Season of the Wolf

by Rachel Jonas

  Enough to risk their lives.

  As we made our way through town, they spoke, but only to one another. I heard traces of French, but another language that muddled it a bit. However, they merged both into their dialogue seamlessly. I would’ve liked to have known what they said, mostly so I knew I wasn’t in danger traveling with them, but I just had to extend my trust to them by association. If they knew and cared about Evie, they couldn’t have been all that bad.

  Despite their size and varying degrees of dark expressions.

  After talking Richie out of tagging along, insisting that he go check in on our parents instead, I was off to a running start. Roz had been on my mind since leaving the school lot, so I dialed her while we rushed through the woods at top speed.

  She picked up right away and I wasn’t ashamed of how happy I was to hear her voice.

  “You’re okay,” I panted.

  “I am. Are you?” The quick response was an indication of fear.

  I didn’t want to lie, so a vague, “I’m okay right now,” was true and made no promises I may later have to break.

  “Where are you?”

  At her question, I breathed into the phone, weighing my response before saying it aloud. “Doing what I can to help. It’s insane out here.”

  “Which is why you need to get inside, Nick. You need to get to higher ground,” she urged. Her voice was nearly frantic now.

  “Just … promise me you’ll stay in the house,” I practically begged, preparing to do just that if it came down to it.

  “Promise me, Roz.”

  She was still quiet, failing to say the words I so desperately needed to hear.

  But then, her voice came back and I sighed with relief at the sound of it. “I promise, but you have to do the same. As soon as you can,” she added.

  I nodded despite her not standing before me in the flesh. “I’ll do everything I can to get home.” And that was the honest truth. I would fight hard, do all I could to stay safe while also keeping those I cared about out of harm’s way.

  However, as the world seemed to fall apart around me, I wasn’t sure that was a choice I even had anymore.

  I ended the call and our small group moved through the streets quickly, but in silence, contrasting the sudden panic that seemed to have spread like wildfire. Anxious faces hurried past as bodies flooded from buildings, as the emergency sirens wailed. Doors to many of the shops and restaurants had been left wide open as those inside bolted with one thing on their minds—escape.

  As we ran, a second blast cracked through the air like lightning. An outcry of horrified screams followed. I turned toward the falls. From this distance, it was out of view, but there was no mistaking how the cloud of smoke that rose had thickened, blotting out a swatch of stars in the otherwise clear sky.

  “We have to hurry,” I said in a rush, doubling our pace as we fought our way down the crowded sidewalk. While most were rushing toward higher ground, safety, we were headed straight into the mouth of madness.

  The theater came into view and I crossed the street haphazardly, narrowly scraping past a delivery truck that hadn’t seen me.

  At the sight of the thin crowd straggling out, my heart sank.

  What if she found them and already left?

  What if they were never here to begin with and she was wrong?

  When my feet stopped on the pavement, one of the guys spoke—one with a clean-shaven head and permanent scowl set on his face, like angry was his default emotion.

  “Why aren’t we moving?” his voice boomed in a deep tenor, one woven with a heavy accent. I glanced his way, only now really giving any of them a hard look. With their size exceeding mine and their scents throwing me off, I kept my guard up.

  There was the telltale smoke of a dragon, but … lycan, too. It only took a moment to realize I’d been traveling with hybrids. I gave the one who spoke another look before replying.

  “I … I need to hear,” I explained vaguely.

  An audible growl resonated from his chest—a threat meant for me, no doubt. It took one of the others placing a hand on his shoulder, and then calling him by name, to disperse some of the fury in his eyes.

  “Easy, Tobias,” the one with the mohawk urged. His gaze drifted to mine, almost apologetically. “Forgive my brother. He’s just concerned … and somewhat impatient,” he added kindly before giving his own name. “I’m Ivan.”

  It was quick as far as introductions were concerned, but under these circumstances, it was enough.

  With Tobias settling down per his brother’s request, I gave my name and then focused again, listening for Evie’s heart.

  The roar of an engine threw me off when a car passed. Breathing deep, I closed my eyes. The crisp night air of an incoming spring moved over my skin and I let myself feel the waves of energy within it.

  And that’s when I heard it. Or rather felt it, her heart pulsing through the air.

  “She’s still inside,” I blurted, taking off toward the theater as soon as I was positive.

  The others followed, but not without their doubts.

  “How can you be sure?” Tobias questioned.

  Knowing I couldn’t exactly explain that, I turned and said the only thing I could.

  “I just know.”

  There were stares, some only curious, but most distrusting.

  We burst through the heavy, brass-framed doors of the entrance. The place was a dead zone. Bags of popcorn had been dropped right where patrons stood when news about the dam reached them. There were things all over—a jacket on the ground near a poster, a cell phone on the counter.

  “We’re wasting time,” Tobias grumbled, staring me down with fury swimming in his eyes. The look reminded me of the one Liam often gave. And, like Liam, this guy gave off the air of being feral … a savage.

  “She’s clearly not here,” he added. “We need to move on.”

  However, the rapid thump of a frantic heart said otherwise.

  Again, I didn’t bother explaining how I knew we needed to venture further in, I simply went. Their steps were hesitant behind me, but they followed.

  “Evie!”

  I called out and then listened, going down the wide, dark corridor lined with theaters, most of which still had movies blaring inside them. In other words, there was no way she’d hear over the noise.

  “We’ll have to split up,” I sighed, knowing that was about the worst possible idea, but it would increase our odds of finding her. I got us to the general area, but we needed to search.

  We scattered and I started in the screening room on the right. Pushing the door open, I rushed inside, did a quick scan, and then came out to head into the next.

  This felt like déjà vu, reminiscent of another time I set out to find her amidst a disaster. Only, then, I’d been searching for the girl I loved. Now, I was desperate to find the friend who’d saved my life little more than a month ago when the Council would have preferred to end me.

  “Evie!” I tried calling out again.

  Still no answer.

  I pushed through another door, set to yell her name once more, but didn’t have to—the buzzing, an electric hum I now associated with being near her …

  A set of bewildered eyes found mine. Beside her was another familiar face, that of the mother who no longer remembered her, and lying on the ground … her father.

  I rushed over, assessing the situation as I went to them.

  “What’s wrong? What happened?”

  Evie pushed fresh tears from her eyes, saying things I was sure her mother found strange considering she had no idea who we were, no idea that the girl who’d just put herself in harm’s way to find them was in fact her daughter.

  “I got here about a minute ago, as soon as word reached them about the dam. Everyone was rushing out in a stampede,” she choked out. “Some guy panicked and … he pushed him down,” she added, staring at the deep gash on her father’s head.

  She was in shock. Otherwise, she would�
��ve been thinking clearer and made quick work of getting her folks out of here.

  “Evie, listen to me,” I said gently, feeling the sense of urgency creeping further up my spine as the door opened behind me—one of the guys, I guessed. He called out to the others to come this way.

  “We have to get out of here. We’ll get him help,” I promised. “But we have to go.”

  She swiped a tear, racked with so much emotion as her mother did her best to wake her husband.

  Taking Evie’s hand, I pulled her to her feet. I offered her mom the other.

  “Ma’am?” Mrs. Callahan’s gaze met mine—hers confused and tearful.

  A massive body breezed past me—Tobias again, the dick-ish one. Evie watched as he lifted her father from the ground and tossed him over his shoulder. The motion caused Mr. Callahan to groan, which visibly relieved his wife. It was a sign of life, and possibly returning consciousness after having been unresponsive for a couple minutes.

  We moved quickly, the ten of us. Our group had swelled in size and I tried to ignore how that could become a handicap if things got hectic. We cleared the door, moving quickly through the lobby, but what met our vision when we finally reached the exit … it sent us all staggering back.

  “Grab on to something!” After yelling out to the others, I scrambled for a nearby pillar to latch on to. A wall of churning water highlighted in moonlight raced toward us, sweeping stragglers off the street who hadn’t gotten out in time. Cars parked against the curb were shoved out of the flood’s path.

  Evie’s heart hammered tenfold now, that high-pitched buzz holding steady.

  “Tobias!” she called out, gaining his attention. “Don’t let him go.”

  She was still fighting her emotions while clinging to a pillar with her mom.

  Amidst the chaos, Mrs. Callahan must not have thought it strange that Evie’s hand made its way into hers, that she held it tight like they weren’t strangers at all, but I knew there was real emotion behind the gesture. As a moment of silence mocked what would follow, Evie was just a girl clinging to her mother as we took what might have been our last breath.

  The floor-to-ceiling window exploded and cool mist hit my skin a millisecond before a powerful surge that tugged my body away from the beam, filling the building in one mighty rush. My fingers locked tight, struggling not to pull free from the force. Water covered my head and I held my breath, not knowing how long it would be before I got air again. All sound muffled around me except the liquid gurgling in my ears. My heart raced with uncertainty. Not only for my own fate, but for those here in the trenches with me.

  Slowly, I felt my mass lowering, and my head was again above water. Spurting some from my mouth as I gasped, squeezing my eyes to clear my vision, I took a look around at the swimming pool that was once the theatre. One by one, others surfaced, but not Evie, not her mother. Even Tobias had managed to keep a grip on her dad, thanks to the wave pinning them both to the wall behind the concession stand. Had it not been there, they would have been carried away.

  “Evie!” There was no missing the desperation in my voice, the panic as I called out to her.

  Water still rushed in, but nothing like the first wave. With the current calmer now, I could at least swim through it, to the spot where I’d last seen her. Holding my breath, I went under only to find that the beam she and Mrs. Callahan clung to was missing its bottom half, an indication that something large had passed through and took a large chunk with it, and …

  “Evie!” Her name quaked from my lips.

  No trace of them anywhere.

  I listened for her heart, hoping and praying, but … that prayer came back void. It was impossible to hear over the sound of falling debris, the building groaning, and the cries for help that now filled the streets of Seaton Falls.

  General chaos.

  I turned to the guys, these men who followed me into this mess all to find her.

  “She’s not down there. And something wiped out the beam,” I added, trying to keep a cool head.

  “Evangeline!” one called out, and then another once he caught his breath, pushing long hair behind his ears to see.

  We all dove deep again and that’s when I spotted something as it floated past. Evie’s bracelet. And ancient-looking, leather band she had on every time I’d seen her lately. I grabbed it, tucking it deep inside my back pocket so it wouldn’t get lost. I looked around, doing another scan.

  Had it not been for keen vision, I would have missed it … would have missed the tips of thin fingers moving frantically, barely breaking the surface.

  “Over here!” At the sound of my voice, the others followed.

  I took in a swell of air and went under again, unsure of what I’d find. However, the sight before me was one I never would have imagined. The hand I glimpsed belonged to Mrs. Callahan. Her strength was fading as she pointed desperately at her leg, which seeped blood from an injury. It’d been pinned to the wall by a vehicle—the one responsible for the damage to the pillar when it burst through the building with the river.

  A weakening heartbeat pulsed through the water, as did the newly present hum, which was much stronger. Had it not been for that, I might not have even peered down, deeper in the murky water. When my eyes focused, I spotted Evie—lifeless as she lie beneath the wheel, unable to move with the weight of the vehicle locking her down by the shoulder.

  I had the guys’ attention and two gripped the rear bumper, while me and the long-haired one took the front. Our strength was limited without being able to get traction, but it budged. Right away, Ivan, who stood by waiting, took Evie over his shoulder and moved toward the surface. With my aid, Mrs. Callahan swam to the top, favoring the hurt leg a little.

  A collective gasp filled the space when we were finally able to breathe.

  “I need to help them,” I said in a rush, knowing Mrs. Callahan needed medical attention, too, but her circumstances were nowhere near as dire as Evie’s.

  “Go,” she urged, glancing toward Evie’s lifeless body—the girl who had undoubtedly saved her life. “I’m okay. I don’t think it’s broken. Just … help her,” she urged. “Please.”

  I nodded and moved away, pushing random debris and people’s personal effects aside as I swam over.

  “Is she breathing?” I asked, trying to keep calm. Her heart was still beating, I knew, but I wasn’t sure of much else.

  Close by, Tobias was nearly beside himself with frustration that his promise to look after Evie’s father had rendered him useless. Mr. Callahan had come to, but was still too groggy to support his own weight.

  The brothers spoke their native tongue again, leaving me to feel even more at a disadvantage as I listened for a morsel of discernible information. All I wanted to do was help.

  Blood oozed from a broad gash on Evie’s shoulder surrounded by a fast-spreading, purple bruise. However, I knew the physical injuries would heal. My main concern was whether she’d been under too long? Had I gotten there too late?

  They talked over me again and the frustration got to be more than I could stand.

  “Tell me what’s going on!” My voice echoed and a few of their gazes shifted to me, but only one responded.

  “Pain,” Ivan blurted. “Pain is the only way to bring her out of it. She’s slipping away.”

  Confused and beyond skeptical, I intervened.

  “What are you talking about? She’s already in pain,” I pointed out, gesturing toward her injured shoulder.

  He shook his head and his expression made it clear he didn’t think I’d understand.

  So, instead, he showed me.

  His hand emerged from beneath the water where it’d been supporting half Evie’s body. I stared at it, still just as confused as a moment ago, but then the pieces started to fit together when the tip of his finger lit with a bluish-green flame like nothing I’d ever seen before. The strange light spread to his palm and eventually engulfed his entire hand.

  “No … real pain,” he clarified,
a grave and yet sympathetic look overtaking his expression.

  I breathed deep, bracing myself for whatever this meant, bracing myself for however Evie would respond to it.

  My gaze shifted to Mrs. Callahan, her wide eyes, when I remembered she was present. She stared at the otherworldly blue light that blazed from Ivan’s hand, speechless, in shock, but not frightened.

  Among the clans many rules was one stating that we were to conceal our identities at all times, but … these were extenuating circumstances. There was no time to help her understand or go to her to ensure she didn’t flee out of fear.

  I’d forgotten this woman had raised one of the most fearless people I’d ever met in my life. Some portion of that had to have been because she, herself, was braver than most.

  As if to prove this exact point, instead of cowering in a corner at the sight of something I’m sure she would never understand, she came closer to help. Her hands replaced Ivan’s to support Evie while he acted quickly to save her.

  Mrs. Callahan’s eyes went to Evie’s shoulder, the wound that had already shrank to half the size it was a moment ago. Where Evie’s shirt was torn, shredded muscle and severed tendons slowly mended themselves together right before her mother’s eyes. Fresh skin formed over the laceration and it was nearly gone. In some spots, the only indicator anything had ever been wrong was the blood left behind.

  The hand engulfed in turquoise-tinted fire moved through the air in a brilliant streak, making contact with the nearly-healed wound at Evie’s shoulder. The sound of searing skin was sickening, as was the sight of her flesh tearing open once again. I was nearly at my breaking point being a bystander while they tortured and maimed her on a whim that it might help.

  But then … she twitched, coughed a bit, prompting us to shift her onto her side as we tread water. The liquid that had blocked her airway spilled from her mouth as she choked it out, a blood-curdling scream bursting from within right after. It pained me to see her like this, but Ivan was right. It worked.

  I glanced at her mother again, and to my surprise, she still didn’t show signs of running.