THE EVENT

by Jamie Heppner

  "Hey? You think this will help us?"

  Dawn practically jumped and hit the roof of the car. Her eyes blinked a few times as her thoughts collected and she seemed to remember where she was. She looked around for what Shade was talking about until she saw the stone in his hand. Dawn's eyes opened wide as she saw the power locked away inside the polished stone.

  "Yeah, that’s what I thought too."

  Shade wrapped his fingers tight around the stone and felt its power pulse through him. Dawn's power was still there, but it seemed so much smaller in comparison. Shade reached one more time for the key and turned it over. With a gigantic roar, the engine came to life. The headlights of the car shone down the road they needed to take to get away from the rift and all the monsters inside it. A smile broke on Shade's face as his hands gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white.

  "Let's see if I can do this." Shade pushed his foot down hard on the gas pedal and the motor revved up high. The echo bounced off the mountaintops with a sound that no one had heard in a very long time.

  Chapter 10

  Inside the mall, the fight was going poorly; Bonetwister knew now why the old leader had refused a direct approach on the Nightwalkers. No matter how many of them the werewolves dropped, they kept coming, and when they did knock some down, most just found their way to their feet again. Sometimes with one less arm, or their own guts hanging out, they simply shambled back towards their prey again. They didn't seem to feel any pain, they didn't cry out from their wounds and they just didn't stop. The only thing that seemed to stop them at all was tearing their heads off their shoulders. They didn't make that easy though.

  Bonetwister limped around the storeroom. Only four of their group remained, and two of those might not even live through the night. They hadn't had the strength left to hold their wolf form anymore, and lay on the cold floor breathing slowly.

  Blood was pouring from their bodies where the Nightwalkers had literally torn holes in them with their fingernails and teeth. The last werewolf other than himself held the Nightwalkers back at the doorway into the storeroom. The narrow passageway gave him an advantage...they couldn't surround him. The Nightwalker's bodies were piling up on the floor at his feet, all with heads separated, while Bonetwister looked for signs of the two youths. Their scent was everywhere, but all he could find was a very large pool of blood just inside the doorway. It was old and dried up, but it did have their scent all around it.

  "I think we are too late."

  "Then we need to find an escape soon. We can't get back out of this hallway." The other werewolf said between grunts as the Nightwalkers slowly pushed him back into the warehouse.

  Night covered the whole building, only a small hole in the roof allowed some light to filter in from the stars. It was more than enough to see by for Bonetwister. "Hold tight, I will be right back."

  #####

  The roar of an engine broke through the eerie calm of the battle. Bonetwister froze in his tracks as what he was hearing sank in. With powerful strides he rushed towards the sound he had heard come from outside. "Impossible! Nothing with electricity works at all! People have tried everything but it just doesn't work!"

  He pushed himself faster until he came to the shipping doors at the back of the building. A small crack was visible at the top of the bay door. Only a few stars leaked light through, if not for his wolf eyes he wouldn't have seen it. It was a good fifteen feet up, but he could jump that span easy. He began tearing at the top of the door with each leap, trying to open it enough to get through. Bonetwister let out a howl calling what was left of his group back to the only other exit.

  The Nightwalkers were relentless. The last werewolf couldn't keep up with them and was already bleeding from too many places. He would heal, but only if he had time. Werewolves healed much quicker than humans did, but they still needed a chance. The other two still lay in human form close by, one was still breathing, but the other's eyes had gone dark. No breath escaped his lips.

  A howl tore though the warehouse calling them to move in deeper. The werewolf lunged to his last fallen brother and shifted in mid air. Landing beside him, he picked him up and threw him over his shoulder. He ran deeper into the warehouse surrendering the hallway to the Nightwalkers. Deeper inside he moved as fast as his human legs could take them.

  Bonetwister had opened the hole at the top enough for a full-grown wolf to get through. A leap up brought him out into a narrow ridge of rock pulled down between the wall of the building and the edge of the rift. It was only another small jump up and out of this canyon. Bonetwister dropped back into the building. He had to head back and help his friends if they were still alive.

  Chapter 11

  Shade got the gist of driving quickly. It was a good thing he had picked an automatic, or it could have been a much bumpier ride. As soon as they could no longer see the rift, Dawn had sat back down and just stared ahead. Even though she was always quiet, the silence around her now was so strong you could almost feel it. Shade wasn't driving very fast, but they were still making much better time than they had walking. At the rate they were going, they would be home by morning. He couldn't help grinning at himself. Here he was in a world where no one could drive a car anymore and he was sitting behind the wheel of a car, driving it. The hours started to fly by as the excitement began to wear off. He looked again at Dawn beside him and his excitement faded even more.

  "What’s wrong?"

  Dawn jumped at the sound of his voice and shook her head.

  "No, something is bothering you. It has been since we saw those giant wolves. What is it?"

  Dawn reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder then looked out the passenger window. Her face reflected in it so Shade could still see her as he switched between her and the road.

  "I can't explain it. I feel connected to those wolves somehow. They charged right into that rift and started dying. I could feel each one of them as their lights faded. It hurt, like it was a piece of me. I don't know, I can't explain it right." Dawn let her hand drop back down off his shoulder.

  Shade had to slow down as he mulled over what she had said. The road was overgrown with trees and roots were popping up more frequently. The headlights lit the sides of the road and showed all the thriving vegetation they had seen on their walk down the other direction.

  "How do you feel them? I could see their lights too but I didn't feel if they died."

  Dawn didn't respond for some time, she just kept looking out the window. Shade could see in her reflection that she was crying. She placed her hand again on him. "I don't know. They are connected to me somehow. One of them stopped before jumping in to the rift. He seemed to be looking for something. I'm wondering if it was me they were looking for. Maybe they could sense me too?"

  Shade didn't know what to say. Overgrowth was taking over the road, and it was very hard to find a path the car could take. Shade was having a hard time squeezing the car through a particular section when all of a sudden it just died. Shade held on to the wheel as he tried to turn the car over again and restart it. Nothing happened. "What happened?"

  Dawn wiped her eyes dry before turning back to Shade; he pretended not to notice for her sake.

  "It just died, and it's just like it was before the stone..."Shade reached down and pulled the stone from inside his shirt. It had worked for him as long as he was touching it. It didn't matter how so he had just tucked it into his shirt. As soon as he pulled it out, he saw that it had changed. The light that was inside it was totally gone. It was still glossy on the outside but no energy pulsed from within. In fact, it once again seemed to be pulling from him; ever so slightly, it was drawing his own energy out. Shade placed the stone back inside the box and pressed the lid gently closed with a click.

  "I guess we walk from here then. We can still be there by morning if we get moving now."

  Dawn nodded and they slung their packs on their backs and began picking their way through the overgrown roadway. The sun began to lighten t
he sky as the morning brought a new day clear as every day before. They had walked in silence for most of the time but as they grew closer to the cabin Shade's mind began to wander. The events of the last week tumbled through his head. A single thought broke free and he spoke it aloud.

  "I haven't seen the moon since the day of the event." Dawn looked up to the sky and cast her eyes back and forth as well.

  Shade watched the thought sink in. She hadn't seen it either. They discussed possible reasons for it, but couldn't come up with anything solid. Shade decided that he would have to ask his father when he got back.

  "Perhaps he will know a reason why, or where it has gone." Shade spoke as the silence crept back. He noticed that Dawn kept looking behind her, a glance here and there. She seemed to be waiting for something but Shade didn't ask.

  "She is normally quiet; she would tell me if she felt the need." He thought to himself.

  Soon the valley took on a much more familiar look. The trees were full of life and the path that they both knew led to the cabin. Shade's spirits lifted and he began walking faster as he got closer. As they rounded the last bend, they met with something they didn't expect. The old cabin was gone. In its place stood a log cabin that had been rough-cut straight out of the woods. It was easily three times the size of the cabin that they had left such a short time ago. In front of it stood his mother, father, and someone that he had never met before. The metal sound of Dawn's blade broke the silence and Shade was only slightly behind as he too drew his dagger. His father’s voice broke the silence as they stood waiting to see what was happening. "It's ok Shade, Dawn, he is with us."

  Shade replaced his dagger and run up to meet give his mother a hug. He barely spared a glance at the stranger.

  "I'm glad you are home safe son. I saw you coming only a few minutes ago. I got some flashes of things that were happening to you but they were so confusing. I wasn't sure you were close until just a while ago so we decided to wait here." The Oracle stopped looking towards Shade with those eyes of black and turned towards Greytop, a look of surprise on her face.

  Dawn had walked up closer not putting away her sword. She still held it tight in her grip. The blade held out in front of her she had it pointed at Greytop. He did not show any fear but stood in front of her hands loose at his sides. He simply stared at the young woman for a few moments before dropping to one knee in front of her. The tip of the sword held firm right in front of her face.

  "Hello Leader. I am here to serve."

  A gasp broke from both Shade's mother and father as Dawn's eyes flicked between everyone there trying to figure out what happened.

  #####

  The three remaining wolves stood atop the rock ledge next to the rift in the earth. They were all in human form, as it was much easier to talk and they healed faster as human. Low moans could be heard from inside as the Nightwalkers moved around, trying to find a way after their prey. Bonetwister was already healing well. The cuts he had taken were closing and the blood had all but stopped. He was weak though, he needed a place to rest. The other two wolves were in much worse shape. With a grunt, he picked up his brother who was still unconscious.

  "At least his breathing is stronger now. We need to move. We trapped the Nightwalkers inside with the coming of dawn, but that is still a few hours away. I don't doubt they will try to get to us again before the sun comes up."

  The only remaining wolf nodded his human head; he was too tired to speak. In the end, he alone had held the corridor while Bonetwister had found the other exit. The three remaining wolves walked off as fast as they could, one being born over the shoulder of the strongest.

  Only one set of eyes watched them go. From far behind them deeper in the rift he watched. He stood inside a type of old water tower built long before this town had fallen into the rift it now lay in. Somehow, it had remained standing and it was one of the few structures able to allow someone to see over the edges of the rift. Not once had he gotten near any of the intruders that had invaded his land, no, they couldn't discover him just yet. He wasn’t ready. He had his Nightwalkers to deal with intruders. This was the third time they had failed him and he was beginning to get very angry with them.

  "It's a shame I can't exactly punish them though. There are disadvantages to not feeling pain I guess." The words broke across his lips in barely a whisper. He didn't need to speak to the Nightwalkers. They knew what he was thinking. That was the best part. His thoughts were their actions. He knew what they were thinking to an extent as well but their thoughts were so rudimentary. "Intruder" was a stretch for them. The basic commands worked the best. Only a few could understand more intricate directions and those were rare. Lucky for him he had more than enough Nightwalkers to work with. He climbed back into the darkness below and using flint that he had his Nightwalkers collect from the malls sporting goods section he lit a torch, then another.

  The light showed the vast room below filled with Nightwalkers, every one of them standing still. The light of the torches caused some to turn away with a moan. Light was the best way to hurt them, he didn't care. After all, the people that had been foolish enough to watch the event deserved this fate. They should have known to hide from it instead of standing outdoors and watching it all. A smile broke his lips as he looked out over the waves of them falling back away from him in the darkness. They were his to control. His alone, well, as long as he could do something about his sister anyway.

  #####

  Dawn's sword dropped to the ground, and bounced off a rock with a metallic ring. Not one head turned to look at it. Everyone was still staring at her or Greytop. Looks of confusion passed back and forth as the silence stretched on.

  The General was the first to speak. "What do you mean?"

  Greytop stood again and smiled gently at the General.

  "I knew you weren't the leader as soon as we got here to fight you. The others though, they are too young. They just followed the orders given them and never asked the questions in their hearts. You can't just assume our leadership. It is something felt inside. When you said you had killed the old leader, the others took it for fact. The smell of him was on you and on this place so it was easy to see how they believed it. In the time that has passed since then I have searched my heart. I didn't feel the pull that marked you as a leader. Others would have noticed too if they had been around you longer. You couldn't hide it. I stayed anyways, because for now you were all we had, and I have to admit I like it here. If the true one who had killed the old leader did not show up, we would have had to deal with the problem eventually. She is here now. I can feel the pull to her. It's very strong, undeniable, and it solves the problem. Except for one thing, she is less of a werewolf than you are."

  Shade was having a hard time processing all the new information. "Werewolves, like the ones we saw back at the rift?"

  The General nodded, "Yes, you saw them then? Did they help you escape?" He began searching the woods with his eyes for signs of the wolves he had sent to fight.

  "No, we had gotten out by the time they were there. They ran past us in the night and didn't even see us."

  Dawn glared at Shade, her eyes burning into him.

  "Well all but one. Dawn says he stopped at the edge and seemed to be searching for something before he ran down inside. We don't know how many survived, if any."

  Silent tears ran down Dawn's face at the reminder of feeling their deaths. Greytop placed a hand on Dawn's shoulder in comfort.

  "They were sent to fight; they would have had the bloodlust in them. It's not a wonder they didn't feel the pull, even though they were close enough to have touched you. I wonder..."

  The General took Shade's attention away from Dawn and Greytop.

  "How did you get back so fast? It should have taken you at least another day to walk back up here."

  Shade's eyes lit up as he remembered. "I drove a car!"

  With that, the whole group went silent and Shade began to grow red from his outburst. It took a while for
him to explain himself and remember the details. Slowly he pieced together the story of what had happened in the mall, their escape and his startling discovery.

  "Can I see the stone again?" The Oracle asked as she held out her hand.

  Shade opened the box and placed the black stone in her hand. The sunlight seemed to sink into it, as though filling a well.

  "Yes, I can feel it drawing from me as well, but not so much. It seems to be pulling in power from the sun much stronger then from me. When I cover it up it pulls harder then when it is open to the sun."

  Greytop spared a glance over at the stone. He had mostly been standing still and looking at Dawn. She seemed to be in a mild shock. She just stood still and stared at nothing."It's a moonstone."

  Shade turned to the werewolf he had up until recently thought weren't real.

  "What was that?"

  "It's a moonstone. One of the wolves in our pack was a scientist before. He saw the moon fall from the sky. Most of it broke up but some pieces made it to the earth. He called them moonstones. They are all around that size, but a few are smaller or bigger."

  The General looked up to the sky.

  "The moon is gone?"

  Greytop looked at him as though he were crazy.

  "You never noticed? The different weather, the lack of clouds, no more seasons. It didn't take us long to see that losing the moon changed the earth in ways we might never understand. Even those that weren't scientists saw the differences all around us, the least of all perhaps the loss of electricity. The scientist said it had something to do with the stabilization of earth's orbit and the shifting of the magnetic field, after that though he lost most of us when he tried to describe it. We just took his word for it."