X-Marks: Hiding Shadows

Howl

I rushed my fingers to unbuckle the harness, "It's time, we have to, we have to go."

The others followed me. My harness unfastened with ease, and I fell flat on the rocky ground with Ocean and Mat. The only one left attached to the cart was Nate, who had twice the work.

"Come on, Evee just let me -" he said and struggled with her buckles, but Evees arms stayed stitched to her chest as if she didn't want him to touch her.

Ocean and Mat stood under Evee. With his height Mat was able to hold Evee back while Ocean held her mouth closed to muffle her shouts. As they handled Evee, I looked up from under the tracks. A pair of flashlights danced under the cart. I looked back up to the other to see Evee still harnessed. We had to go soon and not a moment later.

Above that cart, J continued to sing, "This is where they took me. Laid me out to die."

No, J you don't have to do this. We can get you, we can -

I looked above, the others had finally unbuckled Evee and were helping her stand. With all of us on the ground, we lowered ourselves under the compartment, around the towering wheels of the train and from under the cart.

I was the first on the other side. The sight of the unfamiliar place was dizzying. In every direction branches of mangled trees and walls of rocks surrounded us as the pair of dancing lights grew stronger and closer. Ahead, all the others were out from under the cart except for Evee, who was laid flat under the track, pulling at her hair.

I ran back towards them.

"We have to go! What happened?" I whispered.

The others turned, their faces panicked as they looked down at Evee still writhing under the cart.

"Her hair is stuck," Ocean said with a hand on her mouth.

"Stuck?" I said and swung my head to Ocean.

Nate reached his hand under the cart, "It got tangled on one of the spikes. We can't get her loose."

"Let me try," I said and rushed forward.

I put my hand under the cart and around the spike, feeling for the tangled hair. It was a matted mess, not just a tangle. I looped my fingers through the ball of hair and tried to loosen it under the dark shadows under the cart.

"We don't have time for this!"Mat said and tossed up his hands, "Rip it off and let's go!"

Nate turned his head back to Mat, "But she'll scream."

"Valen, do you think you've got it?" Ocean asked me from behind.

I felt the knot again. I was no closer than before. I looked down the tracks, the dancing lights were so near I could see the light flash on my arm.

"I think Mat's right," I said, "We'll have to - rip her hair."

"Then let's hurry!" Mat said and reached out his hand to grab hold of Evee's ankles.

Nate held onto Evee's mouth, while Ocean held Evee's legs.

"You, keep watch," Mat said and turned to me.

I looked up the track again and listened. The howls of the wolves were getting louder. I could hear the smacking of their jaws against their teeth and the sniffling of their grunts. Under the cart, a different sound was howling.

"Ahhhhhgrrrrrr," Evee cried like a dying alley cat.

"Keep her still, will you!" Mat said as he struggled to hold onto

Evee's ankles.

Nate wrangled Evee under his arm and closer to his chest as Ocean and Mat wrapped their arms around her ankles. With a swift pull, she was free. The ripping sound followed with the loudest of all her howls.

"Is she hurt?" Ocean said as the light in the distance hit her chin.

"We - don't - have - time!" Mat whispered and snapped his neck towards the tracks.

Above, J continued his solemn song. Either the Allies were waiting to get a closer shot at him, or they had found us as their new target.

I didn't care, we had to try. J had left everything to make sure we got to the next home. He wouldn't let us die, we couldn't let him die either.

"I'm going back for J," I said and stepped my foot on a pipe that jutted from the side from the towering train.

I looked down the tracks, the faceless Ally soldiers were now running towards us. I watched their chained leashes swing above the hunched backs of the wolves until they dropped to the dusty earth and released the wolves with them.

I gripped the pipe of the cart and heard footsteps rush behind me.

"I'm doing this for your own good," Mat said and gripped me at my waist to pull me down.

I twisted, and I pulled, but he pulled me harder to make me run with him.

The limbs of dark forest rushed past. Ahead, Ocean zig-zagged around the pillars of trees. Nate was stumbling along with Evee under his arm. Her eyelids were closed, and her limbs were limp. Asleep? How could she be sleeping?

"Come on! Run!" Mat pulled my hand to drag me down a rocky hill.

At the bottom of the hill, the lights beamed above our bodies and onto a wall of rock ahead. We were too low for the light to reach us anymore. I winced on the lights sudden brightness as I tried to steady my uneven breath. I turned my head up slowly and felt the humid heat of the wolves breathing above my head.

Their yellow teeth glistened as they sneered their lips up to their long faces.

What had once been pain now flowed through me as fear. I turned to the others who were already running ahead of me. I climbed my feet over the branches that laid the floor like mouse traps.

I tried to concentrate, but the thought of teeth clamping into my flesh kept me hazy. Ahead, the shadows of the others scattered in every direction.

"Hide!," Nate whispered.

I looked behind and could now see the white patches of the wolves fur, the hungry glare of their blue eyes, and the shiny drops of drool that spilled from mouths. As the wolves continued to walk down the hill towards us, they whimpered and pawed at their noses. They couldn't smell us through the spray. J's plan had worked.

Beside me, there was a nest of fallen branches. Without another thought, I threw myself in. The sharp branches scratched me on the way down as someone shouted from under.

"What are you doing?," Mat whispered and moved away from me.

I said nothing back. I could only tremble into my knees and listen to the sounds above. It started with a single burst that shook the earth. And when one turned into many, I knew I was too late.