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The man standing next to him, now bruised from the beating he’d taken via coat rack, grabbed Allyson from behind. She kicked up with her legs and slammed her heel into the fourth intruder's neck. He fell back into the wall. Knocking the pot rack loose and sending them crashing to the floor.

  She rolled her hips back and pushed up, bringing Allan over her shoulders and down onto the kitchen table.

  "Rick!" Tim yelled as Allyson ran past him.

  Rick caught Allyson by the elbow and whirled her around. Landing his fist against her cheek. She screamed and fell back against the wall in the hallway. When she hit the floor, Rick kicked at her side.

  Allyson glanced around the room through swollen eyes. Blood trickled down the side of her face. The hall closet clicked as Garrett tried to push it open, but the intruders took no notice. She rushed Tim, slamming him back into the side of the grandfather clock.

  The clock slid down and landed with a bang against the closet door. Rick and Allan grabbed Allyson from behind while the fourth invader helped Tim back to his feet.

  Tim shook his head and rubbed his jaw. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small package. From within, he grabbed a syringe and checked the liquid within.

  Allyson tried to shake free as Tim stuck the needle into her neck.

  "That's right, Allyson. Time for a nap," he said as the sedatives went to work.

  *****

  Garrett's heart sank as the noises faded from the apartment. Footsteps carried the four voices outside. And not one voice belonged to Allyson. His heart thumped against his chest. He pushed against the closet door again.

  "Fuck," he whispered.

  He studied the door again. Light reflected off something near the edge of the door. But he couldn't make it out.

  "Cover your ears," he told Amber.

  "What?"

  "Plug your ears." He followed his own directions and plugged a finger into one ear while pressing his other ear against his shoulder. Garrett took in three quick breaths, then shot the gun at the reflection.

  When the ringing of the gun stopped, he pushed against the door again. Still stuck. But there was some give. He waited for a reaction to the gunshot. Nothing.

  "Help me push," he said as he dug his feet into the carpet and pushed.

  Amber stood next to him and pushed against the door, throwing her weight against the latticed panels as Garrett banged against the door's edge.

  Finally, Garrett heard metal scraping against wood as he edged the door open. He squeezed his arm through underneath the knife and managed to pull it out of the door frame.

  The door swung open a few inches and then stopped. "Are you fucking kidding me?" Amber yelled.

  "It's all right," Garrett assured her. "We're fine." He hoped he was telling the truth. What the hell had Allyson done here?

  Garrett forced the door open and helped Amber climb out over the toppled grandfather clock.

  "Oh my God," whispered Amber. She glanced around the apartment. Drops of blood spattered against the walls and floors. The coatrack lay snapped on the floor. Pots and pans piled on the floor where they’d fallen. "Is she okay?"

  Garrett ran through the apartment. He refused to look at the debris left behind. Every emotion lumped in his throat at once.

  "Garrett?" Amber tried again.

  His eyes glossed over as they darted from one blood stain to another. His breath dried and the muscles in his arms flexed as his fists clenched.

  "Garrett?" Amber called his name again. She reached out and touched his shoulder, startling him and jerking him back from his thoughts. "She's okay? Right?"

  "We have to go," he said, avoiding Amber's question.

  "But--."

  "Now." Garrett ran into the bedroom and grabbed his bag. He choked down his breath and concentrated on getting out of the apartment.

  Back in the kitchen, he grabbed Amber's elbow and started to pull her toward the door.

  "They were looking for me, which means they'll come back. I have to get you out of here before they do," he tried to explain.

  Chapter Four

  "So where are we going?" Amber asked Garrett as she yanked the seatbelt over her shoulder.

  "I don't… I don't know yet." Garrett's mind raced with several questions at once. Should he stick with the old plan? Get Amber out to safety Lake Youngss so she could transform without putting anyone in danger? Was Allyson still alive? Where would they take her if she was? Tim didn't take wolves as prisoners. He killed wolves. And he expected the other hunters to kill them as well. And he didn't normally care about cleaning up the bodies afterward. He never took them, just dumped them somewhere and left to find his next target.

  "He kills wolves," Garrett thought out loud.

  "He what?" Amber's voice trembled. Tears streamed down her face. "He what? Who kills wolves?"

  "I'm sorry, Amber. We didn't get a chance to explain it all to you. And you're about to get a crash course. The guy who did this to you--."

  "You mean the creep who infected me and Allyson with the virus that turns us into monsters?"

  "Yea. Him. Eddie. He, uh, he and I used to work together. As hunters. We hunted werewolves. And Tim was kind of the leader of our group."

  "Hunters?"

  "Yea."

  "So, Tim is here hunting me and Allyson?"

  "Yes, but not really. I don't think so, anyway." Garrett said as he swerved around traffic.

  His eyes darted from mirror to mirror. He didn't trust his instincts anymore. Was he being followed? He wasn't sure he could tell.

  "Well, but if he hunts werewolves--."

  "I mean I don't think he knows about you yet. Because I think if he knew about you, he would have already grabbed you. Before you came to see me and Allyson today. He wouldn't have given you the chance to get help."

  "You don't think he knows about me yet, because if he did, I would already be dead? What the fuck is that supposed to mean? You said you could keep me safe. You and Allyson pulled me out of that car and said--."

  "I know what we said. I just hadn't counted on--."

  "On what?"

  "I think he's here for me."

  "Funny. You're not the one he grabbed."

  "Allyson too, but mostly me. Why else would he grab her? He doesn't grab wolves. He kills them. Not even that, usually sends someone else in to kill them. If I weren't here, he would have left Allyson's body--."

  "Shut up," said Amber. Her stomach lurched at the thought of how the sentence should have ended. "Please, just take me back to my place. I'd rather not be around when Tim comes back around looking to finish you off."

  *****

  Garrett stayed quiet the rest of the way to Amber's house.

  "Thanks for the ride," Amber whispered as she slipped out of Garrett's pickup truck.

  "I'll wait for you here, Amber. Grab whatever you need and then I'll take you out to the cabin for the night."

  "There's no need," said Amber. "I won't be killing anyone."

  Garrett sighed.

  "I know you don't think so, Amber. But all the same, we should stick with the original plan. Keep you under the radar and get you out of the city."

  Amber rolled her eyes and grabbed her bag. She walked up the steps to her townhouse without saying another word. Without even glancing back at Garrett.

  He swiped through the radio stations and leaned back into his seat. The engine of his truck hummed. His eyes darted all around him, ready to react if Tim showed up. He tapped the steering wheel. Wishing he could be sure he wasn't followed. Several minutes passed and still no sign of Amber coming out.

  I'll give her ten more minutes to finish packing, he thought. Then I'll have to go in and get her otherwise we won't have enough time to get out to the cabin.

  Garrett watched the minutes on the clock. The blinking colon separating them seemed unrelenting. Each second a reminder of time running out. He reached into the glove compartment. Allyson's scrubs. The same scrubs she’d worn the first night she’d transform
ed. Garrett wanted to burn them. They were covered in blood, mucus, and fur. But Allyson wanted to save them.

  "To remind me how much strength it took me to get through that night," she had reasoned.

  He smiled.

  "Maybe it's a good thing we never had the chance to get them cleaned after all," he said as he turned off the engine. Tears caught on his eyelashes and stung at his eyes. He took a deep breath and clenched his eyes shut as he relived past moments with Allyson. You're not even here and you're telling me what to do, he relished the thought.

  With the scrubs in hand, he ran up to the door and started knocking.

  "Amber," he called out. "Amber I think I have a plan. Are you ready?"

  No answer.

  Garrett waited a couple of minutes more, holding his breath and listening for Amber. He expected to hear her rummaging through her possessions. Looking for things to bring with her, and crying at things she might find to be sentimental reminders of her life before Eddie. For Allyson, it had been cruise tickets for a trip she had planned that she found out fell over a full moon. She’d cried for weeks every time she came across anything that reminded her of her dream to travel the world. Planning such travels around the full moon presented challenges she was sure she couldn't overcome.

  "Amber!" Still silence.

  He took a deep breath and tapped his foot against the welcome mat.

  A bang echoed from within.

  "Amber?" Garrett called out again.

  He tested the door knob. Unlocked. Garrett glanced around and cracked the door open further. He checked his gun's holster and slipped inside.

  Complete silence greeted him. Garrett held his breath and tiptoed through the living room. Oh God, he thought. Please tell me I didn't lose Allyson and lead Amber straight into a trap in the same day.

  Gagging noises came down from upstairs.

  Garrett tiptoed up the stairs, still ready with his gun, expecting at any moment to see one of Tim's goons holding Amber by the throat.

  Seconds later, he was wishing he had walked in on the scene he feared.

  Amber hung from one of the beams in her vaulted ceiling, by a belt around her neck.

  "Amber!" Garrett called out and stumbled the rest of the way up the stairs. He tossed Allyson's scrubs aside and grabbed a chair. Tucked his gun into his waistband and grabbed Amber's knees. "Come on Amber," he said as he tried to relieve the pressure from her throat by lifting her weight.

  The gagging told him she was still alive. But he wasn't sure how much time she would have left.

  "Damn it, Amber," he said. Garrett studied the belt. "Fuck," he swore as he realized he couldn't reach the buckle.

  He jumped back down and grabbed a chest of drawers to pull across the hallway under her. The tips of her toes grazed across the top of the chest. He hoped it was enough. Garrett rummaged through the cabinets in the bathroom. All he found was a sad pair of cuticle scissors.

  "These will have to do," he said. He ran back into the hallway. Amber was still gagging and kicking at the chest beneath her. Garrett couldn't tell if she was scared for her life or fighting to stop him from saving it. And he didn't care.

  He jumped atop the chest and grabbed her knees. With her hoisted higher up, he could reach the strap of the plastic belt and start cutting at it with the cuticle scissors.

  Amber took in a deep breath as she fell into Garrett's arms, free from the belt. She coughed and cried. Hitting his chest with her fists.

  "Why did you do that?" she cried between breaths. Her voice was hoarse and cracked from the abuse on her throat. "You should have just let me go!"

  Garrett stood up and studied Amber, shaking his head in disbelief.

  "Why? Why would you do that?"

  "Because I don't want to live like this." Tears streamed down Amber's face. "I don't want to have to look over my shoulder to see whether or not some hunter is coming to kill me. When I can't even visit friends for lunch before they break in with their guns and their threats! All I ever wanted was love. You know? To find my soul mate. Fall in love. And just live happily ever after. As a human. Now I'm this monster, with people who will be hunting me. And they've already taken the only other monster who might have been able to help me cope with it all. And--."

  "Shhh..." Garrett interrupted her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her small frame in for a hug. "Allyson always believed there was hope," he said. "And I believe that, too. You can still find all the things you want."

  "Easy for you to say," Amber sobbed. "You and Allyson met before she turned into this. But me? I--."

  "You're not a monster. Okay? So stop. I know it feels impossible. You can't fathom a way to be able to live with this sort of thing long term, and Tim and his goons showing up didn't help any. But we believe it can be done. And besides. I need your help, okay? Do you think I would ask a monster for help?"

  Amber blinked and glared up at Garrett.

  "You need my help? For what?"

  Chapter Five

  Tears still stung at the back of Amber's eyes. She’d considered Garrett a good friend for the past six months. He had saved her life three months ago and had been doing everything in his power to help her cope with all the coming changes. The memories of their friendship flooded her mind, filling her with shame.

  "I'm so sorry, Garrett," she cried as she hugged him "I'm sorry. I should trust you. I just--."

  "It's okay," he said with a smile.

  She took in a deep breath, rubbed her neck, and wiped the tears from her eyes. Garrett had been trained to hunt werewolves for years. He knew everything about them. If he didn't think they were monsters, who was she to argue?

  "What do you need my help with?"

  He stood and helped her to her feet.

  Then he grabbed Allyson's scrubs and started toward the door. Amber followed close behind.

  "I think I have a plan. First, we need to go back to the apartment. Just for a minute. Just to check."

  "Back there? But I thought you said--."

  "I know. I don't want to actually go into the apartment. And I don't think we even need to go into the parking lot. So if Tim and his hunters are there, they won't know we're there. And we can stay in the truck. So if they see us we can get away fast."

  "Are you sure?"

  "Yeah."

  "Okay. So if that's first, what's next?"

  "Next, we get you out to the cabin so you can transform."

  He clicked the seatbelt and waited for her to do the same.

  "So, what are we going to be doing at your apartment?"

  Amber's heart raced in her chest. She’d never been a big risk taker. The thought of running back to the lion's den now turned her stomach.

  "I just need to go there for a couple of minutes. The first time she transformed, Allyson could smell just about anything. It made her sick, actually. She would walk into the hospital and the smell of a patient's infected cut a couple of rooms down would make her want to vomit."

  "Okay?"

  "So, I am hoping you're the same way. That if I can get you close enough to her trail, you'll be able to pick up her scent."

  "You think I'll be able to follow her scent like Lassie and find her?"

  Garrett shook his head.

  "I don't know. Once you transform, you aren't going to know who I am anymore. You'll be hungry, confused. So I'm hoping that before you transform you can give me a direction. Let me know which way they took her."

  "So... you don't think I'll be able to find her?"

  He took a deep breath and pulled over near the entrance to the parking lot of their apartment.

  "I don't know what you're capable of, yet, Amber. I know you're better than you think you are. You always have been. I know you're important. And I know Allyson felt the same way. Wolves run in packs. And as far as I can tell, Allyson is your pack. Do I think you'll be able to find her? I don't know. There are a lot of obstacles in our way for that. But I'm hoping you can give me a boost so I can find her."


  Allyson wiped more tears from her eyes and took a deep breath.

  "All right," she whispered. "Give me her scrubs. I'll see if this works."

  *****

  Garrett handed Allyson's scrubs over to Amber and prayed for his idea to work.

  She closed her eyes and held the scrubs up to her face.

  Garrett held his breath.

  He squeezed the steering wheel and stared at Amber, waiting for an answer. Amber rolled the window down and leaned outside. Garrett's eyes darted around the parking lot, looking for a sign that Tim had returned. Amber took in several deep breaths and shook her head.

  "I'm sorry," she muttered. "I can't... I can't sense anything."

  Garrett clenched his eyes and nodded.

  "It's okay. It was a long shot. Come on. We still need to get you to safety. I need to try to get you out to that cabin before sun sets."

  "I'm so sorry," Amber repeated.

  Garrett turned the key in the ignition and shook his head.

  "You did great Amber. No need to apologize. Let's just get you out of here, okay? Let me get you safe and then I can worry about Allyson."

  She nodded and rolled her window back up. The drive out to Lake Youngss seemed longer than normal. Awkward silence and pangs of loss made the pickup truck feel cramped and uncomfortable. Both Garrett's and Amber's minds raced as they sped down the highway and out of the city.

  Just as Garrett turned down the small dirt road through the thick forest, Amber broke the ice.

  "What if you used me?"

  "What?"

  "Use me. You said they didn't know I was a wolf, right? Because if they did, then they would have already killed me before I got the chance to get away or transform. And if you used to work with them, then you know how to get hold of them. I mean, they have cell phones and stuff, don't they? Just call them up and tell them about me."

  "No way."

  "Why not?"

  "Because it wouldn't do any good. All that would happen is they would come to kill you. And then where would we be? They would still have Allyson and they would have you too."

  "But if you told them to make a trade, me for Allyson--."