"Camping"
a short story, by Jeremy Chanley
X-Men, Wolverine, Logan, Jubilee, Professor Xavier, Hank, Scott, Rogue, Jean, and Remy are all characters from Marvel Comics, used without permission. This is a work of fiction, not sold for profit; made purely from a fan for other fans to enjoy.
Logan bent, almost completely doubled over, low to the ground. He sniffed at the tracks in the dark, rich earth. He was close. He raised up, slowly, scenting the air for his prey. The deer had turned south, still unaware of his presence. His lip curled, the faintest hint of a smile playing at the corners.
Logan had been without food now for three days, and he was finally actually starting to feel real hunger. This "camping" trip, as he liked to call them, was just what he had been needing – an escape, time to get away and be in the wilderness. He loved his friends and family back at the mansion, but from time to time, he needed his solitude. He felt a flash of gratitude for the Prof' then, for suggesting the Adirondacks. Hadn't been back here in years, and it felt good to be out among the wildlife.
Logan turned his attention back to his prey, and moved silently through the gray morning haze, a wraith among the shadows. He stalked along slowly, patiently. He spotted the deer within an hour, grazing lazily in a lightly wooded section of meadow. Beautiful creature, he thought to himself. Perhaps I should find a rabbit instead….
He suddenly froze, in mid-step. He scented fear. Eyes keen on the deer, he watched her closely to see if she would spook. Puzzlement creased his brow; he was still upwind and the doe hadn't made a move. She was still totally unaware of his presence. Logan stretched out with his senses, all thoughts of the doe now gone from his mind. It wasn't the deer that he smelled the fear on, this was….human. He sniffed again, confirming it. Faintly, almost imperceptibly, he heard her then, the crying of a girl. The deer finally heard it too, and suddenly looked up, startled. She bolted off quickly into the forest. Logan gave the doe a grim smile. "Yer' lucky day, Bambi."
He immediately set off at a trot, pinpointing the location of the scared, weeping girl. Logan spied her a few hundred yards away, as she drew her knees up to her chest and began rocking back and forth. It was a child, no more than eight or nine years old, and completely nude. She was covered in bruises, cuts and scratches, and she constantly shifted her head, looking about the forest. He heard bits and pieces of words as she babbled them out amidst her crying – "find me…..why? why me?….kill me….oh God, Bobby…." The girl was absolutely terrified.
He stepped out into the open, hands held out wide. "I won't hurt you, Darlin'. I'm here to help."
"No - NO!", the girl screamed, and began to run. She began to sob wildly now, and ran roughshod over the rocks and pine needles, blood streaming from her wounded feet. Logan sprinted after her, catching the frightened girl easily. He wrapped her in his arms, letting her thrash against him, flailing about in her attempts to get away. "There there, calm down girl, I won't hurt you. My name's Logan. I'm an X-Man – ever heard of us? We help people, honey. Calm down".
The girl whimpered, finally going limp in his arms. She looked up at him fearfully, as though not believing his words, sure she would be struck at any moment. Logan took one hand off her, and slipped out of his jacket. "Put this on – no, it's ok, put it on. I won't hurt you."
The girl obligingly took the large jacket, wrapping up in it and seemed to regain some composure. She still shook, and looked very frightened, but the crying had almost stopped. Almost.
Logan smiled at her. "What's your name?"
"I'm Lucy. Are you really an X-Man? Like I see on the T.V. sometimes, when the news interrupts my cartoons?" Lucy asked, timidly.
Logan smiled again. "I sure am, Darlin'. You're safe now. No one can hurt you with me here. Can you tell me what happened to you?"
Lucy began to shake again, and tears welled in her eyes. "Umm….I don't know….I'm scared…"
Logan drew her close, and hugged her to his frame. He patted her tangled mass of hair. "I need to know how you came to be out here Lucy, so I can help you. Why were you running? Is someone chasing you?"
He felt her small head nod against his chest. "Yes. Men are coming after me – Bad Men. They said they are hunting me." Her voice got very quiet. "They said they are going to kill me."
Logan's eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint appearing deep within. "Who are these men, Lucy? Where are your parents?"
She looked up at him, and tears ran down her cheeks. "I don't know – they…they took me, and my brother, from the rest stop. Mom went to the bathroom, and we were in the car…and this man opened the door and said to come with him, that he was a policeman. So Bobby and I did, and he took us into his car, where another man was. They didn't look like policemen, but they told us that we were in danger, that there was a Bad Man with a gun there, and they were taking all the people away." She paused, and took a breath. "Then they took me and Bobby in the car, out to these mountains…..that was three days ago. I miss my Mommy, Mr. Logan."
Logan nodded. "I know Lucy – we'll find her. Don't worry about that. You're safe now. But I need you to tell me more. Can you do that sweetheart? Where is your brother? Where is Bobby?"
Lucy started crying again, and buried her face against his chest. "They…the men, they hurt him, Mr. Logan. I think they hurt him so much that he died. They wanted me to watch it, it was so awful. He's my little brother, he's only six – why did those men hurt him like that? He cried so much-" Lucy's voice broke then, and the cries began anew, shaking her little body involuntarily.
Logan's face became a mask of twisted fury. Anger. Pure, absolute anger screamed from within. White hot rage flowed through him now, barely beneath the surface. He had to hold it together, he couldn't take a chance on scaring Lucy. He took several deep breaths, letting her cry against him, forcing the feral beast back for the moment. This girl, and her brother, would have vengeance. But right now, this moment, he had to keep control. If Lucy saw the beast within him, she would be terrified.
"Lucy, can you tell me where the men kept you? Is it close to here, or did they drive you to these woods?"
Lucy had regained some composure, though her breath was still coming in gasps, which made her speech jerky. "They….have a cabin….up the mountain….took my clothes….did things to me….bad things…told me to run…going to catch me and….shoot….kill me….I'm so scared…."
Logan stood up now, gently urging Lucy to her feet as well. "You did very well, Lucy. I know all I need to now." He looked at her torn feet. "I can carry you, to a safe place. Do you want me to carry you, Lucy?"
She nodded her head, gingerly standing on her bloodied feet. "Thank you, Mr. Logan."
Carefully hoisting her up, Logan cradled the girl in his arms, and began a quick trot, down the mountainside. There was a ranger station about fourteen miles from here, he knew. He would leave Lucy with them, make sure that she would be in safe custody with food and shelter; and armed uniforms. And then….then he thought grimly, the Wolverine would return to this place. And those…men…would find out what it was like to become the hunted.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Lucy, wake up now. Wake up, honey'."
The waif rubbed her eyes sleepily, then looked around as her eyes adjusted. They were in a building now, and Lucy was on a couch with a blanket on her. It was warm and nice, and Mr. Logan was standing nearby talking to a man in a green uniform. A woman was standing over Lucy, and smiling at her. She had some clothes in her hands.
"I'm Jane, Lucy. You are at the Ranger station – you are safe here. Logan has told us what happened to you. He is going to be gone for a little while, and he wanted to tell you goodbye before he went."
Lucy sat up quickly, wincing as she did from the sudden pain in her head. "No no, he mustn't leave me! How do I know I am safe? Who are you people? What are rangers? Mr. Logan!!"
Logan was at her side in an instant, brushing her hair out of her face. "It's all right, Darlin'. I promise – remember what I told you?"
Lucy shook her head, the tears welling up, as she clung to him fiercely.
"I told you that I would never hurt you. That means I wouldn't leave you with people that would hurt you, either. You are safe here Lucy. These people are rangers, they're like police; they're trained to rescue people. I trust them."
"Are…are you sure? The bad men, they said they were policemen…."
Logan hugged her close, stroking her hair. "I'm sure, Darlin'. I will be back soon to help you find your Mommy. Somethin' I gotta do first. You stay here, and you'll get some food and clothes from the rangers." Logan held her out now, and looked into the girl's eyes. " I promise I will come back for you, Lucy."
Lucy nodded slowly, finally releasing her grasp around his midsection. "Come back soon, Mr. Logan.", came her plea.
Logan stood, and smiled at her. "Be back before ya know it." With a final wink, he turned and went to talk to the man in the uniform again.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Goddammit! Where the hell could she be, Earl?"
The thin man shot a scowl back over his shoulder at the larger man following him. "Well now, how the hell should I know? Your stupid idea, to hunt her down like this – we should've just killed her there at the cabin, like the others. Now here we are, traipsin' about the mountainside in the dark like a couple of idiots. You and your ideas…."
"Now, it wasn't all my notion – Billy Joe and Red saw it in some movie, and thought it would be fun to do too. I just figured we could try it out on this little one first, a-fore we went and got a real one to go after. Shit, little girl like this oughta have been real easy to find – I thought these boys could track!"
Earl shook his head in disgust. It was strange, that they still hadn't found her after all this time – four men, all proficient hunters, familiar with this land. Didn't make sense. He thumbed his walkie-talkie. "Hey Red, any luck?"
After a moment, a voice crackled over the static. "Naw, this is bullshit Earl. We aint seen a damned thing. You don't reckon she got away, do ya?"
"Hell no, more likely some wolf or somethin' got her. Ain't no way she made it outta here alive, naked and only what – seven years old? Eight mebbe? Hell. She's dead."
Red's voice sounded again. "Yup, and spoiled our fun too. Shoot. Maybe we better not try this again, we was gonna do it for real with a teenager. They can run faster, ya know."
Earl rolled his eyes. "Well of course I know that, ya dumb son of a bitch. Get on back to the cabin, me and Bill will head back too. Meet ya there."
"Roger that, Earl. See ya at the cabin."
Earl looked around at gloomy night. Not much of a moon tonight. "Well, c'mon Bill. We can look around in the morning for her remains. I'm pretty sure she's dead, or will be by sunup."
Bill was peering intently into the darkness. "Hey Earl, wait a sec….you hear somethin'? I thought….maybe I found her!" Excitement tinged Bill's voice, his breathing increasing with the thought of the kill.
"Aww, shaddup. There ain't nothin…" Earl's sentence died abruptly, suddenly sure that he too just heard something in the darkness. He eagerly followed Bill's gaze into the underbrush. He called out: "That you, girl? You out there? Me and Bill, we got somethin' for ya…."
A shadow seemed to disengage itself from the gloom then, crowned by two points of light almost glowing in the murk. It moved towards the two men, and they both heard a sound now…..the unmistakable growl of a feral beast.
"Shit, that aint no girl, some goddamned animal…."
Blam! Blam! Blam!
Earl had raised his rifle and gotten off three shots before the thing was on them. Then the world turned to chaos…..he heard a metallic sound, felt his ribs snapping under a tremendous pressure; blood spilled from deep slashes that seemed to just appear instantaneously on his torso. He tried to scream, but found he couldn't – he was simply too frightened. Bill wasn't though….he screamed loud enough for the both of them. And then he didn't make a sound.
Earl began to crawl, using his left arm. He didn't recall falling down, but his legs didn't seem to work right now, and he knew that he just wanted to get away from that animal. He had to get away. Maybe it would stay on Bill. He pulled at the ground, noticing dumbly that his right hand was gone. Blood gouted from the stump, and he stared, transfixed.
"Her name was Lucy", came a growl at his ear.
Earl shrieked, an incoherent sound of pure terror. He redoubled his efforts to crawl away with his one good arm.
Pain, intense and agonizing, ripped into his body. He felt something cut into his spinal cord, slicing through his muscle tissue, rending bone.
"His name was Bobby, you murderous molesting bastard." The growl was there again, and the shape of a man filled his dimming view. No, not quite a man….a man with the face of an angry wolf….and claws…..terrible metallic claws, that tore at him, sliced him open, ripped into him.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Red sat at the kitchen table, shuffling a deck of cards. "You reckon they found her, Billy Joe?"
The heavily built man in the living room answered him, over the noise of the television. "If they did, and they didn't tell us, there's gonna be hell to pay. Not right that they get the kill all to themselves. That boy went too quick, we coulda had some fun with his sister."
Red nodded his head. "Yeah, that's what I was thinkin' too man." He licked his lips. "We gotta get some more playthings soon."
"Probably this weekend, yep."
The sudden crack of wood splintering filled the cabin, as the heavy oak front door tore free of its hinges and sailed across the room.
"Wrong, Bub'. Dead wrong."
Both men leaped to their feet, staring at the outline of the man in the gaping doorway. He was covered in blood, and had a look of intense rage scrawled across his features, giving him an inhuman, frightening appearance.
Billy Joe wrenched his pistol out from under the seat cushion, and aimed it at the man. "You're the one that's wrong, 'Bub'. You fucked up, and now you're gonna die."
Snikt! An unearthly resonance filled the cabin then, as razors sprang from the hands of the man, cutting through his own flesh to extend three feet past either hand.
"What the f…." Billy aimed the magnum, and fired off two rounds into the man's chest. The bullets didn't even slow the man down. He snarled, and sprang at Billy, sweeping a clawed fist down at the pistol, neatly severing the fingers from Billy's hand and dropping the weapon harmlessly to the floor. Billy screamed in pain and fear, and swung a giant fist at the feral man. It was met with a forearm that felt like it was made of steel, and Billy yelped anew as the bones of his hand snapped and shattered. Claws ripped into him then, a crimson rain of blood showering the floor from where his stomach used to be. He fell back, sudden dread clouding his mind, his feeble attempts at defense completely ignored by the flashing claws and thunderous fists of the bestial demon he faced. A dozen wounds gushed blood, and still the razors sought his flesh. He stared in shock and horror at this thing, this creature that was killing him with such rage and deadly efficiency. He was powerless to stop it, just as he was powerless to stop the screaming of his own voice. Billy's legs buckled, and he collapsed to the floor, slick with his own blood. He felt an intense new pain in his skull then, as the razor sharp claws punched through the bone, into his brain, and out the front of his face. Then he felt nothing.
Red had simply stared dumbly throughout the attack. He was unable to move, unable to breathe, as the bestial man savagely slaughtered Billy Joe. Red had never known fear like this. He was rooted to the spot, knowing he would die, too terrified to even attempt to flee and preserve his life. He did manage to squeak out a few words: "Who….why….."
Logan turned then, sheathing his bloody claws from the skull of Billy Joe. He slowly walked towards Red, never taking his terrible gaze off Red's eyes.
"You abduct children. You rape them. You kill them." Logan was now standing directly in front of Red, hatred and rage flashing in his eyes. "And you ask me why?!"
Red felt the warm urine flow down his leg, and he began to shake uncontrollably. "Man, I need help. Arrest me, send me to prison, or a psycho-ward. Don't kill me, please man, please don't kill me…." He babbled, hoping against hope he could appeal to the beastlike-man's humanity.
It was a futile hope.
"Did Bobby beg for his life too, scumbag? Or did he just cry, like your buddies did when I gutted 'em?"
Red was going into shock now, the terror overloading his senses. "Huh? Who…who's Bobby, man? I don't know no Bobby…."
Logan's scowl deepened, his face becoming a visage of death incarnate. "That was the name of the last boy you worthless bastards killed here." Snikt!
Red sank to his knees, and began to babble incoherently. "Don't cut me man, please don't cut me up like that….I'm…I'm sorry, I'm so sorry….I'm sorry Bobby, I didn't mean to…..Oh God…."
Logan sheathed his claws. "No, I won't cut you, punk." He smiled then, a horrific grin of pure malice and seething anger. "But when I'm through with you boyo, you'll wish I had."
Adamantium laced fists began raining down on Red then, shattering bones, disintegrating muscle tissue, snapping tendons. He cried out in pain, but the blows kept coming. Red begged for mercy, and received a head butt to the mouth, teeth splintering from the impact. The assault continued, for a long, long time. Pain was absolute, overriding every other sense or emotion for Red, the sound of his bones breaking filling his own ears; intermixed with his own incoherent cries for mercy. Mercy that was never granted. And before death finally took him, Red had one last thought, a moment of clarity like no other in his life. The man was right – Red wished more than anything that he had used those claws…..
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Wolvie!!"
Jubilee rushed to him, just as he was getting off his motorcycle and threw a huge bearhug at him.
Logan's face split into a grin, and he laughed as she embraced him. "Hey Jube. Missed you too, Darlin.'" He hugged her back, and they walked arm-in- arm to the mansion.
"Oh man, it has been forever, Wolvie! Why do you go runnin' off like that? I have so much to tell you!! We got into all kinds of stuff while you were gone, I don't know even where to start!" Jubilee grinned up at him, opening the door as they strolled into the mansion.
Scott, Jean, Rogue, and Hank were all in the kitchen, Remy and the Professor over in an adjoining room, talking while a television droned in the background.
Jean shot a smile at him. "Hey Logan, nice to see you again. You oughta come by more often, you know."
Logan smiled back, and even slapped Scott on the shoulder good-naturedly. "It's good to be home. Jube here tells me that ya got into some adventures while I was gone – fill me in, what'd I miss?"
Jubilee punched him in the arm. "You first, mystery man – what is it you do on these "camping" trips of yours?"
Logan slid into a chair, lighting up a cigar and folding his hands behind his head. "Nothin' much Jube, not worth talkin' 'bout, really. Guy stuff."
Jubilee raised an eyebrow at him, then punched him playfully again. "Yeah, riiiiight….I bet you had some wild times of your o…"
Remy interrupted her suddenly, sticking his head into the room. "'Ey, you guys got to see 'dis on 'de news – crazy stuff mon!"
Intrigued, Hank, Jubilee, Jean, Scott and Rogue followed him into the sitting room, where Professor Xavier had turned up the volume on the television.
"…..bringing that to a total of four bodies found here in the eastern Adirondack Mountains. Early reports say that the men died from massive trauma, looking like a wild animal attack or perhaps a pack of animals – although one man didn't bear any cuts, but reportedly, every single bone in his body was broken. Police are very tight-lipped about this so far, refusing to discuss possible suspects or motive for the grisly killings. In a related story, the search for Lucy and Bobby Miller ends today. The Miller children were abducted from this rest stop in the eastern Adirondack area last Thursday. Lucy, seen here, was reunited with her mother Amanda yesterday. Rangers from station seven brought her in, saying that a good Samaritan had found her in the woods, obviously the victim of unspeakable crimes, and carried her to the station. Sadly, her younger brother's corpse was found not far from the cabin where these "animal" victims were found, along with the bodies of several other children. The true story will probably never be known. Back to you, Jill."
Rogue turned a sharp eye back to Logan, who was still smoking his cigar, watching the news story from the kitchen. "Weren't you in that same area, Logan?"
Professor Xavier turned then, regarding Wolverine with a knowing look. "Rogue, I believe Logan was correct – we shouldn't meddle into his private affairs. His solitary trips are his own. It is as he said – not worth talking about, really. Let's respect his wishes."
Logan shot a smile to the Professor then, and blew out a smoke ring. "Anything to eat 'round here? I'm starvin'."
a short story, by Jeremy Chanley
X-Men, Wolverine, Logan, Jubilee, Professor Xavier, Hank, Scott, Rogue, Jean, and Remy are all characters from Marvel Comics, used without permission. This is a work of fiction, not sold for profit; made purely from a fan for other fans to enjoy.
Logan bent, almost completely doubled over, low to the ground. He sniffed at the tracks in the dark, rich earth. He was close. He raised up, slowly, scenting the air for his prey. The deer had turned south, still unaware of his presence. His lip curled, the faintest hint of a smile playing at the corners.
Logan had been without food now for three days, and he was finally actually starting to feel real hunger. This "camping" trip, as he liked to call them, was just what he had been needing – an escape, time to get away and be in the wilderness. He loved his friends and family back at the mansion, but from time to time, he needed his solitude. He felt a flash of gratitude for the Prof' then, for suggesting the Adirondacks. Hadn't been back here in years, and it felt good to be out among the wildlife.
Logan turned his attention back to his prey, and moved silently through the gray morning haze, a wraith among the shadows. He stalked along slowly, patiently. He spotted the deer within an hour, grazing lazily in a lightly wooded section of meadow. Beautiful creature, he thought to himself. Perhaps I should find a rabbit instead….
He suddenly froze, in mid-step. He scented fear. Eyes keen on the deer, he watched her closely to see if she would spook. Puzzlement creased his brow; he was still upwind and the doe hadn't made a move. She was still totally unaware of his presence. Logan stretched out with his senses, all thoughts of the doe now gone from his mind. It wasn't the deer that he smelled the fear on, this was….human. He sniffed again, confirming it. Faintly, almost imperceptibly, he heard her then, the crying of a girl. The deer finally heard it too, and suddenly looked up, startled. She bolted off quickly into the forest. Logan gave the doe a grim smile. "Yer' lucky day, Bambi."
He immediately set off at a trot, pinpointing the location of the scared, weeping girl. Logan spied her a few hundred yards away, as she drew her knees up to her chest and began rocking back and forth. It was a child, no more than eight or nine years old, and completely nude. She was covered in bruises, cuts and scratches, and she constantly shifted her head, looking about the forest. He heard bits and pieces of words as she babbled them out amidst her crying – "find me…..why? why me?….kill me….oh God, Bobby…." The girl was absolutely terrified.
He stepped out into the open, hands held out wide. "I won't hurt you, Darlin'. I'm here to help."
"No - NO!", the girl screamed, and began to run. She began to sob wildly now, and ran roughshod over the rocks and pine needles, blood streaming from her wounded feet. Logan sprinted after her, catching the frightened girl easily. He wrapped her in his arms, letting her thrash against him, flailing about in her attempts to get away. "There there, calm down girl, I won't hurt you. My name's Logan. I'm an X-Man – ever heard of us? We help people, honey. Calm down".
The girl whimpered, finally going limp in his arms. She looked up at him fearfully, as though not believing his words, sure she would be struck at any moment. Logan took one hand off her, and slipped out of his jacket. "Put this on – no, it's ok, put it on. I won't hurt you."
The girl obligingly took the large jacket, wrapping up in it and seemed to regain some composure. She still shook, and looked very frightened, but the crying had almost stopped. Almost.
Logan smiled at her. "What's your name?"
"I'm Lucy. Are you really an X-Man? Like I see on the T.V. sometimes, when the news interrupts my cartoons?" Lucy asked, timidly.
Logan smiled again. "I sure am, Darlin'. You're safe now. No one can hurt you with me here. Can you tell me what happened to you?"
Lucy began to shake again, and tears welled in her eyes. "Umm….I don't know….I'm scared…"
Logan drew her close, and hugged her to his frame. He patted her tangled mass of hair. "I need to know how you came to be out here Lucy, so I can help you. Why were you running? Is someone chasing you?"
He felt her small head nod against his chest. "Yes. Men are coming after me – Bad Men. They said they are hunting me." Her voice got very quiet. "They said they are going to kill me."
Logan's eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint appearing deep within. "Who are these men, Lucy? Where are your parents?"
She looked up at him, and tears ran down her cheeks. "I don't know – they…they took me, and my brother, from the rest stop. Mom went to the bathroom, and we were in the car…and this man opened the door and said to come with him, that he was a policeman. So Bobby and I did, and he took us into his car, where another man was. They didn't look like policemen, but they told us that we were in danger, that there was a Bad Man with a gun there, and they were taking all the people away." She paused, and took a breath. "Then they took me and Bobby in the car, out to these mountains…..that was three days ago. I miss my Mommy, Mr. Logan."
Logan nodded. "I know Lucy – we'll find her. Don't worry about that. You're safe now. But I need you to tell me more. Can you do that sweetheart? Where is your brother? Where is Bobby?"
Lucy started crying again, and buried her face against his chest. "They…the men, they hurt him, Mr. Logan. I think they hurt him so much that he died. They wanted me to watch it, it was so awful. He's my little brother, he's only six – why did those men hurt him like that? He cried so much-" Lucy's voice broke then, and the cries began anew, shaking her little body involuntarily.
Logan's face became a mask of twisted fury. Anger. Pure, absolute anger screamed from within. White hot rage flowed through him now, barely beneath the surface. He had to hold it together, he couldn't take a chance on scaring Lucy. He took several deep breaths, letting her cry against him, forcing the feral beast back for the moment. This girl, and her brother, would have vengeance. But right now, this moment, he had to keep control. If Lucy saw the beast within him, she would be terrified.
"Lucy, can you tell me where the men kept you? Is it close to here, or did they drive you to these woods?"
Lucy had regained some composure, though her breath was still coming in gasps, which made her speech jerky. "They….have a cabin….up the mountain….took my clothes….did things to me….bad things…told me to run…going to catch me and….shoot….kill me….I'm so scared…."
Logan stood up now, gently urging Lucy to her feet as well. "You did very well, Lucy. I know all I need to now." He looked at her torn feet. "I can carry you, to a safe place. Do you want me to carry you, Lucy?"
She nodded her head, gingerly standing on her bloodied feet. "Thank you, Mr. Logan."
Carefully hoisting her up, Logan cradled the girl in his arms, and began a quick trot, down the mountainside. There was a ranger station about fourteen miles from here, he knew. He would leave Lucy with them, make sure that she would be in safe custody with food and shelter; and armed uniforms. And then….then he thought grimly, the Wolverine would return to this place. And those…men…would find out what it was like to become the hunted.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Lucy, wake up now. Wake up, honey'."
The waif rubbed her eyes sleepily, then looked around as her eyes adjusted. They were in a building now, and Lucy was on a couch with a blanket on her. It was warm and nice, and Mr. Logan was standing nearby talking to a man in a green uniform. A woman was standing over Lucy, and smiling at her. She had some clothes in her hands.
"I'm Jane, Lucy. You are at the Ranger station – you are safe here. Logan has told us what happened to you. He is going to be gone for a little while, and he wanted to tell you goodbye before he went."
Lucy sat up quickly, wincing as she did from the sudden pain in her head. "No no, he mustn't leave me! How do I know I am safe? Who are you people? What are rangers? Mr. Logan!!"
Logan was at her side in an instant, brushing her hair out of her face. "It's all right, Darlin'. I promise – remember what I told you?"
Lucy shook her head, the tears welling up, as she clung to him fiercely.
"I told you that I would never hurt you. That means I wouldn't leave you with people that would hurt you, either. You are safe here Lucy. These people are rangers, they're like police; they're trained to rescue people. I trust them."
"Are…are you sure? The bad men, they said they were policemen…."
Logan hugged her close, stroking her hair. "I'm sure, Darlin'. I will be back soon to help you find your Mommy. Somethin' I gotta do first. You stay here, and you'll get some food and clothes from the rangers." Logan held her out now, and looked into the girl's eyes. " I promise I will come back for you, Lucy."
Lucy nodded slowly, finally releasing her grasp around his midsection. "Come back soon, Mr. Logan.", came her plea.
Logan stood, and smiled at her. "Be back before ya know it." With a final wink, he turned and went to talk to the man in the uniform again.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Goddammit! Where the hell could she be, Earl?"
The thin man shot a scowl back over his shoulder at the larger man following him. "Well now, how the hell should I know? Your stupid idea, to hunt her down like this – we should've just killed her there at the cabin, like the others. Now here we are, traipsin' about the mountainside in the dark like a couple of idiots. You and your ideas…."
"Now, it wasn't all my notion – Billy Joe and Red saw it in some movie, and thought it would be fun to do too. I just figured we could try it out on this little one first, a-fore we went and got a real one to go after. Shit, little girl like this oughta have been real easy to find – I thought these boys could track!"
Earl shook his head in disgust. It was strange, that they still hadn't found her after all this time – four men, all proficient hunters, familiar with this land. Didn't make sense. He thumbed his walkie-talkie. "Hey Red, any luck?"
After a moment, a voice crackled over the static. "Naw, this is bullshit Earl. We aint seen a damned thing. You don't reckon she got away, do ya?"
"Hell no, more likely some wolf or somethin' got her. Ain't no way she made it outta here alive, naked and only what – seven years old? Eight mebbe? Hell. She's dead."
Red's voice sounded again. "Yup, and spoiled our fun too. Shoot. Maybe we better not try this again, we was gonna do it for real with a teenager. They can run faster, ya know."
Earl rolled his eyes. "Well of course I know that, ya dumb son of a bitch. Get on back to the cabin, me and Bill will head back too. Meet ya there."
"Roger that, Earl. See ya at the cabin."
Earl looked around at gloomy night. Not much of a moon tonight. "Well, c'mon Bill. We can look around in the morning for her remains. I'm pretty sure she's dead, or will be by sunup."
Bill was peering intently into the darkness. "Hey Earl, wait a sec….you hear somethin'? I thought….maybe I found her!" Excitement tinged Bill's voice, his breathing increasing with the thought of the kill.
"Aww, shaddup. There ain't nothin…" Earl's sentence died abruptly, suddenly sure that he too just heard something in the darkness. He eagerly followed Bill's gaze into the underbrush. He called out: "That you, girl? You out there? Me and Bill, we got somethin' for ya…."
A shadow seemed to disengage itself from the gloom then, crowned by two points of light almost glowing in the murk. It moved towards the two men, and they both heard a sound now…..the unmistakable growl of a feral beast.
"Shit, that aint no girl, some goddamned animal…."
Blam! Blam! Blam!
Earl had raised his rifle and gotten off three shots before the thing was on them. Then the world turned to chaos…..he heard a metallic sound, felt his ribs snapping under a tremendous pressure; blood spilled from deep slashes that seemed to just appear instantaneously on his torso. He tried to scream, but found he couldn't – he was simply too frightened. Bill wasn't though….he screamed loud enough for the both of them. And then he didn't make a sound.
Earl began to crawl, using his left arm. He didn't recall falling down, but his legs didn't seem to work right now, and he knew that he just wanted to get away from that animal. He had to get away. Maybe it would stay on Bill. He pulled at the ground, noticing dumbly that his right hand was gone. Blood gouted from the stump, and he stared, transfixed.
"Her name was Lucy", came a growl at his ear.
Earl shrieked, an incoherent sound of pure terror. He redoubled his efforts to crawl away with his one good arm.
Pain, intense and agonizing, ripped into his body. He felt something cut into his spinal cord, slicing through his muscle tissue, rending bone.
"His name was Bobby, you murderous molesting bastard." The growl was there again, and the shape of a man filled his dimming view. No, not quite a man….a man with the face of an angry wolf….and claws…..terrible metallic claws, that tore at him, sliced him open, ripped into him.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Red sat at the kitchen table, shuffling a deck of cards. "You reckon they found her, Billy Joe?"
The heavily built man in the living room answered him, over the noise of the television. "If they did, and they didn't tell us, there's gonna be hell to pay. Not right that they get the kill all to themselves. That boy went too quick, we coulda had some fun with his sister."
Red nodded his head. "Yeah, that's what I was thinkin' too man." He licked his lips. "We gotta get some more playthings soon."
"Probably this weekend, yep."
The sudden crack of wood splintering filled the cabin, as the heavy oak front door tore free of its hinges and sailed across the room.
"Wrong, Bub'. Dead wrong."
Both men leaped to their feet, staring at the outline of the man in the gaping doorway. He was covered in blood, and had a look of intense rage scrawled across his features, giving him an inhuman, frightening appearance.
Billy Joe wrenched his pistol out from under the seat cushion, and aimed it at the man. "You're the one that's wrong, 'Bub'. You fucked up, and now you're gonna die."
Snikt! An unearthly resonance filled the cabin then, as razors sprang from the hands of the man, cutting through his own flesh to extend three feet past either hand.
"What the f…." Billy aimed the magnum, and fired off two rounds into the man's chest. The bullets didn't even slow the man down. He snarled, and sprang at Billy, sweeping a clawed fist down at the pistol, neatly severing the fingers from Billy's hand and dropping the weapon harmlessly to the floor. Billy screamed in pain and fear, and swung a giant fist at the feral man. It was met with a forearm that felt like it was made of steel, and Billy yelped anew as the bones of his hand snapped and shattered. Claws ripped into him then, a crimson rain of blood showering the floor from where his stomach used to be. He fell back, sudden dread clouding his mind, his feeble attempts at defense completely ignored by the flashing claws and thunderous fists of the bestial demon he faced. A dozen wounds gushed blood, and still the razors sought his flesh. He stared in shock and horror at this thing, this creature that was killing him with such rage and deadly efficiency. He was powerless to stop it, just as he was powerless to stop the screaming of his own voice. Billy's legs buckled, and he collapsed to the floor, slick with his own blood. He felt an intense new pain in his skull then, as the razor sharp claws punched through the bone, into his brain, and out the front of his face. Then he felt nothing.
Red had simply stared dumbly throughout the attack. He was unable to move, unable to breathe, as the bestial man savagely slaughtered Billy Joe. Red had never known fear like this. He was rooted to the spot, knowing he would die, too terrified to even attempt to flee and preserve his life. He did manage to squeak out a few words: "Who….why….."
Logan turned then, sheathing his bloody claws from the skull of Billy Joe. He slowly walked towards Red, never taking his terrible gaze off Red's eyes.
"You abduct children. You rape them. You kill them." Logan was now standing directly in front of Red, hatred and rage flashing in his eyes. "And you ask me why?!"
Red felt the warm urine flow down his leg, and he began to shake uncontrollably. "Man, I need help. Arrest me, send me to prison, or a psycho-ward. Don't kill me, please man, please don't kill me…." He babbled, hoping against hope he could appeal to the beastlike-man's humanity.
It was a futile hope.
"Did Bobby beg for his life too, scumbag? Or did he just cry, like your buddies did when I gutted 'em?"
Red was going into shock now, the terror overloading his senses. "Huh? Who…who's Bobby, man? I don't know no Bobby…."
Logan's scowl deepened, his face becoming a visage of death incarnate. "That was the name of the last boy you worthless bastards killed here." Snikt!
Red sank to his knees, and began to babble incoherently. "Don't cut me man, please don't cut me up like that….I'm…I'm sorry, I'm so sorry….I'm sorry Bobby, I didn't mean to…..Oh God…."
Logan sheathed his claws. "No, I won't cut you, punk." He smiled then, a horrific grin of pure malice and seething anger. "But when I'm through with you boyo, you'll wish I had."
Adamantium laced fists began raining down on Red then, shattering bones, disintegrating muscle tissue, snapping tendons. He cried out in pain, but the blows kept coming. Red begged for mercy, and received a head butt to the mouth, teeth splintering from the impact. The assault continued, for a long, long time. Pain was absolute, overriding every other sense or emotion for Red, the sound of his bones breaking filling his own ears; intermixed with his own incoherent cries for mercy. Mercy that was never granted. And before death finally took him, Red had one last thought, a moment of clarity like no other in his life. The man was right – Red wished more than anything that he had used those claws…..
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Wolvie!!"
Jubilee rushed to him, just as he was getting off his motorcycle and threw a huge bearhug at him.
Logan's face split into a grin, and he laughed as she embraced him. "Hey Jube. Missed you too, Darlin.'" He hugged her back, and they walked arm-in- arm to the mansion.
"Oh man, it has been forever, Wolvie! Why do you go runnin' off like that? I have so much to tell you!! We got into all kinds of stuff while you were gone, I don't know even where to start!" Jubilee grinned up at him, opening the door as they strolled into the mansion.
Scott, Jean, Rogue, and Hank were all in the kitchen, Remy and the Professor over in an adjoining room, talking while a television droned in the background.
Jean shot a smile at him. "Hey Logan, nice to see you again. You oughta come by more often, you know."
Logan smiled back, and even slapped Scott on the shoulder good-naturedly. "It's good to be home. Jube here tells me that ya got into some adventures while I was gone – fill me in, what'd I miss?"
Jubilee punched him in the arm. "You first, mystery man – what is it you do on these "camping" trips of yours?"
Logan slid into a chair, lighting up a cigar and folding his hands behind his head. "Nothin' much Jube, not worth talkin' 'bout, really. Guy stuff."
Jubilee raised an eyebrow at him, then punched him playfully again. "Yeah, riiiiight….I bet you had some wild times of your o…"
Remy interrupted her suddenly, sticking his head into the room. "'Ey, you guys got to see 'dis on 'de news – crazy stuff mon!"
Intrigued, Hank, Jubilee, Jean, Scott and Rogue followed him into the sitting room, where Professor Xavier had turned up the volume on the television.
"…..bringing that to a total of four bodies found here in the eastern Adirondack Mountains. Early reports say that the men died from massive trauma, looking like a wild animal attack or perhaps a pack of animals – although one man didn't bear any cuts, but reportedly, every single bone in his body was broken. Police are very tight-lipped about this so far, refusing to discuss possible suspects or motive for the grisly killings. In a related story, the search for Lucy and Bobby Miller ends today. The Miller children were abducted from this rest stop in the eastern Adirondack area last Thursday. Lucy, seen here, was reunited with her mother Amanda yesterday. Rangers from station seven brought her in, saying that a good Samaritan had found her in the woods, obviously the victim of unspeakable crimes, and carried her to the station. Sadly, her younger brother's corpse was found not far from the cabin where these "animal" victims were found, along with the bodies of several other children. The true story will probably never be known. Back to you, Jill."
Rogue turned a sharp eye back to Logan, who was still smoking his cigar, watching the news story from the kitchen. "Weren't you in that same area, Logan?"
Professor Xavier turned then, regarding Wolverine with a knowing look. "Rogue, I believe Logan was correct – we shouldn't meddle into his private affairs. His solitary trips are his own. It is as he said – not worth talking about, really. Let's respect his wishes."
Logan shot a smile to the Professor then, and blew out a smoke ring. "Anything to eat 'round here? I'm starvin'."