The Pride

by Patricia Morse

  I looked up at Lexie who was now banging herself into the tree to try and break the bonds around her wrists. I could not get her attention. I looked towards Lenny and Cam and could see they were trying in vain to get her to look in their direction. Thane emerged from the crowd shouting at Drake.

  “Get out of my way imbecile. That’s not how you wake a sleeping human. You’ll give him brain damage if you keep that up.”

  Drake growled at Thane.

  “Keep that up soldier and you’ll be cleaning the G-Man cage!” Thane’s normally calm demeanor was replaced by shaking hands and a red face. He pulled a small capsule from his pocket, broke it in two, and passed it under the sleeping man’s nose. Smelling salt! Genius! John Doe’s eyes popped open and he began gasping for air. Thane helped him to his feet and removed the duct tape and rag from his mouth.

  “Bring him to me, Dr. Ganyon.”

  Thane seemed apprehensive, but did as he was told. Thane gave the man a cold, punishing look. I could only assume this was the man who was supposed to keep Lexie safely away from our compound. He had failed and Thane was displeased. Thane looked up to the flailing Lexie, a mix of desperation and angst crossed his face.

  “Link, might I suggest we lower the girl before she does permanent damage to herself.”

  Link himself looked towards Lexie. The mad-man laughed.

  “Let her kill herself! It will save me the trouble.”

  “But wouldn’t that spoil your fun my friend?”

  Link pensively rubbed his chin and looked towards Lexie once more before giving the order to lower Lexie from the tree. One of the men unhooked the chain, and Lexie dropped with a thud. I rushed to her, only to be stopped by my old friend Grizzly.

  “Evie, let her be. She dug her own grave. If you go to her, you’ll be right in that grave with her.”

  I nodded while giving Lexie a pleading look to be still. Her eyes were still large with fright, but she remained motionless. I returned to Link’s side where he was appraising his new acquisition. He was circling the human like a vulture. Thane had disappeared back into the crowd.

  “Drake, where did you find this fine specimen of a human?” Link’s eyes were wild with delight.

  “At her campsite.” He pointed towards Lexie who was still lying in a heap on the ground. “His truck and everything in it, including him, reeked of her!”

  “I see. Thank you, Drake, you have done well.” He once again circled the man; this time examining him like a prospective buyer examines a champion race horse. He felt his bicep before placing his hand on the man’s well toned chest and rubbed one finger eerily flirtatiously around his body as he circled him. Link stood toe to toe with the man and examined his face, although he had to look up, as the man was nearly a head taller than Link.

  “Tell me your name.” Link waited for a response then began circling the stranger once again. “Were you intimate with her? Did you deflower my kitten?” Link’s questions sounded more like an angry hiss. “Tell me your name?” The man stood silent. He was now staring at the crumpled mass on the ground that once was Lexie. Link began to shout, spraying spit into the man’s face.”

  “I said WHAT IS YOUR NAME?” Link smacked him across the face, drawing blood on his chin. The man smiled, and spat at Link’s shoes.

  “I’ll slit her throat if you don’t cooperate boy!”

  Link snapped his fingers and instantaneously Lexie was jumped by a soldier. He pulled her up by a mass of hair, exposing her neck. With his free hand, he unsheathed a machete from his belt and held it to her throat. I heard a thump behind me. I turned to see Thane had jumped into the bed of the truck. His chest was heaving.

  “Link this needs to STOP NOW!”

  Link stared quizzically at Thane. “There, there, Dr. Ganyon. Now is not the time to go soft on me.”

  Thane jumped down from the bed of the truck and pushed the man behind him. “His name is Talon. He works for me!”

  Everyone in the crowd, including , had wild looks of confusion spring across their faces. I heard gasps from the horde. Link sprang forward putting himself nose to nose with Thane.

  “Explain yourself immediately or your fate will be theirs.”

  “I hired him to bring her to you Link. He did as he was told. He gained her trust by offering his assistance. He even used my jet to bring her cross country. You can check for yourself. The truck at the campsite is mine also. Have your men check the registration. He’s an old friend of mine, and I knew he would follow my orders without question.” Thane was breathless as he told his tale. Link looked pleased. I on the other hand was horrified.

  “Clever, Dr. Ganyon. Please forgive me for doubting your abilities.”

  Link turned his attentions to me now. He ran his long fingernail from my temple to my chin, drawing blood as he went. Before I could flinch I could feel his tongue tracing the blood from my neck up to my forehead.

  “Dr. Ganyon always delivers the greatest of surprises to me, doesn’t he, mon doux sang?”

  My body went frigid as my head began to spin. Was the double-crosser double-crossing me? Had it all just been a clever ruse to deliver me back to Link? He turned his attention to the crowd, raising his arms, rallying the crowd back into a fury.

  “My army! My minions! Should the prisoner called Talon live, or should he die?”

  The crowd began to chant for Talon’s death. I looked back at Lexie, who was watching in horror. Thane was still attempting to shield him. Link rolled his neck, and locked eyes with Thane. His eyebrow arched.

  “Dr. Ganyon, perhaps we could play a little game with your friend. He is a fine specimen though, and I would hate for him to go to waste. I can see my kitten is very fond of your Talon, so I will not ask her to choose her life for his. Knowing my kitten as I do, she will choose to spare his life, and that wouldn’t be any fun, now would it?”

  Thane was unable to hold back the snarling growl that escaped his lips.

  “Now, now, Ganyon, there’s no need to be rude. I wouldn’t harm your good friend. This friend who blindly follows your orders. I’m thinking he would make a good pet, but he must first prove himself to me.”

  “Link, please, if you value our friendship at all, you’ll leave the human alone. He has done nothing wrong.”

  “Aah, but Dr. Ganyon, if I let him go, he will run straight to the authorities. We would be forced to fight the humans before it is time, and that could get very messy.”

  Link turned his wicked gaze toward me once again. “You know I don’t like messes, don’t you, darling?” Link grabbed me and once again pulled me into his body, kissing me gently on my earlobe. I had to choke back the waves of nausea that were bubbling up from my stomach. He buried his face into my neck, planting one more kiss near my collarbone before deeply drawing in the scent of my hair. His lips neared my ear again.

  “We will discuss your relationship with Dr. Ganyon later this evening my love,” he whispered quietly into my ear before once again addressing Thane and his masses. “Tonight we will hunt!”

  The crowd erupted into cheers, weapons of all shapes and sizes were being raised furiously into the air.

  “Our prey of honor will be Dr. Ganyon’s friend. If he lives through the night, he will be deemed worthy to become one of us. If not, he will be dinner for one of you. Just save his heart for me!”

  Thane crouched to the ground in front of Talon offering his regret. Talon’s eyes were wide with fear, but I could see he was a fighter. The boys and I were just going to have to make sure he survived the night. Lexie had been carted away before I could see where they had taken her. I didn’t see Grizzly in the crowd, so I prayed that he was near her. I tried to break my hold from Link, but he buried his hands into my upper arms, dragging me to Thane’s side.

  “Dr. Ganyon I need to have a word with you in my office, NOW!”

  Thane, who seemed distressed and broken, obediently picked himself up and began walking towards the main house. Talon was thrown back into the bed of the
truck by Drake, and carted off to parts unknown. I prayed silently for his safety.

  “Will you come with me willingly, my love, or do you need to be tied up also.”

  Link never released his grip on my arm as we walked side by side up to the main house, just a few feet behind Thane. The crowed had dispersed, and there was an eerie silence surrounding us now. I had too many thoughts to process, and no time to react. I did the only thing I could think of to buy a few moments. I pretended to faint.

  Chapter 28

  So Stupid

  Lexie

  My heart ached for Talon. I couldn’t believe I had dragged him into this nightmare, well Thane had dragged him into it, I just led the way. I watched helplessly as Link circled him like a predator does to its helpless prey. I knew Evie, Lenny, Grizz, and Cam would do what they could, but where was D? Maybe they were keeping him on the outside for some reason. I didn’t know what their plan was, but they were going to have to act fast to save Talon. I could only hope they would choose his life over mine. He was the innocent victim they should be protecting. Grizzly started walking towards me amidst the chaos. Why wasn’t anyone stopping him? He gruffly lifted me up from the ground and slung me over his shoulder.

  “Lexie, just be cool and we won’t get hurt, OK.” Grizz was using a hushed tone that only I could hear. He set me down in the front seat of a small golf cart that was parked nearby. He struggled to get behind the wheel, as golf carts aren’t made for someone of his height and girth. We began driving over the lush green grass towards the back of the estate. There was an imposing four story colonial building sticking up through the trees. Grizz remained silent, but had an anxious look on his face. I reached over with my bound hands and touched his arm.

  “Grizz, what’s happening?” I was pleading with him to give me information. “Where am I going?” He brought the cart to an abrupt halt. We were sitting between two large maple trees, their leaves touched by a hint of orange. Grizz gazed off into the dale of trees.

  “It’s best you not know, Lexie.”

  “But, am I not part of the team, Brent?”

  “You’ve never been part of this team, Lexie.”

  “What do you mean?” I could physically feel my heart breaking at the thought of being pushed out of The Pride.

  “Don’t look so sad, sunshine. You’re too golden to be a member of Link’s team.” He winked as he spoke. He was putting on an act in case anyone was watching.

  “You’ve joined the enemy?” I was putting on my best air of being shocked and afraid.

  “Are they the enemy?” His words were harsh and icy. The cart began rolling forward. We went around to the back the large colonial structure at the golf carts top speed. There was nothing but a small strip of grass bordered by the beginning of a great forest. Grizz maneuvered the cart into a small opening. A garage door closed behind us as we entered. It was dark only for a second before the lights snapped on leading us down the ramp. Grizzly parked the cart at the bottom of the ramp, walked around the front of the cart, and grabbed me by my upper arm. He led me through a dark corridor to a secure door, where he punched in a code. The door slid open, and we entered a foul smelling chamber flanked by cages. Grizzly quietly whispered directly into my ear.

  “It’s better if you just look straight ahead and walk as quickly as you can. The residents are sleeping right now, and disturbing them is never a good idea.”

  I did as he said. We briskly made our way through the maze of strange cages and aquariums. He stopped at an empty cage, punched a few numbers on the keypad, and pushed the door open.

  “Lexie, this will be your home until tomorrow. There’s a hose over there if you’d like to wash up.” He pointed to the back corner of the large expansive stone room. “I put some soap and girly stuff there for you too.” He smiled nervously. I wondered what girly stuff meant to Grizzly. “Oh, and there’s a cot over there.” He pointed to the opposite corner to the back of the enclosure. “The tree is pretty fun to climb if you get bored.”

  “Thank you old friend for your kindness.”

  He looked at me oddly as he unbound my wrists. “You won’t be thanking me tomorrow.” He slightly winked again. “Now, just a bit of advice, stay to the back of the cage. Your across the street neighbors are freaky as hell.”

  He turned on his heels and slammed the door shut behind him. I did as he said and moved to the back of the cage. I sat down on the cot and stared into the blackness of the cage across the hall. I could see several pairs of yellow glowing eyes staring back at me, giving me an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I was actually relieved to have a hallway and bars separating me from whatever lurked in that dark enclosure. I was about ready to climb the tree and hide amongst its leafy branches when I heard a commotion from down the corridor. Grizz reappeared, punching the code into the keypad, once again opening the door. I sprang up, ready to flee with him, when I saw Talon being carried by two of Link’s soldiers. They threw him like a ragdoll into the cage. He groaned as his body hit the hard stone floor. Grizz slammed the door shut once again, and in a flash the three soldiers of Link’s were gone. I raced to Talon’s side, gently sliding off the burlap sack covering his head, ripping off the ropes that held his arms behind his back, and shredding the leather straps that were binding his ankles. The glowing yellow eyes from the cage across the corridor were beginning to move closer. I could hear the strange creatures growling and snorting as they approached. Otherworldly male voices, maniacal with delusion, whispered from the darkness.

  “He reeks of death, dear girl. Perhaps you should end his misery.”

  “Do save some of his blood for us. He smells delicious.”

  “What’s the matter, cubling, cat got y’er tongue?”

  A barrage of laughter, growling, and grunting erupted from the cage across the corridor. I didn’t want to deal with whatever was in that cage, nor did I have any desire to see what they looked like. I scooped Talon up from the floor, and rushed him back to the cot Grizz had left in the corner. I ran to the hose, and appraised the toiletries Grizz had left. Apparently girly stuff was fruity scented shampoo and conditioner. I grabbed a wash cloth, and a plastic basin which I filled with the icy cold water. I raced back to Talon, dunking the washcloth in the cold bath, and placing it onto his forehead. I sat at his side for hours, replenishing the cool wash cloth, holding his hand, waiting for him to wake. It took nearly six hours for him to begin to stir. His eyes opened and began scanning the darkness. I removed the damp cloth from his forehead, startling him. I gently placed my hand on his chest.

  “Talon, it’s me. You’re safe for now.”

  He placed his hand on top of mine and lay back down. His breathing and heart rate began to slow back to normal.

  “Are you able to walk?”

  He nodded then slowly sat up, grabbing a hold of his ribs and wincing in pain. I helped him get to his feet. He seemed a bit wobbly, so I placed his arm around my shoulder taking the brunt of his weight. I led him to the hose.

  “You need to drink.”

  The monsters in the cage across the hall began to snarl and taunt us. Talon looked genuinely frightened.

  “What in the sam hell?” He stared wide eyed into the cage across the hall.

  “I don’t know what they are, and I’m hoping we don’t find out.” I propped him up against the cold stone wall, and ran to retrieve the cot. I dragged it back to where he stood, and helped him sit on its edge. There were no cups, so I turned the hose on so the water was coming out in a slow trickle and brought it to him. He drank vigorously, at times wincing if he moved wrong. I sat beside him waiting for him to finish. When his thirst was sufficiently quenched, he threw the hose down onto the ground, focusing his confused gaze upon me.

  “Lexie, why did you leave?” He was still weak, his voice barely an audible whisper. I couldn’t even look at him. The guilt I felt was overwhelming.

  “I thought you’d be safer. I’m so sorry.” I was finally able to look him in the eye
s. “I never meant for you to be involved.” A tear fell from my eye and rolled down my cheek. “Were you really working for Thane Ganyon?”

  He nervously rubbed the back of his neck as he nodded. “I reckon I was Lex, but…”

  “Why would you work for him? I thought we were friends.” I couldn’t hide the iciness I was feeling.

  “Lexie, my job was to keep you away from here, to take you on a wild goose chase of sorts. He didn’t know you knew about Bowling Green. I was supposed to take you to Canada, but you insisted on coming here. I figured I could keep you busy searching the wrong places until Ganyon told me you would be safe. I screwed up big time, cuz you walked right into the belly of the beast from the looks of it.” His voice was gravelly and tired.

  I picked up the hose and handed it back to him. “You need to drink more. You’ll need your strength for whatever sick game Link has planned.

  I wasn’t ready to accept what he had told me about Thane. Thane was the bad guy, and no lies that Talon told were going to make me believe otherwise. Something was going on down the hallway from our enclosure. I began to hear a lot of noise; bangs, bumps, screeching, then footsteps. Two soldiers entered our cage, one carrying a tray of food and drink. They approached us tentatively, one with his weapon drawn. As soon as the soldier with the food set the tray down near the base of the tree, he also drew his weapon. They moved closer to us, our eyes locked. Talon raised his arms in the air, but I stood to shield him from the armed men, ready for a fight. I heard the faint sound of pressurized air, there was sudden pain in my right arm. I looked to see a dart sticking out from my bicep. Before I could say tranquilizer, I was out cold.

  Chapter 29

  End Game

  Evie

  Before my head could hit the ground from my fake fainting spell, I was scooped up into Thane’s arms. I could feel the wind rushing across my limp body as he ran at bullet speed for his hospital. I kept my body flaccid and my eyes closed. I could hear Link barking orders in the distance. Thane burst through the doors, and up the stairwell, flinging open the double doors on my own personal hallway.