The Wolf Code

Erica shook her head.

“I’m dreaming.  I didn’t escape; I’m dreaming.”

Her breath started coming in short gasps, but the woman shook her again and forced her to look at her.

“Breathe.  You’re fine.  Stay with them.  Do not leave their side or I can’t guarantee your safety.  We will save your friends, okay?”

“Okay,” Erica said.

The wolves scattered, and the man that was holding her smiled at Erica, then walked away.  She watched him go, her stomach clenching in fear when the man melted as he walked, turning into a massive wolf and walking alongside the woman as they headed toward the barn.

“Am I dreaming?” Erica wondered out loud.

“I know the feeling,” the girl on the wolf said.  She held out her hand.  “Sit behind me and hold on.  We’re not going to let them have all the fun.”

“Fun?  They said to stay here.”

“Do you really want to miss the look on the Sheriff’s face when he realizes he was taken down by teenagers?”

Hannah’s smile was infectious.

“Who are you?” Erica wondered out loud.

Hannah shrugged.

“No one special.  I just wanted to live more than the Sheriff wanted me to die.”

Erica nodded.

“Me, too.”

She took Hannah’s hand and used a low branch to shimmy up onto the wolf’s back and into place behind Hannah.  Erica’s hands went around the girl’s waist, and she held on tight.

The wolf started off slowly, keeping a good distance between the pack ahead as he was supposed to, but far from staying put.  If Erica had to guess, she would say that the wolf beneath them was a teen, too. 

She was shaking with relief as the adrenaline that had gotten her out of the barn began to crash, and reality set in.  She had escaped.  Hopefully, her friends would be as lucky.  She would never forgive herself if something happened to them.

There was shouting, and a man screamed, followed by the growl of a wolf.  Then, all hell broke loose, and Erica was left sitting in the darkness, watching it all unfold in the dim light of the security lights scattered around the property. 

Men appeared out of nowhere, their guns drawn, faces shocked when they saw the wolves coming out of the forest en masse, their angry eyes locked on the men.  A few turned and ran, fleeing for their lives rather than fighting for something that they didn’t believe in.  They were still at fault in Erica’s mind, but she wondered if those men had been forced to work with the Sheriff against their wills. 

Erica watched from her safe vantage point, wincing when shots were fired and a wolf went down.  The wolf beneath them tensed and looked over his shoulder at them.  Hannah grabbed Erica’s arm and pulled her to the side as she slid off the wolf and onto the ground.  Erica was about to ask what was going on when the wolf took off toward the man that had shot his friend. 

The man was turned, his back facing them as he held the gun pointed at the wolf on the ground.  He shot again but missed.  The bullet sprayed dirt from where it hit, and the man cursed under his breath. The man lowered his gun, taking a couple steps as if he wanted to get closer and shoot point blank, but he was afraid.  Without warning, Laken slammed into the side of him, taking him down and snapping his neck in one swift motion.  The man lay there on the ground, dead in an instant, his blank eyes staring in their direction.  Erica shuddered, and a sob caught in her throat.

“I’ve never seen someone die before,” she whispered to Hannah, reaching out to grab the girl’s hand for comfort.

“Don’t waste your tears on him.  He used a Taser on me twice for fun.  He was far from a good soul.  A quick death was better than he deserved.”

“And the wolf?” Erica asked.

“He’s already getting up.  His body will heal itself unless the guns were loaded with silver bullets.  I doubt they were since he’s already on his feet and shaking it off.”

Erica followed Hannah’s gaze, shocked to see that the wolf was indeed up and walking around as if he hadn’t just been shot in the chest.  Laken was by his side, leaning into him to help him stand up.  The fallen wolf shook himself, then the pair of them ran off into the battle, jumping in without missing a beat.

“I don’t see the Sheriff,” Hannah said, her voice calm as if she wasn’t watching the battle playing out in front of them.  “There’s someone in the cabin over there.”

Hannah started walking that way, leaving the forest and heading into the darkness.

“Wait, we’re supposed to stay here,” Erica said, almost begging.  “We’re not safe if we leave this spot.”

“Do you think that the Sheriff and his men are going to respect a ‘safety zone’?  We’re not safe until that man is captured.  Stay here if you want, but we’re safer together.”

Hannah kept walking, leaving Erica to follow her or hide in the woods like a coward.

Erica stood for a moment, then ran after the younger teen and crouched outside the cabin in the shadows with her.  Hannah looked into the window, then motioned to Erica to do the same.

Erica looked in, her stomach dropping at the sight of the Sheriff sitting in front of a computer, furiously typing and muttering under his breath.

“He’s erasing everything,” Hannah whispered angrily.  “We have to stop him.”

“We?” Erica said.  “No way.”

“Then I’ll do it,” Hannah said.

She walked in a crouch along the wall and up to the door.  Erica called after her, but Hannah ignored her and kept moving.

“Damnit,” Erica hissed.

Then, she followed Hannah, and they stopped in front of the door.  The door was slightly ajar, left open in the Sheriff’s haste to get into the cabin and onto the computer.  Hannah put her fingers to her lips and slowly pushed the door open.  The Sheriff didn’t move, still focused on what he was doing.