The Wolf Experiments

The abundance of wolves could not be controlled. Not even in the city where anarchy had taken over the rule of law. Wolves flourished in the valley as they did everywhere in the world. It seemed impossible to believe that they alone had survived the mass extinction of animals. What made them immune to radiation? In turn, what caused her to test negative for exposure, like them? How much wolf blood flowed through her veins?

The moon was their sun and the darkness, their friend. They had no fear of man and roamed the mountains like ghosts. Sometimes the only hint that they had passed was the marks left behind in the snow. But with the emergence of Spring, they vanished into the cliffs and forest; no one the wiser that they had stalked the complex, burning a path around the perimeter to get to her.

The lonely call of the wolf filled her dreams. Shapes loped across her consciousness—gray, black, white. She was afraid to run with the wolves and just as afraid not to.

The seasons were changing. Winter was giving way to the very first signs of spring. Alex discovered this when she opened her window one day to see scatterings of green buds on the ground in place of the hard earth and dried leaves. The brawny dried up trees that looked like emaciated giants were sprouting buds on branches that had been bare and barren for far too long. She breathed in the earthy smell, equal parts rain, soil, grass, and ozone. Amandas leaped into the air, biting at imaginary things before dropping to the ground, rolling and kicking his feet.

Reading the journal had done things to her. It had opened her eyes to realize that things were not as black and white as she had thought. For weeks, she had been avoiding the others, afraid of what she now knew about herself. After several readings, she had not been able to find anything else in the journal to answer her many questions. She was sure another volume existed; one that revealed everything, but she had not been able to bring herself to return to the old laboratories. Not that she was scared of Sultan or whatever malevolent presence might be lurking in the darkness of the halls and abandoned rooms.

She decided that she needed a break. She moved out of the complex with Amandas in tow and headed for the barn. It had been a while since she had gone horseback riding and she was half expecting the puzzled look that would be on Eric’s face and the bout of questioning that was sure to follow. She prayed he would be in the laboratory so that she could have the barn to herself.

Her prayer was answered in parts and she heaved an audible sigh of relief when she did not hear the sound of whistling coming from any of the stalls. That was until she saw the grave face of Nick. His equine first aid kit was placed on a bench near a stack of mechanical tools.

She had not seen him in so long that she temporarily forgot that she had been avoiding him. She was happy to see him if not anything else. But he did not seem to be in the mood for lightness. He never was anyways so that was not saying much all by itself.

“The horses aren’t eating,” Nick said as if nothing about her recent behavior had been strange. “I don’t know what is bothering them.”

She put her hand on her chest and looked up at the sky.

“You feel it, too,” he asked.

She did. The dark, oppressive bleakness hung over them like the coming of a thunderstorm. The horses could feel it. She was certain they could.

Unable to communicate that to Nick, she watched him meticulously examine the horses, listening to their gut through a stethoscope.

“It’s not colic,” Nick declared expertly.

Slowly she became aware of a presence in a dark corner, a gray-haired man. He drifted like a phantom and no one seemed to notice him. Alex slid her knife from its sheath and met his gaze. At first, she thought he was a product of her imagination—another one of her waking dreams.

It took a while for her to recognize who it was but when she did, her heart almost stopped. It was him, the mad scientist—Argon Pretorius!

When he spoke, his harsh, frigid voice filled the area.

“Alexandra, I am surprised at you,” he said savagely.

Alex thought that it just couldn’t be him. But it was—the man in the shattered picture.

Nick turned around at the sound of the icy cold voice. He did not bother to ask who it was or what he was doing in the barn, the icy look of the harbinger of death and evil tidings on his face was enough warning. Nick moved swiftly to Alex’s side and took the dagger from her. He held it like a trained fighter would and trained his eyes on the menacing stranger.

“A new family,” Dr. Pretorius said. “How touching.”

Nick slid an arm protectively around her. The memories unfolded at the sight of the doctor, snapping her back inside the car on that cruel night. But this time there was more. She saw herself standing in a laboratory, cringing in the corner while the mad scientist swung his axe at his research associates. Another young man, about her age, clung to her and tried to keep her safe. Blood covered the walls like thick, syrupy paint.

“I know you,” Nick said, his voice cold and anxious. His words brought her back. Alex put her hands to her temple, pressing her fingers deep, probing for release.

“I know you,” Nick whispered again.

The two men studied each other for a moment. Pretorius judged Nick indifferently and finally said, “I’m not here for you. Not yet anyway. I came for Alexandra.”

At that moment, the double doors at the entrance to the barn tore down the middle like a Broadway curtain and a dark, towering shape burst through the gaping space. The gloomy darkness in the barn was overshadowed by blinding sunlight and it shone off the back of the stallion. He neighed but what came out was more of a scream. It was filled with immense hate.

Pretorius lunged for Alex, trying to get between her and the stallion, but she launched herself at the horse and met him halfway, landing precariously on his back. She clung like a bur. Her legs tightened as he reared, kicking and screaming furiously at the deranged doctor. As the man reached for them, the horse pivoted sharply to avoid his touch; breaking for the outdoors with a freakish burst of speed. Gunfire erupted all around as they galloped for the protection of the forest.

Once beneath the trees, another form stepped out and the stallion abruptly slid to a stop, quieting at the touch of the other form. Alex slid down confused as she stared at the stallion and at the two-legged Sultan. It didn’t make any sense. Patting the horse on the side, Sultan sent him away. Covering her face with her hands, Alex decided that there truly was something wrong with her brain—some kind of schizophrenia. She tried to make sense of the day in the cove, trying to find that separation of Sultan and the stallion. How had she combined them? If Sultan wasn’t really part horse, maybe some result of an experiment gone wrong, then what was he?

“That man…that’s him in the picture. What did he want?” Sultan gasped. “Why did he come back here?”

Alex fell to her knees, a shattered breath slicing through her chest. Tears filled her eyes and spilled across her cheeks. She had brought everyone’s nightmares to life, the evil from her dreams metastasizing into reality.

“Why is he here?” Sultan asked again, his voice tinged with desperation.

She put her hand to her throat, unable to penetrate the wall that imprisoned the sound.

“It’s you? Is this about you?” he asked.

She nodded, feeling the despair washing over her.

“Why did he come for you?”

The sudden sound of howling of wolves filled the air. It was as if something clicked in his mind. Sultan stepped away from her with shock-filled eyes. He eyed her like she was a pile of toxic debris. The rejection almost killed her.

Without thinking, she turned and fled, running madly for the river, falling along the way until she reached the water, skinned and bruised. She stayed in knee deep water until she lost track of time, crying and hitting hard at the body of water. The comforting shape of Amandas nestled up close to her. She wondered how the wolf had developed the uncanny ability to track her down no matter where she was.

Her reflection stared back at her in the cold water. The image looking back at her had wild eyes and ugly bruises. She wondered if she would always feel that way. She almost jumped as a hand rested on her shoulder. She did not feel safe anymore.

“Please don’t run from me,” Sultan said gently. “I didn’t mean it the way it looked.” She covered her face with her hands.

“Let’s figure this out,” he said, prying her fingers away. She refused to meet his eyes until he finally caught her chin. He turned his ear to the wind suddenly and listened. “Someone is coming.”

She could never allow the others to see her in such a state. Her eyes darted about for some direction to flee.

Sultan sighed. “It’s all right. Go. I’ll talk to Nick. Stay in the trees until we know Pretorius is gone. My stallion isn’t far.”

With Amandas by her side, Alex followed the river until she found a narrow crossing. A familiar shape was standing at the edge of the sandy bank. As she drew closer, she realized that it was Hawk. He looked surprised to see her and in seconds, the surprised look metamorphosed into concern.

“Oh Alex,” he said. “I’m sorry. We all heard about what happened.”

But she drew away from his touch. How could she trust these people? Had they become so accustomed to hiding things that they no longer knew how to be honest? Had Andy always known Argon Pretorius was the man who kidnapped her? Did they know about the experiments? What role did Nick play in it all? She was suddenly questioning everybody and everything.

“I’ve never seen anyone ride like you did,” Hawk said, something dreamy in his expression. “It was beautiful.”

Alex had to will herself not to strike him. She pulled angrily at his arm. Did he realize the danger might not be over?

Hawk seemed to come back to himself, absently fingering a scorched hole in her shirt. She stared at the burn, only now realizing how close a bullet had come. Only a few inches to the right and she would have become a smoldering dead body on the floor of the barn. It was only then that she wondered if Nick had managed to escape. If Hawk knew about the attack then someone must have told him. That someone had to be Nick.

Their eyes met and she knew that he did understand the evil Pretorius represented and that knowledge calmed her.

“Alex,” he whispered, leaning closer. He was hovering again. She veered away from his honey-sweet voice, cringing. They walked back to the complex in silence to find Andy waiting for them, his expression guarded.

Hawk shoved his hands into his pockets, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “Where is he?”

“We didn’t catch him.” Andy immediately saw the path of the bullet on the sleeve of her shirt and pushed the torn fabric aside to examine her skin. When he found no wound, he returned his attention to Hawk. “Eric activated our emergency measures.” Then, he turned to Alex. “I saw everything on the monitors. I know you have questions, but there are things we must do. Please, for now, go to your room. You’ll be safe there.”

Alex went without protest while Amandas padded silently beside her. She knew this was the best place for her, but she still hurled the journal against the wall with a growl of frustration. It was some time before Andy joined her.

“You’ve been through a terrible experience,” he said. “Can we talk about it?”

Alex’s expression clearly communicated her desire to bottle it all up inside. She watched Andy carefully, wondering if at any point, his reserve would snap and he would invoke some tough love.

“All right,” he said. “It can wait. It would be best for now if you stay here.”

She waited until he was gone, knowing she was about to act irresponsibly. When she could no longer hear his footsteps, she slipped out the window and fully examined the area for any unforeseen danger. With a sense of urgency, she headed to Nick’s cabin and wondered why she felt safer there than anywhere else.

His cabin was constructed some ways off from the complex itself. It seemed that he had intentionally done it that way so he could get some respite from the grueling work at the laboratory for a few hours at least. She reached Nick’s house at sunset. At her knock, the door opened to reveal Nick, bare-chested in the fading light wearing his favorite patched blue jeans. He was not surprised to see her. He turned to look at the sky and said simply, “It’ll be dark soon. Do you want me to take you back to the complex?”

Alex fidgeted half expecting him to realize that she must have sneaked out of her room despite what she had just gone through. She expected him to scold her before sending her back to her room.

After a second, Nick stood to one side. “Come in then.”

He retrieved his shirt from the back of a chair and shrugged into it. Dropping comfortably on to the couch, he brushed a pile of plastic and wood shavings on the low table.

“I’ve been worried about you.”

She sat down beside him and regarded him with surprise and mild suspicion.

“You see,” he said. “I’m not such a bad person.”

Deciding she had no reservations, Alex leaned against his shoulder. At times, he was bitter but not mean or dangerous. In fact, his presence comforted her. They sat together easily for a few minutes until Nick said, “How about I clean up this mess and fix us some dinner?”

She nodded.

“They don’t know where you are, do they?”

She shook her head.

“I need to tell them,” he said. “They won’t come looking for you if I do.”

He went to the two-way radio, buzzed the complex, and exchanged a few words with Eric before moving into the kitchen and donning his pink apron. Alex watched him work, fingering one of the cookbooks on the shelf before taking it down and reading the inscription on the flyleaf.

To Nick and Crystal, may you enjoy many years of romantic dinners together.

Feeling that she had invaded Nick’s privacy, Alex put the book back on the shelf. The book was obviously a wedding gift from a friend who knew Nick’s love of cooking. She wondered if he still had friends beyond the valley. She wondered if any of them did.

As he worked Nick said, “I want to talk to you about that man.” She met his eyes and he hesitated, frowning. “But I think it can wait a while longer.”

He turned back to the stove, and Alex set the table as the room filled with delicious smells.

After dinner, she helped with the dishes and wiped down the table. Nick watched her carefully.

He went to the couch and sat down again as if considering his words. “You’re a good kid,” he said softly. “I was wrong to be hard on you before.”

Alex swallowed past a lump thickening in her throat. Slowly she joined him on the couch. He put his arms around her, planting a kiss on the top of her head.

“I’ll give you a ride back to the complex.”

His voice was thick, and his eyes shimmered with unshed tears. He took her hand and led her that way out to the barn. Before he climbed into the saddle, he slid a small gun into his vest.

“Put your left foot on top of mine and climb on.”

She took his outstretched hand and slid behind him. The horse pranced.

“Might be a bit of a wild ride,” he said, a hint of humor in his voice, “but something tells me you wouldn’t care. I’ve seen you handle yourself quite well with Rebel but I must tell you, this is something different.”

She smiled at the compliment. Nick guided them through the trees in the blue darkness. He was an excellent rider, sensitive to his horse’s personality. She knew she was observing a rare opportunity to see Nick with his guard down.

When they reached the complex, she slid down. He reached out to squeeze her hand. “I’m glad you’re here. I still want to speak to you about that man. Will you let me know when you’re ready?”

He waited for her to nod before turning the gelding and nudging the animal forward with a barely perceptible movement of his heel. She admired the intense bond he obviously shared with the animal. Somehow knowing he shared that relationship, not unlike her own with Sultan’s stallion, lessened the air of isolation that surrounded Nick. She watched rider and horse move effortlessly across the ground and into the trees and felt somehow transformed by the experience.

Sleep was out of the question. Terrible images of black, twisted memories sprang to life unchecked when she closed her eyes. Hours after Nick left, Alex still felt restless and agitated. Finally, deciding that a walk would clear her head, she stepped into the corridor with Amandas and let her feet guide the way—guiding her straight to the old levels.

The chair was still wedged between the doors Sultan had forced open. Now, however, when she entered the room beyond, her earlier fear dissipated. Guided by a deeper awareness, Alex moved with new direction to a cold, steel wall. She was on autopilot, moving as if she was acting on some old memory. Something about the wall seemed different and giving it a slight push, the wall lifted to reveal a hidden room. The beam of her flashlight illuminated a bookshelf filled with journals, discs, and digital storage devices. There were the answers she and Sultan wanted and needed.