Chapter 9
8 Hours 30 Minutes until Dawn
"Shan, what realistic hope do we have?" Tom asked.
"What do you mean?" Shannon couldn't believe what she'd just heard. "You were the one who said to me that we needed to keep an eye on them to make sure they didn't kill anyone! Don't tell me now that you're regretting what you said, Tom. We've seen the consequences of laying low and waiting for things to happen. It cost Bernie his life. Rick saved our lives but he died because he went to hurt Echo…"
"Yeah, that's a point." Tom butted in. "Isn't it just a little bit coincidental that we met the true beast of Stoneybridge and then just so happen to meet the reason it's up on the Moors in the first lace along with Kyle's mother who just so happens to be the same person. I'm always wary of wrapping up too many mysteries too quickly."
"Maybe, but I'm never one to look a gift horse in the mouth." Shannon said.
"Yeah, but still…" Tom persisted as they walked. "When I saved you and Maddy from that fire in the lab, I knew how big the fire was, what started it and who I was after. If I were jumping into a house to save anyone, that's what I'd want to know. Shan, I don't even know what kind of house this is! I honestly don't know what we're dealing with here! We're in over our heads!"
"Maybe we are, Tom." Shannon nodded. "But when you wanted to go to try and help Rhydian through half of his problems, did I ever argue?"
"No, you didn't." Tom admitted.
"No. That's because I trust you." Shannon said, hugging him briefly. "What we're doing now isn't easy, but it is a sort of unwritten duty we have. We know the secret. We have to save everyone we can or die trying. We just don't have the luxury of curling up in bed and waiting to see how many people are alive come the morning. I count just over eight hours until dawn. We can do it."
"Shannon, we've nearly died tonight." Tom reminded her. "I'm limping, you're clearly mentally scarred and we've just witnessed a death by what is effectively the most docile creature we're going to see tonight!"
"Tom, he was just defending himself." Shannon countered. "So was Rick, and he saved our lives too. We need to carry on if for no other reason that he died so we could live. We have to make this count."
"Listen to yourself!" Tom's voice came out a bit louder than he would have liked. "We're sixteen years old! We shouldn't have to worry about people laying down their lives for us!"
"Whether we like it or not Tom, it's happened." Shannon shrugged. "We can deal with our guilt in the morning. Once we save everyone, the Wolfbloods can tell us that we did the right thing and so on like they usually do. For now, I'm just content to make sure no one else dies."
"How are we going to do that though, Shan?" Tom asked. She could see that he clearly didn't want to go on.
"Tom, if this is too much, the head back to my place and get warm." Shannon reached into her pocket and held her house key out to him.
"Shan, I'm just saying that we need a proper plan." Tom reasoned. "I think we should look at heading back to your place, make a plan and then go out and do something."
"What's the honest point?" Shannon shrugged. "We plan; we get there and then all hell breaks loose."
"Yeah, but because we made a plan in the first place it usually goes alright." Tom replied. "Shan, it won't take more than an hour, I promise."
"Tom, there's at least two Wolfbloods loose right now. Do you know how many they could kill in an hour?"
"That depends on how many people have the common sense to stay indoors." Tom came over and wrapped his arms around Shannon. "Look, I know who you're worried about. Harry is going to be fine. But if anything, I think we should go over to the Smiths' house and check that they're still where they should be."
"I suppose you're right." Shannon muttered as Tom let go. "What do we do if they're not there?"
"Well, panicking would be a start." Tom rolled his eyes. "I suppose we'll just have to cross that bridge if and when we come to it."
"I really hope they don't end up hurting people, Tom." Shannon said. "Maddy's always been so easy-going, I know it would destroy her if someone ended up getting hurt tonight."
"Shan, you need to calm down." Tom pulled Shannon close again and this time held on until her breathing had slowed down.
"You're right." Shannon muttered. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry, just keep it together." Tom told her. "If we're going to lose it, let's do it at your house where it's warm and mostly safe."
"What do you mean 'mostly' safe?" Shannon asked.
"Well, Rhydian was able to get out of it." Tom reasoned. "If he got out, what's to stop others from getting in?"
"That's a fair point." Shannon nodded. "My biggest concern there is that we'll have to explain the damage in the beer hatch to my parents."
"Just tell them the wood was rotten and a fox fell through it." Tom shrugged. "Whatever happens, we can deal with it later. The big concern right now should be making sure everyone else is safe. How far is Maddy's place from here?"
"It's quite a distance." Shannon mentally weighed up their options. "I think our best bet is to cut through the Moors and drop down on their back garden. We can get to the hatch from there and see right in."
"And what if they jump up and take our faces off?" Tom asked. "Not to mention, the air would blow into the den as we opened the hatch and they'd smell us in an instant."
"In that case, we'll do it the old fashioned way." Shannon reached into her pocket and pulled out her keys. "Let's see: my house, your house… ah, here we go!" she held up one of the keys and showed it to Tom.
"Damn, that just reminded me I forgot my house keys." Tom muttered as they started towards the Moors. After a few steps, Tom stopped dead. "Hang on: Jana and Rhydian are both loose! Wouldn't the Moors be where they might go?"
"They probably wouldn't be near Maddy's house though." Shannon countered. "Wolfbloods are only safe together on blood moons if they're blood related. That's what Maddy told me. Rhydian and Jana probably found their own little corners of it to patrol. And they'd also have to avoid Echo."
"I still find it too convenient that the batty old woman kept a jaglion as a pet for a year and is also the mother of the man that tried to murder us!" Tom rolled his eyes.
"Like I said Tom, the truth sounds insane sometimes, but that doesn't mean that it's not." Shannon shrugged. "We can worry about that later."
"Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that if Jana and Rhydian would go up to the Moors, why wouldn't Maddy and her family?" Shannon's blood turned to ice in a way that the cold could never hope to achieve. Tom was right. If Maddy and her family had somehow broken loose, the first place they would go was probably the Moors. She could have been leading them straight to a very painful death.
"You're right." Shannon admitted again. "Okay, we'll go to Plan C. We walk straight up the country lane Maddy lives up. If anything jumps out at us, we use Kyle's torches to give it quick and repeated blasts of light, but we won't use the strobe function. That's only for if Kyle comes near us."
"That sounds good to me." Tom grinned. "If something comes near us, we blind them in a way that won't damage them permanently and if Kyle comes along we'll blast him with two sets of strobe lights."
"Come on, let's just get moving." Shannon beckoned him to follow. Every step was an effort as they reluctantly trudged towards Maddy's place. The country lane that seemed only minutes of walking when they were all together and gossiping, that always cast such a friendly and welcoming aura; now seemed an hour-long walk through hell that stretched endlessly before them.
"I wish we'd brought our bikes!" Tom moaned.
"Keep your voice down!" Shannon said quickly. "If one of us is too loud and they're loose then we're wolf food!"
"I think we need to be careful what we wish for." Tom looked up, pointing to a grassy bank on the slope up to the Moors. A pair of blood red eyes glared at them from the top of the slope.
"Okay, let's get ready." Shannon grabbed her torch and clicked the button on. Tom did the same. As if sensing their intent, the wolf sprang from its hiding spot and flung itself into a charge in their direction. The blood moon seemed to be powering the wolf's bloodlust and stamina at the cost of all strategic knowledge. Shannon raised her torch briefly. The sharp flash of light into the wolf's eyes broke its focus and disoriented it. Tom followed suit, waving his torch beam across the wolf's eye line.
The wolf was completely blinded temporarily, causing it to stagger and fall. Knowing that the attack had gone disastrously and knowing that the targets had a means of defending themselves; it took advantage of the fact that they hadn't killed it yet and sprang back up. It let out a growl as a warning not to chase it and ran before Tom or Shannon could react.
"Could you tell who it was?" Tom asked.
"I think that was Dan." Shannon shivered at the thought that her best friend's dad had just tried to kill them. She knew this kind of thing could happen, but it didn't make it less frightening when it did.
"I think I just saw my life in front of my eyes." Tom gasped.
"I think we can safely say then that Maddy and her parents are loose." Shannon muttered.
"Should we turn back?" Tom asked.
"No, I want to see how they got out." Shannon replied. Tom clearly didn't like the idea, but he trusted her too much to argue. They continued up the old country road until the familiar sight of Maddy's house met them. Normally, the place would give off a welcoming and pleasant aura. But tonight was different. Tonight, the air and general tone of the whole thing had changed. They didn't feel welcome or even remotely wanted. They didn't feel the usual feeling of comfort or safety that always came with seeing Maddy's house. This time, it was as though the house itself were trying to warn them to stay away at all costs. They walked up to Maddy's front door. Shannon stuck her key in the lock and stepped back.
"What are you waiting for?" Tom asked.
"Go on then." Shannon gestured to the door.
"What?" Tom couldn't believe it. "No way in hell! I plan on living past today!"
"Tom, the Wolfbloods aren't going to be in there." Shannon tried her hardest to sound more confident than she felt. What was honestly going to happen? Would they find Emma in the kitchen on her hind legs making breakfast with her paws while Maddy stuck her muzzle under Emma's shoulder and ate it before it was done? There was just no way the wolves were in there. They had no opposable thumbs. They wouldn't be able to unlock the door and get in.
"Oh, aren't they? Tom looked sceptical. "I'll Rock, Paper, Scissors you for it."
"Okay then." Shannon nodded. One game (and Shannon's refusal to do best-of-three) later, Tom opened the door to the house and cautiously crept inside. He swung his torch beam around slowly, trying to spot any signs of life. At his signal, Shannon moved up and joined him.
"I hate you sometimes!" Tom snapped.
"Maybe if you ever picked anything other than paper…" Shannon grinned smugly. Just to be on the safe side, they crept as quietly as possible through the house. Suddenly, a crash rang through the air. Shannon spun around, feeling ready to die of a heart attack.
"Sorry." Tom cringed, glancing briefly at where the vase he'd knocked off lay on the floor.
"What the hell, Tom!" Shannon whispered savagely. "Why don't you go ahead and make all the noise?"
"I'm sure Emma won't mind once we explain this to her." Tom shrugged.
"I couldn't care less about Emma!" Shannon snapped. "I damn near had a heart attack just then!"
"Let's just get to the cellar." Tom rolled his eyes.