Parahuman (Parahuman Series) (20 page)

     Laney
looked up at him and then back at the window in alarm. “Why would it even do
that? It didn’t attack anyone outside where it would have been way easier.”

     That
was an excellent question and one he had already asked himself. It was
worrisome conundrum.

     Suddenly,
they heard a shot from outside. Devan didn’t hear a bullet impact, so either
the bullet had sailed past not hitting anything or someone was shooting in the
air. Holding Laney back Devan went to the window to see that the wolves had halted
their incursion of the building to look around. Two men were standing near the
main entrance of the school, both of them holding shot guns.

     No
such thing as a ‘Weapon Free Zone’ at this school.

    
Seeing that the wolves hadn’t scattered, the men shot into the air in hopes of
scaring them away. Devan watched in disquiet as the animals twitched in alarm
at the noise, but didn’t run. One of the men took aim; although it was statistically
low that he would hit one with a shot gun at the distance he was at. Firing, he
kicked up some asphalt as the bullet smashed into the ground. This startled the
animals a little more and they did scamper back a few yards.

     Except
for one…the wolf that had looked in the window stood its ground, looking at the
men as though seeing if they would do anything else besides make noise, and
then as if deciding they weren’t a threat it turned slowly…making a rush for
the window. 

     Turning
Devan scooped Laney up in his arms and jumped as far away from the window as
the interior would allow; landing in the far corner just as the animal came
crashing through the glass. 

    
Spinning around to face it he pushed Laney behind him. They had landed by a
variety of football equipment. Devan grabbed what would be useful as a
weapon…two football helmets.

     The
wolf shook itself scattering shards of glass everywhere. The animal had to be
at least seven feet long and looked to weigh at least two hundred
pounds…definitely larger than the average gray wolf.

     Even
though he was concentrating mostly on the wolf Devan still sensed Laney behind
him reaching for a couple helmets of her own. He was terrified at the thought
that the animal might actually get close enough to her that she would have to
use them.

     “Find
somewhere to hide,” Devan yelled in a panic.

     “There’s
no place to hide,” she shot back tersely. “You might need some help, and two is
better than one.” 

     Devan
knew she was correct in that there wasn’t any where to hide, but her
announcement to help him was not something he wanted to think about.

     The
wolf padded closer, its gaze intent upon them. It was snarling but not
salivating as one would expect a diseased animal would. He was at a loss as to
why this animal and the rest of them were acting the way they were. Devan was
just thankful there was only one to deal with and that the rest of them hadn’t
followed this one through the window. He could hear more gun shots from outside
and the sound of a siren in the distance. Reinforcements were at least on the
way.

     The
wolf had closed the distance between them to ten feet. Forgoing stealth it
leaped into the air with its jaws wide, Laney screamed behind him. 

    
Swinging both helmets Devan knocked the wolf sideways through the air away from
them; he heard a satisfying crunch as the helmets made contact with its head
and shoulder. The animal yelped in pain as it went soaring into some track
hurdles. It staggered up disentangling itself from the hurdles looking a bit
wobbly but righting itself rapidly. Devan could tell he had hurt it, but that
wasn’t stopping it from coming at them again.

     “Oh
God!” Laney exclaimed. The fear in her voice stabbed at Devan’s gut.

     The
animal leaped for them again, snarling viciously. “Get down.” Devan commanded.
Hoping that Laney listened to him Devan bent and lodged the helmets under the airborne
wolf; using the wolf’s own momentum he sent it flying into some garden tools. 

    When
the wolf crashed Devan observed a bundle of sky poles in the corner where it
had landed, and rather than beating the animal to death he decided the best
plan would be to go for a quick kill. He just needed to get over there without
leaving Laney exposed.

     There
wasn’t anywhere to hide, but he could get her out of the wolf’s immediate reach.
Spinning around he grabbed her by the waist hoisting her over his head. She
gasped at his sudden actions, dropping the helmets and gripped his wrists reflexively.

     “Grab
the ceiling joist,” he urged. “Quickly!”

     Grabbing
a post Laney swung a leg over. Her gaze moved over his shoulder and an
expression of acute horror crossed her face. “Look out,” she screamed just as
he was hit from behind.

     The
weight of the wolf slamming into him was jarring, but its weight wasn’t enough
to take him down. It did dislodge his glasses though, sending them skittering
across the floor. Claws dug into his skin about half an inch and it hurt, but
not as much as the teeth would. Before it could sink its teeth into him Devan
reached back and grabbed a fistful of its pelt; bending and spinning quickly he
pulled it over his shoulder and sent it soaring and skittering into the back of
the lawn mower. 

    
Looking up Devan made sure Laney safe in the rafters, well away from the wolf.

     “Stay
there,” he commanded.

    
Bounding over the injured wolf, that was getting to its feet a little slower
this time, Devan could see its gaze track him instead of Laney, for which he
was grateful.

    
Landing near the ski poles he grabbed one and ripped off the circular basket
near the end.

     He
turned as Laney yelled his name and saw the wolf spring with another ferocious
growl. Devan had enough time to bring the pole up as the force of its two
hundred pound body hit, sending him staggering back against the wall. The pole
pierced the wolf’s body, the force of the animal’s lunge sending it forcefully
through muscles and organs out the other side. He felt a faint thumping along
the stick telling him that it had gone through the heart.

     The
wolf didn’t die right away though; its eyes rolled madly and its teeth went for
his throat. Letting go of the pole Devan grabbed the muzzle keeping it away.
However, he wasn’t able to stop the claws from dragging down his left shoulder
and arm leaving a searing burn in their wake.  

     That
was all the animal had left to give though. Its front paw slackened falling
from his arm, and Devan watched the life leave its eyes as it slumped dead
against his body. He pushed it off him, his arm throbbing at the effort.

    
Devan’s primary thought was for Laney’s continued safety and he looked up to
make sure she was alright. She was dropping from the joist and hurrying over
with tears in her eyes. She didn’t say anything for a moment when she reached
him, just stared at him with watery eyes. Devan felt like he could get lost in
those green depths.

     “Are
you okay?” Devan asked, worried when she didn’t say anything.

     This
seemed to snap her out of her shock.

     “Am I
okay; of course I am,” she declared emotionally. She reached out to put her
hand under his forearm; lifting it gently she pulled the material of his shirt
away from the bloody scratches to examine the wound.

    
Looking down at her bent head Devan felt a lump in his throat at the gentleness
of her touch. Yes, the scratches hurt, but the feel of her hand on his arm and
the heat of her body close to his overshadowed any pain he was feeling—that
could have also been from imminent shock though.

     “Why
didn’t you just get up on the joists with me?” She asked in a reproving tone.

     “I
had a feeling it wasn’t going to stop.” He watched her as she tenderly saw to
his arm. Her actions sent a serene feeling through him. It was nice even with
the pain of his injury.

     “God,
these are a mess. We need to get you to a doctor before you lose too much
blood.”

     Devan
took note that Laney’s voice sounded like she was the one in pain instead of
him; however, her words brought his attention abruptly back to the moment. There
was no way he could go to a doctor. Devan cocked his ear to the sounds outside
and could sense no signs of the other wolves. They must have been scared away by
the gun fire. He did hear sirens echoing in the distance though. Someone was
bound to check on this building any second.

     What
Devan was going to do next was going to change everything.

    
“Laney.”

    
“What?” She looked up from his arm her eyes still moist with tears.

     “I
need you to do me a big favor.” She was never going to agree to this.

     “Of
course,” she said fervently, looking almost enthralled by his eyes.

     “I
can’t be found in here with a dead wolf, and I can’t go to the doctor.” He was
in a dilemma of epic proportions.

     This
seemed to shake her out of her enthrallment and she frowned in confusion. “What
do you mean?”

     “This
incident is going to end up in the news, and I can’t be associated with it.”

     “Why
not?” She asked warily.

     “If
I’m seen on the news I would be put in danger.” Devan heard voices in close
proximity to the building and knew he was running out of time. “Can you pretend
that you did this? People are coming and I can’t be seen here.” He urged
desperately with little hope that she would agree. Why would she?

     Devan
would just have to slip away at some point during the chaos. He could text Brett
and he would have everything necessary packed and then they would have to get
out of town quickly so…

     “Yes.” 

     Devan’s
planning came a swift halt at Laney’s response and he stared at her in shock;
he couldn’t believe she had just agreed with no real explanation. Maybe…

     A
voice from outside yelled. “Is anyone in there?”

     “Go,
out the back window,” she whispered, pushing him in that direction. He let her
push him in a daze, astonished it had been so easy. He really hadn’t expected
her to agree.

     “Is
anyone in there; is everyone okay?” The voice called again, getting closer.

     Looking
out the back window to make sure it was all clear Devan pulled himself up and
out. It deposited him in the back of the school. Devan just stood there for a
moment staring down at her when his priority should have been finding some
place to hide out. Their gazes were locked, and the intensity he witnessed in
hers was making it hard for him to turn away.

     Movement
and someone yelling out front broke the connection causing Laney to jerk in
surprise. Devan took a step back and after one last longing look he turned and sprinted
away.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  
“Is anyone in there?” A voice from outside yelled.

     Laney
watched Devan disappear from the window her heart twisting in anxiety. Those
scratches on his arm weren’t minor and she had allowed him to run off to who
knows where. What if he lost too much blood? He could end up passing out
somewhere and nobody would find him for hours and then he could end up dying.

     Oh,
God, she was going to hyperventilate.

     “Hey,
is anyone in there?” The voice from outside yelled again.

     Taking
a few deep breaths Laney got her panic attack under control. She had made a
promise to him that she would keep him out of this and she would. However, she
would be making a point of looking for him later
and
getting a hold of
his uncle. She was sure he had some knowledge of what was going on.

     
Leaning down Laney rubbed her hands in the puddle of blood pooling around the
wolf’s body, and smeared it down the front of her jacket. After another deep
breath she walked over to the window. She was doing something totally against
her nature. She was going to lie, and not just a little lie, but a whopper of a
lie, and not just to one person, but to everyone.

     When
Devan had asked his favor she had gone into shock there for a minute, but the
look of desperation in his eyes, those amazingly hypnotic golden eyes, had
bypassed every moral facet she possessed. There was just no way she could have
said ‘no’ to him. Plus, it wasn’t like this lie was going to hurt anyone, which
made it a lot easier to say ‘yes’.

     A
little voice in her head whispered, ‘would you have been able to say ‘no’ to
anything he would have asked?’

     Laney
walked up to the window. “It’s Laney Jennings, and I have a bit of a situation
in here.” Mr. Abcott, the principle, was standing on the other side with a shot
gun in his hand. 

    
“Laney! Oh my…are you alright? We saw one of the wolves jump in there.”

     “Yes,
it’s in here, but its dead.”

    
“Dead!” Mr. Abcott gasped. He ran over to the door but it wouldn’t open for him.
He started butting it with his shoulder.

     “Hold
up a minute. The lawn mower in pushed up against it.” Laney walked away from
the window. Fortunately, she knew where the key to the mower was, otherwise,
there was no way anyone would believe she had pushed it in front of the door.
She was still amazed Devan had been able to move it. It was a several hundred
pound mower for crips sake. Then there were the two fifteen foot jumps, one
while holding her. And let’s not forget the fight with the wolf itself.
Everything was an extraordinary jumble of super feats rolling around in her
head.  

    
Grabbing the key from a concealed hole under a side shelf Laney started the
mower and backed it up. Mr. Abcott cautiously stepped through the door and
looked around. Spotting Laney in her blood covered shirt his eyes widened in
alarm and he ran forward.

     “Oh
my God! We need to get you to an ambulance at once.”

     Laney
held up her hands to reassure him she was all right but forgot how bloody they
were, he gaped in further horror at the sight of them. “I’m alright Mr. Abcott,
this is not my blood. The blood is from the wolf over there.”

     Mr.
Abcott followed the direction of her finger. Laney wouldn’t have thought his
mouth could open any wider, but at the sight of the huge dead wolf lying on the
ground, it did.

     The
next hour was chaos. Laney was made to get checked over by the paramedics even
though she told them she wasn’t injured. Nobody believed it after getting a
look at the wolf and the blood all over her, and she could hardly blame them
for doubting her. The wolf was huge.

     When
she told the police what happened, editing Devan out of the picture, they all
looked at her like she was some kind of ‘she-hulk’. Laney had explained that
when the wolf jumped through the window she had picked up the ski pole to
protect herself and the animal had impaled itself on it in a complete fluke of
circumstances.

     Her
dad arrived while she was being questioned and had an absolute conniption when
he saw the blood all over her. She assured him she was fine, but he hovered
over her for at least ten minutes unwilling to leave her side. It was all good
though because he was long time friends with the police and he told them to
make sure her name was kept hush-hush. That was fine with her; she didn’t want
reporters hounding her for a story, especially since it really wasn’t her
story.

     Hali came
to sit with her for a while but the police and school began notifying everyone
that the school was being closed for the day and that everyone was to head
home. The school buses were still in front of the school so people just loaded
back onto them. Those people who drove to school jammed out of there; most
likely heading for The Diner to rehash everything.

    
Ninety minutes later most everyone had cleared out. A large group of men and
women had assembled into a hunting party and where checking out the wooded area
around the schools to make sure that the wolves were gone. Her dad had joined a
group to go track the wolves.

     Laney
had sent Hali away with the promise that she would get back with her soon. Hali
hadn’t wanted to leave at first, but Laney had told her she needed to be alone
for little bit after all the uproar.

     So
now Laney was sitting in her truck in the empty school parking lot staring at
Devan’s jeep trying to decide what to do next. Should she drive out to his
house or try to follow his blood trail. Although, she had a feeling that he
would be good at concealing such a trail. Unless he was too woozy from blood
lose to make an effort.

     And that
was the thought that got her moving.  

    
Getting out of her truck Laney nonchalantly strolled toward the back of the
school. A police cruiser was parked in front of the school, but the officer,
Kevin Sawer, was talking on his radio while gazing into the woods. Laney had
changed into an spare sweatshirt that had been stowed in her back seat so she was
no longer a walking billboard for zombie’s-r-us, thus she was able to sneak
around back without him even noticing her.

    
Rounding the building Laney scrutinized the ground, but just as she thought
there was no signs of any blood, and a scan of the athletic fields gave no
further clues to where he could have gone. Thinking that her only option was to
head to his house and question his uncle Laney was about to head back to her
truck when she suddenly remembered Devan’s roof stunt yesterday at lunch.  

    
Taking a few steps back Laney gazed up at the school roof. If he was up there
she wasn’t going to be able to see him and it would take quite an effort to get
up there. She would do it though if there was a possibility he was up there.
The thought of him bleeding to death was still upper most in her mind and
driving her frantic with worry. Before she went searching for a ladder or
attempted looking for some kind of roof top door she decided to take the easy
route first.

    
“Devan,” she whispered loudly. “Are you up there? It’s me, Laney.”

     Clutching
her shirt fretfully and shuffling further alongside the building Laney
continued her loud whispering. “Devan! It’s me, Laney. No one else is around.
Everyone’s gone home. Are you up there?”

     After
several seconds elapsed with no response Laney was considering grabbing the ladder
out of the storage building when Devan’s head suddenly popped over the side. Her
heart about exploded in relief. “Ohh, thank God, you’re alive. I was having
some major heart palpitations that you might be bleeding to death up there.
Most everyone is gone now. We could probably get you out of here without anyone
noticing.”

    
Devan’s head disappeared for a few seconds causing Laney’s heart to skip in
distress, but then it reappeared again.

    
“Laney, I know I’ve asked you for a lot today, but can you do me one more favor
and drive my jeep over to this corner of the building.” His hand emerged holding
a set of keys.

     Laney
nodded her head. “Of course, drop them.”

     The
keys landed at her feet. Laney swiped them up and strolled unobtrusively over
to Devan’s jeep. The sneaking was unnecessary though, because Kevin was no
longer in his car, in fact, she couldn’t see him anywhere.

    
Picking up her pace she unlocked the door and pulled herself up into the
driver’s seat. Her feet were like a foot away from the pedals so she had to
position the seat a lot closer. Putting the jeep in gear Laney drove over to
the corner of the building. She put it in park, but left the engine running as
she jumped out and she ran back to the rear of the school.

    
“Devan its all clear. Should I get you a ladder?” Laney knew he could get down
by himself because he’d don’t it before, but he hadn’t been injured that time.

     Devan
didn’t reply he just swung his legs over the side along with the rest of his
body. He dropped down with a heavy ‘thump’ and swayed slightly before righting
himself. Laney’s hands automatically came out to steady his landing, and her
eyes became fixated on the markings decorating Devan’s back.

     It
had to be a tattoo, but it was the most realistic tattoo she’d ever seen. The
artwork consisted of orange and black rosettes scattered systematically over
his entire shoulders and back. It even looked like it might go beyond his
shorts waist band. It looked like the skin of a jaguar painted on his back. His
skin tone even matched the tan color of the animal.

     It
was incredible!

     But
as incredible as it was the blood dripping down Devan’s back from punctures in
his shoulders drew most of her attention. He turned bringing more bloody damage
to her attention.

     The
dark shirt that had been on his back was now wrapped around his arm, and even
though it was a dark colored shirt Laney could still see the blood soaked into
the material. He had ripped the shirt into strips enabling him to tie a
tourniquet around his upper arm to slow the flow of blood, and then the rest of
the shirt was tied around the long gashes.

     “Oh
God!” Laney gasped. She tore her gaze from the bloody mess of his arm to his
face. Devan’s normally tanned features were sickly pale. He had lost his
glasses in the fight with wolf so Laney was able to look into his amazing
golden eyes. She would have enjoyed it a lot more if his eyes weren’t a bit
unfocused and at half-mast like he was having a hard time keeping them open.
“We need to get you to a doctor!”

     Devan
shook his head which caused him to stagger a little. “No, no doctor. They can’t
help me.”

     He
righted himself and started walking to his jeep. Laney could tell that he was
feeling the loss of blood because his stride wasn’t as smooth as it normally
was. She sidled up next to his uninjured side and put her arm around his waist.
He stiffened at first but then relaxed, and the pleasure Laney felt at his
acceptance was indescribable. 

     When
they rounded the corner of the building they stopped to look around quickly
before scuttling quickly to the jeep. Devan headed for the driver’s side but
Laney wasn’t having that, she steered him toward the passenger seat. At least,
she tried. He might have been weakened by blood loss but he was still stronger
than her and she wasn’t accomplishing much nudging in that direction.

     “You
are not driving. You look like you’re about to pass out.” Laney pushed him
again in the direction of the passenger seat. He opened his mouth and Laney
knew an argument was coming out of his mouth. “We can stand here all day and
get caught or you can get in the passenger seat, because I’m not letting you
drive.” Laney said with steel in her tone.

     He
looked down at her in surprise. His golden eyes exhibited a variety of
emotions; pain and fatigue, but also…bemusement and fear? He relented though, and
she expelled a huge sigh of relief that he trusted her to help him. She opened
the passenger door for him and helped him in. The seat was too far forward for
Devan’s legs to fit so Laney adjusted it. He threw another mystified look her
way.

    
Because she helped him out; making him comfortable?

     “Let’s
get you buckled up.” She leaned over him avoiding his injured arm to grab the
belt and pull it over him with a ‘click’. He gave her another puzzled look before
she shut the door.
Buckle up?
Like he needs to worry about that right
now. Hurrying over to the driver’s side Laney jumped in and buckled up.

     Laney
threw a quick look at Devan’s arm and face as she put the jeep in gear; neither
looked all that good. “I’m taking you to the doctor,” she stated emphatically
driving out of the school parking lot. Laney wasn’t going to let him bleed to
death, no way.

    
Holding his arm against his chest Devan turned to look at Laney with a lucid
and very grave expression. “Laney, I cannot go to the clinic. They will not be
able to help. In fact, they would only put me in danger.” He leaned back in his
seat as though the effort of being cogent was too much of an effort any longer.
“Take me to my house. My uncle will know what to do.”