The Vagrant Shadow

Chapter 5

Ambivalent thoughts coerced my body to shut down both mentally and emotionally. I wasn’t at all sure what was happening, but for some reason, I felt depressed yet at the same time I wasn’t. My mind grew blank from all other functions except for driving, and the memories that haunted me. The road turned into a blur as I sped down the silent road. My thoughts were constantly beating themselves against the silent prison which my brain had encased them. I glanced at my speedometer as I passed a police car but it was already too late. The flashing lights and the siren broke me out of my fixated trance as I glanced in my rear view mirror. My heart raced as I realized what I had done. The lights in my rear view mirror continued to echo throughout my car as I became conflicted as opposed to what to do. Normally people would pull over, and accept the ticket and go on with their lives, but I wasn’t going to let that happen. It was bad enough that I had a police record since I was eight, how would my revoked freedom fix any other problems I had with the law? So I did the thing that most people only see on television or movies—I floored it. The Mustangs engine revved as I sped down the busy highway, bursting through full speed through red lights. People honked their horns and slammed on their brakes to flip off the rogue driver that zipped past them trying to escape the pursuer. I glanced in my rearview mirror as I passed the police station, and noticed that two more police cars came out to pursue my Mustang. Wailing sirens riveted their echoing cry throughout the city as I weaved through cars and ignored stop signs. The police officers followed my car for what seemed a good half hour before I turned on to eroded road that was soon shrouded in the presence of thick tree’s that gave of an eerie, apprehensive atmosphere.  In my last failed attempts to ditch the police, I pulled over, turned off my car, and made a break for it into the depths of the wooded abyss. I ran as far I could while occasionally glancing over my shoulder. Beams of light from the police officers flash light bounced off the thick vegetation, as their feet trampled the earth. Distinct yelling to spread out and corner was ordered. I ran through the forest not really sure how far I was going to go, before my legs would give up on me. I could feel the presence of something lurking in the woods as I kept running. My thoughts of how to escape these police officers were suddenly shattered when I felt myself hit the ground at full force, while my hands were forcibly tied behind my back in cold metal handcuffs.

“Thought you could get away from us, huh kid? You gave us one hell of a fight,” the police officer retorted as I laid there on the cold dirt. I knew, it wasn’t  going to end well, but I thought I might as well give it a shot. The police officer pulled me up by the hair as I yelped in pain. As my cry for help echoed through the forest, the sound of low chuffing could be heard as the full moon illuminated the clearing of the forest. Twigs snapped and vegetation rustled as the police officers looked around, feeling the presence of an ominous force lurk through the tree lines. The chuffing turned into a snarl as golden eyes pierced the blackness of the night. I gulped as the police officer tightened his grip on me, causing me to let out another yelp of pain. The snarling changed into sincere ferocity as a lone black wolf stepped out of the forest to confront the officers. Teeth bore sharp as he size rendered immense. My eyes shifted up to the wolf as the officer pushed me to the ground and pulled out his gun.

“No!” I screamed, as I kicked my leg from underneath him, causing him to fire his gun. The bullet whizzed through the wolf’s ear, leaving a small hole in the cartilage, much like an earring would leave. The wolf snarled as her hackles raised as she lunged at the police officers; each of them firing their guns trying to stop the monster, while all I could do was remain helpless.  The wolf was agile, even for her size. Swatted her large paw at one officer, sending him into a tree, while he bit the leg of another, and finally snapped the neck of the one I had kicked down

The officers watched in horror as they hurried out of the forest, while other wolves tackled them to the ground, gnawing and slashing them with feral behavior. I couldn’t see what had happened to the officers, but I could hear them scream, before the forest was rendered into an eerie silence. The howling of the wolves in the distance indicated that the hunt was over, and that a feast had been brought upon them. I sat up, in the dirt as the wolf looked at me and panted. I looked at her paw which still had her bandage wrapped around tightly. The wolf nudged me softly with her large nose, as she placed her canines around my handcuffs and snapped her jaws together as the metal broke in two. She nudged me again whining as I pet her muzzle softly, her soft tongue flicking against my hand in reassurance as she curled her thick coat around me.

 I awoke early and noticed I was alone. I sat up in slowly and wondered if what I had seen the night before was another dream. The sun was just beginning to peak through the horizon as I stepped carefully over the mutilated bodies of the fallen officers. I grunted with disgust, as I couldn’t help but feel guilty over the loss. I mean, these men had families and I let them suffer a horrible fate because I   wanted to escape the law. I sighed to myself, as I walked through the forest, feeling an ominous presence lurk behind me. I turned around quickly, but only heard the sounds birds chirping and rabbits running, I turned back around and gasped as I nearly stumbled over someone in a wheelchair who had a gun in his hand.

“Just what do you think you’re doing, here boy?”The man asked.

“I got lost,” I mumbled.

“No one just gets lost in here, boy, either you know the place or you don’t. If you do, then you’re a visitor, if you don’t then you’re a trespasser,” I glanced at the man’s wheelchair for a brief moment before he gave a disdainful glare through thick aviator glasses.

“Eyes on me, boy,” he scolded coldly. I looked at him with a small bit of an aggravated expression. “You got some nerve coming around these parts, its best if you leave, before those wolves get to you,”

“So you’ve seen them,” I asked.

“Yeah, I have, but I wouldn’t advise you to go looking for them, they’re a wild bunch. Why they killed two armed officers last night. Scary as hell,” he muttered. “But enough chit-chat, get out of here, before I decide to do a little target practice on your puny little head,” I snorted and walked past him.

“Oh, and kid, don’t let me catch you around here, no more. These are dangerous territories,” he snorted and wheeled away. I couldn’t figure out what the man was talking about. Dangerous territories, what did he mean? I sighed to myself and glanced around the road, noticing my car was surrounding by inoperable cop cars.

“Great!” I muttered to myself. I passed by the cars, and noticed that one of them still had the keys in the ignition. I entered the vehicle, and moved it out of the path of my car. Looking through the car, I opened the glove compartment and found a strange yet beautiful picture, but gasped to my horror. The picture revealed two young couples on a beach in Florida. One of the couples was my mom and dad. A shiver went down my spine as I realized that my father was one of the officers that were trying to protect me.

          I stumbled hazily through the front door of my aunt’s house and crashed on the couch. It had only been a couple minutes before I was awoken by thumping footsteps coming down the stairs. I didn’t know what was happening, but the next thing I knew I was up against the wall with a violent glare fixating on my dilated pupils.

“The hell have you been?” the gruff voice demanded. I couldn’t speak from the shock and confusion. I felt my back hit the wall once more as I heard another set of steps race down wooden stairs.

“Gene, stop!” My aunt cried in a frantic as she tried to pull the derange military officer off of me.

“Stay out of this, Flora!” he said coldly.  Aunt Flora did her best to pull him off of me once again.  “No, Gene, I will not. That is my nephew, and this is America, not Russia, now let him go, or the wedding is off,” she threatened. Gene’s shoulders loosened as he dropped me to the floor. I slumped against the wall with pain searing through my skull. She glared at Gene for a moment before draping an arm around me helping me up the stairs to my bedroom. She sighed softly as she laid me on my bed as she went down stairs for a few minutes, bringing me water and Aspirin. She shook her head softly, as she exited my room, closing the door only a crack. I felt nauseous. The room felt like it was spinning and everything felt like it was on a slant. I took the medicine and laid my head on the soft pillow covering my face with another pillow. The cold side of the pillow felt good against my face as I closed my eyes. I still felt the room was spinning, but managed to ignore it as I fell asleep.