Lost Treasure: Into the City

When I was far enough away, I slip behind an Exxon station just north of Knoxville. My legs feel like jelly as I get off the bike. I lean against the wall and slide down to the ground. I hug my knees as I weep bitterly. I need a heading.

Where can I hide now? I know I’m not strong enough to face these rogues yet. I’ve heard Chicago is a big city. My parents would go to Alpha meetings there for the East Coast Division with other pack alphas and the North American Territory Council. It was always just business my father would say. However, he brought a suitcase of shine with him.

This time I need to get there quickly and get established. What do I have for tools? I grab my bag off the ground next to me and set it in my lap. I unzip the large department of the bag.

A change of clothes, hoodie, saucepan, kettle, lighter, a book of waterproof matches, cotton balls, a week worth of MRE, water canteen, a Swiss army knife, a tarp, all kinds of rope and para cord, a poncho, my father’s maps and debit card, the link to the werewolf network, and a smartphone.

This should work, plus I have a bike, my good combat boots, blue jeans, green camo tank top and Ramon’s scent block necklace. He slipped it along with the ingredients into my back pocket. I stayed with Kim for roughly two months. It’s the end of July, so I should be fine at night.

My phone comes to life sounding, I’m a Survivor, by Destiny’s Child, with vibrations in my back pocket. I pull it out to see its Kim’s number. I can’t answer it, I can’t go back. I end the call then switch the phone to airplane mode.

They won’t stop until they have me, and I’m not strong enough to stop them myself. Wherever I go, I need to find a trainer. Once I’m trained, I’ll make them pay for my loss. I’ll make them sing like a canary the name of their commander, then I’ll get him too. I had lay awake many nights thinking about the attack on my pack. I concluded that there must be a leader behind this. For what I understand, rogues don’t function well in large groups without an alpha. They don’t respect any kind of authority.

Now with a plan, I stand up and pull my pack on. I test my legs; they recover from earlier. I get on my bike and head Northwest.

On my way there I stop in Winfield, TN, Whitley City, KY, Somerset, KY, Danville, KY, and Madison, IN. I linger a week in Indianapolis, IN. I even contemplate staying there.

I could tell many rogue wolves live here. I cross paths but none pay me no mind. It’s as Roman had said, they live among humans in secret. I thank our Goddess that my path has crossed his. He has saved me a lot of time.

I connect to a free Wi-Fi at a cafe on my smartphone. I open the link to the werewolf network. I search the hot spots and find a place to stay. I wander into an herbalist store I found as a popular place for wolves to shop for anything medical supplies: herbs, salves, first aid kits, heat suppressant tablets, their own varieties of scent blockers. It was incredible. Luckily, they took cards because that’s all I have.

With too many at the shops asking questions I decide to hit the road to continue to Chicago. I think it’s best to put as many miles between me and the rogues.

I stop at Lafayette, IN for the night before skirting the coast of Lake Michigan to Chicago, IL. It was lunch time when I saw a sign for the Chicago Museum of Science. All together it took a month to get here.

I sit on a bench next to the main entrance. I check my phone for Wi-Fi service, which they do. I go inside and find a small food court. I freshen up in the bathroom then find a table with a plug in to charge my phone.

I connect to the Wi-Fi and get to the werewolf network. I begin to search the Chicago area for places to stay, shops, and other wolf hot spots. Turns out where I’ve stopped puts me at a werewolf central. There’s a neighborhood across from Nicholas Park that is heavy with werewolf’s residency. Down the street is a gym run by wolves. Also, 90% of the bars and shops are either run by wolves or popular hangouts.

I notice up on the top in the right corner was a box with three lines under each other. I tap it to reveal a list of other links.

Chicago Wolf Chamber of Commerce: Community, Newsletter, Employment, Residency, Shops, Entertainment, Black Market

I tap the Community link. It opens a new tab to show the city is broken up into fifteen different groups. After tapping through the list, I found the area I’m in part of the Mid-Shore Community subdivision: Hyde Park.

From here I went back to the main menu and looked for residency and work in this area. I wrote down the phone numbers and addresses I needed then check the time. 3:30pm. Wow, I didn’t realize how long I’ve been here. I also save places of interest on my Google maps to use offline.

My phone fully charged. I step outside and stretch. The breeze gently stirs off the lake bringing in its refreshing scent. I need to figure out where I’m staying. I don’t think anyone would rent to a fifteen-year-old girl or hire me. I’ve heard of bums sleeping on park benches.

I walk around to check out the parks in the area. I found four: Jackson, Hasan, Burnham, and Nichol Park. Burnham Park appears to be the best one to sleep at. The others are too open, so there is no way I can lay down without being seen. I may stay at the Nichol park during the day. Maybe a wolf across the street will notice me.

I found a restaurant and bought a burger and fries. Then I make my way to Nichol Park. The neighborhood looks clean, large red brick buildings lined the streets. The multiple windows shine in the summer sun. The street is busy with people coming and going. I can see the park already full of kids. I can hear their laughter.

I cross the street and hop the fence to a bench shaded by some trees. I settle in and learn my surroundings. It’s so surreal, I’m in Chicago.