Donald had to keep his head low as he rushed under the back of the truck, so when he reached his man there was no time to jump. The punk never knew what hit him; one moment he was closing the tailgate and leering at a crying young woman, the next his groin exploded in pain. Donald bit deeply, shaking his head as the momentum of his charge knocked his man on his back. He didn't wait, he released his bite and lunged for the man's unprotected throat. This time when his teeth bit deep, he held on. Viciously shaking his large head side to side, his wolf in full control, he ripped and tore at his throat until his head was rolling along the sidewalk.
BANG! He looked for the source of the shot, it was the man who had been beating the old woman in the crowd. He didn't get off a second shot, Barry leaped onto his back, his teeth gripping him by the spine. The man screamed as he fell forward, his gun dropped from his hand as he tried to grab the wolf off of him. Barry slammed him into the pavement with his full body weight, then shifted his grip and tore his throat out.
Donald looked to his right, Terry had already finished off his man and was running to Brian's side. Brian had not been as lucky in his attack as his man had moved during his leap, and he only succeeded in biting his shoulder and knocking him to the ground. The man rolled clear and pulled a knife with his good hand, pointing it at the huge wolf who had just attacked him. They could smell his fear as his eyes went from Brian to Terry, then to the others. The two wolves looked at each other, then made a space in the circle for Barry. These assholes had tormented and killed innocents, and they were going to make ONE of them pay with more than a quick death.
Terry moved first, leaping forward from behind and grabbing his knife forearm with his powerful jaws. The man screamed and dropped the knife, he tried to pull his arm away but it wasn't going to happen. He reached across with his injured arm, but Barry got to it first. The man screamed again as he went to his knees. The two wolves pulled in opposite directions, holding the man in the prison jumpsuit upright as Brian growled in his face.
He pissed himself.
Donald smiled as he watched his friends take the man apart strip by painful strip. The townspeople watched in a combination of horror and relief as his screams were finally silenced. It was such an effective distraction, no one saw him shift into his human form. Pulling the shorts from the man Terry killed since his guy had blood all over them, he stood up and faced the town. "ENOUGH," he yelled.
The three wolves sat down looking at him, and the townspeople gaped at the bare-chested stranger who had just shown up in their midst. "My name is Donald Ross, I'm with the North Fork pack of werewolves. We come in friendship, and mean you no harm."
The statement set off a cacophony of yells, statements and questions that he couldn't begin to answer. "Quiet, please." He waited for the noise to die down. "I know you don't believe it, but let's face it, there's a lot we can't believe about these last few days. Terry, Barry, go get some clothes. Brian, come here."
Brian padded over as the others ran off, despite being covered with blood he was trying to be as friendly and non-threatening as he could. The scent of fear was still prevalent as Donald took the jeans off the man Barry had killed. The crowd moved back nervously as the two approached. Donald looked at them, then back at the three women in the back of the truck who were peering over the tailgate with frightened eyes. "Just watch. Brian, shift."
Brian turned away from the large group and sat down before smoothly shifting to his human form. As the people behind him gasped and talked, he pulled on the jeans and stood up to face them. "It's all right," he said. "We aren't here to hurt you, we are here to help."
One of the men in the group stepped forward. "You are real..."
Donald nodded. "We've lived among you for centuries, we are your friends, neighbors, coworkers. We just have a little extra."
"Why are you here? I mean, we appreciate you getting rid of those guys, but why?" The man looked around, some of the people behind him nodding their heads.
"I am looking for the parents of Abigail Dawson."
There was a shriek from the crowd as a middle aged woman with her dark hair in braids started to cry. "Abigail? My baby is alive?" She ran to Donald and hugged his bare waist as he comforted her.
"Yes, she's alive Angela, she's in North Fork, Idaho with my people." She looked up at him. "And Autumn is doing fine too." He rocked her gently as she sobbed into him. "Your husband? Did Bruce make it?"
She pulled back and looked at the bank building. "He... he's dying." She looked down at the ground. "He tried to come get me, I was working at the bank when it happened, and he was blinded. Now he's got a fever, he's coughing up blood. We've tried to help him, tried to help all of them but nothing works."
"How many people are sick in there?"
"Thirteen. We lost five today, they don't think the rest will make it too much longer."
Just then Terry and Barry came back wearing clothes they had taken from a nearby house. Donald looked at the people and made another decision he didn't like, but he had to. "We can help, we have a doctor down in Salmon and he knows how to save them. Terry, Barry, help them retrieve the sick and let's get them in the truck."
Several people from the group on the sidewalk moved back into the bank, so Donald turned to the truck. "Ladies, I'm sorry for what happened here." Looking back at the crowd, he asked a few women to find clothes for them then he dropped the tailgate.
Digging in his borrowed shorts, he pulled out a keychain that luckily had a handcuff key. He quickly freed three girls, then moved to the front of the bed where the fourth was sitting against the cab, her head down. "Miss, I'm just going to..." He stopped when he lifted her chin and saw the hole in the center of her forehead. Her eyes were open and glazed.
"FUCK!" He checked for a pulse, but there was none. His outburst attracted the other girls, who started to scream and cry for their friend Kim who now was cradled lifeless in Donald's arms. He called for a blanket, and one was passed in. He had it set down then covered her with it, rolling it around before he picked her up and carried her out. The townspeople were aghast at the change in fortune, the young bank teller had been well liked.
Two women moved forward and relieved him of his burden. "We'll take her. We have a grave in the park we are using for the dead." They moved off, several more watching, as the sick and wounded made their way out. The girls were given clothing and helped down, they moved quickly to their friends and family in the crowd.
Terry looked over at Donald as he sat on the steps of the bank. "What now, Donald? We can save a few, but the rest are sitting ducks. Imagine what happens tomorrow night when the guys in Missoula figure out their men didn't come back."
He looked around. "I don't know, Terry, we only have one car and the night is half over already." He got up and went to the group still gathered on the sidewalk. "Are there any vehicles still running in this town? Especially big ones?"
An older man nodded. "There are a couple old buses at the school district garage, they have the old diesel engines. I fired them up last night, I just didn't have a place to go. We figure the bank with all the steel and concrete was what saved us from getting sick, so we didn't leave."
"Can you go get them?" He nodded, pulling another man with him as they walked down the street. Looking at the rest of the people, he stood tall and gave them the only choice he could. "You can stay here, but we have to take your wounded and we can't protect you if they come back tomorrow. We do have enough room for you in North Fork. If you want to go with us, grab what food and clothing you can carry and be back here in fifteen minutes to get on the buses." Some people left immediately, others stayed and asked questions, but soon they had all gone to get ready.
The four men looked around, and Barry looked at the people in the back. "Good a time as any, boss. The sooner we bite them the faster they heal."
