The Wonderground

18 - Land of the Noviwolves

"Do not look back," shouted Amelia as she brought up the rear. They heard snarling and scraping sounds that became louder with each passing second.

Elliot craned his neck backwards and saw countless pairs of red eyes glowing in the darkness behind them. "I looked back," he screamed as he overtook Isla, Charlie and Jack. "I looked back!" He reached the nearest ladder and started scrabbling up after Rose. Isla and Charlie dashed past them for the second ladder. More howling, snarling, scraping, breathing sounds filled the chamber.

"Ladies first," Charlie gasped between breaths.

"I'm wearing a skirt!" blushed Isla as she pushed Charlie up the ladder before her.

Jack and Amelia sped the extra twenty yards to a third ladder as the first wave of Noviwolves rounded the corner and headed straight for Rose and Elliot. Two wolves stumbled in their pursuit of fresh meat. They turned on themselves and began ripping lumps of flesh from each other as they rolled across the floor.

Elliot screamed as three Noviwolves slammed into the base of their ladder and scrambled at the rungs, snapping at their heels. He kicked out at the nearest set of slavering teeth and found his target, sending a wolf tumbling backwards with a whimpering howl.

A small pack of wolves had also reached Isla and Charlie. "Wolves can't climb ladders, right?" wished Isla unconvincingly.

"After everything we've seen today, are you willing to take that chance?" cautioned Charlie from above her. He hooked his left foot around a rung and leaned over to grab Isla's arm. He hauled her up and out of reach of the snarling creatures.

"Thanks," she offered breathlessly before clambering up past him, all thoughts of her skirt seemingly forgotten.

"Any time," he mouthed to himself and followed her up onto the gangway. When he reached the top, he saw the Noviwolves cautiously, but successfully, climbing the ladder below them. They were hanging from each rung by their claws as they climbed. One was even biting a rung with its teeth to make progress. Where the ladder topped out and the metal curved over the lip of the walkway, it was held in place by two large pins. Both pins were old, rusted and, mercifully, loose. Charlie hurriedly grasped the first pin and forced it up and out of its hole. The ladder swung out with the motion of the approaching Noviwolves. He struggled with the second pin. It was tougher to release than the first. He kicked it repeatedly until he felt it budge, just as the front leg of the first wolf scrabbled over the top of the ladder.  Charlie reached beyond the blood-matted paw and razor-sharp claws and grabbed the head of the pin, pulling it upwards. As the snout of the first wolf reared up over the walkway edge, Charlie kicked out at the top rung. The ladder gave a satisfying screeching sound as it freed itself from the walkway and toppled away from him. The Noviwolves howled in horror as the ladder swayed and bent backwards. Charlie gave a small wave as the wolves fell into the darkness below him. He heard the crash of the metal ladder as it struck the platform and the sickening crunch of bones hitting concrete.

Jack heard the crash and looked across to see the other four safely gathered on the walkway above him. He could see Charlie fumbling at the top of the ladder that Elliot had just scaled and watched as it fell away from the scaffold, sending the creatures flying. Clever. He looked down between his legs to discover that the remaining Noviwolves were turning their attention to Amelia and him. "We need to move," he said urgently. "Now!"

Amelia glanced at the approaching sea of grey fur and then back at the mass of crisscrossing metal girders and pipework either side of the ladder. Her face was contorted with concentration as she reached out and grabbed a horizontal support beam suspended to her left. She expertly swung her entire body up and over the beam like an Olympic gymnast before her momentum carried her back down and her knees crashed into the skulls of the nearest two wolves with a nauseating crack. They fell backwards on top of two more wolves sending them all tumbling back to the ground.