, while Connor dragged David up by his collar. “Not the welcome I was expecting.” Her eyes darted between his frown and the gun he still hadn’t lowered. She couldn’t see Amy, but she heard her inside one of the abandoned cars, telling Matt to keep still and be quiet.

  “How…” Nate trailed off into a baffled silence.

  “Honestly, I have no idea. Can you put that down now?”

  “The Grays were right there. I saw them.”

  “Uh, yeah.” What else could she say?

  “They were right there.”

  Sinna nodded, uncomfortable now. “You are not mistaken. Nate, the gun. Down, please.”

  David chose that moment to spin her around and scare ten years off her life. He looked her over, wide-eyed and gropey in his search for injuries, then he laughed exuberantly and grabbed her up in a bear hug that popped her back. “Holy shit, Sin! You’re alive!” He set her back down at arm’s length and frowned. “But, how?”

  Of all of them, the teacher was the happiest to see her.

  Wait… “Where’s Isaac?”

  David’s face fell.

  “Where the hell is he?” Sinna scrutinized Connor, and then Nate. Neither showed any reaction. “What did you do?”

  “Sinna, no,” David finally said. “Isaac… We think he had a heart attack in the elevator. We were all there. We tried to help him, but… I’m sorry, Sinna. He didn’t make it.”

  Sinna shook her head. “No…” After all this, he couldn’t be gone.

  Nate’s half-mourning, half-righteous look silently said, I told you so.

  Amy opened the car door, pushing a hank of matted blonde hair from her face as she came out. Matt stayed behind, curled up on the back floor, not even tempted to look.“I’m sorry, Sinna,” Amy said. “I know you were close with him.” She attempted a weak smile, so out of place on her prematurely aged face. “He’s in a better place now. And you’re back with us.”

  “Yeah,” Connor said. “And how exactly did that happen?”

  “I didn’t hear the gun fire,” Nate added.

  “I don’t know,” Sinna replied, greatly disliking their suspicious tone. “I just…got away.”

  “How?” Nate had only half-lowered his rifle, now pointing it at her kneecap.

  With the adrenaline burnt off, Sinna was suddenly exhausted, but her gut still warned of danger. She rubbed her brow and subtly switched the safety off on her handgun. “What does it matter?” she said. “I’m here, I’m alive. I thought you guys would be at least a little happy to see me.”

  “Well, yeah,” David allowed. “But you gotta admit, it looks really weird. I mean, all those Grays chasing us, you out there on your own, and somehow, you come out of it unscathed…?” His eyes widened again. “Wait, was it that bracelet? Is that what it’s for?”

  Sinna frowned. “What? No.”

  “What bracelet?” Nate demanded.

  “It’s nothing. Just a memento from my old life, is all.”

  Connor wagged his fingers in a “gimme” gesture. “Show us.” It was an order.

  Sinna gritted her teeth, tempted to tell him off.

  “What are they talking about, Sinna?” Amy looked from one to the next. “You have something that can keep away the Grays?”

  What? How the hell did she make that leap? She was going to kick David’s ass for this!

  Connor scoffed. “You have some nerve, bitching out me and Nate about the guns, and all this time you had a secret weapon of your own.”

  “Are you insane? It’s nothing.”

  “Then why won’t you show us?”

  “Yeah, come on, Sin. It’s not that big a deal. Just show ‘em.”

  “Come on, hero. Let’s see what you’re packi
ng.”

  They all talked one over the other, confusing her, all demanding she hand over something completely innocuous.

  “Enough!” she finally snapped. “Okay, fine. Here. See? It’s nothing.” She wrestled with the button on her jacket cuff so she could roll it back and show them the three-inch silver band on her wrist. David had been correct. The unadorned cuff had been made for a man, but the metal was pretty soft, pliable when warmed sufficiently, which meant it was real silver. She’d heated it and shaped it to fit her thin wrist, ends overlapping. If she wanted to brand the hell out of her arm, she could hold the cuff over an open flame and stretch it open barely enough to allow her to tug it off, but since she wasn’t too keen on that option, it stayed put. Didn’t move an inch on her arm. “It’s just a bracelet,” she said. “It doesn’t do anything.”

  Amy looked crestfallen. Nate rubbed at the back of his neck, probably embarrassed he’d let it escalate into such a fiasco. But Connor stared at the cuff with a calculating look that put Sinna on guard.

  “Seven of us left that church this morning,” he said. “Before that, all of us fled our homes to get there. Not one of us thought to pack jewelry, except you. That’s not the sort of thing you think of when you run for your life. Food? Sure. Weapons? Even better. But jewels?” He shook his head. “And now, here we all stand, with Grays prowling around out there, and you, wearing that cuff, miraculously survive them. Don’t tell me there’s nothing special about it.”

  Sinna rolled her eyes. “You got me,” she said dryly. “I secretly harbored a weapon most deadly and off-putting to the Grays, and I selfishly hid it because I knew you’d want to take it from me.”

  Connor was not amused. “Hand it over.”

  “Fuck you.”

  “Hey, guys.” David raised his hands for peace. “Let’s not fight, okay?”

  “You want us to believe you’re still the good guy?” Conner said to Sinna. “Then prove it. Take it off.”

  “It’s skin tight. It doesn’t come off.”