赤裸裸的滑稽故事

Myka was different than usual.

He was quieter than he had been throughout their trip, and the natural smile that was always on his face had fallen.

The evening before had been a deep struggle for him.

He knew that something had happened to the village. He could see that with his own eyes when they had first approached it. But he was in no way prepared for what Ashleigh had told him.

The village he had been raised in was filled with families. There had been love and laughter. Even if it was all torn away the moment a pup became a wolf, it had still been real while they were there.

Myka had been up late with Alice. They talked a little, he cried a lot, and then they sat silently. After a time, Myka’s thoughts went to the children he played with in Winter, the ones that Alice and Ashleigh had rescued.

His heart ached for them.

“Do you think they know?� he asked Alice quietly.

“Who knows what?�

“The children,� he whispered. “Do you think they know what happened to their mothers?�

Alice took a deep breath and then looked away.

“I don’t know,� she said. “I think... some, like Sadie, might have an idea. But I don’t think they know exactly what happened.�

Myka took a shaky breath as an old and painful curiosity resurfaced in his mind.

“Alice?� he called.

“Yes?� she replied.

Myka licked his lips and swallowed the saliva that gathered in his mouth as he tried to calm his heart.

“Why did you save me?�

Alice didn’t respond right away.

“Because I saw you,� she said with a gentle smile.

Myka furrowed his brows.

“Through all the programming, all the orders I was given. I saw you, recognized your pain, and realized I could stop it.�

Myka felt the tears falling again.

“What about the others?� he asked.

Alice licked her lips and lowered her gaze.

“When my parents brought me to the lab,� Myka continued. “There were others... friends that I grew up with...�

“Myka...� Alice whispered.

“Why didn’t you save them?�

Alice swallowed.

“Because you were the only one that survived the first year,� she whispered. “I’m sorry, I could do nothing for them.�

Myka took a minute. He let the tears fall.

He had suspected it and even hoped for it during the worst nightmares he had experienced.

Hoped that his friends hadn’t suffered long or that they had escaped and found their way to their own version of Del. But in his heart, he knew the truth. The other screams slowly faded in the months after he was taken to the lab.

Alice tried to offer him comfort. Finally, he allowed her to hold him close for a long time. She held him tight until the sobs slowly became sniffles and then faded entirely.

“It’s late,� she whispered as she laid him back and pulled the blanket to his chin. “I’m going to bed.�

As she opened the tent, Myka called to her. She turned and looked back at him.

“Alice.�

“Yes?� she said.

Myka sat up on his elbows.

“I want to help them,� he whispered.

“Who?� Alice asked.

“The children... the ones you saved from the lab, the ones in Winter,� he said. “I couldn’t do anything for my friends, but maybe there’s something I can do for them?�

Alice smiled and nodded.

“That’s great, Myka,� she whispered. “But let’s worry about saving them first, okay?�

When Alice left his tent, Myka felt better. The day had brought him heartache, but it had also given him purpose.

As they walked through the trees, hours after their conversation, Alice observed Myka. She could see that he was still sad but wasn’t distracted or afraid. If anything, he was more focused than ever.

She let out a sigh of relief and then turned her attention to the other member of their party. The one that seemed to be carrying a weight on her shoulders that wasn’t there the night before.

“Is everything all right?� Alice asked quietly as she stepped beside Ashleigh.

Ashleigh looked back at the other woman and then quickly turned away.

The morning came with an unhappy surprise for Ashleigh. The shining blue light was the first thing she saw, and his message was the first thing she heard.

Her first instinct was to insult Alice or at least tell her to mind her own business, but she stopped herself. Instead, she swallowed and took a breath.

“When I woke up this morning,� she began. “I had a message from Caleb. He took a suppressant and is moving through a danger zone. He said it was for our safety and wants me to focus on my mission.�

Alice nodded.

“I may not have taken a suppressant, but I basically did the same thing when I told Axel I was shutting off my phone until we’re done here.�

Ashleigh nodded.

“I guess so,� she replied with a sigh. “It just... seemed a little different than that.�

“In what way?� Alice asked.

Ashleigh shrugged.

“It was just how he spoke. It felt... like a goodbye.�

Alice looked carefully at the younger woman.

“Ashleigh,� she called to her.

Ashleigh turned and looked her in the eyes.

“If something happened, even with the suppressant, you would know.�

Ashleigh sighed.

“No, I wouldn’t. That’s kind of the whole deal with suppressants, Alice. It blocks you from each other.�

Alice laughed, and Ashleigh turned back to her with furrowed brows.

“Oh, come on,� Alice smiled. “You think I don’t know how suppressants work? I was the test subject for the early versions. So I know how they work.�

Ashleigh looked away again.

“Even with the suppressants I was on, Axel still felt me,� Alice continued. “He didn’t know that was what he felt, but he felt it just the same. Axel and I share something... amazing. But even I know that what exists between you and Caleb is on a whole different level.�

Ashleigh swallowed. There had been times when they took the suppressants and could still feel each other.

“So, I say again, if something happened to him, you would know.�

With the final word, Alice moved away from Ashleigh and headed toward Myka.

Ashleigh was left with her own thoughts.

Alice was right. She had to be. Caleb was okay because if he wasn’t, Ashleigh would already know.

***

They moved with a silent quickness as Saul led them through the mountain pass. They had been traveling in absolute silence for more than seven hours.

Caleb was thankful but surprised that they had not encountered any enemies on their journey.

The war party of fae creatures and mutated wolves sat at a large camp at the top of the mountain. The pass was at the bottom. They knew that going this way would add a whole day to their journey, but it was the only way to avoid being seen by the enemy.

If they continued their pace without any trouble, they would make it to the other say before the next sunrise.

Caleb, for just a moment, felt hopeful.

But then he saw it, just as it saw him.

The creature stood up from its four legs onto two. It raised its clawed arms and roared at the two men.

It was a bear, but not like any bear they had ever seen. Its fur was matted and filled with dirt and leaves. Roots erupted from all over its body, and its eyes were white and milky.

Caleb summoned his shield as the creature charged forward and swung its mighty claw at them. The shield held, and Caleb released a heavy grunt as he felt the beast\'s strength pressing down on him.

“Caleb!� Saul cried out.

Still holding tight to the shield, Caleb looked back over his shoulder. Saul held his weapon out in front of him as one of the bat-like creatures slowly stalked toward him.

“He’s yours,� Caleb replied, “I’ve got this one!�

“Got it!� Saul called back, charging forward at the creature.

Meanwhile, Caleb gathered his strength and lifted the shield shoving the bear creature back a few steps.

It roared again, and Caleb quickly dissolved the shield, summoning a bow and arrow. Then, he lined his shot and let loose directly into the monster’s eye.

As it screamed, Caleb jumped forward, summoning his sword and drawing on his power to move him with greater force toward the beast. He held it in front of his body, used all his might to shove the sword into its throat, and drew it downward with his weight.

With a gurgle and a deep groan, the beast was dead.

Caleb stepped back, catching his breath.

“Well, that was new,� Saul said as he approached.

Caleb nodded, looking at the bear.

“Haven’t seen one like this before,� he said.

“It’s strange,� Saul said.

“What is?�

“The beast, its appearance, like the plant parts of it grew outward.�

Caleb tilted his head and looked again.

“You’re right,� he whispered, then squatted down to look closer.

“Caleb...� Saul whispered.

“And its eyes... they looked... almost dead,� Caleb continued thinking aloud.

“Caleb!� Saul growled.

Caleb looked up and saw that Saul had his blade in front of him defensively. Following his gaze, Caleb saw a pair of glowing eyes watching him from the darkness of the night. He stood up and then saw another and another.

Caleb swallowed as he summoned his blade once more.

From the shadows, three feral wolves step forward, letting out low growls as their mouths dripped with a frothy drool.