Bump

Chapter 12

  Once again, Ryan found himself stirring awake in a bed that was not his own. This particular bedroom however, was far different from his or Vanessa’s or the hospital room. It was small and dark and there were no clothes strewn about, no bookshelves or posters or décor of any kind. There was the bed, there was a small, bare desk with only a lamp and a laptop, and there was a girl asleep in a chair, cradling a sleek, silver nine-millimeter handgun.

  She was even more dazzling up close. The low light in the windowless room cast a soft glow across her cheeks and the shadows that played about her face danced as her head rose and fell with every breath. Ryan had been to the Grand Canyon. He had seen the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Rockies, and the Redwoods but he could not remember enjoying the sight of anything quite so much as he did this girl’s face. He had seen beauty, but he had never seen this. Ryan felt as if he could stay in this room and look at this girl forever, and he felt that there were much, much worse ways to spend eternity.

  He managed to tear his eyes away from Evelyn long enough to notice that he was not wearing pants. His boxers were all that had survived his most recent transformation. To make matters worse, he was laying on top of the bedclothes rather than beneath them. Ryan reached for the blanket to cover himself up and a spring creaked in the old bed.

  Faster than his eye could follow, Evelyn was awake and he was no longer gazing at her perfect face. Suddenly he was staring down the barrel of the gun, which she held with surgical steadiness mere centimeters from his eyeball.

  For a long moment, they froze. She kept the gun on him, not moving or wavering an inch, before she finally spoke through gritted teeth.

  “What time is it?”

  Ryan hadn’t moved either, for fear of losing a head, and he was having a hard time not staring at the gun. “Where exactly do you think I’m hiding a watch?”

  She kept her eyes and the gun trained on him as she reached into her jeans pocket to produce a cell phone. She looked at it, then at him, then lowered the gun.

  “It’s morning. I guess we’re good.”

  Ryan exhaled for the first time in what seemed like minutes.

  “Sorry.” She continued. “None of us really knows just quite how to handle you yet. Daniel is the only one with any real experience.”

  “Don’t worry about it. It’s probably for the best.” Ryan said as he tried to slow his racing heartbeat. “And frankly, that’s not the worst first interaction I’ve ever had with a girl.”

  For the first time, Ryan saw Evelyn smile, and it was unlike anything he’d ever before experienced. It was as if fireworks made of melted butter had exploded in his chest and were running down his insides. It took every last ounce of his mental and physical power to keep himself from grinning like an idiot.

  “Well don’t take it personally.” She replied. “To be honest, you’re not the first boy I’ve tried to shoot after waking up next to him.”

  It was Ryan’s turn to smile now. It occurred to him then however, that he wasn’t exactly sure just how serious she was being.

  “I’m Evelyn.” She said as she extended her hand.

  “Ryan.” He said, and he felt a hot surge of electric excitement run up his arm as they touched.

  “What happened last night?” He asked.

  “Bill Bixby left the building and we got a visit from Lou Ferrigno.” Evelyn stood up, stretched, and reached behind her to tuck the long silver gun into the waistband of her jeans.

  Beauty, brains, and references to classic television. Ryan’s head was about to explode.

  “I didn’t hurt anyone, did I?”

  Evelyn chuckled. “We can handle ourselves. Though we did luck out with the sedative working twice in a row. Doctor Webster wasn’t sure.”

  “Don’t suppose it’ll work again next month?” Ryan ventured

  “Not really my area.” She replied with a shrug. “Doc Webster doesn’t think it will, but like I said: we’re flying blind. We’ll know more when Ben gets here.”

  Ryan was curious to know more about what had happened, and who Ben was, but he was more curious about Evelyn. About everything about her.

  “Are we still in the warehouse?”

  She nodded. “This is my room. It took everybody we had to carry you up here, but Daniel figured it was safer than putting you in one of the bunks. At least this way if you woke up in the middle of the night, you’d be trapped.”

  “But you’d have been trapped in here with me.”

  Evelyn shrugged again. “Somebody had to watch you, and Daniel’d barely fit in this place, much less have room to maneuver. I could shoot you in the head as easily as he could. Do it with more style, too.”

  “Does everybody live in the warehouse?”

  She shook her head. “The doc was a better man than any of my foster parents, so when I met him, I moved in. Everybody else has their own place.”

  Ryan nodded and an uncomfortable silence fell.

  “He wanted to talk to you, when you were up.” Evelyn said. “Doctor Webster. There are some clothes in the cabinet outside. Grab whatever fits.”

  Ryan nodded. He stood up and tried to smooth out some of the wrinkles he had left in the bedspread. “Thanks.” He said quietly. “For this, that,” he gestured to the gun “…everything.”

  Their bodies were feet away from each other, but Ryan thought he could feel the pounding, radiating heat between them. They locked eyes and Evelyn said, after a moment, “Sure.”

  Ryan left the room and tried to clear his head. He was on the second floor of the warehouse and sunlight streamed through the windows and skylights. Nearest him he saw two sets of barracks-style bunk beds, tucked and smoothed with military precision. Beyond the beds Ryan saw a small row of mismatched cabinets and armoires, and that’s where he headed.

  He pulled open one of the drawers and found a stack of freshly laundered white t-shirts. The drawer below that held sweatpants and a few hooded sweatshirts. Ryan took one of each, dressed, and fought the urge to explore the other cabinets. He prayed that his shoes were still lying around somewhere on the ground floor and that they hadn’t been ripped to shreds during the transformation like everything else he owned.

  Past the cabinets and drawers Ryan saw a small collection of gym equipment that looked decades old. There were no pulleys, no weight stacks, no fancy, single-purpose machines. There were bars, there were weights, there were dumbbells, and there was a bench.

  He decided against exploring any further until he had a better idea of what this place was and, more importantly, how he fit into all of it. Ryan made his way back to the staircase and found the plump gray-haired woman and the fair-haired man sitting in the central lounge area on the ground floor.

  “Well well well!” The man said affably in a thick Irish accent. “Look who made it back to the land o’ the livin’!”

  He was in his early twenties, Ryan guessed, with a rough stubble that put him at least a few years out of high school.

  “You don’t look too bad yourself.” Ryan replied.

  “Ah yeah, well. Apologies fer not bein’ in a fit state to greet you last night. Bit of heartburn got me under the weather.” He smiled and winked.

  He was thin, but not scrawny; the lean-muscle equivalent to Daniel’s bulk. His blonde hair was far lighter than Ryan’s and fell down well past the bottoms of his ears. His eyes were small, almost beady, and watery blue. They held a slight mischievous glint and gave the rest of his face the appearance of being in a perpetually sly smile.

  He continued. “Name’s Michael Molony, but you should call me Miles. Everyone does, even me mum. And this, radiant creature here is Ruby, but she’s a mite busy.”

  The older woman was making careful measurements of dark-colored powders out of, and into, different vials and sacks. “Never too busy to flirt with you, Miles.” Ruby replied in her Southern drawl. “How did you sleep, sugar? Come have a seat.” She motioned for Ryan to sit, which he did.

  “It
’s great to meet both of you. I slept…well, I don’t remember most of it so I guess that’s good.”

  Ruby was delicately measuring out ingredients and didn’t reply. Miles, however, never broke stride. “Feel free ter sock me one if I’m out of line here mate, but I gotta ask: what’s it like? The changin’ and tranformin’ and what have yeh?”

  Ryan thought for a moment. “It hurts like hell.”

  “Aye…I can imagine. You gotta forgive me fer bein’ so nosy. It’s just that werewolves…don’t see them much. Ben doesn’t talk about that stuff.”

  “This Ben guy, he’s a werewolf?” Ryan asked. His heart leapt at the possibility of meeting another werewolf. A hundred questions flashed through his mind at once.

  Ruby looked up and smiled. “Well he certainly wouldn’t be travelling halfway across the country to see you if he wasn’t. Just don’t let Old Ben push you around; he’s really just a teddy bear.”

  “Does he…or, do you…know the one that attacked me? The one that turned me?”

  Ruby and Miles exchanged a glance and it was a moment before either of them spoke.

  “Him we’re a little too familiar with.” Miles responded. “Definitely not a teddy bear that one, if you catch my meaning.”

  “Tell me.” Ryan said.

  “Name is Grayle. Aaron Grayle. Until a month ago he was the only werewolf fer three states, and he liked it that way. From what we’ve heard, he’s none too happy that you survived.” Miles finished darkly. “He was a monster, a true monster before. But now…now Doc’s sayin’ it’s gonna be a right trail o’ carnage ‘til he finds you.”

  “He’s coming after me?”

  “Don’t fret. You’ve got some time yet. We spent most of last night piecing it all together. Isaac’ll have told ‘em you’re alive and with us, but Grayle won’t make a move. Not yet.”

  “How can you be sure? If he knows who I am, he’s going to come after my family, my friends!”

  “Eventually, yes.” Ruby said in a voice that did nothing to calm Ryan. “But not yet. He’ll come after you first, and only if he can’t get to you will your family be in any danger. But you don’t need to worry about any of that right now, child. Grayle works for Anthony Hess, and Hess has been moving pieces around the board for a while now. Something big is coming soon and he won’t let Grayle jeopardize his operation like that. Not yet. You’ve got to trust us that we’ve got it sussed out.”

  Ryan exhaled and tried to slow his heartbeat. He didn’t trust them. He didn’t know them. He couldn’t just take their word that his family and friends were safe from a murderous werewolf.

  “Why?” Ryan asked after taking a number of deep breaths. “Why is he coming after me at all?

  Ruby tried to calm him. “You have to understand Ryan, this is a man, a thing, who kills for sport. Don’t forget, he tried to kill you just cause you was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He don’t need much of a reason. Still, he thinks he’s got one: it’s like Miles said, Grayle’s been the only werewolf in the area for years. That’s cause anybody he’s bit, he’s killed. He was out hunting animals in the woods that night, and he stumbled ‘pon you. Better sport. Never intended to let you live, though. Another werewolf in the city is an encroachment on his territory, not to mention the only thing for a few hundred miles that could pose a threat to him. He’s an animal, Ryan. That means you can’t be asking ‘why’, you gotta be asking ‘when’.”

  Ten minutes ago, the world had seemed a much simpler place to Ryan, even despite the madness of the last few days.

  Ruby gave him a moment before she continued. When she did, her voice was soft and she placed a hand on his knee. “Ryan, it’ll be alright. You’re not alone, you’re here with us now. And believe you me, we’ve handled much bigger things than one little old werewolf.”

  Her words didn’t comfort him much, but it was enough. He still didn’t know what this place was or who these people were, but they clearly knew more than he did, and he knew he stood a much better chance of protecting his family with these people at his side. Even so, he wanted to know just who would be looking after the survival of his family and friends.

  “What are you guys?” Ryan asked. “I mean, what can you-”

  “Oh, I’ve been known to read a mind now an’ again.” Miles said with a wink. “Aw don’t worry, me powers only work on people who don’t have other powers. Human minds only. I tell yeh, killer with the ladies though.” He smiled. “An’ Ruby here is the best sorceress, enchantress, witch, whatever you want to call it, this side of the Mississippi.”

  “Miles, you ol’ silver tongue…”

  “And you’re going to risk your lives to protect me for…what? Kicks? Who are you people?”

  Miles eyed him for a moment before speaking, and as he did his eyes flashed and his face broke into a wry smile. “Remember when you were a child, all those things that terrified you? All those things under the bed? In yer closet? All those things that go ‘bump’ in the night?” He sat back in his chair. “We’re the ones that have gotten tired of the ruckus.”

  Ryan heard the garage door’s metallic scrape and a moment later, Dr. Webster entered through the large double doors at the end of the building.

  “Ryan, you’re awake. Good. I think I owe you some explanations.”