The Road Home by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 21

The bags of food were already growing heavy, but Nathan and Jackson continued on through the town, making their way toward Route 90. But something stopped Nathan. At first, it was faint— almost too faint to be heard. Putting a hand on Jackson’s shoulder, he stopped him as well. “Wait,” he said. “Did you hear that?” Jackson listened carefully to the still night air, hearing nothing.

“What is it?” Jackson asked. “I don’t hear anything.”

As Jackson took a step forward, the almost inaudible sound, drifted through the air and was nearly discernible. It had also changed location to somewhere in front of them.

“Do you hear that?” Nathan asked. “Something’s out there and I think it’s close.”

Jackson agreed, and both were suddenly swept over by fear. They knew they heard something, but the darkness concealed its identity and location.

“Yeah,” Jackson replied. “What the fuck is it?”

“I don’t know,” Nathan said.

Their brief conversation was followed by silence as they waited, not knowing what to do should the sound move closer. Seconds crawled by as the silence of the night brought their heartbeats past their ears, drumming in their minds. Again, the strange sound pushed its way through the undisturbed night, but this time came with a terrifying image creeping towards them. “Fuck,” Jackson said. “What the fuck is that?” Its head was easily twice that of any dog, with paws larger than a man’s hand. Fear quickly turned to terror as their insides began trembling. “I think that’s a wolf,” Nathan replied. Fear left them frozen in place as they tried to regain a state of calm. Reaching a point of clarity would be the only thing that would save them, if merely by a slim chance.

“So, what the fuck do we do?” Jackson asked. Nathan, also caught up in the fear of an attack, expressed his uncertainty.

“How the hell do I know,” he said. “I’ve only seen a wolf on TV.”

Taking short, slow steps, they backed away from what looked to be seeking its next meal.

They dared not run for fear of being chased. At the same time, neither knew where to go, even if they could run from such a large animal. Then, Jackson was struck with an idea. It should have been obvious, but with fear clouding their minds, any rational thoughts had vanished. “Hey,” he began. “It wants food, right? So, let’s give it to him.”

About to give his input, Nathan’s thoughts were interrupted by the presence of two more wolves, magnifying the fear they were already experiencing.

“Oh,” Nathan said. “This is fucking great. What do we do now?”

At a loss for any other ideas, Jackson suggested they simply drop the bags of food and run back to the store. At least, there would be shelter—a place to hide from the four-pawed monsters creeping up on them.

“We’ve got to back to the store,” Nathan said. “So, on three, throw the bags at them and run, okay?”

Being confronted by three fully-grown wolves left their senses stunned as they found themselves, again, unable to move. Both had slipped into a terrifying paralysis. Now, the only thing that would allow them to escape was panic. “You ready?” Nathan asked.

Jackson gave a hesitant reply, still held in the reins of fear.

“I suppose. Fuck, I hope this works. I don’t like the idea of becoming Wolf shit.”

“I know,” Nathan replied. “Ready? On three— one… two… three.”

Swinging the bags back, Nathan and Jackson launched them forward towards the wolves, and with perfect precision; they landed just in front of them. The wolves, having already caught the scent of food, scrambled for the plastic bags and soon began fighting over which would eat first. Here was their opportunity and Nathan, grabbing Jackson by the shirt, pulled him back towards the store. Once inside, they hid behind the counter, hoping the wolves would not follow.

Nathan and Jackson remained behind the counter as time crawled at a snail’s pace. The store was not far from where the wolves were feasting—the first leaving nothing more than snacks for the others. With the sound of the fight having vanished, Nathan and Jackson, once again, felt the heaviness of silence bearing down upon them. Even the absence of sound can be heard by the mind, generating its own unique response, and they heard it—loud and clear. But as animals go, anything as big as a wolf rarely got its fill and soon all three caught the scent of what was an ample supply of food. Following the aroma, they made their way to the steps of the store, where Nathan and Jackson still cowered behind the counter. Approaching the screen door, they sniffed at the air saturated by the smell of food but, unable to grasp the handle, raised a paw and began scratching at the screen. If they could cause the door to bounce back, gaining entry would be possible.

With insatiable hunger, the wolves raked their claws down the screen door, tearing it open. Soon, a hole appeared, large enough for all three to jump through. Upon hearing their paws strike the floor, the fear inherent in one's approaching mortality brought Nathan and Jackson to trembling. Too afraid to speak, they quietly slid across the floor and into a corner, hoping not to be discovered. So far, it was working, but the air suddenly stood still as the wolves turned towards a different scent— the scent of living flesh. Slowly, their leader crept to the opening leading behind the counter. Without so much as a sliver of moonlight, the shadows of warning were absent, sending Nathan and Jackson into a catatonia of fear, sensing that death was upon them. They bore no weapons, and neither possessed any training in such matters. If they could raise the courage to speak, the one statement that could make might be, ‘We are so fucked’. Without a plan of escape, both would soon experience a horrifying death—torn to ribbons as the wolves ripped into their flesh, feasting on blood and viscera, their faces frozen in silent screams. But it was desperation that birthed an idea and Nathan, assuming that wolves, like any other animal, could be scared off. Now, the wolves approached close enough that Nathan and Jackson could smell the stale odor of wet fur. If they allowed fear to consume them, both would shortly be dead. Action needed to be soon, swift, and violent. And they still required food and water--not wanting to return to the cabin empty-handed.

Their eyes still blinded by the enveloping darkness, Jackson, making use of other senses, felt around behind him, discovering several cans of food. Picking one off the shelf, he noticed its sizeable weight, prompting him to collect more. Knowing only that the wolves were quickly moving in, he stood up with a can held over his head and randomly through it into the darkness. As luck would have it, the first throw found its mark, causing one of the wolves to let out a bark of panic. Hearing where the sound came from, Jackson threw another can at what he believed to be the same spot. Landing on the floor, it issued a dull thud.

“Shit,” he whispered.

Two of the wolves panicked and, running towards the door, leaped through the hole in the screen, disappearing into the night. The lead wolf, however, was not nearly as timid and, continuing to creep around the corner, let out a hunger-infested growl. Following Jackson’s intent, Nathan felt along the shelves, obtaining several cans as well. Hearing the nearby growls, he stood and screamed while hurling the heavy cans. The first found its way precisely to where the growls were coming from and although Nathan was not able to see his target, he thought he had struck the animal in the head. This, however, did not ward it off, but merely made it more determined to obtain the meal it sought. With Jackson joining him, they grabbed as many cans as could be found and began peppering the wolf until it let out a painful yip. Backing up, it turned towards the door and, retreating far into the darkness, would likely find a place to stop and lick its wounds.

Standing behind the counter, Nathan and Jackson listened to the air for the wolves to return, only to encounter silence. Having determined they were no longer in danger of being consumed, Nathan was the first to speak.

“Fuck,” he began. “Are you okay?” Both were recovering their senses, trying to process what they might never before have imagined.

“Yeah,” Jackson replied. “Jesus Christ, I think I shit myself.”

Still behind the counter, they quietly discussed how to proceed.

“We’ve got to get out of here,” Jackson continued. “That was bullshit.”

“Tell me about it,” Nathan replied. “But we still need food.”

Jackson, feeling the pangs of hunger, agreed but commented that he wanted to accomplish this sooner to minimize the risk of another encounter with the area's wildlife. Acquiring more bags, the two quickly obtained the same items they had thrown to the wolves—with one addition. Nathan accidentally bumped into a display on the counter and in an attempt to keep it from falling, his hand passed over a row of pocket flashlights. Quietly getting Jackson’s attention, he took two and handed one to him. Armed with illumination, they were finally ready to make their way back to the cabin. This time, Nathan would be especially careful about walking down the steps, wanting to avoid the pain and embarrassment of falling.