Mortal Kiss (19 page)

“A—a werewolf,” Liz stammered through violently chattering teeth. “That … that
thing
 … is a
werewolf
.”

Faye shook her head, wanting to deny what she’d seen, but she couldn’t find words. Her whole body was quaking. She shut her eyes but couldn’t block out the image of Finn’s skin tearing apart like paper.

“What do we do?” asked Liz in a harsh, shocked whisper. “Faye, what should we
do
? We can’t call the police. I can’t go home. Dad—” She sobbed, a huge intake of breath. “Dad’s part of it. I don’t know why, but he is. I can’t … I can’t go back.”

Faye reached out, taking Liz’s hand and holding it firmly. They sat like that for a few minutes, trying to calm down.

“What about Jimmy?” Liz said suddenly. “Wasn’t Finn saying something about Jimmy?”

“Yeah.” Faye nodded. “He said he knew where he was.”

Liz pulled her hand away and gripped the steering wheel hard. “Do you think they’ve got him? That thing … Finn’s … gang? The bikers, or the werewolves, whatever they are? Faye, have they got Jimmy?”

Faye nodded, shutting her eyes. “I think they might have. Liz—you were right.… You were right about Finn.…”

Liz pulled up at the junction that led into town. She was still shaking, but when she spoke, her voice was calm. “We have to go get him. We have to get Jimmy.”

“I’m not sure …,” Faye began.

Liz looked at her, a determined look overtaking the fear. “I’m not leaving him with those monsters, Faye,” she said. “Only we know what they are. Only we can do anything about it. We have to save him.”

“You know what?” Liz muttered as she pulled the car up the track toward the Mathesons’ cabin. “I’m getting really tired of being in these woods at night.”

Faye nodded. “You and me both.”

Liz pulled to a stop before they reached the turnoff to the cabin, inhaling deeply and leaning on the steering wheel. Faye watched as her friend took several more deep breaths. Faye herself was still shaking, her body cold from shock and fright. She stared out at the woods, feeling sick at the thought that they had to go in there, in the dark, after what they’d seen. An image flashed through her mind of tearing skin and dripping teeth. She shuddered.

“All right,” said Liz. “Do you think you can figure out where the biker camp is?”

“Well, I’ve never been there … but I think it must be somewhere around here. After the party Finn found me not far from the Mathesons’, and Jimmy’s house is on that route too.”

Liz nodded. “Well, I guess there’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?”

Faye shook her head. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“No,” Liz said with brutal honesty, “but we have to.”

Despite everything, Faye smiled. Liz seemed to have discovered a hidden store of courage within herself. Faye wondered how much it had to do with Jimmy’s being in danger, but she thought it best not to ask.

They had stopped at Liz’s to grab dark coats and flashlights—the house had been dark and quiet, and there had been no sign of Sergeant Wilson’s car. Liz led the way into the cold, snowy woods, shining her flashlight at the ground to light their way. Neither of them talked much as they walked. Faye was still going over and over
that moment when Finn—the wolf—had looked at her. She didn’t want to believe it, but there was no escaping the truth. Finn was a werewolf and most likely responsible for the events that had swept these woods and her town.

A werewolf. In Winter Mill. It seemed unbelievable, and yet Faye had seen it with her own eyes. She had a sudden memory of what Aunt Pam had told her about the first settlers in the area being torn apart by wolves, and she shuddered.

“You OK?” Liz whispered.

“Yeah,” Faye answered. “Just trying to take it all in. It all seems so insane.”

“It
is
insane!” Liz said, swinging the flashlight from side to side. “Maybe this is why Dad’s acting so weird. Maybe Ballard’s a secret agent or something, and they’re working together to get rid of the bikers.”

Faye shook her head. “Ballard doesn’t seem like much of a good guy to me.”

Liz shrugged. “I bet you have to fight really dirty to beat these werewolves. Why else would Dad be acting the way he is?”

“Maybe. But—”

Liz stopped, holding up a hand. She switched off the light. Ahead of them, the faint glow of a fire lit the forest, and the girls could make out the murmur of voices.

They crept forward slowly until they could see the camp. Crouching behind a snow-covered bush, they watched as the bikers moved about. They’d chosen a small clearing where the trees were sparse. The camp was bordered in all directions by the forest, and as everywhere else, there was snow on the ground. But the bikers had swept most of it aside before they pitched their tents, and huge piles lay in drifts around the edges of the camp. In the center was a large fire, burning fiercely. Around it stood a collection of small tents, with extra protection from the elements provided by tarpaulins that had been stretched between the trees. Another tarp was stretched
over the bikes, which stood on the other side of the camp. Faye counted five—Finn’s was nowhere to be seen.

As they watched, the flap of the tent closest to the fire opened and one of the bikers stepped out. Through the opening, Faye could see a figure lying on a low camp cot.

“Look,” whispered Liz. “That’s Jimmy!”

Wrapped in a heavy wool blanket, Jimmy lay still, his eyes shut. Even from where they were, Faye could tell that his breathing was shallow, and he was very pale.

“What are we going to do?” Faye asked. “We can’t just walk in there and get him. He doesn’t look well, and he probably can’t walk on his own!”

Liz frowned. “How about if you create a distraction? You’ve outrun them before. You can … I don’t know, throw a stone or something, and then make a break for it. They’ll follow you, and I’ll go in and pull Jimmy out.”

“I don’t know …,” said Faye, terrified of being chased again, especially now that she knew what would be hunting her. “I’m so scared, Liz. I just don’t know if I can do it. Maybe we can wait until they’re all asleep?”

“Won’t they have superhuman smell?” Liz objected. “They’re like dogs. They’ll smell us coming. Oh—but wait!” Liz’s face brightened. “The silver really hurt Finn, right? Look!” She pointed to her ears. She was wearing little silver studs. “I can throw these! They’ll be like … like grenades!”

Faye shook her head. “Liz, don’t be ridiculous. Didn’t your dad give you a pepper spray or something?”

“Oh.” Liz looked sheepish. “Yeah … he did. You’re right. That might work better.”

“You think?”

“Of course,” said another, deeper voice behind them, “you could just ask us if you can visit your friend.”

Both girls leaped to their feet, spinning around to see the lead biker, Joe Crowley, Finn’s dad, standing there. Then the girls saw more bikers emerging from the woods. Faye looked around and realized they were surrounded.

Liz went for her purse. “Stay away!” she gasped, rifling through her bag. “I’m armed! I will defend us! I’ve got—I’ve got pepper spray!” She pulled something out and held it in front of her. It was a hairbrush. Faye felt herself turn cold with fear as the men pushed forward.

Joe began to laugh, and the other men followed suit. “My dear,” he said, “I know we are a scruffy bunch, but there’s no need to threaten us with death by grooming.”

“Just … just stay away,” said Liz, almost sobbing as she struggled to find the spray.

“But you came to find us,” Joe pointed out. “There must have been a reason.”

“Jimmy,” Liz blurted. “You’ve got our friend, Jimmy. What have you done to him?”

The big biker stepped closer to Liz, stilling her shaking hands and putting one arm around her shoulders. He looked over at Faye. “Jimmy’s fine. He was sick, so we took care of him.”

“Is he—have you made him one of you?” Faye asked, finally finding her voice. “Is he—is he a werewolf?”

Joe smiled. “Why don’t you come see for yourselves?”

#

Jimmy could hear noise, but it seemed very far away. He turned his head and felt something soft against his face. His throat was dry, and he realized he wanted water. He was hot. Opening his eyes, he blinked, trying to focus. He was in a tent beside a blazing fire, the flames flickering indistinctly. Someone appeared, hovering over him. He looked up and realized it was Liz. She looked worried … and beautiful. Jimmy wondered if he was dreaming. He tried to speak, to say her name, but his mouth was so dry that it came out like a growl.

#

Liz leaped away as Jimmy growled, putting her hands up to her mouth. “Omigod! He’s a dog! You’ve turned him into one of you!”

Joe Crowley laughed gruffly. “He just needs some water. Someone get the boy a drink!”

“We don’t want anything from you,” said Liz, scared but defiant. “We’re going to take him to a hospital right now.”

Joe shook his head, taking the cup offered to him by one of the other bikers. He crouched down beside Jimmy and lifted him up with one hand, holding the cup to his lips with the other, helping him drink.

“Slowly now, Jimmy,” he said. “Don’t gulp it, son, or you’ll choke.”

Liz frowned as she watched Jimmy drink. He didn’t seem scared of Joe at all, and Joe actually wasn’t being that scary. He was really being very kind. It reminded her of how her dad had looked after her when she’d been sick as a little kid. Tears stung Liz’s eyes when she thought of her father. Would he ever be that caring again?

Joe looked up at Liz and nodded toward the blanket covering Jimmy’s leg. “Take a look for yourself. There isn’t a doctor alive who’ll know what to do with that.”

Liz hesitated before moving forward again and pulling back the blanket. She gasped. The wound was open and raw; large tooth marks had been left in Jimmy’s leg, which seeped with black pus. It was all she could do to stop herself from throwing up right then.

“What happened to him?” Liz asked, swallowing her bile and laying the blanket down gently.

Joe frowned, his attention on Jimmy. “Something bit him.”

Liz gasped. “You did this! You, or one of your men. We—you—”

“It wasn’t us,” Joe told her calmly.

“But you’re—”

“We stopped what attacked him.” The biker straightened up, putting the cup down where Jimmy could reach it. “And now we’re trying to help him.”

“He’s really sick,” whispered Faye. “Really, really badly sick, by the look of it. We have to get help. I’m going to call an ambulance!”

At her words, Jimmy struggled where he lay, trying to sit up. Liz put a hand on his shoulder to make him keep still. “N-no … no …,” he muttered faintly, his voice still hoarse. “Y-you c-can’t … Y-you m-mustn’t … E-everyone in the t-town c-could be h-hers by n-now. T-there’s n-no one … n-no one you c-can t-trust.…”

Joe nodded wearily. “He’s right. You can’t.”

“Jimmy? Is that you?” Liz asked. “What do you mean? I don’t understand. I don’t understand any of this! What do you—?”

There was a sudden commotion in the undergrowth and Finn stumbled into the circle of light cast by the campfire. He was shirtless, shivering in the cold. Purple bruises covered his face and torso, and blood poured from cuts on his arms and face. The burn on Finn’s neck was red and raw. The bikers ran to him as he
stumbled toward the fire. Liz saw a flash of anger pass over Joe Crowley’s face as he strode toward his son.

“Finn? What happened? Who did this to you?”

“Ballard,” Finn managed to say as he crumpled into a heap. “It was Ballard.” He looked up, and Liz saw his gaze drawn toward her friend, who was standing beside the tent flap. “Faye,” Finn said. “Faye, are you—”

His question was drowned out as the other bikers crowded around him, all speaking at once. They were all angry, demanding to know what had happened.

“Why did he do this?” Joe asked. “What did he want?”

Finn shook his head. “He offered me a choice. Join them or die. I think … I think this time is different, Dad. I think … that maybe this time, we won’t be able to stop her.”

Joe turned to the rest of the gang. “Go. Now—find him! We need more information. Bring him back here
alive
.”

In a moment, the clearing was filled with terrifying howls. Liz watched in fear as, silhouetted against the fire, every one of the bikers except Finn and Joe began to transform. Faye stumbled backward, scrambling into the tent to get away as the air was filled with the sound of ripping skin and gnashing teeth.

Liz heard herself scream and tried to turn away from the sight in front of her. She and Faye would be torn to shreds, she was sure of it, just like they’d tried to do to Jimmy. She shut her eyes and screamed and screamed until she felt something brush against her hand. Looking down, she saw Jimmy’s fingers laced through hers, his blue eyes watching her kindly.

“D-don’t b-be afraid,” he whispered with great effort. “It’s OK. E-everything w-will b-be OK.”

The werewolves ran toward the woods, leaving a strange kind of peace behind them. As Joe went to help Finn, Liz leaned close to Jimmy, who had closed his eyes again, though he still held her hand. Faye crouched beside them, white and trembling.

“Jimmy,” she said, shaking him gently. “We’ve got to go, Jimmy. We’re not safe, we have to get you out of here.”

“If you take him, he’ll die,” Joe said over his shoulder as he wiped the blood from Finn’s cuts.

“Just stay away from us,” said Faye in a trembling voice. “We’ll fight if we have to.”

Joe glanced up at her, shaking his head. “We’re not the bad guys here. There’s someone far worse for you to worry about, Faye McCarron. Believe me.”

Lucas woke with a start. It was the middle of the night, and his room was freezing cold. His breath traced patterns in the frigid air as he sat up, shivering.

He climbed out of bed, pulling a blanket around his shoulders. The house was silent—no, not just silent. It sounded empty, void. Dead, like the dark spaces behind an unknown door in an unknown house. He shuddered.

Lucas opened the door of his room and peered out. The corridor stretched into inky blackness, pierced only by the light from his room. He slipped quietly into the hallway beyond.