9

he lifeless bodies of Derek and Melissa lay on the living room sofa. Daytime TV had that effect. Melissa’s body covered Derek’s, rising and falling with his quiet breathing. The two were obvious night owls, but as always, the curtains remained open, allowing as much sunlight in as possible.
The sound of someone knocking on the front door woke Derek. He stirred underneath Melissa and gently slid out from under her. Melissa snuggled herself into the warm cushions and went back to sleep. Derek answered the door, not even checking to see who stood on the other side. A young woman faced him—very college-esque, her dark hair even pulled back in a ponytail under her baseball cap.
“Hi,” she said, without a smile. “Sorry to bother you, but I’m looking for my cat.” She fumbled through the papers in her arms and handed him a flyer. The paper held the photocopied image of a calico cat with the information below. “Her name is Sasha. She was last seen two days ago.”
Derek looked at the flyer in his hand. “I haven’t seen any cat. But I’ll keep an eye out for her.”
“Thank you.” The woman gave a slight bow and headed off the porch.
Closing the door, Derek watched through the window as the woman got into a waiting car. The car then rolled back onto the road. Intently, he waited, eyes locked on the car. The vehicle neared William’s house but didn’t stop. Instead, it increased speed as it disappeared around the bend.
“Shit!”
Groggy, Melissa asked, “What?”
Derek turned from the door. “I’m probably just paranoid, but I think someone just scoped out our house.”
She sat up, the grogginess gone. “What makes you say that?”
He handed her the flyer. “A concerned pet owner with a stack of flyers, going from door to door, yet they didn’t stop at William’s house.”
“Maybe they’ve already been there?”
Derek walked to the kitchen and grabbed the phone from the wall. Melissa followed him as she looked at the flyer once more.
“Hey, man,” said Derek, scratching the back of his head nervously, “I hate to bug you right now, but I was wanting to know something.” He paused, taking a verbal lashing from William. “I know, I know. Not between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. But this is important. Did anyone come to your house looking for a cat?” He waited for his reply. “Really? Shit. Okay.” William continued to speak. Derek began biting his thumbnail. “It’s just… I think someone’s scoping out the place here.” He paused again, his composure changing as he heard William’s theory. “Seriously? You’re freakin’ me out here.” Derek looked at Melissa, visibly worried. “You’re right. But it wouldn’t matter now. They’ve already been here.” William gave a few more words of advice. They did little to calm Derek. “Okay, okay. But if they come storming in here, make yourself scarce. Talk to you later.” He hung up the phone.
Melissa’s eyebrows raised. “And?”
“William’s trying to scare me.”
“What did he say?”
“That Big Brother may pay us a visit,” he vaguely answered as he headed out of the kitchen and upstairs.
Melissa continued to follow him.
Derek knocked on the door to the guest bedroom, the uneasiness still showing on his face. Moments later, the door cracked open.
“We may have a problem,” Derek informed Gabriel. “Someone came to the house under the guise of a lost pet, but they only stopped here it seems.”
Gabriel said nothing as he disappeared back into the dark room. He returned with a set of keys, handing them to Derek. “Move the Jeep into the garage. Do you mind driving us somewhere?”
He took the keys. “Wherever you need to go.”
Gabriel closed the door.
Passing Melissa, Derek mutter, “Road trip.” He entered their room and grabbed his boots.
Melissa stood in the doorway, watching him. “How serious is this?”
He slipped on his boots and coat, answering quickly. “William mentioned SEVEN.”
“How would they know to come here?”
“They’re looking for Gabriel. Let’s assume that they needed to confirm the Jeep’s tags. Gabriel always backs his car into the driveway for this very reason. That’s my guess.”
Melissa crossed her arms. “If you cleaned the garage out once in a while, then we wouldn’t be in this predicament.”
“It’s in the past now.” He grabbed a duffle bag from the closet and tossed it onto the bed. “If they confirmed the tags then they could be on their way here now. Get Taylor and take the hearse. Go and stay at a motel somewhere. No cell phones. In four days, call William to get an update. If I’m not back by then, ignore my absence. I’ll contact you.”
“What about everything here? The dogs, who will feed them?”
“William and Adrian can. They have no ties here.”
Dropping her arms, Melissa opened the duffle bag and began to pack. Nothing about this sat well with her, but she couldn’t argue with his instincts. For this very reason they tried to fly under the radar when it came to hunting. SEVEN didn’t hold any respect for those they deemed amateurs.
Heading outside, Derek saw Adrian walking up the driveway. He continued to open the garage door on the side with the van. As Adrian approached, Derek threw him a set of keys.
“Move the van to the street for me,” he instructed, getting into the Jeep.
Adrian looked at the keys. “What’s going on?”
“Precautions,” said Derek. “Someone came by earlier. We believe the Jeep caught their attention.” He turned on the Jeep’s engine and maneuvered onto the street.
Rushing to the van, Adrian did as he was asked. The old van lurched forward and rolled out of the driveway. He parked on the edge of the street as Derek backed the Jeep into the garage. Adrian then ran back to the garage just as the door was closing.

Evonne heard Gabriel close the door. Rolling over on the bed to see him, she forced her eyes open. She found him gathering up their belongings.
“We have to leave,” he informed her.
Pushing through the pressure of the sun’s weight, Evonne sat up, her eyes closing once more. “Leaving? It’s still daylight.”
“Derek’s driving.” He took her wrist and pulled her to stand. “Grab your bag.”
Evonne blinked away the dryness in her eyes and reached for her coat and bag. She stood by the door and waited. What was the big hurry? Only one thing had the power to send Gabriel into the daylight: SEVEN. The thought of SEVEN storming into the place woke her further.
Gabriel covered Evonne in a thick blanket, then draped his coat over his head and grabbed his bags. Melissa met them in the hallway and guided them downstairs. Evonne kept a hand on Gabriel’s back and blindly followed, mentally visualizing where they were in the house. As they stepped through a doorway, the sound of an engine came to her ears and the smell of exhaust overpowered all of her other senses.
Evonne climbed into the back of the Jeep and remained hidden underneath the blanket. She felt Gabriel move under the blanket with her. The doors shut. She listened to everything, from the garage door opening and to the Jeep’s engine revving. They were on the move.
The smooth sound of the paved road lasted for only a minute as it gave way to the grinding and rustling of a dirt road. Evonne recalled the nearest road as it sprang off just below William’s house. Something must have been going on for them to take such a slow-going road, rather than the quick route. Was it really SEVEN?

Melissa ran upstairs with Adrian. She went back into her room as Adrian went to Taylor’s. He stood in the doorway, watching his friend pack.
“How long will you be gone?” Adrian asked.
Taylor shrugged. He didn’t seem too worried about the possible threat. “Until Derek says we can come back,” he said.
“What about everything downstairs? All of our work?”
Placing an armful of clothes in his bag, he replied, “Derek’s philosophy: everything can be replaced. We, however, can’t.”
Melissa peered into the room, her duffle bag slung over her shoulder. “We have to leave now.”
Taylor sighed and grabbed his bag. He followed his sister downstairs with Adrian close behind. As Melissa neared the front door, her eyes scanned over the living room window, beyond that, the driveway. She stopped in her tracks.
“Fuck!”
Taylor and Adrian looked outside, as well. Two black Chevy Yukons pulled into the driveway while a third blocked the van.
Adrian’s eyes widened. “Is that SEVEN?”
“Dammit!” Melissa continued to curse.
“We’re trapped,” Taylor said, the fear of the situation finally reaching him.
“I’ll distract them,” Adrian offered. He stepped away from the window.
“Are you insane?” Melissa nearly shouted. “That’s SEVEN! They shoot first and shoot again, then ask questions.”
He remained adamant. “Go out back and head for the woods. Hurry!”
The muscles in Melissa’s face tightened. “Don’t give them any reason to shoot you. Got it?”
Adrian smirked. “Yes, mother. Now go!”

Three people stood on the front porch. The only woman among them knocked on the door. They waited. The lady knocked again. After knocking for a third time, the man with shoulder-length, dark blond hair nodded. The third man drew up his leg and kicked in the door. The three entered the house, with guns drawn, and stopped. A single person lounged on the living room sofa, completely involved in a video game and ignoring his guests.
“Stand up!” ordered the man with brown hair.
Adrian continued to ignore them.
The blond-haired man lowered his gun. “How many are here?”
Again, he didn’t answer.
A static buzzed into the room as the three radios squelched on, the voice of a man ringing forth. “We’ve apprehended two individuals running towards the woods. We’re securing the scene.”
In response, Adrian sat the controller down and stood. He heard the three intruders back up, their clothing rustling as they raised their weapons. Calmly, Adrian began to walk out of the room and onto the stairs. The three followed him, the apparent leader—the blond-haired man—ordering him over and over to stop. They kept their distance.
Adrian reached the end of the darkened hallway and entered one of the bedrooms. He closed the door.
“Open the door,” the leader ordered. “We only want to talk!” He waited for the boy to respond. The door remained closed.
The leader motioned to the other man. Obeying, he cautiously approached the door, his gun held high. His other hand twisted the handle. The door smashed outward, the force splintering it from its hinges. Looking through the chaos, the three saw the unbelievable. Only humans were said to live here, not a werewolf! Scattering as much as the tight hallway allowed, the three took aim and fired. They weren’t prepared for this. The guns they carried held standard tranquilizer rounds.
The beast of a wolf let out a deep growl as he charged at the intruders. They retreated down the stairs and toward the front door. The blond-haired man took a different route, disappearing into the kitchen. The scene grew quiet as the man listened.
The stairs creaked under Adrian. He took his time in reaching the living room. He needed to see if his little welcoming party was regrouping by their vehicles. As his amber eyes studied the scene outside, he counted two of the hunters standing by an SUV. He then heard the pop of a gun and felt a sting in his lower back. Growling, Adrian whipped around to see the leader aiming once more. The man fired.

“No!” Evonne called out. She lay on her side, her eyes closed and sensing everything from the house not far away.
Gabriel lay beside her, his eyes able to see her clearly underneath the heavy blanket. “What is it?”
She focused on what she saw and felt. “It’s Adrian.”
“What’s going on?” Derek asked, growing concerned upon hearing the name.
“It works both ways, Evonne,” Gabriel told her, the concern in his voice, as well. “Tell him to stand down.”
Concentrating with all she had, Evonne began to whisper her pleas. “Don’t fight them. Don’t fight them.”
Derek exhaled. “Shit. Who’s there?”
“Focus on him,” Gabriel urged. “What do you see?”
Evonne used all the strength she had to tap into Adrian’s racing mind. A flood of rage and fear greeted her, jostling her to the core. Flashes of images blurred to the forefront as Adrian turned around to see who shot him. The form of a man came into view, his hair dark blond and hanging loose to his shoulders. He pointed the gun at Adrian and fired. She sensed Adrian charge for him as the gun fired again.
The link severed.
Evonne’s eyes snapped open and found Gabriel watching her. “Pax was there.”
“Pax?” exclaimed Derek, glancing back at the two under the blanket. Did he hear her right? “Your daddy’s right hand man was there? Ah, fuck!”
Gabriel remained calm. “Keep driving.”

Pax stood over the werewolf and checked the gun’s magazine. The unconscious wolf lay at his feet, his body still locked in his fur. A pureblood, he concluded.
The other two hunters returned to the house and cautiously entered. They relaxed upon seeing Pax standing by the wolf.
“We have a tender heart here,” said Pax, placing the gun in its holster. “He had plenty of chances to rip us to shreds, but he was all bark.”
“The others,” the woman began, “are they wolves as well?”
Their leader’s lips drew back in a brief smile. “Let’s go have a look, shall we?”
Outside, the hunters crossed the backyard to where several other hunters stood, some kneeling by the unconscious targets. The dogs in the kennels barked and growled at the strangers. Pax had half a mind to order them to be tranquilized as well but decided against it. He would have to suffer through the annoying barking. This was the country. Dogs barked out here all the time.
Pax neared the sleeping girl first. He knelt down and removed a regular knife from his pocket. Placing the blade to her cheek, he sliced her skin. He waited for a moment then wiped away the blood. She didn’t heal.
“Human,” he informed the others. “Check the boy.”
The lady hunter took the knife from Pax and went to the boy’s side. Moments later, she called out her findings. “Human, as well.”
Pax stood up, his hands in his pockets. “Anyone else?”
Another hunter crossed the yard, talking on the radio. He then addressed the others. “They finished sweeping the house. There’s no one else. And the Jeep is gone.”
“Slippery bastard,” muttered Pax. “All right. So we know he isn’t driving, obviously. So let’s assume Evonne is with him and she’s driving. However, we came in from both ends of the road, so they escaped elsewhere. This means Gabriel may have someone else who knows these roads well.” He turned to one of the hunters. “Get a map of the area. I want to know about every highway, trail, Podunk town, and every possible route they may have taken. They aren’t far.”
“Do we get the local blues involved?” the hunter asked.
Pax weighed the pros and cons. “Discreetly, if we can. Run it as a stolen vehicle.”
The woman hunter stood and handed the knife back to Pax. “What do we do with them?”
He placed the knife in his pocket. “We’ll take them to Alexandria with us and question them there.”
A man’s voice came over the radio, squelching at first. “Hey, Paxton. You need to see this. I’m in the basement.”
Before heading inside, Pax gave a quick order. “The van should be here now. Get them ready to leave.” He left them without waiting for any further questioning.
Inside the house, Pax was greeted by several more hunters as they worked around the wolf. He walked past them and headed down the stairs to the basement. A few other hunters moved from room to room, making sure not to touch anything. He stepped into a room sporting weapons along the walls.
“Well, well, lookie here,” Pax said, amused at the sight.
A hunter looked up from the workbench. “Some of the weapons here are made of silver. The ammo is also silver.”
Pax scoffed, “Amateurs.”
From another room, a hunter approached Pax and handed him a knife he found. His leader glanced over the weapon and found the scrawled “G” on the handle. The lighthearted expression on his face dropped.
“If we had any doubts before…” said Pax, showing the initial to the hunter.
“So he was staying here,” he acknowledged.
“Photograph everything,” Pax ordered, tapping the knife in his hand. “Take all the computers you can find and catalog the house and its contents. Thoroughness, gentlemen.”

The light from the setting sun moved from the building tops to the treetops. Derek’s eyes took in the quiet gas station as he filled the Jeep’s tank. The long drive was spent on the back roads. Only now did he feel safe enough to venture onto any two-lane roads.
The nozzle turned off with a jolt. Derek gave the handle a few more squeezes before returning it to the pump. Another car pulled into the station, causing his nerves to spike. Derek’s weary eyes found an elderly woman behind the wheel. He sighed in relief. He wanted to kiss the old lady or at least pay for her gas.
Heading in to pay, Derek nodded at the man behind the counter. “Evening,” he said, then grabbed a handful of snacks: chips, soda, and a package of chocolate malt balls. He piled them on the counter and requested two packs of cigarettes, grabbing a lighter, as well.
The kid behind the counter rang up everything. The kid looked pathetic—going through the motions of a mundane life. But Derek had no time to pity him. He handed him a hundred dollar bill, so generously given to him by Gabriel. The kid gave him his change and dully wished him a nice night.
Derek returned to the Jeep and found Gabriel now sitting in the back, uncovered. Evonne was uncovered, as well, but continued to lay on her side. Derek sat his snacks on the passenger’s seat but held onto a pack of cigarettes.
“Has she been able to sense him anymore?” he asked.
“No,” Gabriel replied.
“Do you mind if I smoke? I really need one right now.”
“Go ahead.”
Opening the pack, Derek’s skin tingled at the fresh smell of tobacco. This drive was like a desert, and he needed these Camels to get him through the rest of the trip. He lit a cigarette, taking in a deep draw. He then cracked the window.
“Where to now?” he asked.
“I can drop you off at a motel,” said Gabriel. “You don’t need to involve yourself any further.”
“I don’t mind being your chauffeur. But I should really call William and tell him to get out of there.”
“Unless they already got to him,” he hated to point out.
“You’re right.” Through the cracked window, he flicked his ashes. “There’s a motel in town I can stay at. I just hope everyone got out of there.”
Gabriel’s eyes went to the sun’s light leaving the treetops. “I’m sorry about all of this.”
Derek shook his head. “You don’t have to apologize. I’m just being a friend here.” He turned on the Jeep and pulled back onto the road. Hearing Gabriel’s apology meant more than anything at this moment. Receiving any sympathy from him shattered all the differences between them.

Evonne sat up as they pulled into the parking lot of a motel. She tried, again and again, to sense Adrian, to gain any feeling or image of what was happening to him. But one thing she knew well—he was alive.
Gabriel handed Derek some more money for a room.
Looking at the cash, his eyes widened. “You’re more than generous,” he said as he pocketed the money, then left to pay for his room.
“Are we staying here?” Evonne asked.
“We’re going elsewhere,” Gabriel said, opening the door.
She followed him outside. The air was cooler this night, feeling more like the first stages of fall.
Derek returned with the key and opened the door to his room. Gabriel and Evonne stepped inside. The smell was like all the other motels; dank and musty, with the overwhelming stench of stale cigarette smoke, which Derek replaced with a newly lit cigarette of his own.
“Where will you go?” Derek asked, setting his snacks on the nightstand.
Gabriel glanced out the window. “I’m forced to run. It’s about time I went home.”
Derek stopped what he was doing to look at him. “A flight across the Atlantic at such short notice? Do you think it’s safe?”
“I know of a guy,” he replied, keeping his answer vague. “He’s helped me in the past.”
“Don’t tell me any more, just in case,” Derek said as he sat on the bed and grabbed the ashtray.
Gabriel closed the curtains. “We need to get going.”
Jumping back to his feet, Derek went to the door, politely opening it for them. Evonne stepped through first, keeping her head down and making no attempt to hide her worry.
“Again,” said Gabriel, “I’m sorry.”
Derek smirked. “You can make it up to me later. I love presents, you know that.” He leaned in and hugged him, one of the few times he had the balls to do so. He pulled away. “Not go get her out of here. Lord knows that SEVEN works fast.”
Derek watched them leave.
Dammit. I really wanted to go this time.
Closing and locking the door, he returned to the bed and turned on the TV. He lay back on the bed, thoughts of Melissa and Taylor shuffled around. He was fifty-fifty on if they made it out of there in time. Over and over he debated on calling William. It would have given him some amount of peace. But if he didn’t answer, his mind would switch into overdrive with a million scenarios.
His first round of channel surfing ended with a sigh.
“This is going to be a long night.”