The Reckoning

As we slipped into the hall, she saw the gun and took it from me before I realized what she was doing. When I protested she said, “If we need to use it, I’ll be the one who pulls the trigger.” I knew she was trying to protect me from having to shoot someone. I didn’t want to shoot anyone, but there was something about giving up the gun that chafed, the feeling of being shoved back into a role I no longer fit.

“Simon and Tori are in Dr. Davidoff’s office,” I whispered.

“We’ll go this way. It’s longer, but we’re less likely to bump into anyone.”

We turned a corner and a balding guard stepped from a room. I tried to tug Aunt Lauren back, but he’d already seen us.

“Don’t move, Alan,” Aunt Lauren said, raising the gun. “Just step back into that room and close-”

“Alan,” said a voice behind him.

He turned. A shot fired. The guard dropped. Mrs. Enright stood there, lowering a gun.

“I really do hate these things,” she said, lifting the gun. “So primitive. But I thought it might come in handy.”

I glanced at Aunt Lauren. She was frozen in a binding spell.

“Look what your aunt did, Chloe.” Mrs. Enright waved at the guard, motionless on the ground. “Such a shame. They won’t let her off with house arrest this time.”

I looked from Aunt Lauren to the dead guard.

Mrs. Enright laughed. “You’re thinking of raising him, aren’t you? Such a resourceful girl. I suppose we have you to thank for all this.” She waved her free hand at the cracks in the walls. “That’s what I like about you. Resourceful, clever, and, apparently”-she motioned at the guard again-“getting more confident in your powers each time we meet. I’d almost like to let you raise him, just to see what you’d do.”

“Let us go or-”

“I’m the one with the gun, Chloe. Your weapon takes longer to activate. If he so much as twitches, it’s good-bye to Aunt Lauren. Any bargains come from me, and I’m still quite willing to deal with you. I think we could-”

A dark shape leaped on her back. As she fell, she twisted to see a huge black wolf pi

I raced forward.

“Chloe!” Aunt Lauren shouted, freed from her binding spell.

“It’s Derek,” I said.

“I know. Don’t-”

I was already there, dropping beside him as he panted, flanks heaving, fighting for control. I grabbed handfuls of fur and buried my face against him, tears threatening.

“You’re okay,” I said. “I was so worried.”

“You weren’t the only one,” said a voice.

I glanced up to see Liz and smiled. “Thank you.”

“I just went along for the ride. After that happened-” She waved at Derek. “You know how blind people need Seeing Eye dogs? Well, apparently werewolves could really use Opening Door poltergeists.”

Derek rumbled deep in his chest and bumped me.

“We need to go. I know.”

I started getting to my feet, but he leaned against me. I could feel his racing heart. He pressed his nose against my neck, breathed deeply, shuddered, and his heart slowed. When he sniffed again, his nose went to the back of my neck, finding the blood and grumbling with concern.

“It’s just a bump,” I said. “I’m fine.”

I wrapped my hands in his fur one last time, holding him tight, then pushed to my feet. I turned to Aunt Lauren. She stood there, staring. Just staring.

“We have to go,” I said.

Her gaze lifted to mine and she stared some more, like seeing someone she didn’t recognize.

“Liz is here,” I said. “She’ll scout the way.”

“Liz…” She swallowed, then nodded. “All right.”

I gestured at Tori’s mom. “Is she…?”

“Still alive, but it was a hard blow. She should be out for a while.”

“Good. Derek? We need to get Tori and Simon. Follow me. Liz, can you go ahead and make sure the way is clear?”

She smiled. “Yes, boss.”

I took a few steps, then realized Aunt Lauren wasn’t following. I turned. She was still staring.

“I’m okay,” I said.

“You are,” she said softly. Then firmer, “You really are.”

We set out.

Forty-six

WE COLLECTED TORI AND Simon just as they were heading out to rescue me. After a very brief explanation about the earthquake and the wolf by my side, I asked if Simon had gotten hold of his dad. His face darkened, telling me the answer wasn’t good.

“Voice mail,” he said.

“Seriously?”

“It said he was unavailable and switched to voice mail. I left a message. He could have been out of range or on the phone or…”

He didn’t finish, but we all knew what he meant. Unavailable could mean a lot of things, not all of them as i

“We’ll call again as soon as we’re out,” Aunt Lauren said. “Which should be soon.”

We headed for the nearest exit. We’d gone about twenty feet before Liz came racing over.

“Three of them,” she said. “Coming this way.”

“Guns?” I asked.

She nodded.

If it was three unarmed staff-even with supernatural powers-I’d be willing to take them on. But guns were another thing. I told the others.

“There’s an unused wing to the west,” Aunt Lauren said. “They won’t guard that exit because it’s through a secured door.”

I followed her and used the key card to get us into the wing. As soon as we were through, Derek stopped short, the hair on his back rising, lips curling in a silent growl.

“Do you smell someone?” I whispered.

He shook his head sharply, with a grunt, as if to say sorry, and we started forward again, but he was wary now, gaze flicking from side to side.

“I know this place,” Simon murmured. “I’ve been here.”

“Your dad used to bring you to work sometimes when you were little,” Aunt Lauren said.

“Yeah, I know, but this place…” He looked around, then he rubbed the back of his neck. “Creeps me out, whatever it is.”

“The exit is around the corner and down at the end,” Aunt Lauren said, ushering us on. “It leads into a yard. We’ll need to climb the wall, but that’s another reason they won’t guard it.”

We continued along. Simon and Derek weren’t the only ones getting chills. It was so quiet. An empty, dead place. Shadows hunkered along the walls, out of reach of the security lights. It stunk, too, reeking of antiseptic soaked right into the floors, like an abandoned hospital.

I glanced in the first open door and stopped short. Desks. Four tiny desks. A wall of faded posters of alphabet animals. A blackboard, still showing the ghosts of numbers. I blinked, certain I was seeing wrong.

Derek nudged my legs, telling me to get moving. I looked at him, and I looked at the classroom.

This was where Derek had grown up. Four tiny desks. Four little boys. Four young werewolves.

For a second, I could see them-three boys working at the three clustered desks, Derek alone at the fourth, pushed slightly away, hunched over his work, trying to ignore the others.

Derek nudged me again, whining softly, and I looked down to see him eyeing the room, every hair on his neck on end, anxious to get away from this place. I murmured an apology and followed the others. We passed two more doors, then Liz came ru

“Someone’s coming.”

“What?” Aunt Lauren said when I relayed it. “From down there? That can’t be. It’s-”

The clomp of footsteps cut her off. She looked each way, then waved to the nearest door.

“The key card, Chloe, quickly!”

I opened it and we all tumbled inside. As I closed the door behind us, the lock whirred shut. I looked around, squinting to see with only the glow of an emergency light.

We were in a huge storage room packed with boxes.