Challenged - Skinwalker Book 2

Chapter 44

The two new arrivals watched anxiously as their more skilled team mates battled with the old man. Their punches and kicks didn't seem to have much impact - whereas his blows carried near destructive force. Devon skirted around the side of the scuffle until he reached the discarded shot gun. He called out to Kal and tossed it to him, holding it gingerly in the process like it could have carried some sort of infectious disease.

Kal reached back and grabbed it effortlessly, then took it firmly by the barrel side.

"I don't like killing people any more, old man," he growled, "but I won't hesitate to nail a threat to my team!"

With that he brought the weapon down against the old man's head like it was a baseball bat striking a home run. There was a loud crack and the butt of the rifle split in two. The old man hit the dirt out cold. Sierra wondered which had suffered more damage - the rifle or the old man.

"Finally!" Karina remarked as she wiped the sweat off her brow, exasperated.

She looked exhausted. She went over to fetch the tranq gun and held it ready over their victim while Anthony took his pulse.

"He's still breathing and his pulse is fine," the dark-skinned team member announced.

Sierra glanced at Kalko wonderingly. He caught her look and understood it, nodding in agreement.

"This isn't the guy from the city," he informed the others.

They seemed caught off guard by that information.

"Sierra, Devon - get the chest back up the stairs and take cover. Don't come down, no matter what," he instructed as he started scanning their surroundings.

"Anthony?" he asked next.

"Already one step ahead of you, captain," Ant replied as he started tearing his clothing from his body and walking off to the side.

"You think you are strong enough to make a dent in one of those things?" Karina asked guardedly, still eyeing the old man at her feet.

"In that form, sure," Anthony replied. "If it's in some other shape, I honestly have no idea," Anthony confessed as he stepped under the cover of a ledge and crouched onto all fours.

Kalko spun around to look at Sierra. Her and Devon still hadn't moved. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her.

"What is he? You've got to have some idea! You always knew - even though I stopped you from seeing them and I cut the internet in the library when I realised that your phone was down - you still knew. You had us all figured out!"

Sierra's brow furrowed and she tried to squirm out of his hold, a little annoyed.

"What the hell are you talking about?" she asked stiffly.

You cut the internet? You arse! Argh!!

"I read through the exercise you were doing for Jocelyn when you guys were in the city," he confessed. "Jocelyn was right - you know instinctively what we are."

The confession wiped her irritation from her thoughts. Sierra blinked at him, shocked. Her scribbles floated back to her mind:

'...he devours fish like a freaking shark.'

Surely it wasn't that simple? That was just ridiculous!

She glanced over to where Anthony was transforming, his animal form obvious even though he wasn't quite finished yet. She remembered what she'd scribbled about him, too, then: