Chapter 10 #2
This is my first kill. Successful one, at least. I don’t have time to dwell on it.
I swallow down bile and pat his pockets, rushing. I don’t know what awaits me outside this truck, but I’m certain it isn’t good. I have only minutes, maybe even seconds, before somebody notices we haven’t exited and checks in.
My hands shake so violently that it takes me two tries to unbutton the man’s jacket pocket and pull out his switchblade. It’s slim and black—HPAW regulation—and I shove it into my pants pocket before grabbing his gun and making my way to the back of the truck.
Daniel trained me to shoot pistols. Sometimes revolvers. This gun is far more intense than anything I’ve ever worked with. It’s long and heavy, and I have absolutely zero experience with it.
I have no other choice. Point and shoot. It can’t be that hard.
I flatten myself against the vehicle’s aluminum wall, listening.
There’s chattering, but it’s impossible to tell how many men are waiting around the corner. I can make out three distinct voices, but I know there are more. Four men left with Bells and Adam.
I shut my eyes, taking a second. The moment I exit this truck and begin firing, there will be chaos. I need to keep a level head.
I’ll aim for the soldiers surrounding Adam first. He’s our biggest asset, and everybody knows it. I’ll worry about Bells afterward. She’ll be of no help. She’ll scream and run away at the first opportunity she gets, so she’ll be treated as an afterthought.
I ignore the pain in my shoulder and chest as I raise the gun. Here goes nothing.
I slip out of the truck, then peek around the corner. We’re in the middle of a field. A thin blanket of snow covers the ground, and about sixty yards away is a wooded area. I spare a glance around. This entire field is surrounded by woods.
Secluded. Nobody around to hear.
Adam and Bells are on their knees about twenty yards away, their backs to me.
There are seven soldiers. Four are standing behind Adam and Bells, and two are messing with something near the truck. They’re setting up a tripod…
They intend to film our execution. Naturally.
My shoulder screams as I point my weapon toward the soldier closest to Adam. I’m a halfway decent shot, especially when my target isn’t moving.
This better fucking work, because I have no backup plan.
I plant my feet and pull the trigger. The gunshot is loud, and the gun kicks back against my shoulder as the soldier I aimed for drops to the ground. I hit him in the spine.
The soldiers on either side of him jump into action. I aim at the man on the right and shoot. I only hit his shoulder, but it’s enough for him to drop his gun. The men at the tripod are scrambling to grab their weapons.
Adam bursts into action, his clothing ripping as he transforms into his animal form. Bells does nothing but scream, as expected.
Adam is on the two men within seconds. Seeing him ripping them apart is a relief like no other. We’re not helpless anymore.
A soldier runs past the truck I’m hiding behind. We lock eyes, his briefly flashing with shock before he reaches for his gun. I beat him to it.
I pull the trigger just as arms wrap around my waist from behind. I’m yanked sideways, the movement so rough that my gun falls, clattering against the ground.
Shit.
I fling myself side to side, trying and failing to break free.
“Enough, Evelyn!” It’s Daniel’s voice in my ear.
I slam the back of my head against his face. Something cracks, probably a nose, but he doesn’t loosen his grip. It grows tighter as dozens of wolves begin pouring out of the woods.
No. Not dozens. Hundreds? Too many to count, that’s for sure.
They sprint across the field at a pace I can barely register.
Several more HPAW soldiers appear. I’m not sure where they’re coming from, probably from a second truck I’m unaware of. They’re shooting at the shifters, but there’s no point. They’re outnumbered.
And to think I lost faith in Caleb. For a minute there, I didn’t think he was coming.
I’ve never been so relieved to be wrong.
Daniel forces me around the side of the truck, away from the incoming shifters. I listen, hearing their angry snarls and thundering footfalls. Gunfire continues, but then HPAW’s soldiers begin to scream.
It’s a massacre.
Daniel brings me around the front of the truck. I notice another parked in front of us. In the center of the chaos is Benji. What’s he doing here? Leadership never gets its hands dirty.
He came here to watch us die. Creepy old man.
He’s clearly panicked now, his jaw slack and eyes wide as he stumbles backward, away from the incoming shifters. One lands on him, knocking him over. Blood spurts as his arm is torn open. He doesn’t even have time to scream before three more descend.
Daniel drags me into the clearing and throws me to the ground.
A shifter lunges for Daniel, but he isn’t fast enough. Daniel already has a gun in his hand, and he shoots the shifter between the eyes. The animal drops to the ground, skidding slightly as its body goes limp mid-step.
My heart lurches, unable to comprehend the sight, until I hear Caleb.
Everything inside me locks onto it.
I’m not sure how I recognize the sound of his wolf amid the chaos, but I’m certain it’s him. I’d know him anywhere.
I look up just in time to see his giant, brown wolf jump over the body of the shifter Daniel just shot. He’s poised to kill.
Daniel is expecting it. His arm is raised. His gun is pointed.
He pulls the trigger. There’s no hesitation.
I don’t think. I don’t hesitate, either.
I grab the knife I stole from the soldier earlier, flicking it open and stabbing Daniel in the groin. Hard. His knees buckle, and I rip out the knife and sink it into the inside of the thigh next, aiming for his femoral artery.
Blood pours down my hand, confirming I’ve hit it, and Daniel collapses in a heap of heavy limbs. His head slams against the ground as he grabs at his thigh, but I pay him no mind as I rip my knife back out and search for Caleb.
There’s a shifter on the ground where he was just moments ago, a pool of blood leaking into the snow beneath him, but it’s not Caleb.
It can’t be.
It can’t.