Drowning Utopia

Chapter 37: Assault on the Dam

Tessa watched with apprehension as her friends and the other representatives were hauled off. Gray stood and began going down the walkway in the opposite direction from where they needed to go.

"Meriwether," Tessa hissed, "what are you doing?"

"We have to stop them."

Tessa quietly moved along the catwalk after. "Use your head. There are only five of us and a whole lot more of them. Stick to the plan."

"But we need to rescue her."

"You mean them?" Tessa corrected.

"I meant them," he said quietly.

Tessa sighed. "All right, lover boy, fine. I'll go look at Powerhouse Three myself and see if I can't get it back up and running. You go do what you have to, but don't do anything stupid."

"Don't worry. I will be all right."

Tessa turned for the door leading to the access bridge to Powerhouse Three before she stopped, noticing an odd odor. She turned back to Gray. "Do you smell that?"

"What?" he asked.

"I don't know. Kind of smells like a wet dog."

Even as she said such, Gray looked horrified as he pointed behind her.

"I do believe that the proper term is a wolf." someone said from behind, the harsh voice causing a chill to run down Tessa's spine. She turned to find one of the war wolves pulling himself up from the shadows of the rafters onto the walkway between them and the hatch to the roof. He gave a poor attempt at a grin, revealing his long sharp fangs. "You must be Miss Copperfield and Mr. Meriwether. Nice of you to show up finally. Makes trying to track you down that much easier."

"Who?" Meriwether asked, trying to play dumb.

The wolfman taped the side of his muzzle. "The nose doesn't lie. For that matter, I just heard your little conversation." The beast crouched low on the walkway. "I think the real question is whether we are going to do this the easy way or the hard way?"

Tessa and Gray looked at each other for the briefest of moments before the war wolf lunged for Tessa. Grabbing her wrench instinctively from her toolbelt, she swung at her attacker, slapping him across the face.

The beast momentarily recoiled as Meriwether withdrew his shotgun, pumping two rounds off. The first grazed the wolf's shoulder, but the second ultimately missed as the monster jumped over the side, swung around from underneath, and came up between them, swiping at Meriwether with his sharp claws.

The inventor nearly lost his head as the blow ripped his mask off. It clattered against the metal railing, and Gray fell back onto his hands.

Gripping her rifle, Tessa unloaded into the war wolf's back. It stiffened and yelped at the sudden pain, staggering forward, but was otherwise unfazed as it turned on Tessa with a snarl. It backhanded the gun from her grip before grabbing her by the shirt and throwing her at Meriwether. Both were sent sprawling across the catwalk.

"I think we may be in trouble," Meriwether said, pulling himself from under Tessa.

"You think?" Tessa snapped as she watched the wolf contort; the bullets that had been spattered into its back clattered to the ground as his body forced them out one by one.

A considerable commotion caught her attention as Tessa oriented herself. Several electric lamps shone up at them as the Boomers and pirates pointed at the war wolf on the rafters, calling out in alarm, questioning what was going on, and withdrawing their firearms.