Flash Fiction #181 --Escaping Somewhere Else, Part 16: Followers

(Previous)

The two groups didn't waste time.  We moved out of the area as quickly as we could.  Trouble would try to find us.  No one doubted it would happen, least of all me.

I was tired.

"Hey," Maggie said and put a hand on my shoulder.  "You look like hell, cousin."

"I've had better vacations."  I tried to smile.  "Next time we go to the beach."

"Yeah!" She agreed enthusiastically and I thought it might really happen.

"Can we go home, Maggie?  I mean all the way back?"

"It isn't the same if you do."  She kicked at a little rock.  "Or maybe it wouldn't be so different for you, but I had a real reason to leave.  I don't want to feel petty, but I'm glad my parents finally went to prison.  They got what they deserved."

"They did.  It was karma.  You got a better world -- well sometimes -- and they got what they deserved."

"You have something to go home to, though."  She gave me an oddly worried look.

"I no longer belonged, you know.  I was looking at moving out.  Mom remarried.  She's happy.  I wanted to find my own life."  I looked around and shook my head.  "I am not finding it here."

"No one finds it here," Maggie said.  "What about Elsewhere?"

"I don't remember a time in Elsewhere when someone wasn't chasing me or trying to kill me," I replied.  Her eyes went wind and then she nodded.  "I suspect I might like it if I could just sit down there for a little while.  Get a feel for it."

For some reason, Maggie thought that was funny.

Lord Snow lead us towards the hill where we had descended into the city.  I wanted to complain about backtracking, but at least we were moving and maybe towards something positive.  Lord Snow and Edmond were deep in conversation and I tried -- really tried -- to take that as a good sign.

"Do you really think we should leave the planning up to the two cats?" I asked softly.

Both cats' ears swiveled back my way, though they didn't look, slow or show any other sign of having heard.  Oh but they were listening.  I knew it.  Maggie knew it, too.

"Do you have some ideas?"

"Ummm . . . No."

"Then we go with the cats.  How much worse can it get?"

I wanted to yell at her for being crazy and saying something like that.  How much worse could it get?  I looked up, literally expecting the sky to be falling on us, or at least the city.

Was my father up there?  Did he know I was here?  I needed to spend some time with Lord Snow.  I would have liked a private talk, but that seemed unlikely.  I glanced over my shoulder and nearly tripped at the sight of all the people -- whether human or not -- who were following us.

Beth, who was just behind us, moved up to put a hand on my arm.  "Pretty impressive, isn't it?  It seems like a few more join us every few steps.  You're the first hope we've had, Mark."

They were all there because of me.  The thought made me lightheaded, but that came from a surge of fear like I'd never felt before.  I had their lives in my hands and I hadn't a clue what to do.  My plan at the moment was to follow the cats.

"Maggie --" I said, turning to her in panic.

"You're fine."  She looked past me to Beth.  "He's new at this stuff."

"And doing a fine job.  Maybe being new has helped," she said.  "The rest of us have been here a long time and come to accept that this is simply the way things are.  I never thought to escape after a while.  I simply went into hiding and hoped no one found us."

"Did you ever hear rumors about ways out?" I asked.  I wanted some clue about what to expect.

"Not often.  Mostly we heard about people disappearing up to the city.  That might have been an enticement if their bodies didn't turn up a few months later."

I looked up.  I had noticed that Beth did not, as though looking at the place would draw attention to us.  I figured if they hadn't noticed the several hundred followers by now, they were pretty much blind anyway.

Something moved.  I looked away before I tripped and then back up again.  A bit of dark darted up by a window.  Probably a bird.

A very big bird.

I didn't say anything, but I was starting to glance around to see what cover we had in the area.  The ruins of buildings were still around us, but there were fewer of them here, but some were in better shape.

"Beth, start spreading the word that we might need to take cover.  Everyone should keep an eye on some building close to wherever they are and be prepared to head for it."

"Trouble?" she said with a sigh.

"I saw something flying up there."

"Damned wyverns," she mumbled.  "Well, not a surprise.  I'll start spreading the word."

She didn't ask where they were going, which he thought rather brave.  He hadn't exactly asked either, though.  When Edmond and Lord Snow stopped and waited for him, he knew that they might have some sort of answer.

"Two paths," Edmond said with a dip of his head  ahead.  There were more than two paths there, but obviously Snow and Edmond could sense two in particular that held interest.  "I want to explore both, but we don't have time.  So this is where you make a decision, human."

"I need to know about the choices," I said.  "We don't have a lot of time.  I have the feeling something is going to come for us soon."

Edmond looked upward.  "Yeah, real soon."

I looked up.  A dozen of the wyverns were sweeping in circles above us.  And more were joining them.

To be continued. . . .

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Flash Fiction #180 --Escaping Somewhere Else, Part 15: Attack

 

(Previous)

The cries of rage from both sides sent a chill through me.  We at least outnumbered huge creatures, some of whom ran on four legs and others on two. I assessed the situation in ten seconds and realized one important fact: these creatures were after me, not the others.

So I threw myself into midst of them.

"You crazy, stupid, two-leg mouse!"

That would be Edmond.

I was not suicidal: the move startled the creatures who were preparing to attack the others and now turned to me, more than a little wary, wondering what trick I planned.

I wished I knew myself.

I had counted on one factor and it appeared to work.  With the werewolves focused on me, the others were able to regroup and attack on their own.  I saw Beth and Harvey taking advantage of that moment, moving quickly, bringing out their weapons --

Time had slowed down.  The wolves had turned, growled, and taken a step closer in a circle of brown fur, blood red eyes, and huge gaping muzzles.  The teeth looked sharp and the ones standing on their back legs had long claws as well.  I noted them all, my heart pounding but my head clear.

Lord Snow attacked first.  The yowl of the huge cat cut through that moment of timelessness as he leapt, sweeping so close by me that I felt the brush of his fur on my face.  Front and back claws grabbed at any creatures in the way and knocked two others down as well.  The rest of my companions were charging in now, weapons in hand.  I wondered if I needed to get hold of something like a knife.  Didn't like weapons, but in a place that apparently didn't like me --

Two of the creatures came straight at me in a leap, one from straight ahead and one from the left side.  I stepped backwards with instinctive haste and almost tripped --

The two werewolves collided with each other.  One went down in a heap and the other fell over him, started to stand -- and went down again.

A couple darts protruded from his back.

"Get down, all of you!  Mark, down!"

Maggie's voice. 

I threw myself down into the mass of dark, unmoving werewolf fur.  The creature smelled as though he'd been rolling in the grass somewhere recently, and I wondered where he could have found grass at all in this desolate place.

There were sounds all around me.  I dared lift my head enough to see Lady and her people charging through the area and helping Beth's group kill the werewolves.  I wondered if I should be upset at the deaths, but I remembered Tommy and knew that we didn't want this evil turned loose.  Even if they had ben something else before, there was no going back now.

Darman had done this.

At the mere thought of his name, I turned and found Darman -- Sheriff Creston -- standing at the edge of a ruined building.  His hands moved oddly.  Directing the werewolves?  I started to stand to rush forward and tackle him.

Maggie knocked me down.

"If you do one more idiotic thing, I'm going to have Lady put a dart in you and we'll cart you through the rest of this nightmare!"

"Glad to see you, too, Maggie," I replied with a bright grin.  Beth scrambled over to join us and I introduced her to my cousin.  "Maggie is really the brains of the family," I said.

"Good, because it's plain it's not you."

Maggie gave a nod of agreement and didn't even smile.

"Hey, it worked!  They turned on me and the others had a chance to attack.  I'm glad you came along though, Maggie.  How did you find us?"

"Chance," she said.  "I told Lady I was not giving up until I found out what happened to you.  She said she knew some people who might be able to help.  That would be you, Beth."

"And I found him by chance as well."

"And Edmond," I said, seeing the cat bounding towards us.

But I noticed that Darman saw as well, and he waved one hand.  A werewolf turned from one of the others and made a leap, grabbing Edmond by the back leg and lifting him --

I went crazy.  They might have thought I was crazy before this, but this time the howl I gave  put the werewolves to shame.  I went straight up to my feet and charaged.

So did Maggie.  And Lord Snow.

The werewolf never stood a chance.  I grabbed his arm, Maggie caught Edmond, and Lord Snow simply grabbed him by the back fo the neck.  I let go in haste and the snow leopard bore him down and began shaking the werewolf like a ragdoll.  I had the feeling Lord Snow was letting go of a lot of frustration right now.

Maggie had Edmond held close.  I could see the cat trembling and hoped it was reaction and not injury.  When I looked past her I could see Darman retreating at a run, soon lost in the shadows of the buildings.  One werewolf trailed after him and even that one limped.

I hoped it would be a while before we had to face him again.  I looked around at the others and everyone looked stunned.  A few were hurt but they were already being treated.  Lord Snow had given up his attack and came limping back to us.  He looked ready to collapse.

We couldn't stay here, though.  I knew that would make it too easy for all our enemies to find us.  I looked around with growing worry.

Davis crossed to Lord Snow and laid both hands on the huge cat's head.  I could see the energy going to him and hoped Davis was wise enough to stop before he was too weak as well.

But he gave us a chance.  We had to go before something else happened.

To Be Continued. . . .

 

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