Dance Moms - Lorelei (2) Finding Clara

Chapter 9 : Die Trying

Heading west, Chloe stayed close to the trees. She fasten her pace, using her hiking sticks like an extra pair of legs, hope has filled her heart with new energy, until she meet the first sign of life.

Further into the woods she heard barking, at first she saw a few dogs, but as she got closer she saw the horror of a pack of wolves fighting over a body.

"HEY!!" Chloe yelled, trying to scare away the animals, but they just turned and stared at her.

At first she thought they were just curious, but then she heard growling behind her. There were a dozen of them, surrounding her with big hungry fangs. They must been driven out by the flood, now hunting in packs.

"Congratulation, Chloe. You walked right into an ambush!"

Guarding with a pair of hiking sticks, she turned to defend from every direction, but everywhere she turned opened her back for the animals to advance, drawing her defense line tighter and tighter.

Chloe swung out the sticks, they were longer than her batons, but so much lighter, producing weak strikes that did no harm to the wild animals, it only drove them more aggressive.

One wolf caught the end with its powerful jaw, yanking the stick away from Chloe's hand, when another jumped and bit her extended arm. She used the other hand to fight it off, only to open herself from more attacks.

"They are working in tactics! It's their animal nature!" her reflection warned.

"I know!"

Chloe shook away the hiking sticks and ran, broke through the circle and removed her backpack, reached inside and grabbed the flare. A big grey wolf launched over her, crushing her to the ground with its great mass. Chloe landed with a thump, twisted the flare handle and struck it to a rock, igniting a hot pink flame and jamming it between the open fangs.

The giant wolf growled in pain, but Chloe wasn't finished, she was furious. She held the wolf by its neck, shoving the hot flare further down its throat, other wolves barked around her, but none dare come close to the flaming hot stick.

"Animal nature!" Chloe cursed. "I'm taking you with me no matter what!"

Choking at burning flame, the powerful animal fought for its life. Chloe held tight around the struggling beast with all her strength, preparing to put her life on this deadly duel.

The big animal rolled and kicked, like an angry mustang refusing to break, slamming its back to ground and trees, trying to shake off its new master. The wolf fought to its last strength, until it was finally defeated, and collapsed heavily like dead fur.

Chloe struggled to her feet, the flare still burning bright in her hand. The pack began surrounding her again.

"Who's next!" she yelled to the pack of wolves, her eyes burning like the flame in her hand. "WHO'S NEXT!!"

Witnessing the danger of the young human, the pack of wolves broke away, running into different directions. Chloe dropped the flare and ran to the body, it was all tore and broken.

"Oh My God!" she fell on her knees and cried.

Maria was cold and pale, but her eyes stared peacefully towards the sky, as if waiting to be received by angels from heaven. Her throat was torn, like other parts of her body. Chloe shook the body, even though the woman looked lifeless, she was hoping that she was wrong.

The body did not respond, judging by color of the skin tone, she has been dead for a while.

"Maria!" Chloe broke down over the dead mother, crying like she was her owe. "I'll find Clara. I promise!!"

She held Maria for a long time, until she could pull together and laid the body to rest.

Chloe removed her windbreaker to cover Maria's face. She knew it wasn't the smartest thing to do, with only a long sleeve jersey she might as well be naked into her journey, but she felt the mother should be buried with her pride. She then covered the body with rocks to prevent further damage from wild animals, and took comfort to say a pray for her.

"I will find Clara. I promise!"

"How are you going to find her?" the reflection asked behind her.

"She's probably still at the church."

"If her mother got out, that means she got out too. She could be taken by the wolves for all we know!"

"No." Chloe looked at Maria's burial place. "She died peacefully. She knew Clara was somewhere safe."

"There's no way of knowing it. What are you going to do? Call her in heaven?"

Chloe blinded, turned to look at her subconscious.

"What did you say?"

She then turned back to the grave, pushed the rocks away and began searching the body.

"Found it!"

In her hand was a phone, still have power. Chloe couldn't get a signal, she tried dialing 911, which could operate without a cellular network, still dead.

She then searched through the calls, and found the last voice message unsent.

"John..." Maria's voice came alive, panting and urgent. "The shelter is flooded. I'm taking Clara to the library, the radio said there's a shelter there. They said the storm is getting worse. Please don't try to find us. Find a safe place and stay there. I love you!"

It felt strange to hear a voice from the dead. It hurts more thinking how Clara would react losing a mother.

"This message is two days old. That place probably got evacuated!" the reflection said.

"Then why is she here, in the woods?"

Chloe stood up and accessed, thinking why the mother and child would separate on their way to the library. She assumed the library would be in the city, but the woods were at the opposite direction.

"She must have drawn the wolves away saving Clara!" Chloe spoke firmly.

"We don't know that!"

"It's what a mother would do!"

She restacked the rocks to secure the body again, took out the map and studied. There was no indication of a library, either too small or newly built, but she found the City Hall.

"City Hall isn't a library."

"No. But it's common that public buildings gather around the same area, just like Pittsburgh!"