Feral

by Jami Lynn Saunders

  The four sat on the same sofa they’d sat in the day before, and Jones once again took a seat in front of his desk. Dr. Tanner sat in a chair off to the side of the office. The escort remained outside in the hallway.

  “Let’s hear it,” Pippa said.

  Jones took a deep breath and began. “My people have been trapped in here for forty years. I celebrated my tenth birthday the day after what was left of us closed the gates. Thirty years ago, when I turned twenty, a light came to me, a sacred message. It told me that one day two werecats, a man and woman, would come to us. They would live among us, breed with our people, and build a new tribe of werecats that would defeat the ferals so that we could leave this place. We thought we had found them ten years ago, but when they were killed in an attack, we knew they were not the ones. But I knew our saviors had finally made it home last night when I saw you two fight.”

  “You’re nuts,” Aiden said.

  “We’re nobody’s saviors,” Abby said. “Except our own.”

  “And we’re not staying here,” Pippa added. “So you’d better cancel your feast and tell your people the bad news.”

  Jones was undeterred. “It’s your destiny to build an army of werecats to save us.”

  “Sorry,” Pippa said. “We have a different destiny in mind. Besides, I’ve always heard werecats and humans can’t mate.” To herself she thought, Though Abby and I are the exception.

  “Please,” Jones said. “Don’t be hasty. I know I shouldn’t have made such a dramatic announcement. I should have spoken with you first. But we’ve been waiting such a long time.”

  “You’re going to have to wait some more,” Aiden said. He stood and turned to his companions. “Come on. I’ve heard enough about saviors and ghosts and destiny.”

  Jones held up his hand as the other three stood up to leave. “All right. I can’t force fate. But please be our guests for the celebration. You’ve earned it, and we have little enough to celebrate. Afterwards you can leave whenever you want. We’ll have your escorts call on you when the feast is prepared.”

  The four were escorted back to their room to await the festivities, but no one was in a festive mood.

  “Maybe we should leave now, before the banquet,” Pippa said.

  “I’m for that,” Aiden said. “This place gives me the creeps.”

  “On the other hand, another nourishing meal might help sustain us,” Hyena Boy said.

  “Yeah, and give us more time to rest and recover,” said Abby.

  “All right,” said Pippa. “Let’s eat, stay the night, and head out in the morning.”

  “After breakfast,” Hyena Boy said.

  Pippa smiled and nodded. “After breakfast.”

  The day went quickly as the four travelers made their plans and discussed their options. By now, Hyena Boy was a full-fledged member of the team. Their common battles and hairsbreadth escapes had established a bond among the four that felt unbreakable.

  They also spent time outside, exploring the area and watching as men walked the perimeter checking for ferals, women bustled about in the vegetable garden, and teens threw balls or flirted, their school day canceled in favor of the celebration. The four kept their distance from the residents, unsure how they might feel in the wake of what must have been a huge disappointment. After all, their supposed saviors, the very people they had cheered earlier in the day were rejecting them, and there was no telling how a frustrated believer might react. But for the most part, people paid them no mind, and those that did seemed friendly enough. In fact, to Pippa the residents seemed eminently sane, and far from a cult waiting for werecats to save them.

  When it was finally time for the feast, they were happy to join in and eat another good meal. The feast was enjoyable, a fine celebration of life and community, and the villagers were amiable and sociable. They ate, drank, laughed, and danced, like people everywhere, and there was no mention of saviors or prophecies. But as the night was winding down, Jones took the four visitors aside and made a final pitch. “It isn’t too late to change your minds. You can still stay here with us in the sanctuary.”

  But the look on his face and the tone of his voice made it clear that he knew it was a hopeless cause.

  “We’re leaving first thing in the morning,” Aiden announced before anyone else could say anything.

  “I understand,” Jones replied. “If you were the chosen ones, you would want to stay. We hold no ill will. I’ll have food prepared for you to take on your journey. And the doctor has an inhaler for Abby so she doesn’t get in trouble with her asthma again. Try to be safe. Ferals are everywhere.”

  Jones stood up and clapped loudly, silencing the room as waiters began passing around metal cups filled with an auburn liquid. “Cider,” he whispered to the four. “It’s tradition to end our feasts with a final toast of our finest cider.”

  Everyone took a cup and raised it. “To our new friends,” Jones shouted.

  “To our new friends,” everyone shouted back. After downing the bittersweet brew, everyone threw their cup up over their heads and then covered themselves as the cups rained back down on them, clanging as they hit the floor. Laughter filled the room, and even the four visitors had to smile at the odd but charming tradition.

  As Pippa stood up to leave, she noticed that her legs felt heavy. She sat back down and looked at Abby, who was squinting and frowning. Pippa’s vision was growing blurry, and she felt a sudden urge to lie down. “I feel dizzy,” she said to Abby.

  “So do I,” Abby replied.

  The last thing Pippa saw before she blacked out was Tom Jones staring at her.

  Pippa heard herself moan softly. There was another noise, too, but she couldn’t focus on it. She opened her eyes, but wherever she was, it was totally devoid of light, so dark that not even a cat could see. She heard the other noise again and realized it was someone whispering.

  “Pippa. Pippa, are you awake?”

  The voice was Abby’s, and it was nearby.

  “I’m awake,” Pippa whispered back, struggling to shake the fog from her brain. “Where are we? What happened?”

  “I don’t know. I woke up and couldn’t move. I’m strapped down. I thought I heard you breathing, but I couldn’t see anything.”

  Pippa tried to move her arms, but they were held fast by leather straps. Her ankles were bound as well. “I’m strapped down, too. I’m going to morph to see if I can break free.”

  Pippa focused, digging deep inside herself until she crossed the barrier between her human and feline sides. When the change came, it was excruciating.

  “Pippa, they’re touching me,” Abby said. “I’m scared.”

  Pippa hissed as she ripped through her restraints and leaped to her feet. She could see now, dimly, and she saw what appeared to be wisps of smoke surrounding her sister. She snarled and stepped toward them, then unleashed a deep growl and crouched as if to strike.

  The spirits swirled and rippled and seemed to back off. Pippa roared and leaped, and they disappeared into the walls. She turned and yanked the leather straps from Abby’s wrists and ankles and gently pulled her sister to a sitting position. She felt Abby trembling, whether at the memory of the ghosts or the thought of being held close by a werecat, Pippa didn’t know.

  Abby’s breathing slowed and she finally stopped shaking. “Thanks,” she said at last. “Now what do we do?”

  “I saw where the door is,” Pippa said. “Maybe I can spring the lock.”

  Pippa felt for the door knob and tried to shake the door. It felt heavy and solid. She drew back and charged. The door barely budged.

  Pippa heard a voice whispering from the other side of the door. “Who’s there?” she hissed.

  “It’s Dr. Tanner. I’ve come to help you.”

  “Open the door,” Pippa demanded.

  “I will, but you have to promise to listen to me before you do anything. We’re all in great danger.”

  “All right,” Pippa said. “I promise.”


  The door opened and light from a torch shined into the room. Dr. Tanner was standing there, looking nervous, his eyes darting back and forth between the room and the hallway outside. Pippa realized that he was as frightened as they were. She sensed that he wasn’t their enemy. Although she was determined to stay alert, she felt safe enough for the moment to change back to her human form.

  Tanner gestured for them to step out of the room and follow him.

  “Where are we going?” Abby whispered.

  “Shush,” he replied.

  They went to another door off the same hallway, and Tanner rapped on it gently. The door opened and Pippa saw Aiden and Hyena Boy inside. Tanner gestured for Pippa and Abby to enter, then he closed the door behind them.

  “What’s happening?” Abby asked. “What happened to us?”

  “We’re leaving here tonight,” Tanner said. “As for what happened, you were drugged at the end of the feast at Tom Jones’s order and imprisoned here in the basement for the last week.”

  Pippa’s jaw dropped, and she felt the werecat stir inside her. “Explain,” she demanded.

  “Jones thinks he’s a prophet, and you’re his prophecy. He’s a madman and a dictator. The rest of us, except for his hand-picked militia boys, have become slaves.”

  “He told us we could leave,” Abby said.

  “He lied.”

  “What was he going to do with us?” Pippa asked.

  “He picked a group of girls to breed with the hyena, and he plans to breed with you himself, Pippa. He’s crazier than a feral.”

  “I’d kill him before I’d breed with him.”

  “He planned to drug you long enough to have his way with you. He also planned to threaten the hyena with your deaths unless he bred with his hand-picked girls and your sister as well. He kept you locked up here because it’s the most haunted spot in the sanctuary. He figured it would deter anyone from helping you escape. It was a smart move. I can feel the spirits watching us.”

  “How do I know he hasn’t already had his way with me?”

  “He hasn’t. I was in charge of preparing you for the insemination, and I told Tom I needed a week. I actually needed the time to prepare for your escape. You were all well taken care of during that time. I fed you intravenously. When you get out of here, I’ll have solid food for you so you can regain your strength.”

  “Why did we wake up now?” Pippa asked.

  “Tomorrow was supposed to be Tom’s big day, the day I was to have you ready for him to mate with. But I injected you all with placebos this time so that you’d be awake when it was time to leave.”

  Pippa looked at him. “Thank you. It took courage for you to come down here by yourself, what with all these ghosts.”

  Tanner shook his head. “It wasn’t courage, it was the prospect of escape. I’m getting out of here with you, and I hope to join you on your quest. There’s one other person helping me, a medical intern, and he wants out, too. It’s him we’re waiting for.”

  “We haven’t invited you, doc,” Aiden said.

  Tanner gave him a rueful smile. “I realize that. But there’s something else you need to know.”

  “Let’s hear it,” Pippa said.

  “My father was a military doctor, and he taught me medicine. He also taught me science and how to think like a scientist, how to perform experiments and test hypotheses. My latest hypothesis, if I can prove it, could change the world. I—”

  Just then there was a soft knock on the door, and somebody outside whispered, “It’s Keenan.”

  “Time to go,” Tanner said.

  They left the room and entered the corridor. A young man around Aiden’s age was there with another torch, peering down the dark hallway.

  “Keenan has your backpacks ready, and we have weapons,” Tanner said. “And we’ve packed food and medical supplies— for six.” He looked at Pippa. “You can take us with you, or we’ll go it alone. But we’re not staying here. They’ll know who helped you escape.”

  The doctor led them down the corridor, around a corner, and then down another hallway and around another corner to a set of wooden stairs at the far end of the basement. As they walked, noises filled the air and ghostly glimmerings winked and fluttered.

  They climbed the stairs and exited through a door into another dark hallway. Tanner took them into a room, which was lit with a single solar-powered sconce. Backpacks and supplies occupied one corner. They found their packs and slipped them over their shoulders. Abby found Excalibur in her pack and gripped it like an old friend.

  “Here’s the plan,” Dr. Tanner whispered. “Our destina-tion is a small ruined outbuilding beyond the main complex. On the other side of that building is an old drainage ditch that, over the years, we’ve covered over with vines and underbrush, so it’s hidden from view. A pipe carried the run off under a road, and when the outer wall went up, they filled in around it, but that pipe leads to the other side of the wall.”

  “Aren’t you afraid that ferals could use it to come in?” Abby asked.

  Tanner shook his head. “Way back at the beginning, someone mounted a steel door at the other end of the pipe. I have the key to that door."

  They left the room and continued down the hallway, Dr. Tanner in the lead, Keenan bringing up the rear.

  They slipped out of the building near the northeastern end and hid in the shadows, listening for guards. After a few moments, Tanner turned to the others. “We’ll go one at a time. Me first, then Pippa, Abby, Aiden, and Hyena Boy. Keenan will be last. Pippa, when I take off, you watch where I go, but everyone else stay back. Abby, when Pippa goes, you watch her, and so on down the line. Remember, there are guards around, and they work in fives. If any of us get caught, Keenan will take the others back, and use Plan B.”

  “What’s Plan B?” Pippa asked.

  “No time to explain,” the doctor said.

  They arranged themselves in the order Tanner had announced, and he made ready to bolt, Pippa behind him, ready to follow his progress. Suddenly they heard footsteps coming from around the corner. Everyone crouched.

  “I thought I heard something,” a voice said.

  “Probably just a ghost,” another voice replied. “Let’s finish our rounds.”

  The footsteps were getting closer. Suddenly Dr. Tanner stood up and strode out from the shadows, directly toward the group of guards. The others remained crouched, their backs pressed against the wall of the building. They listened as the squad of sentries challenged the doctor.

  “Halt, who’s there,” a guard demanded.

  “Evening, Peter,” Dr. Tanner said as he continued walking. “It’s Dr. Tanner.”

  “What are you doing here, doctor,” the young guard named Peter said. “It’s way past curfew. You should be inside.”

  “I know, Peter, but I couldn’t sleep. I often take a late-night walk to clear my head. I hope that isn’t a problem.”

  “You know the rules, Dr. Tanner.”

  “Sure, but a little midnight stroll doesn’t hurt anybody.”

  “You’re going to have to come with us,” Peter said.

  “I hardly think that’s necessary, Peter, but if you insist.”

  Pippa realized that Dr. Tanner was deliberately using himself as a decoy to distract the guards from the other five escapees. He was sacrificing himself for them. She turned and looked toward Hyena Boy, who nodded even as Keenan was drawing a short sword. The werecats morphed and leaped, and a moment later, two of the guards were down and out.

  “Don’t kill them!” Dr. Tanner shouted as Keenan tackled a startled Peter to the ground. The remaining two guards ran off, shouting at the top of their voices.

  Keenan punched Peter, knocking him out. The two guards brought down by the werecats were unconscious but breathing.

  “Come on!” Tanner shouted, and they took off after him.

  The ruined outbuilding was surrounded by sawhorses and wooden planks. A sign with big red letters warned of the danger of collapse. Tann
er vaulted a sawhorse and flung open a door, the others in pursuit. Inside the building, he opened a door leading down to a walk-out basement that opened onto a gently sloping field. He opened the door to the outside and motioned the others through, then started to head back inside.

  “What are you doing, doc?” Keenan asked.

  “You lead them, Keenan. I’ll try to decoy the guards, give you some time.”

  “They’ll kill you,” Keenan said.

  “No. They still need a doctor. I’ll tell them you forced me to help you.”

  “If you’re staying, I’m staying.”

  “We’re wasting time, people,” Aiden said.

  “All right, follow me,” Tanner said.

  The old drainage ditch was covered with rocks, and they stumbled and tripped as they hastened along it, crouching low under the camouflaging vines. When they reached the pipe, they went through one at a time, Aiden lighting the way with his sun ring. They stopped at a hinged iron door while Tanner fumbled for a key. He found it and opened the padlock that secured the door. He pushed. The door barely budged. He pushed again.

  “Let me,” Hyena Boy said.

  The others flattened themselves, and Hyena Boy crawled over them. He morphed and crouched and shoved the door. It creaked open and he went through. The others followed and he closed it behind them. They heard the sound of angry voices and saw torch lights flickering behind them. Wordlessly, the six escapees turned and melted into the night.

  They didn’t stop moving until the sun began to rise. They had been jogging for hours, headed west on a two-lane road. There had been no sign of pursuit, but they wanted to put as much distance as possible between them and their former prison.

  “We should eat,” Dr. Tanner said as they rested under a tree by the side of the road.

  Keenan opened the extra satchel he’d been carrying and took out six rations. He passed them out, and the group dug in.

  After the meal, Pippa looked at Dr. Tanner. “You started to tell us something back there. When you were trying to persuade us to take you with us.”

  Tanner smiled. “While you were drugged, I told Tom that, because you’re a werecat, I had to test your blood before he could mate with you. But I really wanted to test something else, a hunch I had.”