The Wolf Code

Her side ached, and her legs were getting harder to move when she finally slowed down.  She still had no idea what time it was, but she felt like she’d been in the woods for hours, and the sky was starting to look lighter.  She was tired, and her mouth was bone dry.  Her stomach burned with hunger, but her tongue sticking to the roof of her mouth was distracting her from the hunger.  She had to find water and soon.  Once the sun came up and the temperature climbed into the hundreds again, she wouldn’t last long without water. 

After water, she would have to find shelter.  Then, she would figure out her next move.

***

Dale was sound asleep, dreaming of the auction coming later in the day, when someone burst into the one room cabin that he was sleeping in, throwing the door open so hard that it bounced off the wall with a loud crack.

“What in the hell?” he said angrily.  “What’s going on?”

“She’s gone,” the man said. 

“What do you mean she’s gone?” he yelled, rolling over in bed and looking at the clock.  “It’s two in the morning.  How in the world did she get away when just two hours ago she was passed out and tied up in a locked horse stall?!”

The man paled, and Dale got out of his bed, not even caring that he was wearing only his boxers.  He slipped on his boots and stormed out of the cabin with the man right behind him. 

“I didn’t leave my post, Boss, and I checked on her at two like you requested.  When I went to the stall, she was gone.”

“How did she get out?” Dale roared as he threw the barn doors open and turned on the overhead light.  “How in the hell did she get out of the stall and then get out of the barn without you seeing her?”

“I don’t know.”

“Is that all you have to say, you worthless fool?” Dale said, turning on the man.

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry isn’t going to save my life when the clients want to know where their treasure is.  Sorry isn’t going to fix this.”

Dale huffed his way down the aisle and up to the stall.

“It’s still locked, Sir.  I don’t know how she got out.”

“Are you sure she’s out?”

“I looked everywhere.”

“Look again,” Dale said, kicking the wall in front of him in anger. 

The wood bent beneath his foot and then sprung back, revealing a door.

“What is this?” Dale shrieked, his eyes growing wide.  “Why haven’t I seen this before?”

“The metal is rusted the same color as the wood,” the man offered.

“Obviously, Hannah saw it, and she was able to get it open.  She could be anywhere by now.”

“Or she could be stuck in the barn.”

“Did you station someone on the door while you came and got me?”  The man’s face went blank.  “That’s what I thought.  She could have left when you left the barn unattended like an imbecile.”

The man sputtered and tried to make excuses, but Dale was beyond angry.  He stepped forward, and before the man knew what was happening, Dale took the gun off his hip and shot him under the chin.  He stopped talking abruptly, stood rigid for a split second, and then fell in a crumpled heap on the ground.

Dale walked away, leaving the man where he’d fallen. 

Keith appeared in the doorway, looking pale.

“What happened?” he said, looking at the man on the floor.

“I don’t have time for idiots,” Dale said.  “Get rid of him.”

“Get rid of him?” Keith stuttered.

“Yes.  He’s dead; move his body out of the way so I don’t have to look at him anymore.”

“I can’t move him by myself.  He’s huge.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” Dale said, walking out of the barn to the men that were gathered a short distance away.  “We have missing product,” Dale said, addressing the men.  “We have no idea how long she’s been on the run or which way she went.”  He looked down at his watch and grimaced.  “You have two hours to find her or we’re going to have big problems.”

The men looked at each other, but no one moved.

“Well, get on with it now,” Dale said, and the men scattered. 

Dale heard Keith behind him, but he didn’t bother turning around.

“I don’t want to see your face until that man is gone,” he said, and without another word, he walked away and left Keith standing there in the dark.

He heard the man curse to himself, then the muffled sound of a boot connecting with lifeless flesh as Keith gave the guard’s body a hard kick in frustration.  When Keith started retching, it was all Dale could do to keep from turning around and adding to the body count.  He shook his head and walked away.  He would eliminate Keith later, but for now, he had bigger problems.

He went back to the cabin and dressed hastily.  The entire day, the men had been dropping the ball, and it was time that Dale took matters into his own hands.  Hannah was much too valuable, and it was obvious that she was smarter than the men that Dale employed to do his dirty work.  How one tiny little slip of a thing like Hannah got away with that many guards surrounding the area was beyond him.  He had to admire her moxie, even if he did intend to rough her up a bit when he finally caught her. 

His eyes went to the barn when he stepped back out into the night, and a shadow along the wall caught his eye.  Curious enough to spend precious time investigating, he grabbed his flashlight off his hip and clicked it on.  When the light caught the hole going under the barn’s wall, he shook his head.  Upon closer inspection, the outer layer of dirt was completely dry, which meant she had dug this hole more than an hour before.