in his eye that Annie wasn’t
sure she liked. “Gaelan, you’re the sneakiest son of a—” He paused, shot
a glance at Daisy. “—wolf, here. I’ll take Annie, Jack, and Daisy out
through the tunnel. When you get the chance, Gale, I want you to fetch my car.”
“We won’t all fit in it,”
Annie said, imagining a clown car with rather a lot more fur inside. “How is
that going to work?” His plan was flawed. They would never get out of here. Even
now, the bombers could be upstairs.
Nausea rolled her stomach
and her mouth was dry as a whole graveyard full of bones. Her legs threatened
to fold up beneath her, but adrenaline told her to run, run, run. She’d rarely
been more frightened in her life.
Dash put his hand on her
shoulder. “Don’t worry. We have an emergency vehicle down here. Me, you, Daisy,
and Jack will leave in that right now. The others will take my truck. We’ll rendezvous
outside of town at that old burned out bar, Gaelan.”
How exactly did one keep an
emergency vehicle in one’s basement?
“I know it’s stupid, but I wish we had
Jack’s car seat.” It was a ridiculous thing to say given they were under
attack.
Dash looked at her and
away, scratching at the back of his neck. He made an inarticulate sound, halfway
between a dog’s growl and the sound of a Wookiee losing at chess. “How about we
rendezvous at the mall instead? We can pick up a seat there, and anything else
you need.”
She nodded again. The
trembles in her legs turned into shakes. Jack’s body seemed to grow ever
heavier.
“You’ve gone pale,” Dash
said. “Let me carry him to the car.” He stepped in and lifted Jack as if he
weighed nothing. She stumbled as Dash took her son. He offered her his other
arm, but Annie shook her head. She’d shown enough weakness. Hot, damp shame
flooded through her for asking about the car seat, and almost worse, for nearly
crying in front of the group.
“Gaelan?” Dash turned to
look at his friend. “That plan suit you?”
“Sure.” The massive blond
grinned. “Nothing I like better than a recon mission.”
“What if you fail?” Annie
blurted. Dash’s aunties were as old as Daisy. What if they were stuck here and
killed by the enemy?
He roared with laughter. “Seems
unlikely, but if that happened, we’re all wolves here. We’d change, and run or
fight our way out. Gotta take care of you puny cleanskins first. A werewolf
could snap you like a bone. We’re made of steel and sinew under the fur.”
“Go on, child.” Elaine
patted her arm. “We’ll see you soon.”
On impulse, she wrapped
the round little woman in a brief hug. Elaine’s eyes grew large, but she said
nothing. “I’ll see you soon. Come on, Mom.”
“Come on, indeed,” her
mother grumbled. “We’d have left five minutes ago if not for you. Do you think
you ever rode in a car seat when you were little?”
Annie pointedly ignored
her, not wanting to open the door for fifteen minutes of
uphill-through-the-snow-to-school-both-ways stories. “Dash,” she said, “Let’s
go.”
He led the way to a corner
of the basement, through a dark archway gaping like an open mouth, down a dark
hall. A heavy steel door crouched at the end of the hallway, in shadows. Again,
he entered a code on a keypad and swung the door open, gesturing Annie through.
Fluorescent lights
flickered on overhead, revealing the crevices and shadows of a dry tunnel,
carved through the bedrock.
“Where does this lead?”
“To the Batcave,” he said
dryly. “You’ll see.”
The Batcave? She couldn't
process it, so she merely nodded.
They continued down the
tunnel, which soon opened into what resembled a superhero’s underground lair. Boxes
and crates huddled against the white painted walls, full of God-knows-what
supplies. In the middle of the space stood a vast black Hummer with windows
darkly tinted.
Incredible. She never
would have suspected all this lay beneath the house. But why? Did things like
this
sure she liked. “Gaelan, you’re the sneakiest son of a—” He paused, shot
a glance at Daisy. “—wolf, here. I’ll take Annie, Jack, and Daisy out
through the tunnel. When you get the chance, Gale, I want you to fetch my car.”
“We won’t all fit in it,”
Annie said, imagining a clown car with rather a lot more fur inside. “How is
that going to work?” His plan was flawed. They would never get out of here. Even
now, the bombers could be upstairs.
Nausea rolled her stomach
and her mouth was dry as a whole graveyard full of bones. Her legs threatened
to fold up beneath her, but adrenaline told her to run, run, run. She’d rarely
been more frightened in her life.
Dash put his hand on her
shoulder. “Don’t worry. We have an emergency vehicle down here. Me, you, Daisy,
and Jack will leave in that right now. The others will take my truck. We’ll rendezvous
outside of town at that old burned out bar, Gaelan.”
How exactly did one keep an
emergency vehicle in one’s basement?
“I know it’s stupid, but I wish we had
Jack’s car seat.” It was a ridiculous thing to say given they were under
attack.
Dash looked at her and
away, scratching at the back of his neck. He made an inarticulate sound, halfway
between a dog’s growl and the sound of a Wookiee losing at chess. “How about we
rendezvous at the mall instead? We can pick up a seat there, and anything else
you need.”
She nodded again. The
trembles in her legs turned into shakes. Jack’s body seemed to grow ever
heavier.
“You’ve gone pale,” Dash
said. “Let me carry him to the car.” He stepped in and lifted Jack as if he
weighed nothing. She stumbled as Dash took her son. He offered her his other
arm, but Annie shook her head. She’d shown enough weakness. Hot, damp shame
flooded through her for asking about the car seat, and almost worse, for nearly
crying in front of the group.
“Gaelan?” Dash turned to
look at his friend. “That plan suit you?”
“Sure.” The massive blond
grinned. “Nothing I like better than a recon mission.”
“What if you fail?” Annie
blurted. Dash’s aunties were as old as Daisy. What if they were stuck here and
killed by the enemy?
He roared with laughter. “Seems
unlikely, but if that happened, we’re all wolves here. We’d change, and run or
fight our way out. Gotta take care of you puny cleanskins first. A werewolf
could snap you like a bone. We’re made of steel and sinew under the fur.”
“Go on, child.” Elaine
patted her arm. “We’ll see you soon.”
On impulse, she wrapped
the round little woman in a brief hug. Elaine’s eyes grew large, but she said
nothing. “I’ll see you soon. Come on, Mom.”
“Come on, indeed,” her
mother grumbled. “We’d have left five minutes ago if not for you. Do you think
you ever rode in a car seat when you were little?”
Annie pointedly ignored
her, not wanting to open the door for fifteen minutes of
uphill-through-the-snow-to-school-both-ways stories. “Dash,” she said, “Let’s
go.”
He led the way to a corner
of the basement, through a dark archway gaping like an open mouth, down a dark
hall. A heavy steel door crouched at the end of the hallway, in shadows. Again,
he entered a code on a keypad and swung the door open, gesturing Annie through.
Fluorescent lights
flickered on overhead, revealing the crevices and shadows of a dry tunnel,
carved through the bedrock.
“Where does this lead?”
“To the Batcave,” he said
dryly. “You’ll see.”
The Batcave? She couldn't
process it, so she merely nodded.
They continued down the
tunnel, which soon opened into what resembled a superhero’s underground lair. Boxes
and crates huddled against the white painted walls, full of God-knows-what
supplies. In the middle of the space stood a vast black Hummer with windows
darkly tinted.
Incredible. She never
would have suspected all this lay beneath the house. But why? Did things like
this
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