by Abby Tyson
Nothing.
Trying to block it out, she lay back, the plastic covering on the bed squeaking beneath her. But now there was another one, crawling on her other arm. Again she looked, and again: nothing. Soon the feeling spread over her body. The leather cuffs bit into her wrists as she strained to scratch the itches. Every inch of her skin was covered with invisible squirming insects.
"Get them off me!" she screamed, more than once.
"There's nothing on you, Savannah," Marcia stated flatly. "Hallucinatory effect. Or perhaps a genuine manifestation of the drug's interaction."
"You sure she's okay, Mama?" Baxter asked, his voice tiny, muffled.
"We'll see."
The bugs were now stinging her. She screamed wordlessly, drowning out the sound of Marcia's voice and the hum of the fluorescent lights. She thought she heard Baxter trying to soothe her, but all she knew were the thousands of needles pricking her flesh. Sobbing, she begged Tara and Eric for forgiveness, certain this was punishment for altering them. She screamed until her throat went dry and could make no more sound, relishing the numb darkness that finally swallowed her.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Marley threw Nissa onto the branch, hoping she would grab hold, and jumped up after her. The wolf was too quick, and clamped down on his calf.
"Brother!" Ren called in reply to Marley's pained cry. Marley barely heard him, although his thoughts did pass briefly to the dart gun in his brother's backpack.
Still clinging to the branch, Marley kicked at the wolf with his other foot, catching it square on the nose. The wolf released Marley's leg with a yelp and fell to the ground. Wishing once again that it weren't the full moon cycle, Marley managed to pull himself onto the branch before he heard the wolf's claws digging into the tree below. The wolf barked at him, and was soon joined by his packmates.
Cringing and gasping, Marley made it up a few more branches to where Nissa was perched. He settled into a sitting position, his back against the trunk of the tree, and glared at her. Bathed in a pool of moonlight, she watched him, her leg swinging carelessly above the howling wolves below.
"What the hell was that?" he demanded. "We both could've been killed."
Her eyes widened. "Weren't you bitten?" she asked.
"Yes," he snapped, "thanks to you. Why'd you kick me? I was trying to help you."
Her legs stopped swinging, and she crawled with impeccable balance across the branch until she was at Marley's feet.
His anger paused as he considered something. "Would you be killed? Origins are immortal, right?"
"We're not immortal," Nissa said absently, still gazing at him intently.
Marley recoiled from her scrutiny. "What?"
"You're not altering."
His mouth opened, but no words came out.
She peered at the pack below, then back to him. "You're veru malar also."
"Veru what?"
"Hollow. Same as the girl, Savi. It's said to be only daughters, but no one truly knows."
Marley squirmed, gazing at the pack below almost longingly. "No, that's not it."
Nissa cocked her head, giving him the kind of smile that accompanies a luscious secret. "What is it then?"
"We've got to get out of here," Marley said, reaching in his pockets and pelting the wolves below with the rest of the rocks he'd collected. The wolves scattered to avoid the stones, but remained nearby, growling and howling just beyond the reach of his throw.
He could still feel Nissa's gaze on him, but soon she said, "Agreed."
As if on cue, the wolves went silent. Marley couldn't hear their footsteps as they ran into the forest, but he saw a few shadows in patches of moonlight. "We should wait to make sure they're gone," he said.
Nissa shook her head. "They're gone."
"How can you be sure?"
She pursed her lips before admitting, "I can feel them."
Marley called to Ren and climbed down. When he landed on the ground his wounded leg gave out, but he caught himself on the tree. He reached up and helped Nissa slide off the branch, placing her on the ground.
"I heard you cry out," said Ren as he jogged over.
"I was bitten."
Ren reached into his pack and tossed Marley some gauze.
"But he didn't alter," Nissa added. Ren looked at his brother in alarm.
"I told her we'll discuss it later," Marley said, sitting to wrap his wound. "Didn't you get shot with an arrow?"
"Landed in the pack. Will you be okay?"
You mean will I slow you down, Marley thought, pushing his pant leg gently over the tied gauze.
"It's not that bad. I'll be fine." He pulled his canteen out of his pack and quenched his thirst before standing.
Ren eyed him for a moment before following Nissa, who had already started moving on. Marley leaned against the tree once more, took a deep breath, and jogged after his brother.
They reached the camp without any further delays. Standing just inside the treeline, they peered down into a small valley. The tall, white-haired girl who had taken the silver wolf from Marcia's barn sat with another person in the center of a large circle of fire.
"I only see a dark wolf in there," said Ren.
"That may be Ebony," said Nissa.
"Can you see the silver wolf?" Ren asked.
"No, the flames are too tall," answered Marley, although his gaze was locked on the dozen or so wolves that were outside of the circle, pacing just beyond reach of the flames and howling intermittently. "We can't take that many wolves," he said.
"I'll create a distraction," said Ren, pulling the dart gun out of his pack and pocketing the six darts they had brought. "You grab the wolf."
Nissa was staring at the circle of fire with a pained expression.
"Can you defend yourself?" Ren asked her.
Without turning her eyes from the valley, Nissa said, "Leave it to me." Without any further explanation, she ran out of the woods and down the hill. Each wolf's head lifted simultaneously, contemplating the small intruder.
"What's she doing?" Marley whispered. "She'll get herself killed!"
"She must have a plan," Ren said, watching the pack of wolves that were now running straight at Nissa. He scanned the ground for a stick, handing the first one he came across to Marley. "Let's go."
Marley stared in disbelief as his brother ran head on to face a pack of werewolves. Before he could talk himself out of it, he was doing the same, letting loose a war cry and waving his club over his head. He locked his eyes on one of the wolves and headed for it. The wolf, its bright white fur shimmering in the moonlight, seemed to sense his attention and veered from the pack. It raced toward him. Marley raised his club.
Suddenly another wolf, darker in color, pounced on the white wolf. Marley nearly tripped over them as they tumbled to the ground. The dark wolf ignored Marley, focusing all of its assault on the white wolf's neck.
"What the...?"
Snarls and yips from elsewhere on the hill revealed several wolves engaged in similar fights. Ren, barely breaking stride as he fired, was busy darting the few wolves without challengers.
Even several feet away, the heat from the flames that rose taller than himself made Marley sweat. He walked the perimeter, trying to get a good view of the inside. The black wolf was howling hysterically, chained to the ground on a short tether. He saw the silver wolf lying still, also chained but on the opposite side of the circle from the black wolf. The two keepers stood in the center, out of the reach of both wolves, with something in their hands. Marley moved closer, the heat painful but tolerable. The girl was staring straight at him, her arms raised awkwardly, one by her ear and one straight out. Just in time, Marley saw what was in her hands and dropped to the ground.
"Arrows!" he shouted, getting as close to the burning pyres as he could stand. Tossing aside his long-sleeve in the sweltering heat, he called to Nissa and Ren to get to safety out of view of the keepers. Arrows flew from inside the circle, untouched by the flam
es. Nissa barely avoided getting hit as she fell beside him. As Ren ran towards them, two wolves that had defeated their opponents chased after him.
"Brother! Behind you!" Marley shouted.
"No!" Nissa screamed. "Let them pass!"
The wolves loped past Ren without a second glance and sat on either side of Nissa. They gazed up at her and thumped their tails as if they were tame dogs.
An arrow flew from the circle and found its mark. Ren staggered forward and fell to the ground.
"Ren!" Marley screamed, crawling toward him.
Ren rolled over, the arrow sticking out from his arm. With Marley's help, he dragged himself to the fire, the two wolves that had gone to Nissa darting back past him up the hill.
"How many darts left?" Marley asked.
Lying beside him, Ren dropped the gun to the ground. "None," he said.
Movement on the hill drew Marley's gaze, and he saw the same two wolves that had sat with Nissa now running toward them. "Nissa?" he asked, unable to keep the fear from his voice.
She ignored him. Dripping with sweat, she watched the wolves with an intensity that made her soft face appear ancient. The wolves didn't veer from their course, and Marley couldn't help but cringe and raise his arms when they jumped straight at them. The sight of wolves leaping over him and through a wall of flames was one he would never forget. Cries from the two people within the circle finally made Nissa's plan -- and her powers -- clear.
When the valley went silent, leaving only the sound of crackling fire, Marley peered inside. The girl in white lay unmoving beneath one of the wolves. The other wolf had not made it through the ring unscathed, but it had accomplished its task nonetheless. Both the wolf and the person were engulfed in flames, their bodies blackening and filling the air with a putrid stench that made it hard to breathe.
Ren gestured to the arrow in his arm and said, "Give me a hand?"
Lying on his back, with the arrow sticking straight up from his arm, Ren faced away from his brother, his breathing deep and even. With his foot on Ren's arm, Marley grabbed the arrow shaft with two hands. With as much strength as he could muster, Marley wrenched the arrow upward, while at the same time pushing down on Ren's arm with his foot. The arrow tip was small and came out easily, at least for Marley.
One short outburst was all Ren allowed himself. Marley had used all of the gauze for his leg, so he used the arrowhead to rip a sleeve off of his discarded shirt and wrapped his brother's bleeding arm.
"We need a path into the circle," said Nissa, facing the fire.
"We can pull down some of the pyres," said Ren, slowly standing.
The three of them searched the camp they had seen on their way in, avoiding the dead wolves that littered the hillside. Inside a small shack with a barred door were blankets and some food, along with more arrows, quivers, and bows. Marley grabbed a thick coil of rope and held it up to Ren.
"Can you make a lasso?" he asked.
Taking the rope, Ren sat down in a moonlit patch of grass. "I can't throw it though," he said.
"Wuss." Digging in his pack, Marley moved to stand beside Ren. "Ow!" he yelped with a laugh at Ren's punch to his uninjured leg. "I'll just keep this then," he said, holding up the protein bar he'd pulled out for Ren.
Ren kept his eyes on the rope. Marley dropped the snack on the ground beside his brother and held one out to Nissa, but she shook her head, then tilted it with curiosity as she studied the two of them.
"You're twins?" she asked.
"Yup," Marley said, his mouth full.
"I'm oldest," said Ren, with just the hint of a smile.
Rolling his eyes, Marley said, "We don't know that."
"Your father is ona," she said, more to herself than to them. "Your mother?"
The two brothers exchanged a worried look, both hoping the other would answer first. But before either of them spoke, Nissa's eyes went wide.
"She's waking!" she cried. She took a few running steps toward the valley, then ran back to the brothers. "Hurry! Now!"
Frowning at the lasso, Ren held it up. "That's as good as it's gonna get." Marley took the rope and they walked back down to the circle.
Marley had little experience using a lasso, but pulling down a few of the tall pyramids of firewood seemed easy enough. He walked around to a side equidistant between the two wolves, just in case the wood fell in rather than out.
The pyres turned out to be heavier and more stable than Marley had expected. It took a few shots to get a strong enough hold to pull some down, but once he did, they fell as hoped and opened up a gap in the flaming circle big enough to fit through.
Wincing, Ren started to stand.
"Save your heroics for the stage," Marley quipped, kicking the burning logs out of the way with his boot. After a few quick and heavy breaths, he took a running leap between the flames.
The heat was oppressive. At least outside there had been a slight breeze, but there was no such respite here inside. He'd almost forgotten about his injured leg, but the heat made it swell and throb, making each step agonizing. The white-haired girl lay on the ground, her neck covered with blood. The tawny wolf was on top of her, an arrow in its chest. The charred remains of the man and the wolf still smoldered. The smell was so vile that Marley immediately turned away, falling to his knees and wretching.
Still on all fours, Marley caught a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye.
"Brother!" Ren called. "Behind you!"
Marley turned in time to see the albino girl lunge at him with a bloody arrow. He rolled out of the way, only to find himself so close to the snarling dark werewolf that he saw one of its eyes was milky white. Marley rolled back and jumped up as he narrowly dodged her high kick at his chest.
"You can't stop it!" she cried, taking a boxing stance with the arrowhead poking out of her fist. As tall as him, she was an intimidating sight, with her absence of color now flooded with an orange glow that seemed to radiate from within rather than the fire that surrounded them. One side of her was covered in dark red blood from her neck to her hip, but from the effortless way she moved, Marley guessed it was all from the wolf.
"Humans have lost their right to this world," she said, and jabbed at him with the arrow. Marley grabbed at her wrist to pull her off balance, but his grip was too weak and she freed herself, pulling him onto his injured leg. Stumbling to keep himself upright, he didn't see her kick until it was too late. Her foot landed squarely in his chest, knocking him onto his back.
The girl stabbed the arrow down at him, but he shoved her back with a kick of his own. She tripped on the wolf that she had killed and landed beside the still smoldering remains of the other wolf and keeper. She started to roll away, but Marley caught her just as she was about to stand, landing with a hard thud on her back and pushing her to the ground. She flailed at him, almost landing the arrow in his side, but Marley managed to get ahold of her and pry the arrow from her fist. He tossed it into the flames.
"No!" she screamed, kicking him in the back.
"Rope!" Marley shouted, but Nissa was already running into the circle. Without stopping, she tossed the coil of rope at him and ran to kneel at the silver wolf's side.
Just as he caught the rope, the earth beneath him shifted. The girl was trying to get up, rising to all fours.
"Come on!" Marley protested. He kicked one of her arms out from under her, but instead of falling flat onto her stomach, she rolled, unseating him.
Suddenly he was on his back, with the girl on top of him. A volley of punches rained down on his face, and he roared with rage. With only a split second's hesitation, he punched straight up. The crunch of the girl's nose under his fist made him cringe, dampening the fury that had swelled within him. In the few moments she spent reacting to his blow, Marley shoved her back.
He grabbed the rope and lunged forward to kneel on the girl's chest, but holding her punching hands still and tying them at the same time proved impossible. Unbidden, Ren appeared at his side, and bet
ween the two of them they were able to tie her up. Marley fell to the ground, dizzy.
"Wuss," Ren said, smiling down at him. Marley chuckled weakly, then took his brother's hand and stood.
The girl strained against her bindings. "You don't know what you're doing," she cried wildly. "You're letting the evils of the world continue! The end of humanity's reign is near!"
The brothers ignored her, turning to Nissa, who still knelt beside the silver wolf.
"She's too groggy," Nissa said, her cheeks wet with tears and sweat. "I unchained her, but she can't walk yet, and I can't lift her."
Ren glanced at Marley.
"Your turn," Marley said with a smile, holding up his hands and limping backwards. Ren leaned down to pick up the silver wolf, but it snapped its teeth at him.
Nissa laughed. Ren regarded her silently, unamused.
After giving the wolf a hard stare, Nissa stood. "Proceed."
With a sharp breath, Ren scooped up the wolf that was as tall as him, hugging it like a child with its head on his shoulder and its tail dangling between his legs. Marley led them out through the gap, ignoring the keeper's continuous cries and apocalyptic warnings.
As soon as they were out, Ren gently placed the wolf on the ground. Weeping, Nissa fell beside it, clutching it against her body. Soaked with sweat, Marley began shivering and walked to his shirt, which was now half-long sleeve, half-sleeveless.
"You can feel them?" he said to Nissa, not bothering to hide his anger. "You don't just feel them, you can talk to them. Why didn't you tell us? And why did you let that one at the tree bite me?"
Nissa didn't answer, focused solely on the silver wolf.
"We have to go," Ren said, eyeing the forested hills around them.
"Which way?" asked Marley.
Ren looked up at the star-filled sky. "This way."
"No," Nissa said. She stood, and the silver wolf stood unsteadily beside her. Pointing in the opposite direction, she said, "That way."
"That's the way to the barn," Ren said. "Our car is this way."
Nissa shook her head. "I told you I have two debts to repay. Yours comes second." She started walking, but Ren moved to block her way.