HOWL and HUNT the HEIR: HOWL 1-3 (Dark World) Page 4

  “Where does your dad keep the keys?” She turned around to meet Kiana’s eyes.

  “Around his neck,” she answered in confusion.

  “Get in the front seat and drive!” Liala ordered, unlocked the doors and she got out of the car.

  When she turned around, she could see her little brother climbing into the shotgun’s seat. She heard Benjy screaming, but she didn’t falter and hastened around the car, looking through the windshield, seeing that Kiana did exactly what she had told her to do. Now, the only light supporting her search for the bodies was the moonlight, as she heard the engine roar, twigs break and crunch, and the tires claw into the earth. With them continuing to race through the darkness she had a chance hoping that the wolves would continue to hunt them and buy her time to find the key and shotgun, and save whoever wasn’t dead yet. Even though she hadn’t planned on them being a distraction for her, she might be lucky.

  What the hell am I doing?

  Liala remembered where her uncle had been cut down, just where her father had met the same fate. But she had to get the keys first. Ducking down she was moving slowly, trying to make not one single noise. Then suddenly, she heard cracking and rustling sounds.

  The wolves!

  Liala threw herself flat onto her stomach, holding as still and breathing as shallow, as she could, harkening into the night. More steps were closing in. They were slowing down, obviously trying to track the car.

  Did they smell me? Is this why they’ve stopped? Or can’t they track the car because of all the tracks?

  Focusing on keeping her pulse down, which was close to impossible, she pressed herself deeper into the fallen leaves, moss, and earth, ignoring that the ground below her was wet. It had been dry when they had their BBQ.

  Leave already! She silently screamed.

  Slowly, Liala turned her face and started to breathe into the ground, when she realized that her breath was creating little clouds. She closed her eyes, hoping to hear them better and tried to ignore the smell that climbed up into her nose. It wasn’t just earth and wood she was inhaling as she lied there, pressed into the dirt. Liala knew, if she moved just a little and reached out, she might be able to touch either her uncle or her father.

  Are they still alive? She wondered. It that the reason why the wolves hesitate? Or are the bodies hiding my scent and sounds?

  Then, suddenly, they started storming off.

  Liala knew that, although it felt like an eternity, it couldn’t have been more than a few seconds, because why otherwise would they chase after a prey out of reach?

  Liala could feel how much her clothes had soaked up the stinking stickiness below her, noticing that it was slightly warmer than the air around her, reminding her, what it certainly was. Instantly her stomach revolted and she started swallowing against the bile that was threatening to fill her mouth.

  I don’t have time for this!

  She knew that there would be blood and death. But there also was a chance that someone lived. So, she slowly pushed herself onto her knees, kept her mouth shut and crawled forward on her hands and knees. Just as assumed, it didn’t take long for Liala to find an obstacle in her way. In the dim and silvery moonlight, it looked just like a dark rock that seemingly sucked in all the light, making it appear hard to identify. But, it had to be either her dad or uncle. When Liala’s hand hit she knew for a fact that this object really was a body. Carefully she placed her hand against it, noticing that whoever this had been their body already had started to cool down. It didn’t react at all to her touch, but even worse, it didn’t move. He didn’t breathe and he was too cool to be alive.

  No, no, no. Dammit!

  Acidy tears gathered in her eyes. Liala tried to blink them away as she started to feel around the arm and then torso to find the key that was supposed to be around her uncle’s neck. But she couldn’t find anything.

  God. No.

  Her heart beat painfully in her chest.

  Please no. Please, please, please.

  She almost pressed her eyes shut, begging that her uncle simply wasn’t wearing his car keys around his neck as Kiana had told her. Slowly she pushed herself onto her knees, suddenly feeling a fatigue that made her fight against the gravity pulling her down. But she had to take a look at the body’s face. She had to know that it wasn’t her dad.

  This time the moonlight was her ally when she briefly glanced at the open eyes and open mouth of her uncle’s lifeless face. Now, Liala pressed her eyes shut, briefly; partly because she couldn’t bring herself to look at him, partly to prevent herself from crying. Trembling, she lifted her hand slowly, flinching as she touched his cold forehead and managed to close his eyelids.

  “May you be at peace with this life,” she prayed almost inaudibly. “May your spirit find its way home.”

  These few words came from her mouth with ease even though she hadn’t spoken them for a long time, but it felt right to her. The last time she had heard and said them was when she and her mother had buried a blackbird in the garden that had broken its neck crashing into their window.

  It was a low groan a few feet on the right of her that made her instantly switch to survival mode, and forget about her dead uncle and the blood on her clothes.

  3 – Prey

  Liala froze and harkened into the night, trying to figure out if she had hallucinated the sound or if she actually had heard someone. Suddenly a memory of her mom came back to her, sitting with her at the campfire at this very place, so many years ago, while she was brushing her hair and then braiding it.

  There are three instinctive actions when facing a threat, Lia, she told her. Fright, flight or fight, your personality helps you decide how you act.

  The first ones are those who simply freeze when facing danger and these beings are always the weakest and easiest prey: martyrs that offer themselves in hope for the masses to survive. Like this goat breed we saw on the TV the other night that fainted and became paralyzed when frightened or animals ducking and hiding in the thicket; creatures that had no strong urge to fight the danger, rather they submit to it, giving up, and accepting their fate.

  Second are those who would instantly flee, falling to action, and using the talents they were given to escape the threat. Usually these creatures were prey, too, but also predators facing a stronger opponent. They weren’t giving up, and still had hope.

  Last were those who instantly took a stance and were ready to fight. Only predators or utterly stupid people would do that.

  The best thing one can do, so her mother said, is following the fight instinct in taking a stance while assessing the danger, before deciding whether to flee or face whatever threatened you. Don’t be emotional; be rational, when a threat arises. Lia.

  It was strange to think of those words now, but oddly enough it calmed her down, making it possible for her to concentrate, and to focus.

  Then, again, another groan accompanied by a shuffle reached her ears and Liala instantly moved from her knees to her feet, slowly sneaking forward to the position where the sounds were originating from. She was crouching and still moving forward on the balls of her feet. The moonlight showed the way as she saw a movement right between her and her uncle’s car. It was without a doubt a human figure slowly crawling towards it. Dad!?

  Had he waited for the wolves to leave, too? Liala didn’t care about the question as soon as it had come in her mind. Forgetting all preventive measures Liala got up and leaped to the side of who she believed was her father.

  “Dad!” She whispered as loudly as possible, trying to prevent him from being shocked by her as she stopped and knelt down in the dirt right beside him.

  Liala hadn’t expected to be the one losing her breath, but the sight of her dad had her gasping. There were three deep, dark gashes across his left cheek reaching down to his throat. She was able to see parts of his cheek and jaw bone exposed and what seemed to be his esophagus, as well as some sinews. He was bleeding but not as much as she had expected. It seemed that
his carotid artery wasn’t injured.

  Her Dad was crawling on his stomach and she could only imagine what the rest of his body looked like. She didn’t want to picture that right now. It didn’t help.

  The moment she called to him quietly, he froze for a second and noticed her. Tears of relief and fear filled his eyes. He opened his mouth but no sound came out.

  “Benjy’s fine,” Liala placed her hand on his shoulder. “He’s with the girls in your car, I send them ahead. Do you have the keys?”

  Her father nodded once, which was obviously hurting and exhausting him. Liala didn’t think twice, just took her father’s arm to place it around her neck and lift him up. The noises he made with every move, especially when she helped him onto his feat send tears to her eyes. Pushing her dad onto his feet was more straining than she had expected because she did in fact have to support almost his entire weight. Liala did her best to ignore the sounds her father made with every step, and force the thoughts out of her head that envisioned the extent of his injuries, telling her that her father might be alive right now, but that he wouldn’t survive the night.

  I don’t need rationality, mom. I need hope, too.

  In her mind, she saw the wolf jumping onto him, over and over, but her imagination added what must have followed after that, before the creature had been shot by her uncle. Maybe that shot saved her father’s life and was the reason why her uncle was already dead.

  Was the wolf still there? Dying? Recovering?

  Hastily she looked around, but couldn’t find anything that might be the body of a human sized wolf.

  That monster survived?!

  The thought was all the more reason to get her father faster to the Jeep. But she didn’t relax at least a little even when could hear the sound of keys next to her right ear and realized that her father was barely able to hold on to the key chain. Gently, Liala took them, instantly pressing the button to unlock the car. Never in her memory had the noise of the doors being unlocked and the beeping sound been so loud, never had the brief flashing of the headlights been so bright. Silently, she prayed that no dangerous creature was close enough to have noticed the sound or the lights. As fast as she could, she brought her dad around her uncle’s Jeep, opening the shotgun door and gently helping him to get inside.

  “The others?” She simply asked, pressing her lips into a thin line as her father only briefly shook his head.

  Although Liala could see the protest in her father’s posture and expression she shut the door and returned to the camp, this time not crouching but hoping that her elevated position would help her to find any other survivors.

  “Anyone?!” She whispered as loudly as she could.

  “Lia?” It was barely a sound created by an exhale, but it was the lifted hand that caught her attention.

  She had no idea who it was or how much time was left, but she sped up towards the hand, to see that it was Rick. He was drenched in blood just as were the remains of the tent he had covered himself with. Liala didn’t waste any time and pulled him onto his feet. Although his face seemed to be unharmed, he moved as if he was hurting.

  “Come on,” she urged him and figured that there was still some strength left in him, because it was so easy for her to bring him into a standing position.

  With his arm around her neck they walked as fast as they possibly could. Liala’s father opened the back door, assisting Rick into the backseat.

  “The others?” She dared to ask only then and she watched how Rick slowly brought his hands down to press on his stomach obviously being in extreme pain, while he shook his head, breathing out: “I don’t know.”

  In the light from the inside of the car, she could see that his sweatshirt was slowly turning dark.

  “It’s not too deep,” Rick added catching her stare.

  Liala nodded and turned around; opening her mouth to tell him that she would try and find her cousin and his friend as a thunderous noise rolled over them.

  She froze. Her thoughts instantly went to Kiana and her father’s car. What else could have made such a deafening sound? If they crashed into a tree, they would need her help. Her cousin would have to wait.

  “Dad, the shotgun, where is it?” She almost shouted.

  “Car,” her father’s voice sounded far too weak.

  “Not yours.” Liala swallowed the tears down.

  They had no time.

  She closed the door and ran into the headlights, looking down, trying to find her uncle’s weapon, but she couldn’t find it, and she didn’t even find the ammunition. So, she hastened back to the car, pressing her lips shut as she stepped bare-foot onto twigs and stones that hurt her, and quickly got in.

  Starting the car, she tried to ignore that her feet felt slippery. It was either her own blood because she had cut herself, or that of someone else. But to find out which assumption was true wasn’t important. She had only one weapon to use and that was the car she was driving.

  As soon as the engine came to life, Liala hit the throttle and steered in the direction where she had seen Kiana go. Finding her trail was easier than Liala had thought, since her cousin hadn’t tried to find the path they had used to get to their camping spot. She headed directly into the wilderness.

  “Stupid,” Liala muttered, gritting her teeth and shaking her head. Stupid, stupid!

  Her heart hammered so wildly she could taste it on her tongue and had trouble breathing. Liala now breathed shallowly because her ribs hurt and that was only another reason why she came close to hyperventilating. Liala couldn’t stop herself from imagining what was happening to her little brother right now, or even worse: had happened and wasn’t preventable. Had he cowered down in the floor board of the car and been crushed as Kiana drove it into the tree? Or had he sat on the seat, with his safety belt strapped around him? Was he confined to the car? Or had the wolves gotten a hold of him?

  Focus!

  Liala stopped herself several times to glance at her father or try to listen to see if he was still breathing. She couldn’t allow herself to get distracted, because otherwise they would end up creaming into a tree themselves.

  Be rational!

  Whatever possible outcome her mind went to explore, not a single one of them had an end that she could imagine living with.

  Please be okay, please be okay, she silently prayed, mum, make sure he’s okay, Liala begged desperately.

  There was this irrational hope that she had heard wrong and nothing had happened to the car, and more importantly to her little brother. But as she followed the trail Kiana’s driving had created, it became clear that all the bushes and plants of the forest ground did slow them down to a certain point; and Liala simply knew that this path would end up against a tree or something else. She could see it yards before they were actually close enough to see whether there were wolves around or not. Only the headlights of Lia’s car were illuminating the woods around them, and were only halfway enough. It was obvious that her Dad’s car was smashed, and someone was still hitting the brakes, or worse. The red glow of those lamps created an eerie shimmer.

  Liala instinctively slowed down, fighting the impulse to rush close and look for her brother. After all, the wolves had been chasing the car. It could be a trap, because they assumed that someone would come for the first car. At least, that’s what she expected.

  There were absolutely no movements to be seen, both doors were closed and the interior of the car was dark.

  Keeping the engine running, Liala looked at her passed out father and turned around to check on Rick, who was pressing some piece of clothing he probably had found on the backseat against his wound.

  Time was running out, either way.

  “Don’t,” Rick said knowing what she was thinking as she turned her head back to the front.

  “My baby brother was in that car,” Liala answered as she opened her door and got out.

  Carefully she pressed it shut again, trying to not make a noise, in case the creatures were still ar
ound. Now, having had a few minutes without actually seeing them, it felt like a phantasm; or a figment of her imagination.

  Man-sized wolves on their hind legs? This is just crazy!

  Liala moved forwards cautiously, not only because her feet were still bare and slick. The sandy, soft ground beneath her actually took care of the latter problem. However, that wasn’t what her mind was occupied with.

  Benjy, please be alright.

  Surprisingly light-footed, she snuck towards the shotgun door of her dad’s car and tried to open it. But the vehicle was bent and twisted in a way that the window had cracked. She tried to look through it, but it was impossible. Therefore, she hastened around the car and opened the driver’s door somewhat easily. The airbag on both sides had deployed, and now covered the dashboard, as they had deflated. The car was empty. Being somewhat blinded by the headlights of the Jeep, she couldn’t see if there was blood or not. What she could perceive was a flicker of those lights, one that indicated someone had walked through them, fast.

  Liala knew she should have taken her father and Rick to safety, have alerted the authorities and brought them back here to help them find her brother and the others. But Liala was simply incapable of breaking the promise she had given her mother to take care of them.

  Your father and your little brother will need you. Her mother’s voice echoed in her head. I know it’s not fair to you, but it doesn’t change it. Be brave, Lia, be strong, be rational.

  Benjy was still so little in her eyes. He had reached his teens, but the age difference would always make him her baby brother. Picturing his body being ripped to shreds by these monsters – crazy imagination or not – was absolutely unbearable.

  Slowly, Liala turned around expecting to see someone standing in front of her, but she was blinded by the headlights of the car, seeing nothing. Quickly she averted her gaze trying to harken into the darkness her eyes now saw, hoping that her sight would adjust quickly again.

  “Lia?” She heard a whisper that made her freeze and her heart jump into a sprint.

  “Benjy!” She responded as loudly as she was able to under her breath; the last thing she wanted was to draw any attention, but if what she had seen was right, they probably would hear them anyway. “Quick!”