The rain intensified. Not by much, but enough for Lynn to quicken her pace. Just like yesterday, the sky darkened to a dull gray that promised to get much darker soon. Spurred on, Lynn took the first ramp down, into Rye Harrison, then guided them toward the nearest building she spotted through the green. It had probably been an office before the war. Lynn greatly preferred to sleep in smaller spaces, but they didn’t have a lot of options at the moment. The patter of rain on the leaves above as they made their way through the vegetation had become constant.
She reached the edge of the densest growth. Before her lay a strip of asphalt, which—although cracked and covered with grass, moss, and low shrubs—did provide a clearing. From here, she could look up at the building’s windows. She slid her gaze from glass plate to shattered glass plate. Nothing moved inside. Either the place was deserted, or everyone inside was staying very still.
Lynn led the way by skirting along the building to the nearest window. She pulled herself up to look through one of the high windows. A sharp stab ran through her injured arm, but she didn’t have time for that. She forced herself to hold herself up so she could take in an empty hallway, no lights, and no movement. Then she allowed herself to drop. Her arm continued to pulse dully. She held it up against her chest to decrease the blood flow.
Dani cast her a questioning glance, one eyebrow cocked.
Lynn ignored her. She dropped her arm and skirted along the brick toward the side of the building. The entrance wasn’t on this side. Time to find it. When she reached the corner, a rain-soaked, wide-open lot stretched out in front of her. There could be people or creatures hiding in or behind the car husks, but after waiting a while, Lynn began to doubt it. “Let me go ahead.”
Dani nodded and reached down to grip Skeever’s collar.
Lynn rushed across the lot. She was truly in the open now, fully exposed, and Lynn’s heart once more pumped like mad. She skidded to a halt against the side of one of the car husks and crouched. A few cars lay between her and the steps up to the entrance, but the parking lot looked deserted. If she stayed here any longer, she would soak through. She would just have to risk it. Lynn waved Dani over and waited for her and Skeever to join her behind the car. “I say we go for it. Can’t stay here, can’t check if it’s safe until we’re in.”
Dani clenched her jaw. She inspected Lynn through eyelashes heavy with droplets. Her hair stuck to her head in tangles. “Okay, do it.”
Lynn cast one more look at the building, then ran to the steps in front of the entrance and under the overhang. It wasn’t a big overhang, but it was enough to fit two people and half a dog. Lynn pressed herself to one side of the double doors, Dani to the other.
Shivering, Skeever leaned against Dani’s legs.
The doors had once been made of glass, but it had been shattered long ago. They stood open now. The wind had swept leaves and dirt into the entranceway, but seeing as everything was equally dirty and equally wind-swept, Lynn couldn’t pick out any tracks. Even up close, it was hard to see inside. Lynn caught sight of a solid-looking block of metal and wood, but that was it.
They nodded at each other.
In a crouch, Lynn stepped inside over the smashed glass. The entranceway floor was stained with something dark. There were no signs of debris or cave-ins, so she risked another few steps. Nothing moved. The rain pelting down covered even the noise of her own crunching footsteps.
There was a hallway to the left and one to the right. One branched off to the left of a metal-and-wood block that had most likely served as a desk. The only hallway with closed doors was the latter.
Dani followed her in.
Lynn could only just hear her boots crunch on the glass.
The wind died down and seemed to suck the air out of the building.
Skeever growled.
The sound distorted because of the rain, but it had Lynn turn to check on him.
He stood in the doorway, head low, teeth bared, and his tail between his legs.
Fear brought her heart rate to a frantic gallop, and she swirled back around even as she began to walk backward, toward the exit. “Back!”
Dani began to move, but it was too late.
From a hole in the ceiling, a heavy metal gate, suspended on thick chains, crashed down in front of their only exit.
Skeever jumped back just in time to avoid getting crushed, but his scramble had left him outside, separated from his masters by metal bars. He yelped, then started to bark fiercely. He threw his bulk against the gate, but it didn’t budge.
Lynn had never heard him so frantic, which sledgehammered into her mind that the danger wasn’t the gate. The danger was still coming. Her fingers trembled as she threw off her backpack. It crashed to the floor with a dull thud. If anything had broken inside, it was a worry for another time. She had only seconds before something would appear. Skeever sounded sure of that.
A dull thud indicated Dani had thrown her pack off too before moving to Lynn’s side.
“Get ready.” Lynn widened her stance.
“Ready.” Dani’s voice had raised an octave or two, but it sounded steady.
Lynn chanced a look.
Dani held on to her spear with both hands and had turned to face the right hallway. What Lynn could see of her expression and posture was reassuring: Dani was not going to die today.
Lynn turned to face the hallway to the left.
Skeever howled.
Answering howls echoed through the entryway, and Lynn knew what was coming. She swallowed down bile. Memories wore her nerves ragged.
Wolves. Again.
CHAPTER 12
CLAWS SCRAPED OVER STONE. ANOTHER howl reverberated down the hallway.
“Keep your back to mine.” Lynn didn’t look behind her to check if Dani followed her order.
Dani didn’t reply, but she moved.
Lynn felt the bud of her spear against her shoulder and took a small step forward so she wouldn’t get in the way.
No more than ten or fifteen seconds could have passed since the gate had come down, but they seemed to stretch forever as she waited for the inevitable. There was nowhere to run; they would either kill or be killed.
Lynn vowed to herself that this was not the day she’d die. She renewed the grip on her tomahawk as her palm became sweaty.
Dani gasped.
Lynn didn’t have time to check. A wolf barreled down the hallway, slipped on the tiles, but corrected its trajectory by throwing itself against the wall before it launched at her.
Lynn flung herself sideways.
It skidded right past her. Teeth clashed as its powerful jaws snapped shut where her thigh had been just a split second prior. Before it could slow itself, it slammed into the opposite wall. The wolf growled, momentarily dazed.
Lynn hit the ground hard. Pain seared through her hip, but this was not the time to dwell on minor injuries. She rolled over and pushed up to her hands and knees. Her heart thundered in her chest.
Out of nowhere, something crashed into her.
Lynn went down again and scrambled away from the claws and teeth of another wolf. She rolled onto her back and sat, darting her gaze about.
Dani still stood. She’d lost her spear somewhere and now clutched her wicked blade. She held out one hand, palm forward, in the direction of the wolf that had first attacked Lynn.
It growled at her, ready for another strike.
Where’s the other? Lynn jumped up and raised her tomahawk.
A whine drew her attention to the wolf that had first attacked Dani. Crashing into Lynn had changed its trajectory. It lay close to the marble desk. Dani’s spear stuck from its chest. The animal flailed and got up before its front legs gave out and it dropped back down.