“No, that’s not possible.” He looked back over his shoulder at the older man, who was blinking slowly as he woke up. “Huan, please, tell her about my pack mates. They’re still out there we have to go look for them!”
Huan Li shook his head. His eyes only showed confusion and bewilderment at his current surroundings.
Javier tried in vain as he struggled against the woman. “You have to listen to me. My friends are still out there, please!”
The woman easily guided the young man to the soft floor where he had woken up. “I understand you’ve been through quite a bit. If I hadn’t come upon you when I did, the storm would have buried you.”
“Wait…storm?” Javier asked. “What storm?!” His voice was shot through with panic and desperation.
“Even if you were strong enough to leave, which you aren’t. I wouldn’t let you leave in this. You’ll just have to wait for the storm to pass.”
“But my friends?” Javier asked desperately. “Please there were three wolves with us. Did you see any wolves?”
The woman stopped and slowly stood up. She looked down at the tan-skinned man with a sudden darkness. “What do you mean, wolves?” she asked with a voice dripping with malice. “There haven’t been any wolves in these woods for hundreds of years, and good riddance to all of them.” She looked very hard into Javier’s eyes. “Are you one of those American scientists? Trying to reseed these lands with those horrible, abominable creatures?!” Her voice took on a hard and almost hysterical edge.
“Wha…? No, no I’m not a scientist. I, uh, we are travelling with three wolves. They’re our pets, we uh…we were camping…sort of.” Javier said suddenly a bit afraid of who it was that had pulled him and Huan Li out of the forest.
“I didn’t see any of those horrible monsters,” the woman spat, “and if I had I would have killed them.”
“Please,” Javier pleaded, “they are part of our family, don’t hurt them. I just have to know where they are.”
The woman’s face didn’t soften at all. “I told you, I didn’t see anyone or any *thing* near you where I found you in the woods.” She said nothing else but left the two men in the strange stone and wood room. Javier heard the woman climb some wooden stairs and a door opened and close swiftly.
“Where are we?” Huan Li asked cautiously.
“I didn’t get around to asking that,” Javier responded. “Who cares where we are. We have to get out of here and find the rest of my pack.”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Huan Li looked around their surroundings. The small room they were both in was more like and alcove of a bigger area. It wasn’t much bigger than the alcove where they slept, but it was bigger. The walls were made of stone and wood. But it wasn’t made like anything Huan had ever seen…above ground.
Huan Li nodded to himself. “We’re underground. In some sort of a fruit or storm cellar.”
Javier nodded. “Yeah, looks that way. Come on we have to get out of here.”
Huan Li regarded him calmly. “I want to continue our journey as much as you do. But what if she was telling the truth and there is a storm happening outside.”
“And what if there isn’t?!” Javier sked in defiance. “What if she’s just a crazy woman who likes kidnapping back packers?” Javier got up and started to make his way to where the woman had disappeared.
“I understand you need for urgency,” Huan said, “But if we rush head first into danger without knowing what’s really going on, we might end up worse off than we were starving and freezing in the snow.”
Javier nodded reluctantly, “I hear you, Elder.” He looked up the stairs on the far side of the cellar. “But I have to do this.” Javier climbed the stairs quickly and quietly. When he reached the top of the stairs he tried the door knob. It was locked.
He could do one of two things, he could break the door down and take his chances, or he could follow Huan Li’s advice and see where things went. He was never one for waiting, so he tried bashing into the door. The door held solidly. Javier shoulder ached in pain from the impact. He pounded on the door with his fists trying to make as much noise as possible. After a few minutes his hands were starting to ache and bleed. Javier couldn’t shift into werewolf form because of how weak and hungry he was. He was already starving, shifting into werewolf form would only quicken that eventuality. He walked heavily down the stairs.
“I guess we’ll try it your way,” Javier said dejectedly. But whispered under his breath, “for now.”
Javier’s feet felt like lead weights as he carried himself across the small room into their alcove. He collapsed heavily on the floor and breathed deeply. He was at the end of his strength. He had never felt like this before. His body wouldn’t move when he commanded it to. His mind was fuzzy and thoughts came slowly, like light through syrup.
Huan laid down on his back. His eyes were closed and he breathed deeply. Javier shot him a scornful look. How can you sleep when my pack is out there somewhere? They may be in danger and I’m the only one who can help them. He felt them, through their shared pack bond. They were alive at least, that much he knew, but they were a long ways off, maybe a day or two hike from where he was, that did nothing to calm his anxiety.
But right then he was in no condition to even fight one woman, let alone brave the relentless forces of nature that they had been fighting the losing battle against for the last… was it a month? Two months? Time had passed so strangely for him since they got to this frozen north land. And starving wasn’t making anything make any more sense. His stomach growled and he winced in pain. He shut his eyes against it. Thankfully the blackness of sleep finally overtook him and he was relieved of his pain.
White walls towered well over his head all around him. The bright sunlight reflected off the perfect whiteness of the walls and he was warm and happy. He knew where he was. He was at the California State Fair. He had just turned twelve and his family had relented and let him go into the white walled labyrinth.