Holy crap. My chest thundered. It wasn’t safe here. But the dog’s pulse... If Bruce was alive, I had to save him, at least try... It was my fault he’d escaped. I retracted my claws, as far as they’d go, and put my fingers under his jaw, holding my breath. Come on, Bruce, come on!
No pulse, nothing. Pressing harder and harder, my fingers went numb, desperate to find a pulse. Damnit, Bruce. My claws scraped his clammy skin as his body cooled.
Standing, my knees buckled, body shaking. I hadn’t realized how scared I was, or how dark it had gotten. Without wolfish eyes, I wouldn’t have been able to see anything. Even so, everything beyond thirty meters was black.
My fur tingled and gut twitched. Something was approaching. Crunch. A twig broke. A loud THUD.
I sprinted all the way home—all thirty minutes—not stopping until the door was slammed shut and locked behind me.
Mom jumped up from our little kitchen table, rattled. Her brown eyes were wide with startled fear bordering on anger, her wiry body tense.
Bent over, panting, hands on my knees, I let out a deep breath. Another. My heart was exploding in my chest, lungs about to burst. What was I thinking? Alone, at night...
Bleary-eyed, his dark hair disheveled, my brother Vynce opened the flimsy door of our joint sleeping room, careful not to wake Elly. “What happened to you?” he joked—like always—to hide his unease as he shifted from side-to-side. “You see a ghost, or a cop?”
“Is everything okay, baby?” Worry lines creased Mom’s normally confident face at the mention of the corrupt police force. She wrapped the ratty light blue bathrobe tighter and crossed the makeshift living room in an instant. “Did you find—”
“Bruce is dead!” I burst out. “Something killed him.”
“Hold on, what happened?” Her eyes narrowed as her furry face darkened. “Are you okay? Where’s the dog?”
“I told you, he’s dead.” Jeez, I was shaking. Covered in goosebumps, I replayed the scene in my head. For once, my fur wasn’t warm enough. “In the forest. Whatever it was ripped his leg clean off and sliced open his side. Six claw marks. Six!”
“My god!” She covered her mouth, and her claws shot out involuntarily. A raw, animal fear I’d never seen flickered across her face as she threw her arms around me. “Are you okay, baby?”
No, not even close.
“Awesome!” Vynce flashed his fangs, and put his arm around me. “Did you see—”
“Shut up, Vynce!” Mom barked. “Go back to bed. No, on second thought, go get Mr. C. Tell him what happened. Put on your jacket and bring your wristband. Ping me when you get there.”
He grumbled, scratching his ‘tough guy’ beard as he slumped away.
“Now, Raek, tell me everything.”
After I’d finished, Mom sighed. I couldn’t believe she’d stayed quiet the entire time. That was a bad sign. It also meant she believed me, which was good. I got mixed up in stuff a lot, even once with a pair of emulate elites after she’d pulled me from soccer to focus on school—damned immortals. She didn’t always believe me, didn’t realize I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Ten minutes later, the door flew open. It was Vynce, Mr. C on his heels, his wiry body rigid. Here we go...
“Where’s Bruce? What happened?” Even in a thick black jacket and denims, Mr. C looked cold, scared, and angry, his hair rumpled, emerald eyes flashing. “Raek?”
“Raek was telling me what happened, Roge,” Mom said, hands on her bony hips. “Sounds like Bruce was attacked.”
The odd-shaped flaky skinscales along Mr. C’s neck flashed burnt crimson, then back to normal. You’d miss it if you blinked. But I’d seen it. I was positive. My stomach tightened. This was all my fault. If I hadn’t jumped the fence...
“I am so sorry, Mr. C,” I sputtered. “I was too scared to carry him back. I... It was dark. There was blood everywhere.”
“It is okay, Raek.” He gritted his teeth. “You did the right thing. I’d never risk a boy’s life for a mutt. Your brother tells me there were claw marks. Six of ‘em. Are you sure?”
I flinched. Of course I’m sure. “I can take you back there if you want. Do you think it’s—”
“Shhh! Let’s not speculate until we know more.” He gave me a serious look that stopped me dead. “Wouldn’t want to start a panic. I’ll be back at first light. You, Raek, and you, Vynce.” He looked at us and his face hardened. “I am going to need your help. Raek has some of the sharpest eyes and ears in town. I’ll grab Merck and his son Roderik in case there’s trouble. They’re bearish boys, brutes in a fight.”
Made sense he’d bring his Resistance buddy. It took a special breed to stand up to the vicious Global Democratic Republic, or GDR as we liked to call the BS world government. We’d had two executed in town almost a year to the day.
With that, he said goodnight and headed out.
Sleep? How could anyone think of sleep at a time like this? Vynce and I were wired and stayed up late, hushed whispers and dark tales.
2
Adventure
Bam. Bam. BAM.
What was that? Had the elites decided to eradicate us at last? I launched from bed, sneaking a glance in the living room.
Vynce looked up from the couch, laughing. “Kevo’s an idiot! Stupid junkie plugged into the Neuroweb and forgot to activate his sound fields.” At least there were only a few worthless VR users in our town.
Calm down, Raek, it was a dream...
From the other room, Vynce laughed again. Typical Vynce, always relaxed and joking. Why couldn’t I be more like that? Instead, here I was, terrified, close to pissing myself, and we hadn’t even left.
A knock. Mr. C opened the door and let himself in. He wore a rugged brown jacket and hand-me-down denims, a massive hunting knife on his hip, and, along his back, a thirty cal. A rubbed raw blade was tucked into his black hiking boots.
A second later, Mr. Ilt and Roderik stepped through the doorway. Both wore leather vests over their thick bearish fur, massive handmade crossbows over their shoulders and a pistol at each hip. Mr. Ilt had a machete as well... Dang, I should have gotten ready earlier.
Mr. Ilt’s right arm was bare from the forearm down, a tiny seam below his elbow. It was a prosthetic, a good one too. How the heck could he afford that?
“One second!” Vynce checked himself in our one mirror and shoved things into a bag.
Mom and Elly came out of our one bedroom, making things even more crowded.
“Morning, Preta,” Mr. C said with a smile. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”
“It’s fine, Roge. Wanted to see the boys off.” She looked at us, her face cast in iron, and subjected Vynce and I to ‘the stare.’ “You two take care of each other. And listen to what Roge and Mr. Ilt say.” Her eyes burned my forehead until I looked down. “They are in charge, no exceptions. I’ll see you boys home for supper. And be careful.” She pulled us close, hugging each in turn. “You never know what could happen,” she added with uncharacteristic apprehension.
We escaped the cramped house and before I knew it, we’d reached the edge of the woods and drew our weapons. Everyone turned to me and Mr. Ilt said, “Lead the way, Raek.”