The Unknown Alpha

Chapter seven

The wolf continued with his pursuit. Bloodstained snout held high, the wolf sniffed the air, seeking, commanding the nearest scents to his nostrils. The abandoned factory must have at some point been a chemical plant or something. Even the air felt contaminated.

     Claws scrapping across the concrete ground like nails, the wolf pushed forward, disappearing into another sector of the ancient factory.

     Too scared to breathe, Bailey peered out from behind a pillar. Watchful of the entrance the wolf disappeared into, Bailey huddled down lower, desperately trying to vanish herself.

     Her small, child-like hands held onto the edges of the pillar as she scanned the factory, looking for another way out. There was a questionable ladder that led to a high window, but she doubted she could even reach the ladder. There had to be another way.

     Her hands flew to her mouth, silencing her screams as a howl echoed through the factory. Howls, grunts, growls, then the sound of flesh being torn. A whimper. The scent of blood was heavy in the air.

     Then, nothing.

     Bailey pushed away from the pillar, craning her neck for a better look. It was stupid, if she was caught, she would die, but the factory grew eerily quiet. She had to know what happened. Was the wolf dead or . . .

     Her name was being called.

     Bailey breathed a sigh of relief at the familiar voice. The comforting voice. She was safe now. The bad men were gone. No more fighting. At least for now.

     Bailey pulled herself out from her hiding spot even further as her name continued being shouted.

     Something about her name gave her pause. It was her name, she thought so anyway, but something was wrong. It wasn't the name she knew, not the same name her parents gave her when she was adopted.

     A different name, but did she have a different name? She must have, at some point, but try as she might, she couldn't work out the letters of this new name. It was just a bunch of jumbled, inaudible sounds.  

     Bailey felt the hairs on her arms raise as her stomach dropped. Something else was wrong. The sounds of something scrapping against metal had Bailey twisting her body to look up towards the high ceiling.

     There, on the metal railing above, was another wolf, his blonde fur almost illuminating against the moonlight that streamed in through nearby broken windows. Even through the darkness, Bailey could see the blood that stained his fur.

     Bailey stumbled away, her body landing in an awkward heap against the cold floor. The wolf opened his jaw, moonlight gleaming off its impassive eyes, as it attacked.           

     Pain lashed through Bailey's chest as she woke. Her hands instantly flew up to her chest, expecting to find something, but there was nothing there. Just a bunch of leaves and twigs that covered her cold body.

     Huh?

     Twigs?

     That didn't sound right.

     Bailey opened her eyes fully, despite her body's protest, and stared up at the leaves that dangled above. Through the branches, she could see the night sky. A moon was slowly cross the sky.

    "Ow." Bailey groaned and pulled a particularly thick branch out from under her. Now, she was sleeping on sticks?

     Bailey shot up into a seated position, her legs scrapping roughly against the harsh forest ground she rested upon. She was in the forest, in the middle of the night, her pyjamas covered in dirt.