AgathaHart
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Grayscale Ch11
🕑 Added 2016-11-02 03:27:02 +0000 UTC Last chapter of Grayscale before we get into the next arc! Woohoo! Thanks for sticking with me through October, I had a LOT of projects I wanted to do that I had to drop, but knowing I've still got you guys with me makes me feel better ;-;***
The sun shone brightly through the trees at just the right angle to fall right on Jack’s face. His brow furrowed as his eyes opened hesitantly. The gun Koz had given him was digging into his shoulder and his right side was chilly and just slightly damp with morning dew. In his sleep he’d huddled close to Koz, and his left side was warm where their bodies were pressed flush against one another. A rush of mixed emotions flew through him at the warmth. He still didn’t know how he felt about Koz. Logically, Jack knew he shouldn’t trust him, let alone like him, but—cheesy as it sounded—his heart wasn’t cooperating. He’d liked Koz a lot before everything had come to light, and the instinct to submit and forgive was strong. But it was too early to think about this stuff. He swallowed down his mixed emotions—figuratively, because ugh, his throat felt like sandpaper.
He sat up slowly, letting out a small groan of distress as his muscles protested. Stretching did little to sooth his stiff muscles.
Jack reached for the cooler hidden at the back of the hide and pulled out a bottle of water. He was surprised to see Koz was awake, albeit just barely. He blinked blearily and gazed up at Jack, the morning light reflecting off his eyes so they looked nearly gold. Jack’s jumped emotions came surging back with a vengeance and he looked away toward the house. His mother was awake and in the kitchen, making breakfast.
He heard Koz sigh and it rankled him enough that his emotions finally settled on ‘annoyed’.
Thankfully, Koz said nothing.
Jack watched his family sit down to eat, but that just made him depressed—not to mention hungry. He jealously watched his sister finish a plate of waffles. His stomach growled, and he took a swig of water and reached for the stale donuts.
“Once everyone has cleared out for the day, we can go get some real food,” Koz said, sitting up as slowly and carefully as Jack had.
Jack sighed and sat back against the tree. He watched his family scurry around, preparing for the day, his vision often obscured as they walked away from the rear-facing windows. He felt the same sense of otherness as when he’d been in his bedroom the previous day, as if he were watching someone else’s family—like he belonged with them about as much as he belonged in any random family on the street. And he didn’t really belong with them anymore did he? He wasn’t human anymore.
The front door banged shut before his mother and sister crossed the lawn toward his mother’s car. He could tell, even from how far away he was, how anxious and sleepless his mother looked looked. Her long brown hair was tied back into a hasty bun, her flush cheeks were drained of color, and there were dark circles under her eyes.
Emma was the spitting image of their mother in miniature: waifish, with brown hair and eyes, and rosy cheeks. She too had a certain tired look about her. Her face wasn’t quite as flushed as normal. For a child whose favorite superhero was Squirrel Girl, she wasn’t looking her usual bright-eyed and bushy-tailed self.
It hurt to think that was because of Jack. She was grieving. They both were. If only Jack could stop that. If only things were that simple.
His mother kissed Emma goodbye and then his little sister set off down the street to where a handful of kids stood waiting for the school bus.
Several of them abruptly halted their conversations and looked away as Emma approached. Jack’s stomach turned. He knew exactly what they were talking about. His father hadn’t exactly been quiet last night. The ‘mountain lion’ incident was forgotten quickly when Paul Overland made an ass of himself in public.
Even from a distance, Jack could see the rigid line of Emma’s posture and the stiff tilt of her chin. Jack had used the same look when approaching a group he knew had been discussing the latest Overland family gossip.
His mother left for work and a few minutes later the bus arrived and his sister left as well. He and Koz waited an hour or so more for the street to clear out. Koz dozed while Jack thought himself deeper and deeper into his own head before finally Koz sat up and announced he was going to go get some lunch at the gas station.
“You should climb down and stretch your legs,” he said. “I think we’ll get some more target practice in today.”
Wordlessly, Jack followed his advice, climbing down the hide’s hidden steps to the forest floor below. It was cooler down here, where the sun’s rays couldn’t reach as well. The forest floor was littered with red and yellow leaves. Soon the ground would be absolutely covered while the trees were stripped bare. Jack rubbed his arms mechanically as Koz climbed down beside him.
Koz gave him a questioning look that Jack ignored, staring straight ahead at the house.
“I’ll be right back,” Koz said uncertainly.
Jack gave a jerky nod and didn’t watch as Koz crept away towards the convenience store.
***
Something was off with Jack, Koz knew, but he didn’t know what. They’d still been getting to know one another when he’d told Jack how he’d tried to kill him and driven this rift between them. Now, the growing connection between them had withered and he wasn’t as in-sync with his companion’s thoughts and emotions.
The single employee at the convenience store was not the one who’d waited on Koz the last time he’d been there. Koz thanked small blessings. He’d just as rather not risk anyone noticing him as a person of interest.
The gas station was small, brilliantly lit, with grime and dust in every corner. They had alcohol, cigarettes, hot dogs on a roller, a coffee machine, and a small case of donuts. There was nothing special about it. He’d absorbed and forgotten all these details the day before yesterday, but now they all seemed to come alive.
He could just imagine Jack in the blue hoodie he’d first met him in, probably fifteen pounds heavier with an eight-year-old sister hanging on his heels, wasting hours in this dingy, noxiously lit gas station until it was safe to go home again.
Koz went to pay the man behind the counter—a rather alarming looking fellow, complete with tattoos and a huge bushy beard. Likely someone North would be friends with. Behind him, Koz noticed Jack’s missing person poster—but this one had several photographs taped to the side—home photos. One of Jack with crutches, standing in a crowd of people, balloons over his head and a hesitant smile on his face. One of him, brilliantly sunburnt and leaning on a cane, in what looked like an apple orchard. And another of him on his front steps holding a kitten.
Someone had put a handful of daisies in a plastic cup beneath the photos. Next to the poster hunger a sign that read ‘Overland Memorial Service 5:30’ in big block letters.
“You seen him?” The man asked suddenly.
Koz started. “No,” he said quickly. But I’ve seen him in the papers.”
“Yeah,” the man said with a disappointed huff. “He used to live around here.”
“I see,” Koz said, trying to keep his expression sincerely sympathetic. He found it wasn’t that difficult. He wondered if he should let Jack know, or if the knowledge would only make him even more depressed. Then his eyes focused on the memorial date. ‘Today, September 23rd.’
Koz’s heart sank. He paid the man, moving mechanically as he walked from the store. He felt detached from his body, like he was looking at himself from the outside. Maybe, he thought, there was still time. Maybe he could get to a phone. Maybe he could ask the convenience store worker. He forced his legs to start moving and they carried him back toward the tree line, all the while his thoughts turned round and round. September 23rd. Maybe the sign was wrong. It probably wasn’t.
***
Jack sat curled up at the bottom of the tree. He felt anxious, panicky even. A swell of negativity he’d managed to push away since all of this began was finally starting to envelop him. It’d been present when he woke that morning and had grown in strength when Koz left him alone.
‘You don’t belong here anymore,’ it said. ‘You’re a monster. You’re dangerous. Your mother finally managed to get rid of one monster, and you want to force another one on her because you’re too scared and childish to do what needs to be done!’
Jack swallowed hard. He felt helpless, lost. He’d been so certain he could return to his life here—when had he started agreeing with Koz? When he’d decided not to contact his family? When he’d chosen to temporarily forgive Koz? No. It’d happened last night, when his mother threw his father out.
A soft sound behind him had him nearly jumping out of his skin. He whirled around to see Koz setting down a plastic grocery bag. Jack’s nose and eyes prickled as if he were on the verge of tears—they were probably red. He turned away, rubbed his nose with his sleeve, and took several deep breaths. ‘Just stay strong a little while longer,’ he told himself, though for how long, he wasn’t sure. ‘Now is not the time for a breakdown.’ Jack turned to Koz, mouth open to say something—he didn’t know what—then he stopped.
Koz’s face was nearly white. He stood nearly ten feet from Jack and he was looking into the distance. For a moment, Jack wondered if he’d heard something, but Koz didn’t look alert, he looked . . . pained.
“A-are you okay?” Jack asked.
Koz seemed almost startled by his voice, but still he didn’t turn toward Jack. “My daughter is going to get her letter today,” Koz said quietly.
He said this with the severity of one who expects the magnitude of their words to be understood and Jack wasn’t feeling strong enough to pretend he did. “What?”
Koz looked at him with empty eyes. “When we leave on dangerous hunts,” he started. “We update our wills and leave letters for our friends and . . . loved ones,” he swallowed thickly. “If my lawyer didn’t hear back from me by today, he was to give out my letters . . . My daughter’s going to find out that I . . . that I’m not coming home.” He seemed to shrink in on himself.
Jack stood rooted to the spot. He felt a swell of emotion settle over, both for himself and for Koz. He remained frozen and silent while Koz continued.
“I keep thinking that . . . they might put it off. I wouldn’t put it past them. Reading someone’s letters is acknowledging that there’s no hope of them coming back . . . But I almost hope they read them right away, just so they don’t have to keep waiting and worrying—but I also can’t stand the thought of how much it’s going to hurt them.”
“Maybe your lawyer friend hasn’t given out the letters yet,” Jack said, swallowing around a lump in his throat. “Maybe you could still call him. You could rewrite the letters or explain what happened—you don’t need to let them think you’re dead. You could just say you can’t come back.”
Koz shook his head. “I thought all this through before I wrote the letters—saying I was leaving, saying I was killed but not specifying that I’d died by my own hand . . . I didn’t want them to look for me or look for something that might’ve killed me. Telling them that I was ending my life seemed the best way to help them all reach some semblance of closure. It may not be grounded in truth anymore, but the idea is still the same.”
Jack took a few steps back until he bumped into a tree trunk. “Closure . . .” He murmured, running a hand through his hair. “I wish I could give my family something like that . . .”
Koz let out a weak laugh. “And I wish I could look in on my daughter and see . . . see her grieving but moving on.” There was a long pause between them, filled only with the rustle of leaves in the breeze. Jack wondered if he should point out that Koz could easily go check on his daughter, but then realized Koz must’ve already considered that.
Then Koz cleared his throat. “I don’t know if I should show this to you . . .”
Jack looked up to see Koz holding up a crumpled flyer. He read the words ‘Overland Memorial’ and was on his feet in a second, snatching the paper from Koz’s hand.
Overland Memorial Service 5:00pm
Today, September 23rd
Saint Ailbe of Emly’s Church
Reception at Overland house
He read the whole thing, then read it again. His emotions were doing that roulette thing again and he wasn’t sure where they’d land. Beside him Koz sat with an exhausted sigh, leaves crunching under his weight.
He let out a long quivering breath. What was there to say? What was there to do? He looked down at Koz, seeking some answer, and saw him lost in thought, his expression more hopeless than Jack had ever seen. It was then that it hit Jack fully that Koz would rather die than live without his daughter, and he’d chosen not to for Jack’s sake.
Jack fell to his knees next, leaves crunching under his legs. Koz sat immobile, just barely glancing at Jack out of the corner of his eye as if he were afraid he’d scare Jack away if he moved. Jack dropped his head onto Koz’s shoulder, surprised but unsurprised to find the man was shaking. Maybe he wasn’t worried he’d scare Jack away. Maybe he was the scared one.
Jack swallowed. He was probably making the same mistake his mother made but he was miserable and it felt so nice to rest against a warm living person. Slowly, Koz moved his hand between them, gently touching Jack’s. Jack took it.
***
It wasn’t a good day and Koz didn’t have the heart to make it one. Jack was depressed too—and rightly so—but it felt strange for both of them to be so out of sorts. Koz almost expected Jack to turn it all around somehow—to lose patience with sadness, flop over and demand they go do something. But Jack didn’t.
They crawled up into the hide again with their meager provisions. He mechanically pushed Jack to eat something and Jack in turn urged him to have something as well, which was kind of him. There was definitely a distance between them now, but it didn’t feel like there was a wall there anymore.
Every waking moment Koz spent holding himself back. He kept playing through his options and every time he came back to the same conclusion. He couldn’t go home. He shouldn’t go home. He wouldn’t go home. He needed to do what was best for Seraphina, even if it wasn’t what was best for him, even if it hurt her.
It was the same cycle of emotions Koz had gone through each time he’d attempted to kill himself and he felt almost a Pavlovian response to end it. But he couldn’t, Jack still needed him. And unlike Seraphina or his friends, it was safe to be around Jack.
Koz was exhausted. His troubled mind struggled to rest and he woke at every rustle of the wind, every leaf that drifted down on him, every time Jack shifted. Sometime in the afternoon he opened his eyes and saw Jack’s mother pull up. She got out, looking as drained as he felt. Jack’s sister got out of the passenger door and the two of them went inside. Not long after, they came back out again, cleaned up and wearing all black.
Koz thought Jack was asleep, so he was surprised when he spoke: “Do you think they’ll bury an empty casket?”
Koz swallowed and his mouth tasted like old coffee. He reached for one of their water bottles. “Maybe,” he said quietly. “But this way, they might get some closure.”
Jack sighed. “It still sucks.”
Koz couldn’t think of an eloquent response to that, so he merely nodded. “It does.”
About an hour after the Overland’s left, another car pulled up in their driveway and Jack’s neighbor, the funny old woman—Ms. Clavel—got out. She must’ve come from the service, since she was wearing black from head-to-toe. She darted up to the house.
Evening was falling and the house lit up as Ms. Clavel marched from room to room and turned on the lights. Koz felt a blade of apprehension. He’d read the flyer for the memorial service, but he hadn’t quite processed that the reception would be staged at the Overland house. There was no lawn furniture in the backyard and it was getting chilly, so hopefully there wouldn’t be many people out there.
The Overland’s—that is, Jack’s mother and sister—arrived about ten minutes later. And it seemed they were leading the cavalry. Cars lined up all along the street and people in black starting filing into the small home.
Astor’s funeral had been such a small thing; Koz had forgotten how funerals could be such a communal event in small towns. He glanced at Jack. Darkness was setting in fully and it was hard to see the young man, but the lights from the house provided just enough illumination to outline his profile.
“Are you alright?” Koz asked.
Jack’s profile nodded. “It’s . . . It’s really weird,” he said.
His tone of voice was so normal, not depressed, not upset, just weirded out. Koz managed to crack a smile. “Have you ever read the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?” Koz asked.
“No,” Jack said. “But I watched the Wishbone episode.”
There was a long pause and then, suddenly and strangely enough, they were both laughing. It was strange to think watching a funeral reception could be entertaining; the people there were mourning after all, but somehow the situation just felt so bizarre and surreal that they couldn’t help but laugh.
They sat back and watched people come and go from the Overland house. Jack almost seemed to enjoy watching it all. He pointed out his track friends from high school and his Best Buddies friends from middle school. There were people he knew from church, teachers, and classmates, his physical therapists and nurses, neighbors, ex-boyfriends, extended relatives, and employees from the gas station. Koz recognized the bearded, tattooed man he saw earlier in the day and felt a pang of sympathy at his wet, red eyes.
Koz noticed that Jack’s father didn’t make an appearance. When he tentatively pointed this out to Jack, the young man only said: “Good.”
It felt intrusive watching these people. It might’ve been a blessing that Mrs. Overland and her daughter stayed out of sight at the front of the house. Koz didn’t know what Jack would’ve done if he could see them grieving. Koz glanced at Jack to see him watching the gathering quietly. Perhaps, Koz reflected, seeing this was a way for the young man to gain some semblance of closure just as much as it was for the people below.
The night dwindled and more and more of the guests left until all who remained were relatives and neighbors. Jack’s mother and sister finally made an appearance, cleaning up all the food, tissue boxes, and trash the guests had left. Eventually it was all cleared away. One by one, the cars drove off until no one was left but the little Overland family.
The sun had long since set. Koz kept an eye on the street, wondering. If he were staking out the house from the roadside, he would park closer—just where Bunny and North had parked the night before. Of course, the guests had all but blocked the whole street. Now that they were gone, he would’ve moved his vehicle closer.
He waited, glancing left and right as though he might be able to look through the houses and see the street beyond.
“Your friends must be running late . . .” Jack noted.
Koz drew in a long breath and let it out again slowly. He leaned back against the tree trunk. He felt a strange mix of crumbling hopelessness and detachment. It almost felt like it weren’t happening to him. “They won’t come,” he said finally. “If they opened my letters . . . they’ll be with Seraphina . . . I’m sorry,” he said.
Koz watched the shadow of Jack’s head turn to look at him. “What for?”
“I’ve made a mess of things again I’m afraid. They won’t be here to protect your family.”
“We’re here,” Jack said. “We’ll keep them safe.”
Koz heard a soft creak of old wood and lifted his gaze to the house to see Jack’s sister clambering out her bedroom window, still wearing her black dress. For a moment, she looked exactly like Seraphina. He flinched and scrubbed his hands over his eyes. Was this how it was going to be from now on? Seeing phantoms of his daughter everywhere? He blinked purple and green spots from his vision until his eyes refocused on Jack’s little sister—not Seraphina—Emma. His night vision slowly came to, as his eyes adjusted to the growing gloom. Emma tipped her head up to the stars and he could see the sparkle in her eyes. She pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees.
She seemed too somber for such a young child, but he knew firsthand how grief could age a person. She wasn’t Seraphina but she could be. She too had been left waiting, for weeks on end, hoping for a loved one to return.
They were a little different of course—Seraphina was getting a written confession that he wasn’t coming back, while Jack’s sister would forever wonder. Seraphina was left an orphan to be raised by a loving man. Emma was stuck in a messy divorce with a struggling single mother and long memories of abuse. If a little girl could suffer all that and still be all right, surely Seraphina could be too?
“Do you think she’ll be okay?” Koz asked. “Your sister, I mean.”
Jack sat back next to him and was quiet a long moment. “Yeah,” he said at last. “She and my mom, I think they’ll both be okay. I’m more afraid that I won’t be okay without them.”
Koz let out a long breath, leaning ever so slightly against Jack until Jack pressed back against him. Maybe it was the chill in the air or the lack of warmth to be gained from the tree, but that point of contact with Jack felt like a greater comfort than anything that could be said.
For a long, long moment they stayed there like that. Koz was absently watching the house all the while. He could see Emma’s shoulders rise as she took a deep breath. She moved, standing up, and Koz’s heart picked up a pace. It was nearly a ten foot drop to the ground and she was standing on such a steep slope.
Emma took three careful steps toward the slope edge and Jack shifted uneasily next to Koz. She looked at the drop carefully, waivered for a moment, then jumped. Koz gasped in alarm as she dropped. She bent her knees as she hit the ground and took several clumsy steps forward before toppling to her hands and knees. Koz and Jack both let out a breath of relief. At least she hadn’t crashed into the ground.
Emma pulled herself up to her feet and examined her hands. Once she determined she wasn’t badly injured she brushed herself off and looked back up at the roof with a gleam of pride in her eyes.
Jack let out a soft huff, half pained, half laugh. “Yeah, I think she’s gonna be okay.”
Emma turned away from the forest, from the house, and toward the street, where the lights of the convenience store stretched across the pavement.
A violent rustle sounded from below and Koz glanced down in time to see something large and black tear through the foliage.
Time slowed.
Koz scrambled to climb down from the hide just as Jack threw himself off the edge, exploding into the change faster than Koz had thought possible. He hit the ground on all fours at the same time as Koz gave in and jumped as well. He bent his knees and rolled across the ground, drawing his weapon.
The werewolf tore across the yard and Emma half turned, saw the beast barreling at her, and screamed. Time seemed to speed up all at once.
Koz fired, just missing the wolf’s flank. The werewolf flinched in alarm—just the barest hint of hesitation, but it was enough time for Jack to tackle him teeth-first.
Koz didn’t dare shoot as the two werewolves struggled. He bolted across the yard.
He had to reach Emma before either one of them could get to her.
Emma didn’t see him. Her gaze was fixed on the two beasts in front of her. She stumbled back, nearly falling in her shock, but managed to stay on her feet and take off down the street.
Koz made it to the sidewalk and flinched as a scream wrenched the air. He turned to see the black wolf collapse onto the grass, blood spurting from a massive wound in his neck. Jack stood over him, back arched, tail high, and hackles raised.
Koz’s gaze snapped around to see Emma pause halfway to the convenience store, her eyes wide and chest rising and falling rapidly.
A howl rose from the trees and then the woods seem to burst open, wolves pouring forth. Jack snarled, and a wolf Koz recognized as Sophie Bennett tore past them, charging after Emma with one brown pup and another silvery-white one following after. Koz fired at them and missed. Then Jack flew past him, nothing more than a white blur.
Seeing Sophie coming, Emma turned and ran, but was cut off by the white adolescent. He snarled, but didn’t move to attack her. Sophie barreled toward her, fangs bared, and then Jack was on her, tackling her to the ground and tearing his teeth into any bit of skin he could grab hold of. The brown pup lunged at him, snatching at Jack’s ruff and momentarily separating the two. Jack snapped his head around—cracking his jaw against her eye. She his fur instantly and Jack whirled around to snarl at the other white pup—he merely backed away, ears folding back.
Poor Emma took stock of this stalemate and tried to run around for the store, but Sophie leapt to, cutting her off once more. Jack flew between them, his growling growing louder. Either the pups forgot their main target was Emma, or were willfully ignoring her in place of attacking Jack. Either way, Jack seemed to be handling himself relatively well.
That was more than Koz could say. He was near surrounded by eight of Manny’s pack members. None of them made a move, but he could tell by their raised tails and raised hackles that he was in danger.
He heard Mrs. Overland’s voice from inside the house, calling for her daughter. Surely she’d be able to see the wolves through the kitchen windows? But then if she realized Emma was out here, wouldn’t she come outside to save her? ‘Please don’t come outside,’ he thought. ‘Please don’t come out here!’
He watched as the wolves around him inched nearer and nearer. He spotted Jamie, his glowing golden eyes darting nervously from Koz to the shadows of the trees. Koz followed his gaze and spotted Manny approaching, clothed this time in a loose white dress shirt and slacks.
Manny looked down at the black wolf Jack had killed with a quiet, pensive look. “So much blood shed,” he said softly, looking across to where Jack fought, standing nearly on top of Emma to keep the others away. “Especially considering this would have been a victimless crime. I suspected Jack was hesitating to join our ranks because of his family—it’s not uncommon, nor is it a difficult problem to fix. Or it wouldn’t have been if you hadn’t gotten involved.”
“What do you want with him?” Koz demanded, forcing an approaching wolf back with a strong kick to the snout.
Manny smiled. “He’s pretty. I like pretty things.”
The back of Koz’s neck burned as his body tensed, the change creeping up on him. “He’s mine.” Koz almost didn’t recognize his voice through the snarl.
Manny’s eyebrows shot up. “Yours? Your pup? Your brother? Your mate?”
“He’s mine!” Koz raised his weapon to shoot Manny once and for all and one of the wolves lunged at him. Koz put a round through its mouth, then quickly stepped aside to avoid another wolf’s bite. He grabbed the beast’s ear to hold it still, blasted a hole in its skull, then whipped around to shoot a retreating wolf in the hindquarters. He only realized afterwards that it was Jamie. The young wolf dropped to the ground with a sharp yelp and lay still, whining pathetically.
People had obviously taken note of the noise by now. Heads were poking out of doors and windows, then slamming shut soon after. Mrs. Overland was screaming her daughter’s name. Koz heard the front door open and fired his gun into the air. “STAY IN YOUR HOMES!” He roared.
A wolf jumped and tackled Koz to the ground, earning a silver bullet to the chest for his trouble. Koz barely had enough time to force the wolf’s body off of him before the other wolves leapt in on him.
Teeth clamped around his leg, he fired, and the teeth disappeared. A wolf grabbed his shoulder; he twisted and shot it between the eyes. A third leapt atop him, pining his arm—and his gun—over his shoulder. The wolf bit into his arm, while another fastened onto his calf and thrashed, tearing flesh. Koz fired at the ground, hoping the sound would startle them, but all it did was temporarily deafen him.
Through the ringing in his ears, Koz snarled and let the change creep up inside of him. He craned his neck to sink his teeth into the first wolf’s muzzle. His fangs sank into the spongy flesh of the beast’s nose and it yanked away suddenly—leaving a chunk of flesh as it did—and knocking back the wolf at Koz’s leg.
Koz spat out blood and flesh and sat up, pushing the change back again. His leg was shredded and all he could do was sit up as best as he could and fire on his attackers. The nose-less wolf took a hit to the shoulder, the other Koz hit in the eye.
“You’d be a magnificent asset if you only worked for the right side,” Manny said with a sigh. Koz looked up to see him standing on the Overland porch. His hackles rose and he lifted his weapon. But he hesitated. How many shots had he fired? Did he have enough left for the three wolves attacking Emma? What about his other gun? No, he’d given it to Jack! It was probably lying beneath the tree with all the rest of Jack’s shredded clothes. But he couldn’t let Manny see him hesitate.
He forced a smirk as if he weren’t currently sitting in the dirt with blood dribbling down his chin and his leg mangled. “Are you just going to keep sending your people to me? I can keep killing them all night.”
Manny shrugged. “I can always make more.”
The Czar glanced down the street.
Emma was curled on the ground, arms over the back of her neck and face pressed into her knees. Jack was a blur, darting around her, defending her on all sides from the three wolves.
“Sophie, darling,” Manny called.
Sophie’s head whipped around, ears pricked, green eye shining.
“Come try and kill this one.” Manny gestured to Koz like he was bored of him.
If a wolf could skip—then that’s what Sophie did. Smiling doggishly and tail-wagging she trotted over to come kill Koz.
Koz glanced from her to Manny. “You know I can kill her, don’t you?”
“I know it. She knows it. She’ll try it anyway—that’s why she’s my favorite right now.”
Sophie seemed to swell with pride, her gaze cold and angry, glaring at Koz as she approached. Koz raised his gun, stomach twisting in disgust. This could be his own daughter, devoted to some asshole who didn’t care a lick for her. He hoped Sera wouldn’t be so foolish, but wiser women had been fooled before.
He didn’t want to do this, he realized. When had that happened? When had he started to see the person behind the monster? Jack was rubbing off on him.
Sophie began to circle around him, eyes intense and body low as she contemplated her attack.
“EMMA, STAY DOWN.”
They all started in surprise. The tattooed convenience store clerk was standing just inside the store’s side door. He raised a battered double-barrel shotgun to his shoulder and fired.
The white wolf pup fell to the ground, blood and brain matter splattering the pavement.
Sophie flinched behind Koz and shrank back while the brown she-wolf screamed. The girl pup ran at her companion, running close to Emma as she did. With a roar, Jack barreled at her, snatching her foreleg in his mouth and thrashing. The store clerk fired again and the buckshot sparked against the pavement at Jack’s feet. Startled, he released the she-pup.
The clerk cursed and fumbled to reload his weapon with shaking hands. Emma staggered to her feet and froze as Jack turned his gaze on her. She was visibly trembling, eyes wide, and mouth open in horror to see the white beast before her, his mouth stained red-blood, fangs bared. And then Jack snarled.
A cold claw of terror struck Koz, as he watched Emma whirl, brown hair flowing out behind her like a banner as she ran for cover and Jack chased after her. Koz raised his gun, breathing heavy, eyes pricking, and fired.
Jack’s teeth clicked on open air as he fell to the ground. Emma approached the store’s side door and the clerk grabbed her by the arm and hauled her inside. The door slammed shut.
For a moment, there was silence and then in the distance, sirens sounded.
Manny snickered. “Wouldn’t it be funny if you got arrested?” He said to Koz. He let out a sigh. “Well, our last night in town didn’t go quite as well as expected, but it can’t be helped. Come along, darling,” he cooed to Sophie. Sophie looked up at him, ears flicking anxiously. She glanced back down the street to where the brown she-wolf stood over the white wolf-pup’s still form.
“He’s as good as dead,” Manny said softly. “You’ll have to leave him, Katherine.”
The she-pup, Katherine, whined, pressing her muzzle against her companion’s still form and rocking him gently.
Manny stepped lightly from the Overland’s porch. Before he could think about it, Koz pointed his weapon up at him and fired. Click. Sophie flinched and Manny’s eyes widened. Koz’s heart sank. No. Not again.
Manny threw back his head and laughed as he walked away. Koz dropped his arms to his lap, too shocked to notice the apologetic look Sophie threw Katherine before trailing after her czar.
Katherine yelped and whined, torn between nudging her companion and following Manny, her distress as apparent as her limp.
Manny didn’t return and the sirens drew closer.
Koz breathed deeply through the nose and let it out again. He failed to kill Manny, but Emma was safe. Now, he couldn’t walk, but he could probably crawl for his car—no that would leave a noticeable blood trail.
He looked up at the sound of approaching feet and saw Jamie limping into the gas station lights. He picked up the white-wolf by the scruff of his neck and with some teamwork with Katherine, the two of them managed to drag their injured pack-mate across the street and into someone’s yard. Koz couldn’t see them any further than that.
“Jack,” Koz called. “We have to go.” He dragged himself away from the sidewalk, out of the light from the convenience store. He was sure there were at least a dozen camera phones being pointed his way at the moment, and he didn’t want them to see him while he changed. With fumbling hands he used his t-shirt to wipe down his gun. He could only hope the authorities wouldn’t spot their hide before he and Jack could take it down. The last thing he needed was an investigation on the two of them.
He tossed the gun away and brought on the change, letting the pain wash away the agony in his leg, his body healing as it turned. Becoming a wolf mellowed out all his fears and worries, blurring all that had happened into a murky, pleasantly black and white world.
He stood and shook himself, the last scraps of his torn clothing falling free from his massive frame.
He loped down the street to Jack’s still form. The younger wolf hadn’t moved but for his tail, which was firmly between his legs. Koz touched his muzzle to Jack’s and instantly his blue eyes opened. The scent of fear came to Koz’s senses, almost as powerful as the look of shame in Jack’s eyes. The young werewolf whimpered and Koz could sense it was a question, but didn’t know what it was or how to respond. He gently licked the pup’s forehead and stepped back, allowing him to stand.
Blood trickled down the younger wolf’s thigh where Koz’s bullet had grazed him, painful but not serious.
Koz headed off and, with one last look at the pair of frightened faces in the gas station window, Jack followed unbidden. The two werewolves disappearing into the woods as the authorities finally arrived.
