stronger, Allie?”
Alastair nodded. “Much.”
“Good, because we’re going to need to run for it. I assume you want to save her.” Joey inclined his head in Lu’s direction. She was staring at both boys wide-eyed.
“Of course,” Alastair said.
“Ok,” Joey was saying. “You’ll need to carry her, because we’ll have to move as fast as possible. Head straight out the front door and stick to the woods. Go that way.” He pointed east. “Get to town as fast as you can, they probably won’t follow us into a populated area. If we get separated, our car is parked behind the Cedarwood Inn. Lu can probably tell you where that is.”
“What’s happening?” Lu was asking. “Who found you?”
“I hear at least a half a dozen of them,” Joey was saying. “Three to each side of the house and closing fast.” He hiked up the cuff of his jeans and pulled a short dagger from a sheath that was strapped to his leg.
“I hear them too,” Alastair said.
“What’s closing fast?” Lu’s voice sounded high-pitched to her, bordering on hysterical. She spun toward the bank of windows along the far wall and saw nothing but their own reflections against the blackness outside.
Just then the silence of the forest was split by a piercing howl. “But there are no wolves in Ashl--” she started to say. In the next instant, she was slung over Alastair’s shoulder and he was racing out the door.
He was moving impossibly fast. Lu raised her head and stared at her little home, lit from within and receding rapidly. In a moment several large shapes appeared silhouetted in front of the house. They looked like dogs, only bigger. Much bigger.
In another instant the woods closed in and the house disappeared from view.
Alastair’s arm was locked tightly around her as he leapt over logs and zigzagged around trees so quickly that Lu thought she might pass out. She could hear their pursuers, not far behind. The animals’ big heavy bodies crashed through the underbrush, their breathing jagged, and occasionally one let out a low, menacing growl. She shivered with fear, scanning the forest behind them, trying to make out shapes in the swirling blackness.
Alastair switched his hold on her abruptly, lifting Lu off his shoulder and cradling her against his chest. She held on tight and buried her face against his shoulder, pressing her eyes shut.
From somewhere close beside them Joey called out, “Keep going! Don’t stop for anything! I’m going to see if I can improve our odds a bit.” And he peeled off to the right, vanishing into the forest.
Soon after, a blood-curdling scream rang out somewhere behind them, not quite animal but not human either. Lu shuddered, her heart beating wildly in her chest, and held on tighter to Alastair.
A snarl, followed by a yip like that of an injured dog, was next. She and Alastair could hear the animal closest to them changing direction, veering toward the sound of the yelp. Alastair hesitated, thinking about going to help Joey. He slowed for just a moment and Lu cried out, “No! Don’t stop! He told you to keep going, do what he said!”
Alastair picked up speed again, and in another few seconds faint lights were streaking past them. They’d broken out of the tree line and were cutting through a residential neighborhood. A dog barked somewhere nearby, and Lu jumped in Alastair’s arms. He said soothingly, his lips close to her ear, “It’s ok. I won’t let anything hurt you.” He tightened his grip on her, never slowing his pace. Then he asked, “Do you know where that hotel is that Joey mentioned?”
It was hard to think clearly in the face of overwhelming fear, but she managed to say, “To the right on Siskiyou. The big main street, you’re heading straight for it. The motel’s maybe two miles down.”
He ran right down the center of Siskiyou Boulevard. There were plenty of cars around this early in the evening, pedestrians too. But Alastair was travelling so fast that at
Alastair nodded. “Much.”
“Good, because we’re going to need to run for it. I assume you want to save her.” Joey inclined his head in Lu’s direction. She was staring at both boys wide-eyed.
“Of course,” Alastair said.
“Ok,” Joey was saying. “You’ll need to carry her, because we’ll have to move as fast as possible. Head straight out the front door and stick to the woods. Go that way.” He pointed east. “Get to town as fast as you can, they probably won’t follow us into a populated area. If we get separated, our car is parked behind the Cedarwood Inn. Lu can probably tell you where that is.”
“What’s happening?” Lu was asking. “Who found you?”
“I hear at least a half a dozen of them,” Joey was saying. “Three to each side of the house and closing fast.” He hiked up the cuff of his jeans and pulled a short dagger from a sheath that was strapped to his leg.
“I hear them too,” Alastair said.
“What’s closing fast?” Lu’s voice sounded high-pitched to her, bordering on hysterical. She spun toward the bank of windows along the far wall and saw nothing but their own reflections against the blackness outside.
Just then the silence of the forest was split by a piercing howl. “But there are no wolves in Ashl--” she started to say. In the next instant, she was slung over Alastair’s shoulder and he was racing out the door.
He was moving impossibly fast. Lu raised her head and stared at her little home, lit from within and receding rapidly. In a moment several large shapes appeared silhouetted in front of the house. They looked like dogs, only bigger. Much bigger.
In another instant the woods closed in and the house disappeared from view.
Alastair’s arm was locked tightly around her as he leapt over logs and zigzagged around trees so quickly that Lu thought she might pass out. She could hear their pursuers, not far behind. The animals’ big heavy bodies crashed through the underbrush, their breathing jagged, and occasionally one let out a low, menacing growl. She shivered with fear, scanning the forest behind them, trying to make out shapes in the swirling blackness.
Alastair switched his hold on her abruptly, lifting Lu off his shoulder and cradling her against his chest. She held on tight and buried her face against his shoulder, pressing her eyes shut.
From somewhere close beside them Joey called out, “Keep going! Don’t stop for anything! I’m going to see if I can improve our odds a bit.” And he peeled off to the right, vanishing into the forest.
Soon after, a blood-curdling scream rang out somewhere behind them, not quite animal but not human either. Lu shuddered, her heart beating wildly in her chest, and held on tighter to Alastair.
A snarl, followed by a yip like that of an injured dog, was next. She and Alastair could hear the animal closest to them changing direction, veering toward the sound of the yelp. Alastair hesitated, thinking about going to help Joey. He slowed for just a moment and Lu cried out, “No! Don’t stop! He told you to keep going, do what he said!”
Alastair picked up speed again, and in another few seconds faint lights were streaking past them. They’d broken out of the tree line and were cutting through a residential neighborhood. A dog barked somewhere nearby, and Lu jumped in Alastair’s arms. He said soothingly, his lips close to her ear, “It’s ok. I won’t let anything hurt you.” He tightened his grip on her, never slowing his pace. Then he asked, “Do you know where that hotel is that Joey mentioned?”
It was hard to think clearly in the face of overwhelming fear, but she managed to say, “To the right on Siskiyou. The big main street, you’re heading straight for it. The motel’s maybe two miles down.”
He ran right down the center of Siskiyou Boulevard. There were plenty of cars around this early in the evening, pedestrians too. But Alastair was travelling so fast that at
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