by Sabre, Mason
But it wasn’t Tammy. Through the glass of the door, she could see a strange man standing there with a woman in his arms. She had blood running down her hand as she lay limply against him. The man hammered again when Cathy didn’t come right out. “Please. Someone. Help me,” he wailed.
Cathy opened the door to them with caution, but the man practically threw the woman at Cathy.
“My girlfriend. Please help her.” He lowered her to the ground. There was blood coming from her nose, in her hair.
“What happened?”
“Some fucker. He hit her with his car. We were … Please. Please help her.”
“Okay. Calm down. Let me look.”
“She was mid shift; we weren’t even in the way. He just rushed for us.”
“Let me get my kit, okay?” said Cathy, turning away and heading back in to get it.
The man ran a shaky hand through his hair as he leaned down to his girlfriend, and Cathy left them there to get her stuff. They kept a kit in the house for when they got called out and it was easier to run with. But this man needed to go to the clinic. She needed to get rid of him before Sebastian began to make a noise. God knows Turbo was doing his best to wake the entire town up.
“I’ll just be a minute,” Cathy said, as she went back into the house. It was under the stairs. She opened the small door to the closet and pulled it out. When she stood upright and backed up, she slammed into the man who had been outside. “Hey, you’re not supposed to come in here. This is private.
“Sorry. Sorry,” he said. “I just ... I didn’t know.”
She nodded at him and walked him backwards, back out of the house. “It’s okay, but you don’t enter my house. The clinic is back that way. Didn’t you pass it to get here?”
The wolf backed out of her house. “We came through the woods.” Something cracked to the side, catching Cathy’s attention for a split second. The woodlands that surrounded her house and land was nothing but darkness, yet she shivered as if she could feel the weight of someone’s gaze on her skin. Then a scent crashed into her senses, and she couldn’t deny the putrid stench—Human. She needed to get this man and his girlfriend to the clinic, and then she needed to get back inside and back to Jeff and Sebastian.
Turbo’s barks were louder now. He slammed into the door and it echoed around them. The girl on the ground opened her eyes and smiled up at Cathy. She was wolf, too. She wiped the blood from her nose and began to stand.
Cathy took a step back into her house. “You’re not injured ... What do you want?”
The girl’s smile turned to a grin. “We hear you have a baby in the house that needs adopting.” Cathy narrowed her eyes at the girl. “We’ve come to take him.”
Chapter Eight
Never before had Jeff been more thankful for the speed dial function on their phone and never before had he been glad that they had been proactive with their thoughts because they had programmed Malcolm’s number in right away. He punched one into the phone and listened, one ear to the phone as it rang out, and the other to what was going on outside the house. It was hard to hear with Turbo barking the way he was.
Malcolm answered almost right away. “Come fast,” Jeff whispered quickly. “Someone is here.” He didn’t wait to say more, just replaced the receiver. What did it matter, though? Come fast was surely enough to let Malcolm know that there was something going down. He would come to the clinic. He wasn’t a stupid man.
Jeff pulled his jacket on. It wasn’t cold or even warm outside, but that wasn’t why he was using it. It fastened all the way and the waistband on it was tight. It was made that way for bikers, so that he could ride without the worry of it rising up and causing him a hindrance. Tonight it might just be a lifesaver. He picked the baby up, still wrapped in the shawl that Cathy had placed him in. He held him gently, careful not to pass on the anxious vibes that were surging through his own body. He tried to move with speed, but not clumsily, as he lowered Sebastian inside his jacket and into his waistband. Then he zipped the jacket up, leaving it open enough so that the baby could breathe.
His heart tore when he went to the hook by the door and took his bike keys from it. He could hear Cathy and the man outside. But they had sworn that if anyone came, one would go running. He always thought that it would be him to confront the danger, though. He wouldn’t have agreed if he had realised that it would mean leaving Cathy. If anything happened to her … He tried not to think about that. Tried to trust in the power that she had. She was not some meek, unable female. She was Cathy, strong, tiger.
Turbo was still barking, determined to get out of the kitchen. Jeff crept in there, using the door at the back. He kept himself low so as not to startle the dog. Turbo had gouged rivets into the wooden door with his claws in his desperation to go out and help Cathy. Jeff leaned over him and reached for the handle, pushing it slowly. When the catch clicked, Turbo pushed at the door, teeth bared, lips back. The door swung open and he charged. Jeff stepped back and went to the back door, sending up a silent prayer for help—help for Cathy mostly.
His bike was at the back, a Harley—a gift to themselves. It was something they had saved for and built together, much like their life. It was symbolic and built with love and care. They had spent many nights together customising it and talking about where they would go. Dreams of riding far out and laying together under the stars. Just them and no worries. Tonight it was him and Sebastian. The stars were out, bright in the night sky. The sky was clear of clouds, leaving a crisp stillness to the night air. Jeff mounted the bike, kicked off the stand and started the engine. He twisted the throttle, and the bike roared to life, the sound of the engine echoing around him. He’d be gone by the time whoever it was got around the back, but maybe it would act as a good enough distraction, even for a moment, so that Cathy could get away and meet him.
He peeled away from the house and his home, heading into the woodlands that led to the hills. He would go over the tallest one; that was their plan. There was a church near one of the lakes. It was derelict and abandoned now. Not even safe to go in, but it was special to them. They had snuck in years before and said their vows.
There were Humans—everywhere. Like a gathering of a cult on some dark night. They stepped out of the shadows of the trees, a wall of fetid people. Jeff hesitated, his hand twisting and his mind telling him to turn around, but there was nowhere to go. As he came to a stop, he realised that they were everywhere. There were Others there, too. Others who had sold themselves to the other side—traitors to their people. It was all about money and power to them and the façade that Humans granted them rights. Jeff stared at them with a look of disdain. They were worse than the Humans. They were a disgrace.
One of the Humans stepped forward. He was dressed differently, held himself differently, too. “Give me the child.” His accent was thick, broad, from one of the islands.
Jeff stayed on the bike, his hands ready to rev the engine to life. “What child?”
“The one that you are hiding.”
Jeff tilted his head to one side. One of the Humans was taking a chance to come up the side, but Jeff heard it, his hearing more exceptional than theirs could ever be. He shook his head at him and then turned back to the main Human. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”
The man sighed. “The baby.” He looked at Jeff with that kind of expression that said he was tired, not tired as in weary, but tired as in this was beneath him and he was already sick of it. But none of that impressed Jeff. The Human could look any way he wanted and he would still not get his hands on Sebastian.
“I have no idea what you mean. There is no baby or child.”
“Do you know who I am?”
“No, and I don’t really care, either.”
“My name is Marshall. I work for Norton.”
Oh, Jeff knew that name alright. Norton—god damn fucking Norton. “So you’re an asshole who is with that company that makes the silver bullets.”
Marshall laughed. �
��Well done.” He smiled, seemingly amused by him. “And I am here on behalf of Norton to come and claim the baby.”
“Watch my lips. There is no baby.”
Marshall nodded to one of the Humans beside him, who then began to advance. Even from where he sat on his bike, Jeff could see that the Human was terrified. He could see the sweat beading on his brow. Jeff could smell the fear almost—it was thick and acrid in the air. Jeff twisted the throttle again and kicked the bike into gear, pushing off with his foot. He headed straight for the Human, head down, hand twisting, engine blazing. He ground his teeth, ready if the Human was that much of an idiot he wouldn’t move, because Jeff wasn’t relenting. The man did move; at the last minute, he threw himself to the ground and rolled out of the way. Jeff felt the warmth of the air as he rode past him and into the darkness. He didn’t look back. He kept the throttle twisted and rode the bike into Barnham Woods. He rode over fallen branches, over nature’s debris. It didn’t matter.
The land had an incline. He rode up it, pushing all the way for the bike to take him and the infant to safety. He could hear a ruckus behind him.
The Humans and the Others were coming.
They would not get this baby.
Malcolm answered the phone immediately when it rang. Somehow he knew that it would be Cathy or Jeff. He felt it inside. When Jeff’s hushed voice came on the line, Malcolm’s head was already way ahead of him. He was late going back to them. Late because he hadn't yet found Sebastian somewhere secure to go. He raced out of the house and to his car. Time was of the essence here. He would already be behind with just having to drive to the clinic. He turned the ignition, put his foot down and sped off.
Almost twenty miles of the most infuriating country lanes, and forty minutes later, he pulled his car up outside the clinic. The lights were on in there, but he couldn’t see anyone. The place was quiet—too quiet. He marched to the door, its hydraulic mechanism giving way under Malcolm’s strength as he forced the doors open. The stench of death and blood rushed out to greet him. Its coppery scent filled his nostrils. He stepped inside. It was silent in there too. No patients, no staff. He walked in, pushing the door to the first examining room open. There was a man on the bed—dead. His throat was torn out. The mark of claws. His unfocused eyes stared up at the ceiling. On the floor next to him was another man, younger. He wore a white jacket and gloves, one of the staff. His throat was the same. Blood pooled on the tiled floor beneath him. Malcolm bent down and dipped his fingertips in. Warm. It was still warm.
He breathed in deeply and called to his tiger, not to shift, but to be ready. His tiger came like he always did. Willing and waiting, he sat on the sidelines for when he was needed. Malcolm’s eyes shifted and he readied himself to bring his tiger out.
The next room, just the same. A girl this time, but dead nonetheless. Wounds decorated her arm—she had tried to fight maybe. In the next room, another body, another member of staff. On a break, it would seem. A newspaper lay strewn across the floor. It was as if they had been attacked by a pack of wolves.
At the back was a private room—an office. Maybe it was where Cathy and Jeff did all the paperwork. It held a small table, a chair and a microwave. It met all the requirements for someone who needed to live at work. The sound of shuffling caught his attention, and Malcolm stood perfectly still, listening. He honed in on it. It was coming from what seemed to be a utility cupboard. He strode over and yanked the door open.
Inside, a young woman put her arms up. She was bleeding. “Please, don’t hurt me.” She was shaking and crying.
“Where are Cathy and Jeff?”
The girl cried harder and brought her hands to her face. She let out deep sobs that wracked her entire body. Malcolm leaned down to her and pulled her hands away from her face.
“What happened here? Where are the Knuths?”
“I don’t know,” she cried.
“I don’t have time for this. You work for them. Where are they?”
The girl just cried harder, and Malcolm let himself breathe for a moment, swallowing down the anger that threatened to bubble out and made him want to shake the girl for answers, but that would get neither of them anywhere.
“I didn’t mean to get them in trouble,” the girl wailed. “Please don’t leave me here. It’s all my fault.”
“What is your fault?”
The girl slowly got to her feet. Her wounds were mostly superficial, but she moved with a limp. She heaved in a breath, her face red, mostly from crying. “I told him about the baby. I didn’t mean to. I’d just … I’d never seen a mix baby before.”
“Who?
She wiped her face. “My boyfriend. He came here with Norton’s men. I didn’t know he would …”
Malcolm didn’t let her finish.
Norton’s men.
Shit.
Norton was the company who crafted the liquid silver. They were the ones who made weapons that stopped Others. What they wanted a mix-breed baby for, Malcolm had no idea, but whatever it was, it would not be good.
Chapter Nine
Cathy stood at the clearing at the centre of the woodland, holding her paw off the ground. It throbbed in time to the beating of her heart and she was certain that it was broken. The coppery taste remained in her mouth where she had bitten the man, bits of flesh stuck in her teeth irritating her. He might have busted her arm, but she sure as hell took one chunk out of his leg. She wanted to rest her paw down on the ground, but even the slightest touch had her growling and wincing with it, causing pain to lance through her and into her shoulder like lightning.
The young man in front of her clutched at his leg. Blood soaked through his jeans and his not-so-injured girlfriend stood next to him. “Where did your husband go?”
That was what they wanted to know. They wanted her to show them, but she would not. They’d raced after his bike, raced around the back, but he was gone and they chased him. It had given Cathy the chance to shift and go after them, but the man had kicked her and twisted her paw until she felt the bone inside snapping. Now she stood with them again, only this time two Humans stood either side of her. Another man stood behind the young one. He came up last. He was different to the rest, wearing a suit and well spoken. In his hand was a gun, one of the guns with the silver in.
“There are plenty of places you know that I can shoot you and it won’t be fatal.” He pulled two glass tubes from his top pocket and pushed them into the barrel of the gun. He signalled one of the Humans at the side, a young man, and he obeyed without hesitation, moving towards Cathy. She could see him in her peripheral vision, but refused to turn her head and give him the satisfaction of thinking she feared him. He had a gun too, though. Her heart thumped when she heard the click and felt the cold metal press against her fur and skin. The silver was like the warmth of a fire beside her, an inch closer and it would burn. “You need to shift and then you need to take us to the baby. I won’t ask again.”
One of the Humans threw some clothes down in front of her. She snarled at him and then took her sights slowly around to the suited Human.
“I will tell you one more time. Shift now so that we may speak or you are of no use to us and we will find your husband and that baby ourselves.” He leaned down to her, grinning all the while. “Don’t think that we won’t.”
Oh, Cathy knew that he thought they’d find Jeff and the baby—he believed it. It was in his eyes, a deep assurance of himself that he could do anything. She turned to the Human with the gun pressed against her and growled. She didn’t snarl, though, didn’t raise her lip too much, just enough to say back off. The Human got the message and she put her head down, careful to keep her paw from going down, too. Closing her eyes, she tried to call into herself, but it was near impossible. Her tiger was not willing to go away. There was danger around. Cathy forced her, told her that she needed to go. She needed to go so that Cathy could speak. The tiger had no time for talking, though. She wanted to fight and to protect. Cathy wished that she coul
d. She hoped that Jeff was at the church. She was glad it was him who had to run. She wasn’t sure the other way around she would have been able to go through with leaving him.
Cathy pushed down in herself and the tiger began to listen. She retreated with protest. Please, Cathy begged inside her mind. Please. She needed her to leave.
The shift was slow and painful. Everything in it was forced and clunky. Even as her bones moved under her flesh, the pressure from the reluctance of the shift made her joints ache. When it was complete, she let herself sit for a moment on her knees, breathless from the effort and her tiger still trying its best to come back and face the threat that was there. She cradled her broken arm to her naked chest, not for privacy, but because the pain in it now, having shifted back to a woman, was far worse than it was before. But she would not let him see that he had caused her immense agony.
“Dress,” the suited Human commanded.
Cathy shot him a glance, defiant to the tears that pricked the back of her eyes. The tears weren’t for him or even for fear. They were for Jeff and the baby and this whole damn thing. They were the outlet for the anger that was welling deep inside. She pulled the blouse on, trying to avoid catching her arm. The top was shredded and bloody, but it was better than nothing. She pulled on the slacks they had brought too. One of them must have picked up the clothes she had removed when she shifted. She stood when she had dressed.
The man stood with the gun by his side. He was too polite it would seem to aim it right at her. Funny that his manners didn’t go all the way deep inside. “Now. The baby?”
“What baby?”
The Human came closer. He smelt like expensive aftershave and greed. He smacked her across the face with the back of his hand. She let her head snap to the side with the force, but he was just Human. Didn’t he realise that all it would take from her would be one slash? “Where is the baby?”
“I don’t know what you're talking about.” She stared him directly in the eyes as she spoke.