Things that Go Bump in the Night

Chapter 37: The Countdown

Chapter 36:

"After we get out of the compound you will need to make your way to the docks on the southern edge of town. To get there you will have to be wary of the patrols that run here and here." Carlos pointed out on his cake drawing with the end of his knife. "They should only be run by single wolves because they are interior patrol. When you make it to the dock you need to find the boat docked in spot 1492. The boats name will be the echo, a small motor boat. Everything you need should be inside. Do you know how to operate one?" He asked, raising his eyes to me. I smirked but didn't get irritated. "Carlos I was raised on this river. I've known how to drive a motor boat since I was five."

He nodded with relief clear on his face.

"Good. It would have been tough to teach you under the circumstances." He explained  drawing another line onto the cake.

"You will follow the current due south. It is essential that you do not stop until you get almost to the Southern border of what used to be Tennessee. Memphis should be a good place to stop for at least a few hours. You should have enough gas to get you to there."

He looked up at me then, making sure I was paying attention.

"As soon as you leave pack territory you and your sister need to change appearances. Kyrie has been putting together backpacks with materials to do this like hair dye and scissors...the worst part is going to be hiding that mark on your neck. "He gestured to the scarring visible due to the wide collar on my sweater. "With the database if you get caught they will immediately know who to contact. The only way I can think of getting rid of it is by burning it off."

I took a deep breath briefly trying not to imagine how bad that was going to hurt.

"Ok." I mumbled.

"Don't get too freaked out. Kyrie and I have devised a plan to make it pretty painless and short. Kyrie suggested that we use lidocaine patches to numb the air first and then burn off the scar tissue using a concentrated dose of HCL on the area. Then to heal it we will use werewolf plasma that Kyrie has on stock drop wise on the open wound. It should remove all evidence of the puncture scars. "

"Sounds like you have given this an awful amount of thought." I mumbled, impressed by their plan. Carlos smiled but his expression was not a happy one.

"I have a lot of time to think about things." He mumbled . I smiled sadly back in apology for my thoughtlessness. The man pretended to be an invalid during ninety-nine percent of his daily life. Of course he had had a lot of time to think these things through.

"You are going to keep taking the Mississippi until you get to Baton Rouge. Then you are going to have to sell the boat and buy a bus ticket or hitch hike to San Antonio. You'll have some fake IDs on you that I've already put into the system so you shouldn't have to worry about the legality issue of it. They are a lot less militant about human travel down south too. The werewolves are not as strict, I think the warm climate naturally tires them or something."

"So what am I supposed to do from San Antonio?" I asked.

"You are going to take highway 10 from there to El Paso....and then you are going to have to walk across the border. It will be a long trip, so pick up some more supplies in San Antonio. There will be a safe house southwest of what is left of Ciudad Juarez. You'll need to get to the intersection of highway 2 and 45D and then head directly southwest from there for about 20 miles. No deviations, you'll use the compass in your bag. Hopefully you will reach the safe house. It is the final destination for all of us."

"How will I find the safe house?" I asked. Carlos smiled slightly.

"Once you get that far finding the safe house should be cake." He admitted. "It's the getting out of the country you should be worried about."