Things that Go Bump in the Night

Chapter 51: Part 2: The Beast that Hunts.

Step 4: If necessary, destroy evidence

John had made it clearer tonight how important it was that his trove of research was never found. His tablet had an alarm encoded that would become active if/when the bunker was breached by an outsider. If that was to occur, the bunker had to be destroyed. One click of a button on John's tablet made that happen.

Step 5: If necessary, defend yourself.

A fully dressed and outfitted John, wordlessly handed me a rifle as we made our way to the surface tunnels, John continuously watching the approaching dot on the tablet screen he was carrying.

"The Shifter is fast approaching from the Northwest quadrant. Current wind direction is from the East. I will travel Southeast and draw the scent. You will head on the Southwest route before doubling back to meet me at the edge." John dictated, leaving no room for argument. I nodded, feeling my anxiety rising with every step we took toward the surface, fumbling in my pocket for my compass and checking over the rifle one last time.

Before I could even really mentally prepare myself, John was opening an exit to the surface, poking his head out into the darkness, before nodding that the cost was clear. I followed behind him, keeping low and treading lightly as possible across the cracked earth.

The moon was full again and bright against the sandy soil beneath our feet, nothing but shadowy outlines of tumbleweed and cacti marring the landscapes over crags and sandstone bluffs. There was no Monster to be seen...but we knew he was out there.

The image of the Beast slipping like a deathly shadow under the moonlight, sickening snaps and bloodcurdling last gurgles left in his wake, twisted my stomach. I looked to John in desperation. He was already gesturing for me to move in an angled direction from him, ready to lead the first trail himself. His green eyes were paled by the stanch moonlight, but still held that certainty and calmness that I had grown accustom to from John.

John who had healed me. John who had sheltered and provided for me. John the pragmatist, the genius, the teacher.

Suddenly I didn't want to split up. I didn't want to leave him. What it the Beast caught him first? The Beast slaughtered many in his way to claim me, even his own kind. Even his Beta. 

John was a human. He wouldn't stand a chance. He would die.

The thought of his green eyes lifeless, made me reach out to him in a panic, snatching at his sleeve in an attempt to stay with him. As quickly as I grabbed him, John was easily detaching my hand, leaning forward to harshly whisper in my ear.

"Count your way through it Kid. Now go."

He shoved me forward, moving off in his own direction.

Count my way through it...I could do that.

Counting slowly in my head I took a deep breath and moved forward as quickly and quietly as I could, avoiding tracking over the brush, but trying to use it as a cover if possible. Three hundred and fifty paces into my trek to the edge I heard the howl.

Long and piercing into the night, the howl stirred something in the pit of my stomach. I paused, listening to the silence of the desert around me. I could hear it now.... the faint sound of paws, growing louder.

The scent swap did not work...the Beast was headed to me.

Stealth be damned, I ran.

I ran as fast as I possibly could, not even trying to hide the noise I made as I tore through the brush in search of the plateau edge. If I could just make it there, I might be able to disappear, to evade what was hunting me.

The last time I had run for my life from this Beast, I had severe wounds, borderline hypothermia and a massive concussion. Even though by comparison I was running with much more ease, the Beast was still gaining on me. I could hear his foot falls clearly now and the slight huff of a hot breath as the Beast gained ground.

And then the worst happened...I stumbled over a god damn cactus, skidding suddenly to the earth and skinning my knees against the rough ground. I had barely enough time to right myself and raise my rifle before I could see the Beast approaching in all its glory.

The monster before me made my world stand still, shock loosening my grip on the rifle and making it suddenly hard to breathe. 

The moonlight cast an unearthly glow across the cracked earth and sand, highlighting the hackles of the creature before me in a sickening clarity. Each bristle of the beast's coat a pure reflection of the moon itself. I had expected to see the picture from my nightmares, the fangs in the darkness, molded into the night like a curse.

I expected to see the Monster that had captured me, beaten me, raped me, and hunted me to the ends of my sanity and my willingness to live.

The beast that approached me was a bright spot in the darkness.

A white wolf.

The white wolves of Anguta are practically infallible since the revolution.

The Beta's words ran through my head like a bucket of cold water, making my whole body shake with a new panic. The memory of my father's lifeless eyes filling my vision, his cold blood soaking through my clothes and staining my hands.

Alpha Anguta killed my father...now he was coming for me.

Fangs as bright as ice dropped from the creature's mouth as its head dipped low, a snarl from its lips renewing my grip on the rifle raised between us.