Howlers

Chapter Three

~April 2nd, 2016~

So, tired...

Valleri shook her head. No stay awake! Don't fall-

But I'm so tired-

No, come on Valleri. Think....about....Tank.....your......family.......

Her eyelids became heavy, a cloud drifting into her mind and her body seeming to be put into a trance. She swayed, her hands relaxing on the stirring wheel. She was so tired. She'd been driving for twenty four hours. They were low on gas, she'd used up the rest, and the pain in her arm was far greater then before. She blinked and shook her head. 

"Stay awake..." 

Stay awake....

----------

Barking.

Repeated barking and a high pitched ringing sounding in her ears.

Smoke stung her lungs and the scent of copper filled her nose. She frowned and slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry, ember and dark colors blending together. Her head pounded and she sat up, groaning. She stumbled out, falling to the ground. She crawled on her hands and knees, coughing. Tank ran to her, licking her face and whining, occasionally trotting around her, barking at the forest, before running back to Valleri and doing his round again. Valleri used a tree to stand, bracing herself against it and shaking her head. She found that it hurt to breathe, each intake of breath followed by a wave of pain.

Her vision slowly returned to normal and she blinked, gazing around herself.

She'd crashed. 

The front of the jeep smashed against a giant tree on the side of the rode, smoke coming from the engine.

Blood dripped from a wound on her head and pieces of the broken windshield could be found in random parts of her body. Pain coursed throughout her body, pain that almost had her falling to her knees. She looked to Tank as he trotted back over to her, and sighed in relief when she saw no damage done to him.

A howl sounded in the air and Tank barked and growled in response. 

Valleri groaned in pain, lifting her shirt and gazing down at her badly bruised and bleeding torso. She eased her shirt down and looked to Tank.

"I'm so sorry boy." Tears flowed down her cheeks as she pushed away from the tree, guilt and a feeling of stupidity washing over her.

God she was an idiot.

She shouldn't have closed her eyes, shouldn't have let her exhaustion get the better of her. Now they were car-less, she was injured, and she was sure they were surrounded.

Shit. Shit. Shit!

Hhhoooowwwwllllll!!!!!

Valleri held her side and began to limp in a random direction along the road. Tank followed closely by her side, his ears down, tail tucked, and teeth bared. Her lungs burned and her throat felt tight. It was getting harder and harder to breathe and she started to feel lightheaded.

She heard the snapping of branches and twigs behind her and a small whimper left her lips. 

"Fuck. Fuck. We're screwed! We're so scre-" She halted and almost fell as one those creatures dropped down before her.

Tank barked and it snarled the two facing off as Valleri grabbed Tank's collar and struggled to pull him back away from the beast. 

"Don't Tank it'll-"

Bang!

Valleri dropped down, using her body to shield Tank from whatever that was. It'd sounded like-

Bang!

The creature collapsed, it's body limp and slowly turning to ash. Valleri's eyes widened and she slowly crawled away from the ashes. dragging Tank back with her. 

"What the-"

She was yanked to her feet by her shirt, blinding pain exploding in her body from the sudden movement. She felt a gloved hand grip her jaw, turning her head before the hand inspected her body. It hurt like hell.

"No bites or scratches that I can see." 

Tank snarled and barked at the culprit. Valleri couldn't see who it was for a light was being shined in her eyes. 

"Shut that damn thing up!" She heard a man growl.

"How?" Another asked.

This time instead of a man she heard a woman's voice. Her voice was cold and vacant of emotion. "Shoot it obviously."

Valleri glared in that general direction. Her anger peaked and she couldn't hold back the words she said and she didn't care. It's been along damn day and she wasn't keen on someone threatening to kill her companion.

"Je te défie de pointer un putain de pistolet sur Tank! Je vais te déchirer dans la moitié putain!"

Silence.

It took Valleri awhile to realize she was in America. These people were no doubt American and didn't speak her native tongue. Or they did speak French and were shocked by what she said. Nonetheless, she didn't really care.

She forcibly freed herself from the person's grasp and eased to her knees down beside Tank, calming the startled pooch.

"Sh, être à l'aise Tank. Calm down boy."

He slowly but surely quieted and when he did Valleri staggered to her feet. The person who held the light helped her stay standing, noticing the glass sticking out her leg. 

"Are you okay?"

Valleri was shocked to hear the person was in fact a woman. A very tall woman. She was at least six feet two inches, with buzz cut black hair, mocha skin, dark brown eyes, sharp features, dark brown, and chap lips that were curled up into a small smile.

Valleri's racing heart calmed and the realization of the shit hole she was in weighed heavily on her already weary body. She bit her trembling lip. She shook her head, unable to form words.

Tears dared to spill from her eyes as the female picked her up bridal style and walked over to the others. Valleri let her. She was tired, hurt, vulnerable, and weak due to her adrenaline rush calming down. Tank followed close behind, watching the woman's every move as if to make sure she didn't do anything suspicious.

As the woman approached a military grade truck Valleri reached back to her jeep. "My backpack. I-I need it."

The woman nodded and looked to a man. He was like the male copy of her except he looked to be about two inches taller with hazel eyes.

Without the woman even having to say anything the man was already heading back to the jeep to gather Valleri's belongings.

Valleri sighed, her mind becoming clouded with exhaustion as they got closer and closer to the truck. She didn't have the strength to stay awake anymore. Didn't have the strength for anything really. And so she found herself dozing off into a world she hoped was better than reality.