To the others, all they could do was nod with what they heard, all except for Gary. He knew exactly what he was going to do. He was going to go to the security office the next chance he had, and get the bullets that he needed to kill the fucking thing once, and for all. First, he had to wait for Ross to leave, and then he was going to go and find the thing, and blow its fucking head off. It sounded like a good plan, so he replayed it over, and over again in his mind as he waited.
Ross took the other guards and went for the door to the basement.
One of them, the one that he couldn’t remember his name, opened the door so that Hunter could go through it first.
Ross followed him, and together they headed down the stairs, but they wouldn’t get far.
When they reached the bottom step and looked to the door to the basement, they found the keypad on the right of the door smashed and shattered on the wall.
The sight amazed all of them, but Ross even more than the others. “Clever aren’t you?” He had to marvel. It is different and smart too. With the pad smashed, they couldn’t use their cards to get through the door. They now had to find another way in.
Hunter couldn’t believe what he saw. “How would it know to do that? It’s just a fucking animal.” If he wasn’t afraid before, he sure as hell was now.
“Obviously, he’s more than that, don’t you think.” Ross looked to the door and back to Hunter. “Use your key.” He pointed to the key ring clipped to his belt.
A frog began forming fast in Hunter’s throat so he tried to clear it as he reached for the key ring, and unclipped it from his belt. Quickly, he found the right key, and put it to the handle, but he couldn’t get it into the keyhole. Something felt like it was blocking it, so he bent down to look at the keyway to see what it was. What he found shocked him beyond his own belief.
Ross noticed him having problems with the key. “What’s wrong?”
The frog came back again. “It looks like it broke a key off in the lock.” He tried to swallow the thing back down his throat, but it wouldn’t move. It just didn’t seem to fit.
Ross’s eyes widened as he looked back to the door. “Clever, clever, clever.” It felt beautiful. He felt the amazement flow through his heart. It felt too magnificent to be happening to him. If he didn’t see it with his own two eyes, he would have never believed it. “We’re going to have to break it down.”
Hunter shook his head. “You’re not breaking down this door, Mister Ross. It’s solid steal.”
Ross didn’t like that answer one damn bit. “I don’t care what you have to do to open it, but do it.” He had to get the thing safe. He had so much more to learn from it now, he now saw that much.
Hunter thought about the problem, and came up with an idea rather quickly. The only way that he could think of was to cut through the door, so he looked back to the other guard, Jeff. “Go upstairs and get the torch. We’re going to have to cut it off its hinges.”
Jeff nodded, turned and went back up stairs.
Watching him leave, Hunter turned back to Mister Ross.
Ross gushed. “Clever, clever, clever,” He repeated it again, again, and again.
32
The three guards pulled Rachel down into a place that she had never been before, but she did know where she was. They used the basement for storage for the most part, but it was also used by the lab’s Security Department as their base of operations. They had offices down there, as well as other rooms that were set aside just for them. They brought her down the stairs, and from there, continued down a long hallway that ended in a single turn to the right. Down the other hallway, they stopped at the first doorway on the left, and there, they brought her into some type of a conference room and pulled her inside it.
Once inside and the lights turned on, they took her to the far side of a long rectangular table, and forced her into a chair at the head of it. It hurt some when they forced her to sit. “You bastards are never going to get away with this.” She felt burned. She felt angry. She gathered her wits. “You can’t hold people against their will.”
One of the guards, the one that threw her into the chair, took the arms of the chair, bent over her, and huffed. “You’re going to sit there until we know what to do with you.” He sounded very matter of fact and kept his voice firm. He had no patience for doing what he was, and it made him angry. He had no idea what to do next.
Rachel saw the determination in his eyes and seeing it, it made her sigh. They intended to keep her there, whether she liked it or not.
Seeing her calm, Max Daud smiled. “I thought so.” He stood back upright.
The other guards, Rob Garrett, and Frank Moorland said nothing. They just stayed at the doorway to the room and kept quiet.
Rob looked back down the hallway and had something catch his attention all too fast. A banging sound echoed throughout the hallway, coming back from the area towards the stairs, and it made him jump. It sounded loud. It made him wince. “Did you hear that?” He turned to Frank who was standing next to him.
Frank nodded. What he heard sounded like someone had just banged a door. “I think someone’s coming?”
Rob didn’t agree, and took a deep breath, which sounded more like a wince.
Max left Doctor Garland, and made his way back to the door and joined the others there. “It’s probably Gary?” He stepped out into the hallway, and looked down it with wide eyes. “Maybe now we can find out what the hell is going on.”
Rob looked at him with equally wide eyes. He wasn’t hearing footsteps coming. They all wore military style boots so they should hear them thumping on the floor if someone was walking towards them. The small fact that he wasn’t hearing anything caused him to grow more worried all too fast. The lights suddenly going out over all of their heads didn’t help.
“What now?” Max turned and looked up to the ceiling. The light fixtures, round dishes hanging from the ceiling, were all dark. What little light there now was came from the red emergency lights that lined the walls of the hallway, on both sides of it around them. Shadows were now everywhere. “Go check it out.” He turned to Rob.
Rob heard him, but couldn’t bring himself to move.
Max could see that he looked scared. No one could have missed it. “All right, I’ll do it,” he huffed, and looked back to the woman and to
Rob again. “Stay here with her.”
“I’ll go with you.” Frank nodded.
Rob swallowed a now dry mouth.
Max nodded, feeling somewhat relieved that he didn’t have to do everything alone. He tried to think about his options. “We’ve got to check out why the lights went out.”
“The breaker is at the far end of the hallway, just past the door to the stairs.” Frank stepped to Max’s side.
Max nodded. He stepped out to the hallway and looked to the direction that Frank had referred.
A smashing, banging sound came from behind the three of them, and it caused all of them to jump at the same time.
“What the fuck was that?” Rob was the first to turn to the sound. He saw nothing but shadows. No other sound was there. Whatever caused the bang was now quiet and still.
“That sounded like it came from the other side of the basement?” Frank questioned, joining in the look for nothing but shadows. The entire area seemed overly quiet. The shadows remained still, almost serene.
Max had his mind dry all too fast. “You go check that out.” He turned from the direction that the others were looking, and looked back to the empty hallway that led to the circuit breaker. “I’ll go and find out why the lights went out.”
Frank nodded.
The three of them said nothing else.
Frank went to the left, and slowly began his way down the hallway, and Max went to the right, heading back to the stairs. Rob turned back to the room and went over to the far end of the table from the woman, and there he stayed.
Rachel watched him come in. Except for the lights being off, she didn’t know anythi
ng else but that, so she stayed still. She watched the young guard stand across from her and watched him turn back around towards the door. What they were going to do with her was the only thing on her mind.
33
Max walked slowly down the hallway, keeping his left hand to the wall as he moved. When he reached the left turn, he stopped and peered around the corner to his left. He saw nothing. No one was there.
He took a deep breath, and after a brief hesitation, he began again.
He crept along, and instantly, he could see something sparking just up ahead of him, and on his right. He couldn’t have missed it. It flashed light all around the hallway, and it made him stop. What in the hell is that?
He began again, walking slowly. He walked to the flash of sparks, and soon realized what they were coming from.
On the wall, he could see a door on his right. Next to the door, the keypad to the door itself looked smashed and shattered. With the emergency light coming behind him, he could see that the pad cover even looked gone.
Seeing it missing, he gasped. “What the hell?” He came closer to the pad as the sparks from it twinkled in his eyes. “What in the hell did this?” He moved closer to the wall, and heard a bit of a splash come from beneath his boot. The sound forced him to stop and look down. What in the hell is that?
He bent down to the floor and with the light now over him, he could see a large print, maybe the size of his own hand, and it looked dark against the light gray colored concrete of the floor. “What the fuck is that?” Getting closer to the print, he reached out and touched it with the index finger of his right hand, and it came back moist to the touch.
He brought his hand back to his face, and noticed that it looked like blood. He looked back to the print, and suddenly, fearfully at that, he recognized what it was—or more importantly—what made it. The wolf! The thought sent his heart racing, and flew his mind into a jumble of rambling images. He stood up fast. He turned to his right, and instantly stopped.
Something stood there, now, right in front of him, and seeing it, he froze in place.
At first, all he saw was a deep black fur. After seeing that, he saw a sweeping clawed hand come straight to the left side of his face. He didn’t expect to see it. He didn’t have the chance to react to it. It came at him so fast that the only thing that he could do was to let out a deep and enriching scream.
An agonizing pain shot through his head just after it, and it raced its way down his chest. He felt his feet leave the floor, and felt his own blood streak down the side of his face as it spilled to his shoulders, and soaked his chest. A popping sound rushed around him, sounding like a cork popping from a Champaign bottle on New Year’s Eve, and it echoed around his skull. His screams were short as he could feel his back snap in half. It was such a weird sensation, feeling his life slide away like it was. He died before he felt anything else.
34
Frank heard what sounded like a scream when he was almost to the stairway on the other side of the basement, and the sound made him jump and stop dead in his tracks. Spinning around was the only thing that he could possibly do.
“What the fuck was that?” His mind raced as his heartbeat became nothing but dark. He looked back up the hallway and saw nothing. With it all, he took a deep breath. That sounded like it came from the other side of the basement. He couldn’t tell for sure, so he slowly headed back the way he came.
He only took one-step when an undying need came up in his thoughts. What am I doing? He answered it and reached for the weapon on his side. He took it out and held his automatic out in front of him, and cocked it. Instantly, he felt better, so he gripped it tighter as he let it lead his way.
After several steps, he reached back to Rob, who was now standing just at the doorway to the conference room. Even with the lack of light around them, he could still see that he had a terrified look written all over his face.
“Where did that come from?” Frank asked him as he reached the door. “Where did the scream come from?” His voice sounded like nothing more than just a whisper in the dark.
Rob turned to him and saw the weapon in his hand. With his fear swarming around inside him, he had completely forgotten that he too was armed. Remembering it now, he removed the automatic from his holster and brought it out to his side. “I think that was Max?” He could barely talk. It took everything that he had to get his words out at all. Not knowing if Frank heard him or not, he pointed to the hallway towards his right instead.
Frank did hear him. “Go inside the room and close the door. Lock it. I’ll come back in a few minutes.” He looked back down the hallway and took a deep and everlasting breath. “Only open it when I come back.”
Rob nodded, accepting everything, and turned back to the room and closed the door in front of him. He then locked it and stepped back to the table.
Frank started out, hearing the door close behind him as he moved down the hallway with a heavy caution in his pace. He moved softly, not trying to make any sounds. He held his weapon firmly with both hands. He gripped it so tightly that he could feel his fingers beginning to burn. He liked the feeling, because it told him that the weapon was still there.
Coming to the intersection, he stopped at the left side of the wall, and from there, he peered around the corner to his left. Instantly, he saw nothing. The hallway looked completely quiet with only a slight flashing of light coming from just up ahead of him on his right. Seeing that, he breathed.
Slowly, he moved around the corner, and slowly, he moved with his back against the wall. He slid along it, knowing that his back was covered as he approached the flashing light. He reached the door to the stairs and there, he stopped.
What the Sam hell is that? He looked closer and could see that the keypad looked smashed. Seeing it, he gasped and his mind went blank, as his eyes burned with fear. Something’s wrong. He stepped back, feeling an open doorway now on his left. He never bothered to look inside the room and after what happened next; he wished he had.
A heat came to the back of his neck almost instantly. He could hear something breathing, and that sound made him freeze in place. He didn’t want to turn to see it, and somehow, he already knew that it was death itself.
The wolf moved fast as it stepped to his back. It bit down, and locked its jaws onto the back of his neck.
Instantly, his entire body went limp, and it caused his hands to drop the automatic to the floor.
A cracking sound followed the bite with warm blood flowing down his shirt, following the sound.
With that, Frank knew that he didn’t have a chance. He didn’t have the opportunity to fight to survive.
35
Rob waited and watched the door. His mind raced fast, and he couldn’t get it to relax. He couldn’t even move. He couldn’t even find the strength to breathe. He felt locked in place and couldn’t even bring himself to sit in the chair behind him. He just watched the door and waited for any sign of Frank’s return.
When a knock came, he finally breathed. He finally relaxed. “Oh thank God.”
He moved to the door and reached for the knob, turned it just as fast, and opened the door.
Frank was there and somehow, he didn’t look right. He looked pale in the dim light behind him. He also looked like he was in absolute pain. He even looked—somehow—taller. His face hung down and his eyes looked down to his own feet.
Seeing that, Rob also looked down and could see that Frank wasn’t even standing on the floor. His feet were dangling in the air.
“Help me,” Frank even said.
Rob looked up and looked to Frank’s face, and behind him, just to the right side of his face, another face was there and it snarled. Drool and teeth showed through its lips. Its bright yellow eyes glistened.
Rob screamed and fell back away from the door.
The wolf let out a roar that sounded like nothing anyone had ever heard before, and it blasted all around him. It sounded like the mix of a lion, of an elephant, and of every
other animal in the world all rolled up into one giant blast.
Rob took the door with his left hand and slammed it back shut.
Rachel watched everything, but saw almost nothing. All she did see was the young guard open the door after the knock. She watched him then slam it again with a huge bang. She then watched him step back. To her, he looked terrified. He had horror written all over his actions, and it made him almost look like a person that looked possessed.
She watched him back away to the left wall of the room, and just after he reached it, a crash of thunder, and the sound of breaking metal came next as she watched the door shattered, and torn from the wall. It felt so strong that she could almost feel the wind of it blow against her face. With it, she flew to her feet. She gasped. She held her breaths. Even with that, everything happened too fast to register with one single thought.
Rob didn’t see what hit him, but whatever it was, it came into his face and chest almost like a hammer. It blew him off his feet and it sent him reeling backwards to the wall. He hit it just as violently, and slid down it to the floor. With it all, it blew his mind. Realizing that the door now lay on him, he pushed it towards the table. After that, he looked up.
The wolf tossed the now dead man to the top of the table. He bent at the knees and stepped inside the room. It turned to its right and looked down to the floor.
Rob watched it step right to his feet. He looked up, marveling, oddly, that it was even walking on its hind legs.
A Werewolf's Saga Books 1, 2, & 3 (A Werewolf's Saga Boxed Sets) Page 25