Wolf slinked along behind the other two as they plodded downhill along the driveway, their footfalls marked by the sounds of crunching gravel. They reached an asphalt roadway lined with dense forest that almost appeared to be on fire. Leaves of orange and red covered most of the trees and rustled as wind moved across the canopy.

His thoughts were jumbled as he fixated on the tree line. Then he noticed the sting of the hot roadway underfoot. He blinked, realizing that he had followed the two off the drive.

Wolf stopped, the ticking sound of his nails on the road going silent.

The bearded man turned back. “What’s the matter?” he asked.

“Someone needs to tell me what the hell’s going on,” Wolf replied.

“We really should kee—”

“I’m not moving until you do.”

Little Red rounded the large man to look at Wolf. “What’s the hold up, Jack?”

Jack shrugged. “Wolf says he needs answers.”

“Are you daft?” she asked. “You saw what was back there. And it’s only a matter of time before more show up here.”

Wolf snarled as he looked up at her. “I don’t know what I saw, but I do know that you were at the center of it. For all I know, this was your doing.”

“Well, let me clarify so there’s no confusion. Back there. Those were zombies. And you know what else was back there? Me saving your ass from becoming dog jerky, you ungrateful little shit!”

“Mioko,” Jack said. “Take it easy, will ya? We’ve left him in the dark, so he’s got no reason to believe otherwise, right?”

“We’ve got no more time for training wheels. It’s sink or swim now. There’s no way for him to unsee all that.”

“So…tell him?”

“I really don’t care anymore. But if he doesn’t get moving soon, we’re leaving him behind. For good, this time.”

Jack sighed, nodding. “Look, Wolf…you’re from a story book and not real. I mean, not really.”

“Jack! Not that. He just needs to know about the attack.”

“Oh,” Jack replied, distant. “Right. Forget that part, Wolf. The important thing is tha—”

Wolf laughed. “Really? Just forget the bit about my not existing? Sure. What’s that even supposed to mean anyways? Maybe you’re the one who’s not real. Ever think of that? I mean, you’re probably not.”

He nodded to himself. “I ate her grandmother back there. And let me tell you, I was stuffed. Yeah. So stuffed, I passed out. And now. Now, I’m dreaming. And you two are just stupid dreams. Which explains your stupid faces.”

Mioko shook her head. “We don’t have time for this, Jack.”

Jack folded his arms, his rolled-up sleeves bulging as they contoured his muscular shape. He scratched at his beard as he studied Wolf, then shook his head. “I’m sorry. That came out wrong. We’re both from a world other than this one. This one is hers and she brought us over. Ours is gone, more or less. And Mioko here helped us escape the same fate.”

Wolf cut his eyes to Mioko and back to Jack. “Say I believe you on the ‘our world being gone’ bit. So, she showed up before that and saved us? Doesn’t that sound convenient? A little too much so? Where’s the proof that she’s not actually the one that destroyed it? This could all be her doing!”

Wolf looked at Mioko, who looked elsewhere, distant. He was then overtaken by an incredible sense of dread, his legs locking. What is that? He scanned the surrounding tree line, before looking back at Mioko and following her gaze into the forest. Does she sense it too?

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“What is it?” Jack asked as Wolf looked about.

Wolf glanced at Mioko for a response, but she said nothing. “I—I don’t know. Something’s out there. And whatever it is. It’s big.”

Jack finally looked over to Mioko, immediately orienting on her and taking her by the shoulders. She had her arms crossed with her hands curled into fists as she stared into the tree line. “Mioko. Hey, your scarf.”

Mioko looked, finding the red of her scarf marbled with black. She shook her head and met Jack’s gaze, her expression grim. “Get Wolf sorted out, Jack. I don’t have the patience for it.” She walked a short distance and pointed down the roadway. “Meet me—”

A zombie stumbled out of a purple-rimmed burn opened near the trees, drawing their attention.

Mioko shook her head. “Don’t have the patience for that either.” She pointed again. “There’s a river up the road a ways. Wait for me there. I’ll open a lockbridge for you once I’ve sorted things out on my end. Just don’t cross it.”

Another burn opened beside her—one with a blue frame. Wind howled through as the opening looked across the top of a moving train. She crossed through and it closed behind her.

A wet thwack sounded, startling Wolf. His breathing was ragged. Thwack. He looked over to see Jack delivering killing blows with a wood axe, then realized that the big something was gone. Thwack.

“What was that?” Wolf asked, looking towards Jack.

Jack stooped, wiping his axehead in the grass. “You’re going to have to be more specific. The zombies? The lockbridges? What?”

Wolf shook his head. “Something was coming. No, it was here. I just couldn’t see it.”

Jack looked up and down the roadway. “A car, maybe. Have you not seen those yet?”

Wolf met his eyes. “Do those have teeth? This did. Lots of them.”

Jack eased the axe into a holder on his back and scanned the woods. “These aren’t the woods I know. I’m sure there’s lots of predators out there we’re not familiar with. No sense worrying over a question we’re not equipped to answer. Let’s just get to the meeting point so she’s not waiting for us.”

Wolf took a step but hesitated, placing his foot gingerly. He looked at Jack who was already several paces ahead, then ran with his tail low, fully expecting the ground to fall out from under him.

----------------------------------------

They traveled in silence, the road winding through the orange-treed corridor. Jack kept glancing back along the road and Wolf kept mimicking the gesture, though never seeing what they were looking for.

“Where are we?” Wolf asked. “Where are we going? And what happened to psycho, crazy lady?”

“Hnoss?”

“Who?”

“Hnoss. The one that’s attacking us.”

“Oh,” Wolf replied. “Is that who Red told you was doing all that stuff? Funny how nothing’s happening now that she’s gone.”

Jack nodded. “She’s being tracked. Whenever she’s in this world, Hnoss can open doors—lockbridges at her location. Those openings you’ve seen with purple boarders, they only have that coloring when Hnoss opens them. Mioko’s lockbridges are blue, which cross worlds or great distances. But she also has green ones and those only ever exit someplace nearby. So, if you see purple, just be ready to see more of those zombies.”

“Have you even met this Hnoss person?”

“No.”

“Then why are you so damn confident she exists? Are you just stupid? What if I told you I read minds and that I know Red’s lying? You have to know she’s been playing me. She even led me to her grandmother, and I know that was on purpose. What’s so hard for you to believe she might be playing you too? ”

Wolf stared at Jack, who walked without replying. “So? You’re having doubts too, then.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Then why aren’t you responding?”

“I did. I just didn’t do it vocally. You know, since you’re a mind reader and all. Should I think it louder next time or…”

Wolf chuckled and shook his head. “Fine. But you can see where I’m coming from.”

“Sure. A place without context. This is all jarring even in the best of scenarios, but we didn’t have time to ease you in. As far as your questions, I’ve been with her, Wolf. I’ve seen her responding to everything. And I’ve seen her shuttle people to safety. Plus, that wasn’t even her grandmother.”

“What?”

Jack nodded. “Apparently, it’s something you did back in our world, but in the future. I thought we should break this other world stuff to you slowly. So, she set up the grandmother thing to help you feel more at home, then checked on you occasionally.”

“You thought, huh? What gives you any say so in what I believe? Aren’t you that huntsman that’s always looking for me?”

Jack shook his head. “I wasn’t looking for you specifically. I just patrolled the roads to keep predators away from the village. Why would you assume that was solely about you?”

Wolf harrumphed. “Sure, seemed like you were interested in my tracks.”

“Which I peed on every chance I got.”

“That was you?” Wolf’s eyes widened as Jack snickered.

“Well, you were always running around like the king of the forest. Someone had to keep you grounded.”

Wolf scowled. “Well, none of that explains why you’re so confident in her or why you’re following her. She could just be a really good pretender, making you think that she’s a victim in all this.”

Jack sighed. “Given what I’ve seen, I can understand that she saved me—saved us. So, there’s that, plus I owe her for a favor. And those are the only reasons I need.”