Chapter 49: Spending a night in the ruins

The journey was slow, and the night came quickly. Because of the earthquake, most of the buildings were destroyed. The city was left as a pile of ruins.

They decided to take the risk and spend the night in a collapsed warehouse. The walls were cracked, and the roof was mostly gone, but it could still provide them with some cover. They were also able to see if anything was coming towards them.

The seven of them move quietly and quickly. Marcus checked the integrity of the building, making sure it wouldn’t collapse on them when they rested there for the night. Ivan walked with his binoculars in hand. He found a place to perch while looking out at the abandoned street.

Adrienne and Alex worked together to clear a space on the floor to lay out sleeping bags. Aiden checked the perimeter, his pistol in his hand. Ember sat on the bonnet/hood of the SUV, checking the CE.

They are a cold meal of canned ravioli and protein bars. The silence wasn’t heavy. Instead, sitting beside each other and being able to rest as they were now was a blessing to them.

They whispered as they ate. Afraid that a regular speaking volume might bring more trouble than it is worth. Even whispers seemed to echo off the walls. After a certain time, they simply stopped speaking. They couldn’t use anything with light as it would be a beacon to everyone and everything in the city as to their location.

They had set up a patrol for people to keep watch. Since there weren’t many of them, the hours were a little long, but they worked in pairs. Aiden volunteered to do a shift by himself. Ember protested, but couldn’t defeat Aiden.

The stillness of the night made every sound amplified. In the dead of night, there was nothing.

Then there came a howl.

It wasn’t a mournful howl. Instead, it made a chill run down people’s spines. It was high-pitched and guttural at the same time. In the darkness and stillness, it seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. The sound echoed off the buildings.

The five people who were sleeping immediately jumped up. Everyone was already on edge, and the howling did nothing to make them feel at ease. The original tension, which had dissolved by half, now came back doubly.

Ivan, who was on watch, whispered, his voice tense. “What the fuck was that?”

Adrienne flinched, moving closer to Alex. “It sounds…sick.”

After the first howl, there came a second. This one was much closer. One howl, then another. More howls joined the chorus. They were calling each other.

“Everyone, be on alert,” Aiden’s voice was low and steady. His trembling fingers belied his anxiety, but he hid it well. “Marcus, Sarah, you take that corner,” he pointed to a section of the warehouse. “Ivan, high ground,” he pointed to a section Ivan could use as a lookout. “Adrienne, Alex, there,” he pointed to another corner. “Ember, with me.”

Everyone moved according to his command. The howls were becoming more persistent. Ember stood beside Aiden, her hand resting on her own pistol. Her body vibrated with anticipation. She had never done anything like this before. She was afraid, but she was also excited.

It could be minutes or hours; they didn’t know. One minute was bleeding into the next. The group was one guard, thinking that every howl was possibly the one that would give away their position and lead to a fight.

Every shadow made them jump. Their already tense nerves were starting to fray.

To distract herself, Ember found herself watching Marcus and Sarah. They were huddled together. They weren’t lovers, but there was a sense of intimacy between them. She leaned into his shoulder, and he protectively embraced her.

Ember felt a warm pulse in her mind. She realized the amount of Azure Bond she had increased. It wasn’t a significant increase, but it was enough to let her know that it moved.

The seven continued to watch for the wolves as the night turned to day. It wasn’t until the twilight that the howling stopped. Silence fell once again. But the group didn’t move.

They held their positions. Without Aiden giving them the go-ahead, they would not move.

They themselves didn’t notice they had taken Aiden as their leader. It was such a seamless transition.

Everyone held their posts. Even wanting to sleep, they didn’t.

“They’re still out there,” Ivan whispered, hoping his voice didn’t carry too far.

The group heard him and held their positions.

Aiden looked at Ember, his eyes grim. “Get ready to move. The second we’re packed, we’re gone.”

Ember moved lightly. The rest of the group noticed her movement and turned briefly. Ember signalled them to hold their positions. She only wanted to grab the things that would need to be cleaned.

Throwing them in the space was quicker than everyone taking the time to do it themselves. This way, if they needed to leave urgently, they only needed to start the car and move.

She quickly packed up while everyone was waiting at their respective positions. When she was finished, she made her way back to Aiden.

She nodded to let him know she had packed everything up.

Aiden quietly stood up. He didn’t give up his position; he tried to move back slowly.

“Let’s go,” he said loud enough for the others to hear.

Everyone backed away slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible. They needed to get to the car quickly but quietly. This way, they would be able to avoid the wolves.

Unfortunately, fate did not smile on them. When they were close to the car, the wolves poured in.

There was no warning, no snarling in advance. They moved like sentinels. Silent and deadly.

They poured out of the shadows of a building across the street. The seven looked at the things in front of them. They were obviously dogs, but in their mind they were more like monsters.

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