Coalescence Book I - Chapter 41 - Dread
Chapter 41 - Dread
-H-
The lights struggled to come back on, only one of them did. It left us in a barely lit glow, Joelle and James holding my arms as we looked down at the shadows of the track. All we could see was a mass of dark fur and glimpses of pink, it was too dark to even make out if they were breathing. Both were still, unmoving. Not a sound left them. All I could hear was our three gasping breaths and the slight whimper of choking back tears. Joelle and I both were struggling. James gave my arm a squeeze, speaking up first.
"Connor! We need to move fast.. they are on the tracks. There could be a train. Hurry!" That snapped me out of my shock.
The three of us clamber down onto the tracks, entirely aware and cautious of that deadly rail. Was he dead?.. Was the cat dead? My hands were shaking, I couldn't bring myself to check. Joelle comforted me but it did little to help the numbness that took hold of me. The feel of loss was already creeping it's tendrils along the corners of my thoughts. My mother. Sawyer. Now my wolf? No, he had to be okay. He survived being shot point blank.
"I think he's breathing" Joelle whispered softly.
She was crouched beside the mass of black fur as James circled around and studied the tracks and the ledge we'd hopped down from.
"We gotta get them up there.. think we can lift them?" Usually I was the one to keep my cool when the two of us went out to do something daring, but here he was so calm and calculated.
Maybe I was too close to the situation.
"I moved him alone once with some rope.. I bet the three of us could lift him together. Move em both separately"
"Careful of the rail. I need your uh, blanket there.. yeh." James gestured to me and glanced away.
"Umm.. okay.. Oh, right. Joelle can you move a second" I quickly got on the same page as him and tossed him one side of the blanket.
We tucked one full edge under the wolf, bunching it up a bit so we would have some excess ready to grab. We gestured for Joelle's help, the three of us putting our shoulders into it and rolling my wolf off of the cat, and onto his back on the blanket. His chest rose and fell slowly. The scent of burnt hair and fur hit our nostrils hard.. We could see a burn where he'd touched the rail. I held back tears as we wrapped the blanket under him, and used it like a stretcher, or maybe more like a hammock. Joelle and I took one side, James took the other.
A sound in the distance made all of our hearts drop. Dread made our chests feel heavy, pulling out focus from what needed to be done. The faint sound of the subway cars. No. No. We had to hurry. How fast did trains move when they were nearing the station?.. They slowed down a little on the lead up right? It was barreling down the tunnel around the bend, we could hear it. James shouted two the both of us and we strained to lift the wolf. He was massive, solid muscle. I knew from trying to move him before. We had to drag him up onto the wall. Joelle and James climbed up first and I stayed below to help push up under him as they heaved and lifted with everything they had.
The train was getting louder.
I put all my strength into the last push, feeling the weight give as my wolf rolled over the edge and up onto the walkway. Yes! James offered me his hand but I shook my head.
"The cat! We can't leave him.. hurry up!"
We were all panicking now, even James. The train was coming. We yanked the blanket out from under my wolf, hearing it tear a little. It was the same process, rolling the bare skinned cat creature onto it. He almost looked fragile, slumped there with his eyes closed, his scrawny frame limp. Not trying to attack us.
Lights beamed around the bend, illuminating everything.
Joelle and I both clambered up onto the ledge this time as James pushed and strained, shoving the cat up. The lights blinded us as the train screeched around the bend and tore along the tracks right towards us. James yelled out in frustration, slamming his shoulder up into the cat's back and pushing him up across Joelle's lap as I grabbed for my friend's hand.
The wind of the subway cars hit us.. but the train itself didn't. I yanked James up into the heap of fur, skin and a blanket. All of us were panting and sweating hard as we lay there in a crumpled heap, lined up tight against the wall half ontop of eachother. Lifting my head I could see faces staring at me.. laying there on top of a mass of black fur. Naked. Flashing my junk to an entire train of people going by and staring out the window into the dark.
And I couldn't fucking care less.
As the adrenaline came down the train passed by. I just wanted to lay there and let myself collapse, fall asleep. I was exhausted. We couldn't though.
"James.. James you okay? You have my bag?" He passed it to me with a raised brow.
"What, did you bring a change of clothes in case some giant cat ate yours?"
"No, asshole, shut up. And he didn't eat them. Help me, grab a roll" My backpack was in rough shape, but the tape was still inside. A few rolls at least. And rope.
James and I each grabbed a roll and began to stretch long strips over the cat. With Joelle's help moving him we bound his arms and legs, and covered those claws of his, upper and lower, bundling them up in a mass of tape.
"Aww, kitten mittens" Joelle cooed.
My wolf snorted softly next to me as Joelle let us finish binding the dangerous cat and moved to check on our furred friend. The cat was starting to store too, but as his eyes opened first they were met with my glare.
"Sup, Botox Bitch?"
He snarled out at me, but before he could say a word I covered and wrapped his muzzle in duct tape. Oh the sweet sound of silence.
"Alright you wrinkled foreskin, you're ours now.. play nice or Joelle is gonna zap you again"
"Dude. Gross." James made a face at me, and I shrugged.
I was giddy as I saw my wolf sitting up and Joelle patting his back. James could keep an eye on Nacayotl, make sure he didn't try to work away.. I was crawling over to push myself back into my wolf's fur. He wrapped me up as much as I wrapped him, though I disappeared against him practically. He nosed at my cheek and neck affectionately, looking over my shoulder at the captured cat and growling low. Joelle and I both pet him, to soothe the snarls away.
"You just took a thousand volts like a badass. You okay?" He nodded slowly, the poor thing looked as tired as I was.
"I think it's more like 700 volts.." James, who else. I took off my shoe and threw it at him. "You're running low on clothes and you're gonna chuck your shoe at me? I mean who throws a show, honestly.."
I shot him a sneering smile and crinkled my nose at him. "Just get my shoe and let's get out of here before I flash another train car of old ladies.. Give me that blanket. Ugh.."
"How are we going to get him out of here?" Joelle gestured to the taped up and glaring cat boring holes in me with his eyes.
It was my wolf who answered, snorting out and moving me aside as he crawled over to the cat and grabbed him roughly. Part of me was expecting him to hurt the bound cat but he didn't, he lifted the fleshy feline and tossed him almost effortlessly over his shoulder. We could all see him hold back pain as his face and eyes scrunched up, I couldn't imagine how much he was hurting. Between the healing gunshot wound, being clawed and bitten and having his throat clamped down on. Not to mention taking an electric shock that can, and has, killed people.
Joelle and I both touched his fur lightly, wordlessly voicing our worry but he pushed past us and began to walk and carry the cat back down the tunnel where we'd come from.
"You guys were able to hide him the whole way here?"
Joelle and James both shot each other a look that made my throat clench up. Oh god what happened.
"...Guys?.. Did someone see him?" I prodded a bit more.
"Well, kinda.. I mean he was drunk. They all were drunk.. but they tried touching him thinking he was a football player? However drunk brain logic worked that into being. He kind of.. uhh.. how do I put this. He bit a guy's arm a little bit.." Joelle winced as she spoke, and I quickly glanced at James to tell me what actually happened.
"Your friendly puppy there peeled a guy's skin off from his elbow to his wrist and left it dangling off his watch." Good old James, putting things bluntly and not beating around the bush.
"I.. don't know how to respond to that.." I gawked a little, looking at my wolf trudging ahead of the three of us and carrying his prisoner.
Well, he's already been seen, nothing we can do about that, but we need to make sure he's not seen again. It was hard enough to hide him but now he was carrying the struggling cat creature.
"You guys are going to have to run reconnaissance for us" I clutched myself tighter in my bedspread.
"Yes sir, Captain Blanket, sir!" James saluted me as he spoke.
It got me to laugh but I rolled my eyes and lifted my leg, hopping a bit as I threatened to pull my shoe off again to throw at him.
"If we can get back to the stairs and avoid people James and I can bring our car around and pick you up right there. No walking through the streets. No more biting people" Joelle threw a glance at the wolf, who met her gaze and bared his teeth slightly until she gave him a light pat and he relaxed.
"Sergeant Taser, take point, move out!.." James flashed her a grin as she stared dryly at him.
"You need to stop" She flicked his ear lightly as the two of them moved up in front of my wolf and along the tracks.
They disappeared around the corner into the station itself as I got my wolf to slow down and keep pace with me, leaning lightly against his side and rubbing my fingers through his fur.
"Give them a sec to make sure the coast is clear. You alright?. You're bleeding a lot, he got your neck good."
We both eyed the cat on his shoulder as he rolled it roughly to reposition the beast.. and hit him lightly in the chest and stomach as his weight settled back heavily, draped and limp. He glared at me but that duct tape muzzle had him silent for once. I didn't want to gloat or taunt him, or even hurt him as much as my wolf seemed to want him. In fact I felt bad for him, as much of an asshole as he was. I was asking, and now forcing, him to give up this physical body in my world to go back to whatever place he came from. Was it bad there? Was it really a prison? What sort of fate was I essentially trying to doom him too and who was I to make that judgement call?
It was necessary.. Even now I was constantly checking my arms in fear of that mutating creature reaching out of me again. If we didn't seal this cat back in it's tomb like some sort of Ancient Egyptian mummy curse.. who knew what the repercussions would be. What sort of horrors could and would follow behind him out the door he'd left open? Guilt still started to hit me as we waited for the okay from my friends ahead. There wasn't really a way I could let him stay out.. right? My wolf needed to be able to reconnect with me and block the 'Gateway' door or however this shit worked. He couldn't unless everything was back in Pandora's Box.
Joelle's frantic face poked around the corner waving furiously for us to come around as she glanced around like a teacher's pet trying to get away with doing something bad for the first time. It was a little funny, though I knew her worries were well grounded. Maybe I should be more worried myself, but honestly, I'm just too exhausted to be. With a light squeeze of his arm I pulled my wolf along and hurried to catch up to my friends, seeing James up ahead checking the walkways and motioning us to follow.
We got to a long corridor with thick pillars holding the roof up, empty luckily, and quickly made our way down it. Even carrying the heavy cat beast, my wolf was moving as fast as he needed to keep up with the three of us. We couldn't really take our time, even though it was late at night and quieter now people still could come through. I was banking on luck being in our favor, it had been all shit luck throughout all of this but the universe owed me a freebie right? It was overdue for just a smidge of luck to be cast my way?
"Someone's coming, hug tight to that pillar and keep behind it!.."
Hey, Universe?
Fuck you.
That's all.
Kindly, Connor O'Reilly.
The pillars were wide, but so was my furred boy. Joelle and I shuffled him up close to the pillar and kept him pressed against it as James watched the lone person walking down the hall. He wore a blue suit, I could see the glint of his badge. A police officer.
Hey, Universe?
Doublefuck You.
Kindly, Connor gO'Fuckyerself.
"Sir?.. Excuse me, Sir have you seen a stray dog or animal down here at all?.." The officer sounded tired and all business, walking up towards James.
A distorted and static filled voice sounded on his radio. "..ite male, approximately 6 foot, mid 20s. African American female, 5 foot, mid 20s"
Joelle stiffened a bit beside me, looking upset as she clung tight to me and the wolf, "I am five two thank you" She muttered incredulously under her breath.
"Uh, no, no animals down here." James responded simply.
There was a brief pause, before the officer spoke up again,"Can I get your name sir?." He gave it calmly. "Where are you headed tonight, James?"
"Just back to my car, I'm parked up at the Rose Garden lot."
"Took a train then?" The officer asked curiously, we could tell he was prodding.
"Coming back from a concert, just wanted to save a few bucks on parking" Such a liar. He was so good at it though, he sounded genuine and calm.
I realized I was holding my breath, exhaling slowly and quietly. My wolf was still as a statue, the only thing that moved were his ears as he listened. What did move was the cat on his shoulder.. It was too late to react, his bound legs coiled and kicked out suddenly, hitting the pillar and sending the two of the reeling back and stumbling out. My eyes went wide, I couldn't let them get seen. There was a split second decision made and as per usual with my decisions lately it was the worst one.
I threw my blanket over the two monsters and ran out the other side of the pillar right into view, as the Officer looked towards the noise of the beasts scuffling under the blanket. His gaze quickly rose up to me instead as I flashed him, flipped him off and started running. Why, why was I doing this? There were probably a hundred other plans that could have worked better, but apparently my instinct was more public nudity. Fan-fucking-tastic. I hope he wasn't the true Sergeant Taser.
I could hear him shouting at me to get back here and hear his boots on the concrete as he chased me. He was cursing a bit, sounding utterly baffled by my actions as I ran. I didn't blame him. I was baffling in the buff. Nonsense in the nude. The screwball streaker. My shoes slapped the concrete loudly as I rushed down the hall with the officer in pursuit, but I was faster and stunningly aerodynamic. There was another stairway out of the subway up ahead, and I didn't hesitate to dart up it. I should have hesitated, but I didn't.
When I ran up the stairs, I drew more than my fair share of stares. There were a few people gathered and chatting, smoking under one of the street lamps. My face sank and my cheeks burned, from embarrassment as much as from the cold. I was a naked madman running up out of the subway. One of the women gawked at me and my face flushed deeper crimson as I walked shamefully by them, pointing to the scarf on her neck as I started past.
"Don't suppose I could have that?.." It was a long shot but surprisingly she just.. passed it to me.
I was taken aback, but I think so was she. A naked guy running up and asking you something stupid seemed to short her brain a little as the group stared blankly at me. I thanked her as I wrapped the wide scarf around my neck and let all the excess drape over my chest and down to cover my junk. It was better than nothing but I was still naked on a city street, nearing winter, running from the cops. I ducked into an alley the first chance I got and caught my breath. I could SEE my breath. This was goddamn miserable. Never have I been this naked for this long and not been having a good time.
Peeking out around the corner, I tried to figure out where I was. That police officer had come out of the stairwell and was questioning the group of smokers. They shrugged and shook their heads and didn't seem to be giving me up. Ha! Thank you kind, confused people! More than likely they just didn't want to get involved at all. Fair enough. I had a stinky scarf and my adrenaline had pushed away all the fatigue that had been weighing me down before. As far as I was concerned that was the luck the universe owed me. Good enough. I'd made it to 'safety'.
Now to get back to my friends, to my wolf. I couldn't go back into the subway, not with the officer there, but I could take the alleys back to the other subway exit. Maybe I'd run into my friends. The only thing that stood out more than a naked guy in a scarf on the streets was probably a werewolf and werecat, I figured I'd be able to find them.
Luck favored me one more time, maybe more than I deserved at this point, as I poked my head out between buildings to peek around. Just needed to figure out where I was. When I found the other entrance to the subway, I heard James shouting out to me from across the street. He and Joelle were in his car waving to me and gesturing for me to get in. They didn't need to ask twice as I bolted across the street and pulled open the back door to slip inside, like I was sliding over home plate.
Safe!
If I hadn't been so stoked with getting into a car, I would have noticed quicker but.. it was an odd sight how casually sitting in the backseat of their car was a massive, black furred werewolf. He was almost sitting like any normal person would back there, and I was just a naked guy hitching a ride with some friends. One just happened to be a large bipedal wolf. I'd had weirder moments. This didn't even crack top five.
"Where's Wrinklestiltskin?"
Joelle and James both pointed to the back of the car and I simply nodded. He began to drive slowly, heading back to the highway.
"Dude, you flashed a cop"
"Yep"
"..and streaked through the city."
"I did"
"..and you have a werewolf in my back seat and mutant cat in my trunk"
"Uh huh"
"You wanna grab some pizza?"
"Yes please"