Thunder and Storm

The Wolves

SALLY.

I stared at the clock still on my bedside shelf like it had always been. Mom used to hate it when that alarm woke her up earlier than she wanted. I remembered how she would complain about it.

I picked up my backpack and hugged it. Dust shot up from it, spreading into the air and I sneezed. I heard a low growl come from downstairs. Confused, I got up to check, slinging the bag over my shoulder. I went down the stairs and checked the living room but there was no one there. The floorboards creaked under pressure. Someone was in here with me.

“Ryan?” I called out, “Ryan, Cameron, is that you guys?”

I heard a growl and then someone or something jumped out of my parent’s room. I caught a glimpse of black fur before I was dragged out of the room.

“Run!” Ryan yelled in my face. He pulled me along as he ran out of the house.

“What is that thing?” I shouted and looked behind me just as a massive black wolf burst out of my house, chasing after us.

“Oh my God!” I screamed.

We ran back to the car and got in, locking the door behind us. I panted as I tried to catch my breath, I had never run so fast in my life.

“We need to get out of here,” I said to Ryan.

“We can’t. Hiro is missing; Cameron went to find him.”

“Why are we being chased by a wolf?” He didn’t answer; he looked out the window, checking the surroundings.
“I think we’ve lost it,” he said.

“I’m not sure, Ryan. We’re sitting ducks in this car if we don’t get out of here.”

He looked at me now. “There’s nowhere to go. I don’t know how to drive a car and I don’t think you do either.”

He was right. I didn’t know how to drive a car. He looked back out the window just as the wolf poked its head in the car, snarling at us. We screamed and rushed out, running in opposite directions.

I ran back in the direction of my street and glanced behind me to see the wolf chasing after me. I quickened my pace, my heart thundering out of my chest. I turned a corner and ran to the first house I saw. I tried the door but it was locked.

“Shit!” I cursed. I had never had a reason to curse in my life.

I ran to the side of the house and jumped over the porch, running straight into Cameron. I dug my feet into the ground before my face collided with his.

“What are you doing here?” He hissed as he pushed me behind him. Hiro was leaning heavily on his shoulder. He looked unconscious.

“He’s been drugged,” he explained.

“By who?” I asked.

“By a hunter. I barely managed to give him the slip. What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be back at your house?”

“I’m being chased by a wolf.”

“Great.” He rolled his eyes then paused. “Wait! Where’s Ryan?”

“I don’t know. A wolf attacked us and we ran out of the car, I don’t know where he is.”

“This is just fucking great.” He threw his hands up, forgetting about the boy leaning on him. Hiro swayed and he caught him before he landed on the floor.

“Gotcha!” A man jumped out from the corner of the house suddenly, pointing a gun in Cameron’s face. I yelped.

“Ooh! What have we here?” He grinned as he cast his gaze on me. He had a maniacal grin on his face as his eyes roamed down my body. He wore a black coat and a fedora hat. His fingers were adorned with rings. He dipped his hand in his coat and brought out a flyer. He turned it over and my eyes widened. It was a picture of me with my name boldly written on it. There was a bounty attached to it.

“If it isn’t Sally Jenkins,” he said in a raspy voice. I gasped. “This must be my lucky day. There’s a hefty price on your head, girl.”

In panic, I grabbed Cameron’s hand. The next thing I knew, we were back in the car.

“Whoa!” he shouted. “How did you do that?”

“I don’t know, just drive. Go, go, go,” I rushed out.

He started the engine and peeled out of there faster than a lightning bolt.
“We’ve got to find Ryan,” he said as he sped off, looking around.

“I thought you said there was no one around anymore. Everyone was in safe houses. Then who was that man?” I questioned.

He glanced at me through the rear-view mirror. “A hunter. There are lots of them around hunting kids like us. He’s human and he doesn’t seem to be infected by the virus which makes one wonder why.”

If he was human and we were immune to the virus, shouldn’t he be infected? I didn’t understand.

“He must have some kind of antidote or something. They all must do for them to be around and not be infected,” he continued. “Which leads to the conclusion, Medex Corp must be behind the outbreak.”

“But why? Why would they do something like that to innocent people?”

“The same way they turned us into what we are. Think about it, Sally, there’s a hidden agenda here. Someone is in the background pulling the strings and we’re just pawns in the game.”

I didn’t say anything. There was nothing to say. I’d never actually thought about the reason behind all these but now that I did, I realized Cameron was right.

We found Ryan two streets away running from two wolves. Cameron increased the speed and I pulled the door open as we stopped beside him.

“Get in!” Cameron ordered.

Ryan flew into the car and we sped off only to be stopped by a man on a motorcycle with two wolves flanking him.

“Oh shit! It’s Killer Adrien.” Ryan exclaimed.

We were trapped. There were two wolves behind us. The man grinned widely. “There’s nowhere to run,” he shouted. He reached into his coat and brought out two guns, pointing them at us. “Step down from the car quietly with your hands up.”

“Shit!” Cameron cursed. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

I narrowed my eyes at him. He wasn’t going to do what I think he’s going to do, right? He stepped on the gas. The man laughed and revved his bike, gunning for us.

“What are you doing? You’re gonna get us killed,” I yelled at Cameron.

He clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes at the hunter as they drove towards each other.

Come on, Sally, think. How does Margot do it again? Think of where you want to go.

Think of where you wanna go.

“Think of where you wanna go,” I chanted to myself. I thought about the cave and spread my hands in front of me just like I used to see Margot do it back at the Underground.

A line split the space in front of the car, spreading as I concentrated on it. I could see the road leading to the cave opening up in front of us.

“Whoa!” Ryan’s mouth fell open.

The line kept getting bigger till it covered the car and we went through. I dropped my hands and it closed behind us. I looked back at the dirt road covered in snow in relief. It only lasted a while before my heart clenched and a bitter feeling spread in my stomach. Margot was dead because of me and here I was using her power.

“Oh my God! That was awesome,” Ryan yelled as the car stopped behind a bush by the cave and we got down.

“What the hell, Sally!” Cameron yelled as he got down from the car and slammed the door.

He looked furious as he advanced towards me. “You could’ve just teleported us there and you made me drive through snow-covered roads for two days? Two freaking days,” he yelled in my face, holding up two fingers.

Anger boiled in me and I clenched my fists, clamping my mouth shut. How dare he yell at me when I just saved us all from getting killed because of him. I had no right to use Margot’s power after what I did to her and I used them because of him. He couldn’t even appreciate it.

“You’re yelling at me? You’re yelling at me when I just saved us from being splattered on the road because of you,” I yelled at him.

“Because of me?” He pointed to himself, “We wouldn’t have been there in the first place if you didn’t run away in search of your parents who are dead by the way.”

Ryan gasped behind me. Tears stung my eyes and my lips trembled. His words felt like a slap to the face. A harsh reminder that my parents were no longer here because of me. Again, someone was dead because of me.

“Thank you for pointing that out,” I managed to say before running out of there. I didn’t make it a few paces away from him before the flood started and I broke down.

“That was a low blow, Cam.” I heard Ryan say.

I ran into my tent and closed it behind me, letting myself get swallowed in misery once again. I took off my backpack and threw it on the floor. A clunking sound came from it and I wiped my cheeks. I picked it up and opened it. My books were in there along with the music box Riven had given me for my birthday last year. That moment felt like eons ago now. I opened it and the ballet dancer began to dance as music played from it.

It reminded me of you. That ballerina is who I see in you, Sally.

Riven’s words from the cafeteria rang in my head and I looked down at the petite dancer. Her black porcelain skin shone in the dark as she twirled around and around.

Would he still think that of me if he saw me now? I closed the box and threw it in the pile of clothes by the corner.