by A. D. McLain
The wolf startled her from her thoughts and gripped the corner of her jacket in his teeth, pulling her to one side. She yelped and stared down at the wolf with fear. She contemplated using the gun or the wood against the animal, but he let go of her clothes and took a step back from her. His muzzle lowered deferentially. A wave of calm came over her. She experienced a strange certainty that the animal was trying to lead her away from the approaching danger, but could she even consider following a wild animal through the night?
Nicole mentally shook herself. Yeah, right, a strange wolf was just going to show up and rescue her, showing her exactly which way to go. That would be the day. Nicole cast a quick look over her shoulder, in the direction of the sounds. She didn’t have much time. Turning in the opposite direction from the one the wolf was pulling her towards, Nicole began to run. She ran for several minutes, before admitting to herself that she was completely lost. The trees were too thick in most spots for her to see even a hint of the stars overhead, and she had to admit to herself that she’d lost all sense of direction. For all she knew, she could be headed back toward the water or in a completely different direction. Taking a moment to catch her breath in one of the rarely lit areas, an oasis in the darkness, she collapsed on the ground, resting her head in her hands.
A warm muzzle pushed closer to her, moving her hands out of the way until she was looking directly in the wolf’s eyes. Beautifully clear eyes stared back at her. For a moment, she forgot these were the eyes of an animal – they seemed so coherent, staring directly into her soul. And in that instant, she knew. There was something different about this animal. She could trust this wolf. She didn’t know how she knew, but with this realization came such a sense of rightness, she didn’t doubt the truth of her decision. If she was going to survive the night, she had to follow the wolf. Inhaling sharply, she stood and followed her unlikely ally.
The wolf led her through the woods for several minutes, before he came to a stop in front of a thick section of bushes. Nicole looked questioningly from the bushes to the wolf and he angled his head towards them.
“Okay, so what’s behind bush number one?” she mumbled to herself. Leaning forward, Nicole pushed the bushes to one side and found herself staring down the beginning of a long tunnel. The wolf leapt in past the bushes and waited for her to follow.
“Why not?” she muttered to herself. It was better than the alternative of running blindly through a dark forest. She activated the safety catch on the gun, tucking it into the back of her pants. There wasn't much room to maneuver in the tunnel, and she didn't want to chance it accidentally firing. Grasping at her necklace she drew on its warmth for comfort and tentatively entered the tunnel entrance.
Nicole winced when her knees and arms rubbed up against the tunnel wall. She suspected she’d suffered some pretty good scrapes during her earlier fall. There was no time to worry about that now, so she ignored the pain and pushed on.
The wolf led her through what seemed like miles of tunnel. She crawled through them silently, one hand resting on the wall of the tunnel, and the other on the back of the wolf. It was much colder in the tunnel than it had been outside, and the longer she crawled, the colder it got. Her hands began to shake where she touched the tunnel wall and she suspected she would easily see her breath if there’d been enough light to allow it. She wished she’d worn a thicker coat. Nevertheless, she pushed the cold from her mind and continued to crawl. Instead, she concentrated on the sound of her camera hitting her chest as it swung back and forth in front of her. She was lucky she’d used the strap today, or she would have lost the camera ages ago, in her mad dash from the warehouse.
She slowly became aware of a light up ahead. Minute by minute, she found she was able to see the tunnel walls and the mysterious wolf beside her. Everything was bathed in a mixture of light and shadows filtering in from between the branches of wild bushes.
Nicole climbed out of the tunnel, the bushes snapping back into place covering the tunnel opening behind her, and stared at her surroundings in shock. She found herself standing a hundred feet away from her own apartment building. “How did you…” she began, but when she looked behind her, the wolf was gone. She turned back to the building, her necklace clutched between her fingers, and then turned back to where the wolf had been. “Thank you,” she whispered into the darkness.
Hurrying upstairs, she picked up the phone, dialing the numbers swiftly.
“Hello.”
“Hey John, it’s Nicole. You know how you wanted those photos?”
Artemis disappeared back into the shadows. So, this was where Nicole lived now. It had to be her, she was wearing the amulet, and he could see a distinct resemblance to Richard and Caroline. David Coverton had done a good job of hiding her all these years. Who would have thought that pitiful excuse for a man would have so many connections, willing to help him in this town? It must have been through his association with Richard.
Artemis spat on the ground in disgust, the spit congealing in the dirt. He trudged on, dispersing the gathered pieces of muddy earth in short order.
In the days after the crash, David had managed to hide all traces of Nicole, and no one he’d approached would say a word about her whereabouts. But no matter. Now, David had led Artemis right to her. Following David had been a long shot, but it had finally paid off, and what a payoff it would be. Now, that he’d located Nicole, he could finally put his plans into action.
The events of tonight had been an interesting development. It looked as if she’d managed to get herself into quite a bit of trouble. Maybe he could use this threat against her to further his own plans.
He felt a shiver run down his spine when a particularly cold breeze blew past, but he knew this was no natural wind. In fact, he knew it all too well. The darkness gathered around him, and fog began rolling in, obstructing any ability to see beyond a few feet. What felt like immense pressure pressed down all around him in the air. The fog swirled around, a figure slowly taking shape in the darkness. “I see you’ve finally found her,” a deep, resonating voice said.
“Yes.” Artemis ignored the stubborn desire to defend himself against the implication that his search had taken too long and forced the word past his lips.
“Good. Have you found out anything useful?”
“She has apparently made some enemy. She was attacked a short while ago, down near the river.”
The voice was quiet for a moment. “Yes, that is good information to know. Keep watching her and tell me anything you discover.”
“Of course.”
Quickly, the fog and unnatural darkness disappeared. Artemis took a moment to get his bearings, then continued on his way. If he was going to be staying in town for a while, he needed to find a place to stay. Maybe that old inn would still be open for business and he could go for a drink in the bar. He grinned and changed directions. He’d quite enjoyed the old inn the last time he was in town. Now, it probably didn’t offer the same…services it had offered back then, but he might still find himself a little entertainment for the night. It was usually easy enough to find, for the right price. Artemis grinned and licked his lips in anticipation.
3
David unlocked and opened the large gate. It creaked noisily as the hinges protested many years of disuse. He’d hoped he wouldn’t have to come back here, and for years, that wish had been granted. Ever since those first couple of months after the plane crash, he’d stayed away.
He walked up to the front doors of the house and paused, remembering the first time he saw them. They’d seemed even larger to the young boy he’d been back then and this place had intimidated him. He was a lot older now, but he was surprised to realize it still intimidated him. So much was expected of him here. He couldn’t hide from his potential. He couldn’t hide from other people. After a while, he hadn’t minded so much, but all that changed when Richard died. David had fallen into the same old patterns, leaving everything he knew, again. He’d stayed away from everyone and eve
rything. It was a lonely but safe existence.
Now, he was out of hiding and had to face the world again. Damn Richard. Even from beyond the grave, he was forcing David to face his demons. What if he didn’t want to face them? What if he liked them just fine where they were – hidden? Unfortunately, it looked as if it didn’t matter what he wanted, he wasn’t going to get it. He might as well get things over with.
David pushed open the large door with a sigh. The creaking sound it made echoed through the empty rooms. Dim, early morning light shone through the curtains and the open door, illuminating the otherwise darkened room. There was dust everywhere, even though he’d hired people to come in and clean the place a couple of times each year. It was nothing like it had been, Richard and Caroline had kept the place spotless most of the time. What would Richard think if he could see it now?
David quickly pushed that thought back and focused on more practical matters. He needed to call someone to take care of the place if he was going to be staying here. It was much too big for one person to manage alone. He braced himself and walked through the many rooms, stubbornly refusing to let the long-forgotten memories overwhelm him. He had a job to do and after that, he could leave again. But for now, first things first – he needed to get this place suitable to live in. Pulling out his cell phone, David started making calls.
Nicole pushed back the covers and swung her legs around, giving up on the prospect of going back to sleep. She was too anxious to be rid of the film. She started when her bare feet touched the cold floor, and quickly pulled on some socks before she traversed the floor. Careful to avoid her bruises and sore muscles, she threw on the first shirt and pair of jeans she found, from her ‘only worn once so still mostly clean’ pile of dirty laundry and decided on a walk before class.
It was still quiet on the streets. Most sane people were still asleep, but she liked the quiet. It was the easiest time to think at this hour of day. The sun was just rising, causing all kinds of colors to play across the sky. There was no sign of the wolf, not even by the tunnel, mostly hidden unless you knew precisely where to look.
She walked the few blocks to school, not really knowing where else to go. The campus was even quieter than the rest of the city. A few office lights were on here and there, and she found herself wondering what had other people up at this early hour. Were they working on some important research which just had to be completed right away? Maybe they loved their jobs so much, they couldn’t wait to get started, or they hated being at home so much, the office was a better alternative. Maybe they were just grading a few last papers before classes started.
Nicole smiled at an early morning jogger, and he smiled back when he passed her on the sidewalk. Whatever brought those other people out, she felt oddly comforted by them being there, even knowing most weren’t even aware she was here.
Nicole tested the chapel door, and it opened with a creak. Surprisingly enough, there was one other person already inside. A young girl sitting in the front row turned her tear-stained face to Nicole when she entered.
Nicole smiled comfortingly, and the girl offered a weak half-smile back before retreating into her thoughts once again. Nicole sighed. It seemed she wasn’t the only one with problems.
Nicole settled down in a nearby pew and stared at the cross in the front of the church. She tried to remember the last time she’d attended church, acknowledging that it had been a long time. The last time she’d come close had been her parents’ funeral. She didn’t really know why she was here now. She didn’t have any questions or favors to ask, she just felt unsettled. No matter what she did lately, she was restless, as if there was something else she needed to be doing. She wasn’t accomplishing anything. She wasn’t going anywhere. Nothing ever changed. Where was the excitement which was supposed to follow just being alive? She was only in college, and she was already locked into a pattern. These were supposed to be the exciting years in her life, but there was never any real excitement. There was never any spontaneity. Everything was planned. She went to class. She went to SES meetings. She ate lunch with Meg at the diner. She went home, watched TV, did homework, and went to bed.
Occasionally, if she was lucky, she would have a new errand to run or some shopping to do. She’d known it was bad when she thought back on almost getting shot last night as a refreshing change of pace.
Nicole tilted her head from side to side, stretching out a crick in her neck and looked at her watch. It was still early, but she might as well go wait in the classroom. There was no point in walking all the way back to her apartment, and she could read until class started. She glanced once more at the girl in the front pew before slipping silently out of the chapel.
Nicole watched over the top of her book as one person after another entered the classroom. John only came in just as class was about to start and Nicole scowled at him for being so late, but she experienced a wave of relief. She would be glad to rid herself of the burden of the incriminating film.
“What happened to you?” A crease formed on John’s forehead as he scanned her, his eyes settling on her face.
“Huh?” she asked in confusion. She hadn’t slept well, but she didn’t think she looked that bad.
“You’ve got a nasty scrape on your chin.”
“Oh.” She’d forgotten all about most of the scrapes she received last night, and hadn’t even noticed the one on her chin. It was the bruises on her knees and arms which really hurt and her palms didn’t feel too good either. “I fell in the woods last night.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” She shrugged it off. “It’s just a few scrapes and scratches… a couple of bruises… maybe a splinter or two... oh, and I don’t recommend running so far or fast when you haven’t had time to properly stretch first. But otherwise, I’m no worse for wear. Don’t worry about it. Here’s the roll of film.” She purposely left out any reference to the wolf. He would think she was crazy if she started talking about a wild animal knowing exactly where she lives. Or worse, he’d call animal control to check out the wolf sighting and possibly get the animal killed in the process.
John didn’t look convinced that she was okay, but he took the film without further comment about her physical state. “This will definitely do some good. I’ll give it to Susan today.” He pocketed the film and leaned on a nearby desk.
“Susan? You don’t mean Susan Anderson, do you?” Susan Anderson was the Junior Attorney working on the case against Steagel & Co. Nicole had heard the name mentioned at SES meetings many times before, but never by first name alone.
“Yeah,” he said nonchalantly. “I went to school with her younger sister. We were all pretty close.”
Nicole laughed. “Have you got any other influential people stashed away I should know about?”
John just smiled. The teacher walked in, and the other students started settling into their seats. “I’ll talk to you later, let you know how everything goes.”
“You’d better. Oh, hey, walk with me to my apartment after class. I have something else Susan may want, but I couldn’t bring it here.”
“Sure thing.”
An hour later, Nicole handed over the gun to John. She explained a few more details of her forest escape, still leaving out the wolf, and they both headed out – Nicole to class and John to see Susan. Several of the wrinkles on her forehead smooth out now that she had one less thing to worry about. Now, all she had to worry about was school.
Her classes crawled by, as usual and Nicole fought to stay awake during her lectures. A couple of times, she actually jerked awake when her chin dipped towards her chest. When the last class finished, she headed to the diner to have a late lunch with Meg.
Nicole reached for the door handle of the diner and paused when a reflection in the glass door caught her eye. There was a man standing across the street, and he appeared to be staring right at her, through the reflection. The man wore sunglasses and a dark trench coat which moved hypnotically in the wind. She could
n’t seem to look away, not even to search the street behind her where he must surely be standing. The reflection of a large truck driving by temporarily blocked her view, breaking the spell. She turned to look for him, but when the truck had passed, he was gone. She surveyed up and down the street, but there were no obvious places he could have disappeared so quickly.
Nicole shook her head to clear the confusion filling her mind. She’d probably imagined the whole thing. That’s what happened when you didn’t get enough sleep, especially after the night she’d had. Obviously, her imagination was working overtime. That was the only explanation. Pushing the strange incident out of her mind, she opened the door and entered the diner.
Nicole sat down at her usual table and ordered a cup of coffee to drink while she waited for Meg. She didn’t have to wait long. Meg came in with her usual enormous load of books and tossed them all on the seat along with herself. Typical Meghan over-dramatics. She pulled her long, curly, red-brown hair back into a clip, making her heart-shaped face and perfect tan even more noticeable.
“Hey, Meg. Hard day?”
“Oh, no more than usual,” Meg said with a sigh. “Oh, course, my usual would stress out the President.”