Hair, Greg - Werewolf 01 (24 page)

Walking down the tunnel, they noticed that every several feet there was another corridor on their left or right. It was difficult to determine which way the music was coming from. They were also unsure about whether to take one of the side passages. Once, Landon got a closer look down a branching tunnel, seeing doors and more turns. Only about half of the branches were on the map they had seen earlier. It became apparent that this design, this labyrinth, had a purpose. While Landon was checking out another hallway, LillyAnna realized that the main tunnel came to a dead-end. The end of the song played, then broke into silence. A few seconds later, it began again, and Landon paid a little more attention to the lyrics—
There’s a girl in my heart,
who’s heart I’ve stolen
.

He wondered if there was another message located within the words. Emerging from the side passage, he looked at LillyAnna, making sure she was safe. He wondered if the underlying message in the lyrics was a threat to her.

“Stay close to me,” he said.

Sticking his head in and out of each branch, he smelled the air to pick up Jamie or Nicholas’ scent. Unfortunately, their scents were everywhere. Around every corner, their smells permeated the air. The music grew louder.

“I’m having a hard time finding them,” he whispered. “I don’t know where to go.”

“You’re used to using your senses of smell and hearing so much to track someone,” said LillyAnna. “Try something different.”

He reached out for her hand, closed his eyes, and tuned out all the smells and sounds. The scent of werewolves all around, the music, and the dripping water all began to gradually fade from his mind one by one.

He felt on his skin the vibrations of the decibels coming from the speakers. Opening his eyes, he noticed that one tunnel, up a little farther on the left before reaching the dead-end wall, was darker than all the others were. Every other side passage had some light; this one had none. Still holding her hand, he walked closer, feeling the vibrations increase.

“It’s this one.”

A reinforced steel door stood at the end of the tunnel. Whatever was on the other side was not intended to be seen. Landon anticipated that the door would be locked and used more strength than was necessary because it actually was unlocked. The heavy door flew back on its hinges, slamming into the wall with a loud thud.

“They definitely know we’re here now,” she said.

The new arrivals looked around the darkened room and saw that the ceiling was high—incredibly high. LillyAnna flipped a switch near the door. The fluorescent lights high above came on. They now estimated the space from floor to ceiling was about the size of a small cathedral. They stood there alone. At the other end was a small room with a little window in the door. The light was on, and it seemed to be the origin of the music.

They looked back down the corridor behind them and saw no one. Landon held her hand. They walked toward the room at the opposite end and, getting about half way, stopped as they heard the music end abruptly. The light went out. Then, as quickly as the music ended, it began again, only this time, a different song played.

“Mr. Lonely,” said Landon. “Whoever it is has a penchant for the oldies.” They eased toward the room.

26

Reaching the little room’s door, each werewolf took a position on opposite sides of the window. Landon mouthed a three count. She opened the door quickly as he rushed inside. She followed, closing the door behind her. Though the light remained off, Landon and LillyAnna saw a woman tied to a chair in the middle of the room and a man standing behind her, a knife to her throat. The music continued.

“I can see you,” said Landon. “Drop the knife, Jerry.”

LillyAnna crossed behind Landon and turned off the stereo. Creeping around the wall of the room, she made her way behind the man, never losing sight of the knife. Landon’s gaze never left the man’s eyes.

Landon ran his hand along the wall behind him, searching for the light switch and turning it on. Then, for the first time, he looked at the woman’s face. He nearly forgot where he was as the woman from five years ago sat before him, a butcher’s blade to her neck.

“Paige,” he said, surprised as much at hearing himself say her name out loud as he was to see her sitting there.

“I’m sorry, Landon,” responded Paige.

“Sorry for what? What are you doing here?”

“She’s sorry,” spoke Jerry, “that you won’t be the one who has the last dance with her.”

“Landon,” said Paige, “there’s something I need to tell you.”

“She wants to tell you that she’s had a wonderful time, even without her kids,” said Jerry. Paige slowly closed her eyes.

“Kids?” asked Landon. “Let her go, Jerry. I don’t know where Jamie and Nicholas are, but you don’t realize who you’ve gotten involved with. They’re not just gonna let you walk out of here. Let her go, and I can get you out alive.”

“Oh, they’re off somewhere with the kids. They should be here soon,” Jerry said. “And they will let me go.”

“They have your kids, Paige?” asked Landon.

“Landon—” began Paige.

“Wait a minute,” said Jerry, jumping up and down like a little kid, the knife grazing her throat. “They’re his kids, too? And he didn’t know? Oh, this is so much fun.”

Landon looked at Jerry, then back at Paige. The tears kept falling from her eyes. LillyAnna, still standing behind Jerry, unbeknownst to him, stared at Landon. The gravity of Scott’s words atop the Empire State Building now made sense. Landon’s eyes burned red.

“LillyAnna,” said Landon, “go.”

LillyAnna darted from behind Jerry and out of the room. Landon closed the door and locked it.

“You’re not going to walk out of this room alive, Jerry,” he said. “I’m sorry, too, Paige.”

“Sorry for what?”

“That you have to see this.”

Within seconds, the werewolf stood before them. He tried to keep his wobbling from being obvious; he was still under the influence of the full moon. Jerry backed away from Paige, who remained tied in her seat as the beast crossed the room. The knife dropped, clanking on the concrete floor. Landon took one swipe at the rope, freeing Jerry’s captive. She ran to the opposite side of the room, giving the creature more space to work with.

“I told you he was going to kick your ass.”

Jerry backed up as far as he could, hitting the wall behind him. He screamed as Landon’s left claw connected with his right side, throwing him like a doll into the corner. Jerry bounced to the floor, his head smacking against the cold surface. Landon reached down, picked him up, and tossed him into the chair, breaking it, sending jagged pieces of wood jutting into his body.

Suddenly, the door exploded, splintering into thousands of pieces, dust filling the room as another werewolf, covered in blond fur, burst into the room. Both werewolves stood their ground silently while Paige cowered in a far corner, and Jerry lay on the ground. The beasts shook their heads from time to time as if trying to get something out of their brains. Jamie took a slight step forward, growling, giving Landon all the justification he needed to scream back and lunge at his son. The elder rocketed into the younger’s torso, causing the two beasts to fly out of the small holding area and into the large room that became their arena.

LillyAnna ran as quickly as she could down the tunnels, checking all possible rooms and branching passages. It didn’t take long for her to find what she hoped she wouldn’t. Standing at the end of the primary corridor was Nicholas.

“Well, well, look at the dog that’s gone hunting without her master,” he said. “Ryker told you that someday you would have to face someone who you cared about. How is Scott, anyway?”

“Jamie is following you blindly. What have you done to him?” asked LillyAnna.

“What have
I
done? You mean what has
Landon
done. It always comes back to the sins of the father. I have simply recognized what your boyfriend failed to see—Jamie’s potential. He’s going to set things right.”

“And you’re just along for the ride, I guess,” she remarked sarcastically. “Where are they?”

“The children? Oh, they’re around. You want ‘em? Come get them,” Nicholas snapped.

LillyAnna took a few steps, and Nicholas ripped off his clothes and mutated. The large black werewolf beckoned her with his claw. He staggered slightly. She noticed that he was no different than any other werewolf under a full moon, and took a half-step back, her heart pounding, blood racing. Then she darted forward, turning into her brown werewolf form as Nicholas sprang to meet her. The contacting bodies thundered in the passageway. LillyAnna was thrown down an adjoining tunnel, hitting the wall at the end with her back, the concrete crumbling around her while she lay on the floor motionless.

Paige watched Jerry struggle to pick himself up. She saw him look around the room, focusing his gaze across the floor. Following his line of sight, she saw the knife lying near the broken entrance. He tried to stand quickly as she ran to the knife, but he collapsed again. Paige didn’t hesitate. Running back to Jerry, knife in hand, she fell to the floor beside him, and thrust the blade into his stomach. While Jerry McClursky lay there bleeding out, she turned his head toward her and opened his eyes.

“I wanted you to see that it was a woman who beat you,” she said, pushing the knife in farther until she felt it exit his back. He died immediately.

Outside, in the chapel-sized room, the blond werewolf struggled to keep up its fight. Landon repeatedly picked Jamie up, slamming him against the floor, or throwing him against a wall. At one point, as he catapulted Jamie to the ceiling, Jamie’s body hit a dusty, rusted pipe, knocking it loose. The pipe still hung there as he came crashing back down, putting an eight foot crater in the floor. Landon was relentless. He bounded on top of Jamie, tearing into his fur and flesh with his teeth and claws. He could only think about taking the teenager in, discovering the boy was his son, and the devastation that followed. Now Jamie had kidnapped his other children. Justice wasn’t coming quickly enough.

Paige stepped out of the small room and watched as Landon brutally attacked her kidnapper, her children’s kidnapper. His son. Jamie lay there, taking it, no longer fighting back. She ran over to Landon, crying, begging him to stop. She tried in vain to get through. Landon looked at her, letting out a terrible howl, when suddenly a brown werewolf flew over his head, landing near Jerry’s tomb. Landon barely turned his head back to the main door when he was rushed from behind, knocked into a far wall.

Paige, trembling, turned to run toward Landon when Jamie grabbed her by the ankle and lashed at her back. The wound opened to her kidneys, and she collapsed. Landon gave another terrible howl. The black werewolf stood by Jamie, protecting him while the teen changed to human form to heal his wounds. Nicholas transformed into his human shape.

“You never could beat me during all your trainings, Landon,” said Nicholas, looking down at Paige, as Landon and LillyAnna turned human.

“Paige,” whispered LillyAnna, crying.

“It’s real easy to get the jump on someone when that person doesn’t see you coming,” said Landon. “And it’s easy to attack a mortal, isn’t it, Jamie? How about both of you come a little closer and try me again.”

Landon’s claws extended as he stepped toward Nicholas, never taking his eyes off Paige.

“You were irresponsible to bring her along,” said Nicholas, pointing to LillyAnna.

“I’m still alive, aren’t I?” said LillyAnna.

“Only because I let you be so.”

“Please,” begged LillyAnna. “Let us help Paige.”

Paige’s blood continued spilling out over the cold cemented floor. Nicholas looked down at her, back up at LillyAnna, and shook his head.

“Nicholas, please, my kids,” said Landon. “Jamie, they’re your brother and sister. Don’t do this. You don’t know anything about the man you’re with.”

“I know enough,” said Jamie. “I know he was unfairly hunted in France for a murder he didn’t commit. He’s not like you.”

“I know that story, about the killings that took place in Gevaudan. He’s told that story before. Jamie, if I were you, I’d begin to question what he tells you. I now suspect
he
was the creature who killed all those men, women, and children. Jamie, I’m sorry for my attack on you. Come back with me. Let’s start over. Please let the children go. They are completely innocent. Whatever he wanted with them, you can help them now.”

“You’re not always very good at putting the pieces together are you?” asked Nicholas.

“Jamie,” whispered Landon. “What does he mean?”

“You ruined my life, and I wanted you to hurt the way that I’ve hurt. I wanted to take away something that you cared about, just as it was taken from me.”

Landon took a few steps closer as Nicholas became the hulking black werewolf once more. Jamie inched nearer to Paige, laying his hand upon her back. She was still alive.

“If you come closer,” said Jamie, “I’ll make sure she keeps breathing, and that it’s slow and painful.”

“He took our kids,” began Paige, raising her head slowly and looking at Landon. “Kill the bastard.”

Jamie angrily raised his hand, claws extended, and aimed for her head. Before he could make contact, LillyAnna, as a werewolf, burst across the floor, grabbing Jamie, and sailed out of the large room into the corridor.