Our plan would have been a good one if it didn't involve me running out in the cold barefooted. The ice stung my feet after the first ten minutes of running. I should have asked Myles offhand how much land his father owned. This shit was ridiculous.
“Myles slow down,” I said breathlessly. “I don't have any shoes.”
“We can't stop Mason,” he said as he bent down in front of me. “Get on, I'll carry you.”
“No, I just need to change. If I change then I'll be fine,” I said. It seemed that by the look on his face, he thought the idea was good too. I began shifting. My bones cracked and move out of place. The bones in my fingers broke and realigned themselves. My mouth and nose cracked until it began to elongate into a muzzle. This process would have been painful if I hadn't shifted at the academy. Although, my shoulder did still fell a bit tender.
Myles's wolf was just like mines, his coat was black but with a few white spots. I shot him a quick glance and then we were off. I had forgotten how go it felt to run. I needed this.
Ahead of us was nothing but wooded area. I kept thinking to myself that this couldn't go well. Anything that involved going into a secluded area with hundreds of trees never went well. I was hesitant but still kept going. We darted past trees and jumped over logs. We hurdled over bushed and ran past deer. Even in wolf form I was getting exhausted. I needed to stop and catch my breath, but Myles was still speeding ahead. He has the lungs of a cheetah. I couldn't make him stop now--not now.
Just when I was about push my limit, Myles slows down and stops. He quickly changes back and I follow suite. “What's wrong?” I asked.
“That,” he pointed to a huge fence in front of us. I eyed it curiously. I didn't really see what the problem was. It was just a wired fence. It looked thin. We could easily tear through it.
“We can cut through it,” I shrugged. “Come on.” Just as I took a step forward, Myles held me back. “Hey!”
“This isn't just a regular fence. It can conduct 20,000 volts of electricity through it. If we try cutting it, it will set off specific alarms and automatically turn the power on. If that power come on, we're as good as dead.”
Well that changed my mine about tearing it. I didn't want to add getting electrocuted to my list of ways of getting my ass killed. I've been punished enough. I took a step back from the fence.
“We have to climb,” he said.
“But won't we get electrocuted that way too?” I asked.
“The alarms only go off if the fence is being damage. The only way we'd get electrocuted is if my father turns on the power. He can turn it on at any minute. This is why we need to climb now.”
I shook my head 'no'. “You first,” I said.
“Fine, but you need to climb right after I get to the other side,” he said and I could see his breath in the cold air.
Myles tapped the fence with one hand before he slipped his foot into one of the openings. He pulled himself up then glanced at me before continuing his way up. I was drumming with nervousness. I couldn't stop shaking. That power could come on at anytime and I'd bee looking at a burnt and crispy Myles.
“Be careful!” I shouted then coughed. It seemed like it was getting colder. My feet were stinging and I kept leaning on one foot to the next. “Don't fall!”
I didn't understand what was taking him so long. He kept stopping every few seconds. It was killing me. I wanted to hit him with something. That was until I smelled the metallic scent of blood. His blood.
“What's wrong? You're bleeding,” I shouted.
“Nothing, I'm almost there,” he replied and continued climbing.
Once Myles had reached the top of the fence, he swung his leg over, one after the other, and dropped to the ground and rolled. When he stood up I looked down at his bloodied scarred hands in horror. There were horrible open cuts there. It was so bad that I could almost see his bone even in this winter night.
“Y-your hands,” I stuttered. He quickly closed them and shoved them in his pockets.
“It's nothing. The wires are too thin. You will get cut but you can also get through it. Come on Mason,” he said breathlessly.
I nodded then placed my hands on the fence. It was sharp just like he said. I grimace at the new cut on my hand. It stung horribly, but I knew I had to keep going. This was a lot worse for me than Myles. At least he had his boot. My hands and feet were getting scarred. I pulled one of my hands back from the fence and looked at the straight scars. I shook my hand, making blood coat the fence and the drop to the ground. It was too painful and the cold air was doing nothing to soothe it. I kept climbing and stop until I found myself stuck in the middle. I too afraid to go up, but even more afraid to jump down. I was screwed.
“Mason! Come on!” Myles shouted. “You have to climb the fence. I don't know when he's going to turn the power on, it could be at any minute. I need you to climb now!”
“It hurts, I can't do it,” I sobbed. Something like that seemed more liable to happen. With my luck I wouldn't be surprised if I did get electrocuted while on the fence. I don't trust climbing this thing. Ugh! I should have went first.
“You have to,” Myles stressed. “He will turn them on. It's only a matter of time. If you want any chance of escaping, you will climb that goddamn fence Mason?!” he shouted. “Please!”
“Fine!” I shouted and began climbing. It was going well for the most part. I made sure to keep my foot and I kept going. I was finally beginning to think that things were going to change.
However, I spoke too soon. Just as I took another step up, a blinding white light came on and surprised me. I almost fell off--almost. I looked down at Myles who had a very worried expression on his face.
“Get down,” he said.
“What?” I didn't understand.
“Get down now!” he yelled. I didn't have time to process that when the fence started shaking and a blue light circulated through the fence. Once the blue light hit me, it was over.
“Ahhhhhhhh!” my voice grew painfully high as the electrical currents rippled through my body. I was burning. Everything in my body was in stilled pain. I couldn't move. If he kept the power on any longer, I was going to die. I couldn't even jump down.
I could hear Myles on the other side of the fence shouting at me to let go. I couldn't. I couldn't do anything. I screamed loud and the loudness of it scared me. The pain was horrible. Everything in my body convulsed and twitched. I could literally feel the pain in my eyeballs. I just wanted it to stop. I would do anything for it just to stop.
Suddenly the light cut off and I fell back from the fence. I landed on my back, hard. It knocked the air out of my lunged before I blinked and saw nothing but darkness. It seemed like the world was spinning before I closed my eyes and let the darkness take me.