Awake (11 page)

Katie groaned, rubbing her temples. “I’m
getting a headache from this dog. I’m going to need some soda.”

“You’re wasting more time?” exclaimed
Genesis. “We have to—”

“Shut up! Please SHUT UP!” Katie covered her
ears, writhing. “Why must I be tormented by a talking dog? It never
ends! I liked dogs so much better when they just barked stuff I
didn’t understand. Now I’m getting lectured…” Katie walked over to
the paper cups, grabbed one and filled it with some cola. Then she
took some big gulps.

“It’s not healthy,” whimpered Genesis,
lowering his head.

Katie scowled. Genesis quickly became quiet
and lay on the ground with a sigh.

There was a bang on the glass. Having been
outside as a lookout, Luna was now clawing at the front door. Katie
opened the door for her.

Luna shouted, “Run to the back! Hide!”

Katie asked, “Why? What—”

“Just go!” said Luna. “Unless you want to
die!”

Katie shrugged and hopped over the service
counter. Luna and Genesis dove over the counter after her.

Crouching down, Katie calmly took a sip of
her cola. “Care to explain what’s going on, fur ball?”

Gesturing with her nose toward the
countertop, Luna grumbled, “Take a peek if you want to find out,
you long-haired grump.”

Katie popped her head up. Peering over the
counter, she watched the entrance skeptically, wondering what had
Luna so spooked. She imagined it was something silly, like a
balloon. But then came the strange sounds. Growls and howls
resounded loud enough to be heard through the glass. Like primitive
screams of bloodlust, these sounds invoked fear in her heart. She
wasn’t one to be scared easily, but now her body couldn’t stop
shivering.

“What was that?” Katie asked.

“Hush,” Luna said lowly, “and keep
watching.”

As Katie kept staring out, trumpets blared.
Or at least, Katie thought it was the noise of trumpets, until
several massive creatures came stomping down the street. Elephants.
Trumpeting loudly with their trunks, the elephants were followed by
lions, tigers and rhinoceros. And behind those powerful animals a
whole army of wolves, foxes and coyotes marched along. Were the
animals having a parade? The line of animals continued for a while,
not seeming to have an end.

“There’s so many! And why are there
elephants and lions?” Katie shrieked.

“I told you to be quiet,” snapped Luna. She
slapped Katie in the face with a paw. “What if they hear you?”

“S-sorry,” Katie whispered, huddling near
the ground. “What’s happening out there?”

“I’m not sure,” Luna answered truthfully. “I
was just scouting around when I saw them coming down the street.
But I can tell you that it’s bad news.”

Genesis said, “The zoo animals must have
been freed. The HPC was supposed to keep all zoo animals fed and in
their cages. Letting the zoo animals free must be the work of the
Forest Army.”

“Why would they do something like this?”
asked Katie.

“Maybe they’re preparing for something. In
any case, we should leave the city. I thought Korgen would be safe
with a secure perimeter.” Genesis shook his head ruefully. “But it
looks like they really did mobilize an army. It’ll be dangerous to
stay here any longer.”

While watching the parade of wild animals,
Katie gasped, “The wolves are going in the buildings…and a few are
coming this way!”

“Quick!” Genesis said, “To the kitchen!”

Katie crawled into the back of the building.
The floor was really nasty. Too filthy for even mice, she thought.
She grimaced as she navigated over the mucky brown tiles, pushing
her way through the crates and boxes.

Genesis searched the kitchen and found a
coat closet near the back. “This would be a good place to hide…but
they’ll be sure to find you. Wolves have a good nose.”

Luna suggested, “Why not spray some perfume
around? That’ll throw them off.”

Katie said, “I don’t wear any of that stuff.
And wouldn’t that make them suspicious in a kitchen? This isn’t a
department store.”

Genesis said, “Then the disinfectant…should
be fine, right?”

Katie replied, “Why would I carry it around?
It’s still in the bathroom! I can’t go get—” Katie froze when she
heard the front door crack open, a bell tinkling gently.

“Hide in the closet,” whispered Genesis,
“we’re out of time.” Katie did as she was told.

Three wolves entered the kitchen area. One
looked especially vicious with its fangs bared in a malicious grin.
Strutting forward, they looked around and studied Luna and Genesis
with their keen eyes.

The head wolf growled, “Well, well,
well…what do we have here? Now why would a dog and cat be inside a
kitchen?”

Genesis answered, “We were hungry.”

“Ah, yes,” said the wolf, snickering loudly,
“you domesticated scum enjoy eating table scraps. It’s probably all
cooked, cold or rotten.
Ugh
. Let me tell you
something—there’s nothing better than the juicy taste of fresh
blood, my fellow canine.” He drooled at the thought of it.

“I won’t disagree,” said Luna politely, “but
surely you’ve never tried some of the cooking. It can be pretty
good too.”

The wolf barked at her, “When did I ask for
your
opinion?” He turned to Genesis. “We’re in charge of
this place now. We’re rounding up all of you and your little
friends. Now come with us. No funny business or we’ll happily eat
the two of you. You may despise us now, but when the humans are
gone, you’ll be thanking us.”

Genesis and Luna walked side by side as they
headed out the kitchen.

Luna whispered, “Why don’t we just get rid
of them?”

Genesis said, “It’s better to just lead them
away. Our priority is her safety. It’d be best if they didn’t find
out about her. The others will come to save her—”

“Shut up, runts,” shouted the wolf. “Don’t
say another word.”

A muffled ring tone could be heard in the
kitchen. It continued for a short while before it was quickly
silenced.

The wolves exchanged glances. “What is that
noise?”

Nervous, Genesis said quickly, “It’s
probably just a timer.”

“A timer?”

“You know,” said Genesis, “those things that
the humans use to remind them of something to do at a certain time.
An alarm clock for instance.”

The head wolf scanned the kitchen area,
prowling. “Why would a timer be hidden? Why would it ring for such
a short time?”

Genesis said, “Maybe the guy who set it
wanted—”

“Shut up,” said a wolf. “He wasn’t asking
you.”

The head wolf began sniffing the floor.
“Human scent…
fresh
…” Licking his lips, he followed the trail
to the closet door. “In here.” The wolf jumped up to the doorknob,
grabbed it clumsily with his teeth and tried to turn it with great
difficulty. The two other wolves, instead of watching the pets,
waited eagerly for the wolf to open the door.

While they were distracted, Genesis charged
at one wolf, slamming it into the metal door of a refrigerator, and
knocked it out.

Luna pounced on the other, slashing at its
eyes with her sharp claws. Luna was tossed aside, but she landed on
her feet. She glared at the wolf, which was now blinking to see her
with injured vision. The wolf charged blindly at her. Luna leapt
high and swatted it in the face. The wolf veered into a heap of
crates. It tumbled into the crates, stacks of canned food falling
on top of him.

The head wolf swung around to find his
fellow companions out cold. Though alone and outnumbered, he didn’t
lose confidence. He swaggered a bit and came face to face with
Genesis. The dog and the wolf walked in a circle, attempting to
stare each other down.

“You crafty mutt. A sneak attack may have
gotten you this far,” the wolf said, “but do you really think you
stand a chance against me?”

“I don’t think so,” replied Genesis. “I know
so.” Genesis lunged forward with incredible tenacity. The wolf
stumbled back. Genesis managed to clamp down on the wolf’s throat,
bringing him down to the ground without hurting him.

“How shameful,” the wolf coughed, choking
from Genesis’s grip, “for me to lose to a dog!”

Luna sat on the nearby countertop, grooming
the fur on her back. “You wouldn’t think it was shameful if you
knew who we were.” She said to the closet, “You can come out now,
little Miss Rude.”

Katie cracked open the door, glancing at the
big mess.

The wolf didn’t care about the girl. He
looked fearfully at Genesis and said, “You…a scar on the left
eye…you’re Genesis! Then the black cat is Lunesia! You’re Relic
Knights!”

Luna hopped off the counter, walked over to
the wolf’s trembling face, and said, “Ah, so you’ve finally figured
it out with that pea brain of yours. Well, it won’t do you much
good now. You’ll have to answer some of our questions…or else…”

The wolf yelped. “Or else what?” As Luna
whispered into the wolf’s ear, the wolf’s eyes widened all the way.
Whimpering, the wolf shrieked, “No! Anything but that! I’ll tell
you everything!”

Luna nodded with a smirk. “That’s a good
boy. First I want to know why you came here. Why is there an army
of forest animals marching down the street?”

“Lord Kain told us to come.”

“Lord Kain?” Her eyes narrowing, Luna said,
“So the rumors are true? Kain still lives?”

“Yes. A man came to us. He called himself
Lord Kain, ruler of the hawks and the sky. Out of his mouth came
peals of thunder and sparks of lightning. He said he would help us
regain our land from the humans. He told us of the humans’ problem
and gathered creatures from far and wide to his side.”

Luna said, “Wait. A man? Kain is human?”

“He only looks human. It is said that Kain
takes the shape of a man to hide his existence from the humans. No
one has ever seen his face. He covers himself with cloth.”

Luna pressed him for more answers. “What
have you done with the other members of the HPC? They were supposed
to be guarding the humans.”

“They are all being taken to the largest
hotel in the city where they’ll be held prisoner.”

Fearing the worst, Luna took a deep breath
before asking her last question. “And have you touched the humans?
Have you attacked or eaten them?”

The wolf shook his head. “No. Lord Kain says
not to defile our mouths with the impure blood of the humans. He
says that the same fate may befall us if we eat them while they
sleep.”

Luna looked at Genesis. “Is that all we need
to know?”

Genesis mumbled indistinctly since it was
quite hard to talk with his jaws still clenched on the wolf’s
throat. Luna nodded as though she understood.

Luna said to Katie, “If you would do the
honors.”

Katie stretched out some cloth towels she
found by the oven. “Sure.” She tied up the wolf at the feet, and
Genesis let go of the wolf’s neck.

“This is much worse than I feared,” said
Genesis, turning to Luna. “I don’t think we can look forward to
more reinforcements from the HPC.”

Luna said, “At least they aren’t messing
with the humans. We still have time to save them.”

“True, but now things are difficult. We
can’t go in the streets…and the others could be in danger.” Genesis
said to Katie, “Can you give them a call?”

Katie took out her cell phone. “Of
course.”

“Yes, indeed,” said a ghoulish voice. “Call
them.”

Startled, Katie dropped the phone. She spun
around, turning to the back door of the kitchen. A person was
standing there, the face and body covered in loose blue cloth. A
draft from the door slightly lifted the veil from the man’s face.
It was then, for a split second, that Katie was able to catch a
glimpse of the man’s visage. All she saw were pale eyes, black lips
in a mischievous grin, and shimmering green cheeks covered with
scales. Katie shivered in fright.

Genesis confronted the man. “You! Are you
Kain?”

The man paid the dog no mind. “What are you
waiting for?” he asked Katie. “Tell them where you are. Tell them
to come!”

Katie was silent and unmoving. She stared at
him, thinking about what she should do. The man drew near to
her.

Genesis dashed to intercept the man. “Don’t
come any closer!”

“Foolish pup…” The man opened his mouth and
a blue light came bursting out. Laying eyes on the terror before
him, Genesis came to an abrupt stop. Luna caterwauled. Then a
streak of lightning flew out from the man’s breath and grabbed
Genesis like an outstretched hand. Genesis flinched as numerous
volts of electricity surged through every fiber of his body. Fur
singed, the yellow Lab staggered, then gasped for air and
collapsed.

Her eyes watering, Luna ran to his side and
prodded him on the shoulder. “Don’t die on me now…you old
fool…”

- All Alone -

The exit of the underground facility led to
the woods of a city park. After exploring their way through the
park grounds, the three boys decided to take a short rest on the
wooden benches.

Kevin looked at the cell phone, scrunching
his lips. “I can’t get a hold of her. She hung up a moment ago. Now
I think she turned off her cell. I just keep getting voice
mail.”

“Maybe they’re in trouble,” Andrew suggested
unwillingly.

Kevin sighed, thinking about their current
situation. After looking around, his focus stayed on the building
straight ahead. Across the street from the park was the city
library.

“We split up.”

Tom raised his brow. “What?”

“We split up,” Kevin said again. “I’ll do
the research. You guys check up on the others.”

Tom crossed his arms and nodded. “Sounds
good to me. There’s nothing Andrew and I can’t do.” He smiled and
elbowed Andrew in the arm. “Ain’t that right, man?”