The Travelers: Book Two (4 page)

The scene fell away and Isabel found herself in a large empty space.

She spotted it on the horizon: a small mound that could have been anything, but it wasn’t nothing. Everywhere else she looked was nothing.

She ran to the something.

It looked like another rock until she grew closer.

Her blood turned to ice.

It was a person.

She couldn’t breathe; she couldn’t remember breathing this entire time, but it didn’t bother her until that moment.

She gasped, trying to catch a breath that wouldn’t come. Her lungs burned with emptiness. She felt like her chest would explode.

She knelt next to the body.

It was cold and still. Stiff.

Her blood continued to drip and she balled her hands into fists to stem the tide.

Izzy thought she might be sick, but the burn in her lungs forced her to inhale instead.

Dizziness encroached on the far reaches of her mind. Her vision tunneled.

But she had to see who it was…

She turned the body, bracing herself for the mask of death on their face.

Her eyes fell on the face, but the tunnel was already there. The body slipped away from her fingertips.

She fell.

And fell.

She thought she would keep falling straight to the center of the Earth.

Izzy awoke in her bed with a jump.

She gasped for breath, trying desperately to fill her lungs though they’d never really been empty. Her chest still ached from the lack of oxygen.

Her heart raced and her stomach roiled against her. She thought about the pale gray skin of the person in her dream and shuddered.

The blood everywhere…

It was the warehouse. She was sure of it. But it was just a dream, wasn’t it?

She debated warning the others, but after the way they’d all turned their backs on her, she didn’t know. She didn’t really want to have everyone calling her crazy again.

It was just a dream; there was nothing to worry about.

Izzy pulled herself out of bed; a thin layer of sweat coated her skin and she didn’t particularly feel like laying in a damp bed.

She made her way into the bathroom and reached for the hot water. In the light of the bathroom she saw something she hadn’t before; something that made her heart stop.

Angry red raised scars criss-crossed her palms.

<<<>>>

“Aaron! Open the door!” A woman called to him before banging her fist against his door furiously again.

“Goway,” he muttered, pulling the blankets over his head.

“Fine, you asked for this!”

He heard something slip between the door and the jamb and then a click as his door swung open. In his drunken stupor he’d neglected his usual six-lock ritual.

“What the—” He pulled himself out of bed, ready to bite the head off of whoever dared break into his house.

He spotted the blond in his kitchen, clearing off enough counter space to make a cup of coffee.

“Gemma, what are you doing here?”

Her eyes met with his, but her jaw stayed resolutely set. She clearly thought he should already know the answer to that question.

“If you’re here for an intervention, you’re wasting your time.”

She made the coffee in silence.

Aaron realized he was standing there in only his boxers and rummaged through the piles on his floor for something acceptably clean to wear.

He reemerged in the kitchen and she thrust a mug of coffee at him.

“No thanks. What are you here for?”

She offered the coffee again and sipped on hers without a word.

He sighed and took the mug. She obviously wasn’t going to talk to him unless he played by her rules.

“How did you get in?”

She raised her eyebrows and glanced at his still-full mug.

He sighed and took a long gulp of the piping hot liquid. It flowed through him and helped to wake up parts of him he’d let go dormant.

“Carson taught me a few things,” she said.

“That fucking credit card trick?”

She hid her smile behind another drink.

“So why are you here? If you’re looking for apologies you’re wasting your breath.”

“I just thought you should know that the other men are going on patrol in a couple of hours.”

“Patrol? They’re going out looking for trouble?”

Gemma shrugged, “I’m not thrilled with the plan.”

“So what makes you think I give a shit about their suicide mission?”

A frown deepened the faint lines in her forehead.

“I thought you’d want to be involved,” she said.

“If they don’t want me around, that’s fine by me.”

He set the mug down and crossed his arms.

“You did what you set out to do. You can leave now.”

Gemma shook her head.

“You know, I thought that they would have taught you better.”

“What are you talking about?”

“In the Army? Don’t they tell you to never leave a man behind?”

“I don’t need rescuing, Gemma.”

“I’m not talking about
you,
you narcissistic asshole. I’m talking about your
friends
. The men you
claim
to care about?”

“They’ll be fine without me,” he said dismissively.

“And you’re full of shit. We both know that none of them are giving this situation as much weight as it deserves. If something happens to one of them, I’m holding you accountable.
You
are the one with the training and skills they need and
you
are turning your back on your friends. You really want to pick a fight over Alina of all people?”

Aaron’s eyes fell to the floor. He knew he should be ashamed of the things he said to her. The dull ache in his face reminded him that Dez agreed.

“Everyone is pissed at you, but if you show up tonight, it’s not too late to redeem yourself,” she said.

He reached for his coffee and emptied the mug.

“What about Izzy?”

“How about you stop worrying about her for a while and worry about your friends?”

Aaron groaned and set his mug down with more force than necessary.

“I
can’t
stop thinking about her. Don’t you get it?”

“Then why the Hell do you have to argue with her every step of the way?”

“Well…” he scratched absently behind his ear, avoiding eye contact, “I mean… it didn’t actually happen that way.”

“What way did it happen?” she asked.

He rubbed the stubble on his chin and shook his head.

“It didn’t happen at all. She wants everyone to think I took advantage of her or something.”

Gemma sighed; “No, she swears it happened. I don’t know what’s going on with you two, but come to an agreement or forget about her because this is screwing with everyone.”

Aaron didn’t appreciate being given orders by Carson’s girlfriend, but he realized that within their group, Gemma was the Alpha female. If it was Carson’s job to keep everyone on task, it was Gemma’s to keep everyone happy. It was an unenviable position and he’d only been making it harder for her.

“All right. I’ll come tonight,” he said.

Gemma smiled and took both of their mugs to the sink for a quick rinse.

“Sun down. Don’t be late,” she said with a satisfied grin as she turned to leave.

Chapter Four

“He said he’d be here,” Gemma said.

“I don’t care what he said. We’re not waiting for him all night,” said Carson, a harsh edge creeping into his tone.

“Just give him five more minutes,” Gemma pleaded. She knew Carson was anxious about going out as the wolf. She was too.

And she knew that he was more worried about Aaron than he let on. Aaron wasn’t the only thing either; Carson worried about all of his friends joining him in this dangerous situation.

He was conflicted for wanting them all to be there; there was safety in numbers, but also more opportunities for accidents. By asking them along, Carson knew he was risking their lives.

“Fine, five minutes. Not a second more,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. Carson wasn’t well-renowned for his patience. His anxious nerves certainly didn’t help matters.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the Florida air came alive with the sound of mosquitoes buzzing, cicadas singing and the occasional cricket chirp. The constant hum of activity just outside the window only made Carson more eager to get out there.

Gemma pulled Carson away from the window.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked.

“It’s just like neighborhood watch, it’s not a big deal.”

She placed her hands on her hips with an exasperated glare, “Most neighborhood watches don’t have to contend with shadow monsters and magic addictions.”

He kissed her pout until it disappeared and she was left grinning despite herself.

“Have no fear! I’m here!” Aaron announced himself as he walked through the door.

“About time you showed up,” Carson said.

“And you didn’t bring your usual cloud of fumes,” Ty added.

The delicate muscles in Aaron’s jaw twitched.

“I just came to help. Can we lay off?”

Carson nodded and said “Okay.”

Ty didn’t say anything for a few minutes until Carson turned his steely blue gaze on him.

“Fine,” he grumbled.

Dez nodded and relaxed his shoulders.

“What’s the plan?” Aaron asked, laying out an arsenal of guns and knives on the table in front of them.

Gemma inhaled a breath and took a step back from the table. She’d never been so close to a gun in the wild. She’d seen them on Police Officers and the like, but this was somehow different.

“What’s all this for? We’re just patrolling,” said Trick.

“Better safe than sorry, in my mind,” answered Aaron.

“We won’t need all of this,” said Carson.

“Besides, they wouldn’t work,” Ty added.

“Why not?” Aaron asked defensively. It wasn’t clear to who he addressed the question.

“Alina knows of a special weapon we can use. I’m working on making some, but they take a while.”

“So, because of something she said, you’re going out there unarmed?” Aaron asked, his temper flaring again.

Out of the corner of his eye, Aaron saw Desmond tense again. His swollen eye and bruised face reminded him that he didn’t want to suggest Alina was anything other than perfectly pure.

“We’re not unarmed,” said Carson, “I’m your weapon.”

Aaron laughed and clapped a hand on Carson’s shoulder.

“I love you buddy, but having this will make me feel a lot better,” he said tucking a handgun into the holster at his waist. His t-shirt hid it from view and Gemma couldn’t help but wonder how many people on  the streets hid their firearms in the same way. It was an unsettling though.

“We’re just going to take a stroll around the neighborhood, keep an eye out for any weird stuff. If I happen to run across a shadow, I’ll dispatch of it,” said Carson.

Aaron nodded, but didn’t remove his gun. Nearly a decade in the military taught him better than that.

He noticed that Izzy wasn’t anywhere to be seen. He wondered if that was because of him.

Who was he kidding? Of course it was because of him. He had treated her horribly.

Still, he’d tried to explain everything to her. Was it his fault if she didn’t want to listen to him?

Gemma took Carson into her bedroom and kissed him as he laid down in her bed.

In a few moments, Gemma and the wolf emerged.

“I’m never going to get over that,” Trick said.

“It is quite fascinating,” Ty added.

Gemma’s hands shook as she gave the big dog a pat on the head.

“You guys be safe. Call me if anything happens!”

<<<>>>>

Hours passed and the men hadn’t seen anything more than a few random animals and a passing car or two.

Dez was getting restless.

“Nothing’s happing out here. Let’s just go back to the clubhouse,” he said.

Aaron shook his head, adopting the role of leader in Carson’s current state. He was used to spending hours perched in one spot; at least with this he got to move around.

“It’s still early,” he said.

Trick yawned, “Yeah, maybe for someone that slept all day.”

Aaron answered the jab with a pointed glare but kept his mouth shut.

“Be quiet,” he whispered.

“What are you—”

“Shh!” he snapped at Trick.

“Why do I need to be quiet?” Trick whispered, drawing another heated glare from Aaron.

“Just shut the fuck up for a minute.”

He peered around the next cross street and waved the rest of them forward.

“Howdy!” Albert, the Neighborhood Watch leader, shouted at them, hands waving wildly in the air.

Trick snickered, “Was that what had you spooked? A little old man in a track suit?”

Aaron ground his teeth together.

Carson whined and backed away from the rest of them, slinking in between houses to hide from Albert’s view.

The leathery old man approached the group with a too-wide smile splitting his wrinkled face.

“What are you fellas doing out so late?”

Aaron’s posture stiffened and he was suddenly a soldier again.

“Just keeping an eye out, sir. Things have been a little crazy lately,” he said.

Albert frowned; “Have they? I noticed something the other night, but you can never trust these old eyes.”

“What did you see?” Ty asked.

Aaron didn’t appreciate Ty taking the reins from him, but he had to remind himself that there was no clear hierarchy in their little group. While Carson wasn’t around, Aaron liked to consider himself the de facto leader, but lately that hadn’t been the case.

“Oh, you would call me a kook if I told you what I
thought
I saw!” Albert said with a breathy chuckle.

“Try us!” said Trick.

“Well, you know, there have been so many missing pets lately… I could have sworn I saw a giant lion! Could you imagine? A lion in Hannaford Glen? It’s preposterous, like I said. But it would explain those missing pets, wouldn’t it…”

Aaron’s eyebrow shot up of its own accord. The old man was right: normally he would call him a kook, but he remembered the massive creature that dueled his best friend.

“A lion? That is interesting. Have you seen anything else?” he asked.

The old man shook his head.

“Mrs. Kruft swears she was attacked by something, but there’s not a scratch on her.”

Trick shifted on his feet uncomfortably; wasn’t that the woman Carson attacked?

There was a whine in the bushes to Aaron’s left; he looked down and saw Carson’s faint silver-white shimmer through the leaves. What was he whining for?

Aaron looked over his shoulder and saw it: a slow tide of dark mist rolling in toward them.

Trick noticed something too, “Weird… does anyone else smell—”

“Vinegar,” Aaron answered, his hand reaching for the gun at his hip.

“It’s an old neighborhood, there are always weird smells,” Albert said.

The thick fog continued to roll in towards them. As it grew closer it was bottlenecked in between houses and as the particles were pushed together, they coalesced into something bigger.

Soon, from the fog, three shadowy wolves formed. Their pitch black lips pulled back to reveal gleaming teeth. Their guttural growls were enough to make the hair on Aaron’s arms stand on end.

“Oh my,” Albert said, backing away from the creatures to take cover behind Aaron.

Aaron’s eyes darted to his friend in the bushes; he was going to have to blow his cover if he was going to help them.

Carson leapt out of the bush onto the back of the largest wolf. He sank his teeth into the wolf’s neck and clamped down with his powerful jaws. Where he expected to taste blood there was nothing. He ripped the animal’s throat out and it dissipated into a mist once again.

The other two wolves turned their attention to Carson once he’d dispatched their leader.

One wolf tackled him and the other tried to get at his throat.

Carson wasn’t having it though. He swiped his powerful claws at the wolf on top of him.

The second grabbed him by the leg and tore a chunk from his flesh. Carson yelped in pain, but turned it around and lunged at the smallest wolf.

Aaron pulled his gun free, but felt Ty’s hand on his arm.

Ty glanced to Albert and shook his head; there was no use in blowing their cover even more when the gun wouldn’t even work.

Another sharp cry of pain and the fight was down to two wolves: one dark and one light.

Carson dragged his back leg behind him, limping as the wolf circled him.

Aaron wanted to jump in; he wanted to help. He considered himself a man of action and he couldn’t stand not being able to do anything. Even as Carson fought for his life, Aaron felt… jealous?

But that didn’t make any sense! He wanted out of the combat zone, he wanted to come back to life as a civilian. How could he possibly be jealous of this fight?

A part of Aaron that he never noticed before fidgeted and squirmed. Something deep down within him was begging to be released. He didn’t know how though. He didn’t know what that meant. He didn’t know what any of this meant.

Carson snarled and snapped at his opponent. The black wolf took his time; he was cold and calculating, waiting for Carson to make a mistake.

Carson launched himself; the other wolf rolled out of the way and pounced on Carson, his claws aimed for Carson’s soft belly.

Aaron couldn’t watch. There was nothing he could do but watch his best friend be disemboweled. He’d watched so many of his friends die. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this here. He was back home now. It was supposed to be over.

He tried to, but he just couldn’t watch; his eyes squeezed shut. His first thought wasn’t about his friend about to die or what they would do once the shadows turned on them. His first thought was Izzy. Where was she? Was she okay? What if these things found her next? What if they already had?

One of the wolves shrieked and Aaron was almost afraid to open his eyes.

Just as he did, he saw a flash of white turning the corner and breathed a sigh of relief.

“That was way too fucking close,” Aaron said, his voice trembling. His hands were trembling, too. In fact, his whole body seemed to be shaking; his adrenaline was cranked up to 11 and he didn’t know how to turn it down.

“Well, that’s one thing we can agree on,” said Ty.

“W-what… what w-was that?” Albert asked.

All eyes turned on the hunched old man who’d been forgotten in the fray.

“Uh…” stammered Trick; he looked toward Ty for an explanation.

“Well, you see… swamp gas mixes with —”

Dez interrupted.

“Stray dogs fighting. There’s been packs of them roaming around. That’s where the missing pets have gone. They’re vicious.”

Everyone looked at Dez as if he’d just sprouted another head. No one counted on him to be one with words and they certainly never expected him to come up with a passable story on the fly.

Aaron smirked, pretty impressed.

“I… but those didn’t look like regular dogs. Didn’t they just disappear?”

Aaron’s smirk slipped into a frown.

“You must be confused, they all ran off,” he said.

“We’re lucky they didn’t turn toward us,” Ty added, real fear adding a hint of authenticity.

“This neighborhood has gotten too dangerous for you to be doing this, Albert,” Aaron said, “Why don’t you let us take it over for you until this is all cleaned up?”

Albert still looked ashen in the flickering street lamps.

“I’ve been doing it for so long,” he muttered.

“And it’s been appreciated. We just don’t want to see anything happen to you,” Aaron said convincingly.

They escorted the old man home, each trying to shake off their shock in their own way.

Aaron knew for sure now that Carson couldn’t do this on his own; he needed help. That was such a close call and they still didn’t know the extent of Carson’s injuries or if he’d even made it home.