I watched my brother hurl the small silver balls from earlier at the ground. Once they hit, they cracked and spun in place as gas was expelled from small holes in their sides. I couldn’t hear a sound, but that’s the neat thing about ultrasonic wolf whistles, they’re only for wolves.
The skinwalkers stopped instantly, their hands covering their ears as they howled in pain. Vector and I didn’t let up, dropping every single one within reach. After about thirty seconds the balls stopped spinning and Vector tossed a few more. Again the wolves howled in pain and again we acted. We managed to drop several dozen wolves before our ultrasonic assistance stopped.
“And we’re out,” Vector said.
“Where does that leave us?”
“Well, you got about fifty cuts across your body, I’m dangerously low on ammo, and I figure we’re about half way there.”
He was right. The adrenaline was racing, but I could still feel the pain of countless wounds all over my body. I’d been moving as fast as I could and they were shallow. But after a while they would start taking a toll. The odds were not in our favor. It was only a matter of time before they got us. I just hoped we could take out the witch before they did. And then it occurred to me that what we needed was a battering ram to get us through. I smiled as I thought of the next best thing. Concentrating on the black leather band on my left wrist, I reached for my friend.
“Hey Vlad, how’s it going out there?”
“No activity, boss. I think you got ‘em all inside,” Vlad replied.
“We’re in trouble pal, any chance your shell is hard enough to smash through that outer wall?”
“Maybe?”
“Okay, well if not, you got about five seconds before you’re gonna need a new boss.”
He didn’t reply. Instead there was a loud crash as he tore through the outer wall. We had enough space around us that I could see him clearly. He’d managed to make it through, but his front end was severely damaged. It tore at my gut to think about Vlad hurt. To make matters worse, large chunks of debris from the wall were wedged under his carriage. Between his wheels being off the ground and the damage to his front end, I didn’t think he’d be able to help us with the wolves.
The wolves were regrouping from their sonic disorientation and preparing to charge back at us. Apparently Vlad smashing through the wall hadn’t even distracted them from the thought of tearing us apart. My only hope was that we could somehow get Erika inside of Vlad before they attacked. But we were now on the opposite side of the warehouse, and I didn’t like our chances. Before I could make a decision, I heard Vlad speaking in my head.
“Hey boss, I’m not feeling so good, but I got one trick left in me. Stand back,” Vlad said.
“Vlad says to stand back,” I hollered over my shoulder, “What are you going to do?”
“You know the line from that first Transformers cartoon that makes you laugh every time you hear it?” he replied.
“Yeah.”
“Now might be a good time to yell that one,” Vlad said.
“Fire the laser?”
The front of Vlad’s hood started to glow bright red. The light rapidly grew to the size of a beach ball and I could see it dancing. It was almost swirling, as if it was alive. Even the wolves paused to look in that direction. Finally, after watching the light move, I realized what I was looking at. It was fire.
I could only describe what happened next as a flamethrower on steroids. The blast was easily four feet thick, and it swept over the closest wolves. We could feel the wave of heat against our faces, almost forcing me to turn away. Then, as soon as it hit, it was gone. Almost half of the remaining wolves were on the ground burnt to a crisp. Vector and I couldn’t help but cheer for Vlad.
“Did you see that? My dragon breathed fire! Way to go pal!”
Vector laughed but there was no answer from Vlad. I couldn’t feel the connection to him through the armband. Panic started welling up inside of me but I pushed it away. Now wasn’t the time. We had to save those kids. As everything settled down after the blast, we could hear another kid crying out in pain. We had to stop that witch. Vector fired a long-range shot and it bounced off of some invisible barrier. We were going to have to make this up close and personal.
There were only fifty or sixty wolves left between them and us. Not great odds, but after Vlad’s sacrifice and those kids yelling in pain, we had to try. There was no way we were stopping now. I glanced down at Erika who was lying unconscious at our feet. Vector met my gaze.
“I’ll stay with her. I can cover you from here. Go,” he yelled.
He was right, this was our best chance to go for broke. Both of my swords were on my back as I ran, freeing my hands to throw some blades at the nearest targets. Vector started firing over my shoulders as I waded in. After hurling a dozen blades, most of them hitting, a couple doing serious damage, I pulled my swords from my back. Double katanas flashed through the air as I exploded into the wave of wolves.
In that moment, my brother and I flowed together like water. I’d slash to the right and he fired to my left. Then I’d slash to the left and he’d fire to my right. He was hitting the wolves a second before they got me. Again, I was slashing throats, dropping as many as I could. We were through ten, then twenty, and then thirty of them. I could see the finish line. But, everything slowed down as a claw tore deeply into my thigh.
My forward progress was slowed, forcing me to allow the wolves to come to me. It was tougher to keep them off my back that way, and Vector did his best to compensate. Unfortunately, even my brother had his limits, and he couldn’t get the wolf in time that tore through my right shoulder. There were only ten left. I was so close.
Pushing myself and ignoring the pain, I drove on. I managed to drop three more wolves with my remaining sword and Vector hit four of their friends. The final three charged right at me and I focused on the one in the middle. The two wingmen took shots to the head as I drove my sword up through the jaw of the wolf in the middle. Fatigue was setting in and the pain was getting to me. I didn’t have the strength to retrieve my sword as the weight of the dead wolf carried it out of my hand. I started shuffling the last fifty feet towards Joshua and his witch.
Now that I was closer, I could tell that they were behind a large bullet-proof glass wall. It looked thicker and stronger than the ballistic glass we had at HQ. I wondered if its primary function was to keep the wolves away from the kids. Joshua was focused on one of the kids, forcing his wolf out through sheer will. He didn’t seem to pay me any attention as his witch cut the wolf away. The rage building up in me was helping me ignore my injuries.
The witch was older than I’d imagined, in her forties, her long black hair showing signs of starting to gray. She was wrapped in animal skins, a helmet made of a wolf’s skull upon her head. The dagger in her hand had a bone handle, its blade looked ceramic and it was about a foot long. She ignored me as she continued her dark ritual, the cries of the young boy tearing through me.
Joshua was wearing BDU pants and combat boots. I didn’t see any weapons on him anywhere. But his dark green tee shirt showed off the enormous muscles that Gideon had told us about. I didn’t care. He wasn’t going to win this one. I tossed one of my shuriken against the glass, hoping to get their attention and distract them from the ritual. It didn’t work. But I hollered over my shoulder, hoping that my brother would have better luck.
“It’s bullet-proof glass.”
“Got it,” Vector replied.
Vector was firing rapidly, each of his shots hitting the same spot. After the first few bullets, a crack started to form, like a spider web growing in the glass. The witch and Joshua were too involved in her ritual to pay attention to what was happening. A final shot broke through the glass and it was all over. The witch’s body fell backwards, her wolf skull hat falling from her head as she hit the ground. It was instantly obvious that she was dead. After seeing her hurt that kid, I didn’t feel an ounce of pity for her.
“I�
��m out,” Vector yelled.
I nodded and continued to walk towards the glass. Joshua looked down at the body of his fallen mate and started to howl. He turned towards me, murder in his eyes, snarling through his fangs. I cracked my knuckles under my silvered gloves and smiled at him before holding up my good hand and inviting him to come say hello. There was a door down about fifty feet to my right and he sprinted for it. I liked that plan better, because contrary to my bravado, I was having trouble moving.
Joshua’s clothes were torn to shreds as his wolf burst forth from his body. He was easily eight feet tall with jet-black fur and piercing yellow eyes. I remained still, waiting patiently for him to approach. Honestly, I didn’t know if I had the strength for more than one attack, so I was hoping to make it count. There was no way I was leaving this wolf to go after my brother and Erika. Joshua leaped in the air, coming at me jaw first, his mouth dripping with saliva. His claws were trailing at his sides and it was clear that he wanted to tear me to shreds with his teeth. If I timed this right, everything should be fine. Maybe.
A split second before he bit my face off, my left hand shot forward. The silver blade I was holding was maybe six inches long and I knew there was only one way I could make it effective. Sending my arm into his jaws, I stabbed up, driving the knife through the roof of his mouth. The moment I struck the sheer weight and momentum of his body crashed into me. I hit the ground hard and slid several feet before finally stopping.
His weight was pinning me down and I couldn’t see anything but black fur, but I took the fact that he wasn’t moving as a good sign. His teeth sunk deep into my forearm, his jaw biting down before he died. When I heard my brother’s voice, all I could mumble under that large pile of fur was, “Careful.”
Vector pulled the body off of me and helped to free my arm. After confirming that Joshua was dead, he stood over me, shaking his head. I tried to stand, realized I couldn’t get up, and just smiled back at him.
“Did we win?”
Vector started to laugh and even though it hurt like hell, I joined him.
CHAPTER 28
As Vector helped me to my feet, Freddy and the cavalry arrived. They hurried over and freed the kids from the cages. An army of paramedics looked them over while countless security personnel secured the area. Being shorter and stronger than me meant that my brother was the perfect crutch to help me walk over to Erika. Her injury wasn’t severe, but it was across her chest and I’m sure the shock of the previous wound was more than enough to knock her out. A paramedic woke her with some smelling salts and applied some fresh bandages. After that she was back on her feet and walking more steadily than me. The three of us hobbled over towards Vlad to inspect his damage.
Vlad’s hood was badly dented, but considering he’d driven through a concrete wall, it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Vector assured me that with a crow bar and a bit of time, he could make it so we could drive him home. But, driving home was the least of my worries. Vlad still wasn’t talking and when I touched the band on my arm, I couldn’t feel a connection. It was like he was gone. Patting him on the hood, I tried to get him talking.
“Hey, Vlad. You all right, pal?”
Silence.
“Come on buddy, this can’t be how it ends.”
Erika put an arm around my shoulder; “He helped save a lot of kids today.”
I nodded and watched as Vector got a crowbar from one of the trucks and started working on Vlad. I just plopped down right there, unable to take my eyes off of my friend. Erika sat down next to me and put her arm around my shoulder for support. I couldn’t look away from Vlad. At some point a paramedic wandered over and tended to my wounds, but I paid her no mind. I just watched my brother work on my car.
It would be hours before we could leave, so Vector had plenty of time. Eventually I convinced Erika that she should head back to HQ and get her wounds looked at. Reluctantly, she allowed Freddy to escort her to one of the paramedic vans. I was happy to report that Freddy had put himself in charge of all cleanup efforts. It was a good thing, because I didn’t really feel like talking to anybody. He was running all over, directing personnel here and there. I’m sure he was doing a fine job. A few times he tried to convince me to leave and get medical attention. But without even looking away from Vlad, I managed to let everyone know what a bad idea it would be to try and move me. I just watched my brother work. The sound of creaking metal grated my ears as Vector pried the hood back into place.
A few hours later, Vlad’s front tires could turn unimpeded and he was no longer stuck up on the concrete debris. Vector slowly backed him out of the garage. I continued to sit in my spot, sulking, and occasionally touching the band on my wrist hoping for a response. Vlad was still silent. It was another hour or so before they finally finished everything up, and we were ready to leave.
Freddy made sure all the bodies were de-skinned and loaded safely into several morgue trucks. All of the kids were long gone, safely back at HQ, reuniting with their families. The kids would probably need lots of counseling, but for now what mattered was that they were back with their families. I’m sure a few of them would even want to thank us for rescuing them. But I wasn’t in the mood to hear it. Not tonight.
Freddy told us that everything was clear and he headed out. Vector walked over and glared down at me. I didn’t think he approved of my attitude. Although I figured he should be a little grateful. Me sitting on my ass provided him a rare opportunity to stand taller than me. I almost smiled thinking about it.
“Get up,” he said.
I nodded and took his hand, letting him help me to my feet. My muscles were sore, achy, and incredibly stiff. Sitting there for hours hadn’t been a very good plan. Vector helped me over to Vlad and I patted my buddy on the hood. Looking things over, I realized that my brother had done a fairly impressive job. You could still tell there was damage, especially as the light of the full moon reflected off of his front end, but it was better. Seeing Vlad look close to normal brought a small smile to my face.
“His frame isn’t even bent. He’s tougher than he looks,” Vector smiled.
“Yes, he was.”
Vector tried to drive but I waved him off. Sure, I hurt and I could barely move my legs. But Vlad was my friend. If this was his last ride, I was going to be the one to do it. My brother nodded and jumped in the passenger side. It took me a while to get in and Vector was kind enough to remain silent as I did so. I patted Vlad one more time on the steering wheel before starting his engine.
“It’s okay, pal, we’re going home.”
“Hey, boss?” Vlad replied weakly.
I couldn’t stop myself from shouting as I answered, “Vlad, you’re alive.”
“Yeah, but you gotta drive home, I’m exhausted,” he said.
“No problem, pal,” I laughed, “Get some sleep.”
“Night, boss,” his voice trailed off.
I can’t begin to explain the joy that started running through my body. For just a moment, I forgot every pain I was feeling. My friend was alive, and that was more than enough to make my wounds a distant memory. Even Vector smiled and patted Vlad on the dash. The somberness in the air started to clear and everything looked a bit brighter.
Instead of going home, we headed back to GHOST HQ, because I wanted to check on everybody. Danny and Erika were both stable and resting. Kara hadn’t woken up yet, which was probably for the best. Freddy had wandered off to start on the paperwork and Vector just hung out as the doctors looked me over.
They changed some bandages and re-cleaned some wounds. Somewhere, during all of that poking and prodding, I feel asleep. I woke up the next morning feeling much better. In addition to my body’s accelerated healing, at some time during the night, Kara had sent some magical healing manna my way. All things considered, I wasn’t feeling half bad. I found Vector in the garage working on Vlad.
“Hey, bro, did you sleep at all?”
“A bit. I’ve got a whole plane ride to sleep,” he said.
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“Speaking of which, how long until you need to be at the airport?”
“I’ve got time.”
“Good, let’s get some breakfast. I’m starving.”
We drove Vlad to a local restaurant and spent hours talking and joking around. I learned more about his family, including his grandmother’s lake and the famous sword that she cared for. Time flew by as we shared story after story. It would take too long to recount everything we talked about, and perhaps that’s for the best. Some things are just between brothers. Later that evening, I drove Vector to the airport, parked Vlad out front, and used my badge to get through security and walk my brother to the gate. After a long hug we said our goodbyes.
“I’ll visit soon. Promise.”
“I’ll warn the ladies of the UK,” he smiled.
“Thanks.”
“No problem.”
Vector started to turn away and stopped himself. His face crinkled a bit as he tried to work out the proper wording for his next statement. I could tell he was getting serious on me.
“After watching you work on this case, I’m not sure you fully understand your role as the muscle of Team Five. They’re looking to you, bro. You have to be their heart. It’s your job to bring them together. If you keep holding ‘em at arm’s length, you’ll never gel as a unit. They’re inexperienced, and a bit scared. A connection to you will help with that,” he said.
I gave him a sigh and a smile, “I’m working on it.”
“I know.”
“But, I’ve made huge strides this week. Got me a brother and everything. I think I’m heading in the right direction.”
Vector smiled and nodded. I put my hand on his shoulder and made it clear that I was about to be serious.
“If you need anything?”
“Same,” he replied.
We hugged again before he started down the ramp. A wave served as the final goodbye before he vanished into the aircraft. I leaned against the glass and watched his plane take off. I had to admit; I was feeling pretty good about life. We’d saved the kids and prevented a full on lycan war. My best friend was alive and could apparently breath fire. I had a brother and, for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel alone. Since things were going my way, I figured I should see if I could up the game a little bit more. It was late, but I drove back to GHOST HQ. I made my way down to Sickbay and checked in on half of Team Five. The three of them were fast asleep, which made it easy, because I only wanted to talk to one of them right now. Gently, I woke up my favorite fox.
G.H.O.S.T. Teams (Book 2) Shifters Page 25