We moved back into the barren room we had once been in hours before when there was a wolf but it seemed colder, and darker, and scarier than it had before the wolf disappeared. I was hoping, praying, that Wolfie was safe, that he had not succumbed to the Wendigos; I also felt the same for any other creature up here that wasn't a Wendigo. Mike and I walked over to the gated entrance beside the one we had just come back through, I tried to open it but it was locked. I looked at Mike, who seemed to remember the agreement we had on not using bullets to open locked doors.
"Well, it's locked," I said dramatically, "whatever shall we do, all great and powerful leader Mike?" I couldn't help but break the dramatic scene with my laughter.
He merely rolled his eyes at my grand performance, "you look through your backpack to find your lock pick kit and I'll explore around to see if I can find any firepower for protection," he stated, "how does that sound to you, all great and powerful sorceress Vanessa?" He was being sarcastic, I could tell but in quite a truthful way.
I rolled my eyes at him this time, "deal," I agreed, shifting my arms through the straps on my backpack to take it off my shoulders.
He had grinned at me, playfully pushed me, and jogged away, feeling triumphant. I merely shook my head at him, "I'll get you for that, Munroe," I was being sarcastic with the use of his last name.
"You will try, Castellanos," he was grinning as he moved up the stairs to find an opening above us so he could get into another gated room. "I bet I can find another way into another room before you have even found your kit," he called to me, challenging me.
Oh, I was so going to get him when this thing was all over, "you will try," I was about to pull it out of my bag when he dropped down into another room, I looked up to see him grinning at me through the locked door.
"Beat you," he said playfully.
"Damn you, Mike," I said playfully in reply, laughing.
He merely laughed at that before turning away, shifting toward a desk where a shotgun, a container of shells, and an unlit torch were laying, "I found the firepower," he said, still laughing.
Click!
"And I've opened up the correct door," I replied, quickly placing every piece back into its place inside the kit before locking it back up and gently putting it back into my bag. I placed one strap on my shoulder and moved to meet him over at the other gate, "now, should I pick the lock on this one too, or are you going to be a gentleman and let me in?" I asked of him, smirking deviously.
"Now why would I force you to pull your kit back out and find the right tools," he began turning toward me, "when I can just do this?" He grabbed ahold of the handle and pushed it toward me, I stepped out of the way and the door was wide open, "now, am I gentleman, or am I gentleman?"
I stepped forward, smacked his cheek, gently and playfully before moving to the box of shells. I found the lid, waited for Mike to grab a handful, and then secured the lid so I could put it in my backpack, just in case we needed more shells. I had a lighter in the small side pouch of my bag, I pulled it out and opened it, lighting it, "need a light?" I was smirking at him.
Mike merely shook his head at me, laughing, "thanks," he said as we moved to light the torch for more light, "shall we then?"
"You're welcome," I smirked, clicked the lid shut, and put it back into the proper pouch. I put my bag back onto my shoulders and nodded. "We shall," I replied.
"Ladies first," he gestured for me to go first, grinning at me.
"Age before beauty, dear," I laughed at him.
"Fine," he went through the door first, "if you so bluntly feel the need to remind me I'm older than you," he pretended to be upset with me since he was only a year older than me, and age didn't matter.
I laughed out loud, "I think, it's because, you think I'm prettier than you are," oh I was asking it for it now with my devious nature as I sashayed past him through the door I had unlocked.
Mike gasped at me, dramatically, "oh you are so gonna get it when we get back to Beachcastle City," and that was all he told me as we moved on, leaving only our laughter as we walked.
We had barely gotten a few feet inside before there was a loud noise, it startled us; my arms wrapped around his right bicep immediately as he stood there ready to defend his sorceress' honor.
There was just rustling of shuffling wolf paws. We furrowed our brows as the same wolf from before lazily walked into our view as if we were overacting, which we were overreacting but it was still amusing to see the lazy eye roll and expression Wolfe was giving us right now.
We relaxed as soon as we saw his furry face because we had made friends with this one and he was not going to hurt us. Mike handed me the shotgun for the moment, and I knelt, holding the barrel where it faced the floor. He followed me down onto one knee.
"Hey, big guy," Mike spoke to the wolf, who slowly came toward us.
"Hey there Wolfie," I said after.
We each took a turn rubbing the wolf's head before we shifted to stand, I gave Mike the shotgun back and straightened my backpack straps.
"Alright, buddy, you're comin' with us," Mike said as I smiled, "so, here's the plan. Vee, you listening," he began as I nodded, "I happened to see a map of this place, so we're not flying blind here. There should be a way through the psychiatric wing that will lead us to right outside the mines," Mike moved closer to the wolf, "think you can handle that?" He said to the wolf first who merely looked up at him, happy to see him, "how 'bout you, Vee?"
"Oh, I was born ready to handle anything that was thrown my way," I told him, assuring him I could handle anything.
"Okay, couldn't have said it better myself," Mike merely chuckled, "alright, let's do this," the wolf turned to lead the way as if he was now the party leader and not Mike, or me, "atta boy."
We moved swiftly through the room to the gated tunnel to reach the next area of the sanatorium ahead, we were lagging a bit behind the wolf, so when we reached the next part of the building, we found a growling wolf.
I was sensing whatever he was growling at.
"Okie dokie, boy, calm down," Mike spoke to the wolf but he wasn't calming down without a fight, "Vee, can you sense what he senses? Or do your abilities not work like that?"
The wolf barked once and started ahead of us, we followed but I was lagging behind even Mike, I wasn't prepared to deal with Wendigos but if I could protect Mike, if I could keep him safe, keep him alive, maybe that thought would ease my troubles.
"Hey," Mike's gentle and soothing voice startled me, "you okay?"
I nodded my head, "yeah, I'm fine," I replied looking around the area, making sure it was just me, Mike, and the wolf, "and to answer your question, yes, my abilities do work that way," I paused a moment, "sometimes," I admitted.
"Well, are they working now?" He asked.
"Yep," I replied.
We kept moving, slowly, making sure to check every possible hiding spot and shine the glow of the fire from the torch in every possible darkness to illuminate it for us. We were going to watch each other's backs, and the wolf's, none of us were going to die here, we were going to make it.