"No way!" Trembling, Willow looked out through the rear windshield of the Audi. Boris got out of the car and apparently started walking towards the car. "Why is he here?" Panic made her stomach turn. She reached out her hand to shake Luke to wake him up. Luke woke up instantly.
"What's wrong?" he asked. His voice sounded calm, not like someone who had just woken up.
"Boris is outside," Willow said anxiously. "I saw him!" Willow pointed to the back windshield of the car and Luke stared in the direction she was pointing.
"I don't see anything."
"He was there. I actually saw him. I don't know where he went."
"You were probably just dreaming."
"I didn't sleep at all. It's too cold here, I can't sleep," Willow said.
Luke looked out the window again. "Are you sure you saw Boris?"
"Absolutely sure!" said Willow. Luke looked at her intently as if weighing up whether he should believe her or not. Annoyed, Willow pointed outside, towards the Land Rover. "You see that? That's my grandfather's car. Boris got out of it. He must have stolen it from the garage at home."
"All right. You stay here. I'll go down and check it out." Luke opened the door and got out of the Audi, leaving Willow alone and scaring her even more. Willow sat in the back seat and watched Luke inspect the Land Rover. She began to shiver, more from fear than cold. "Where's Boris? Where did he go?"
Suddenly Boris appeared right in front of Willow's window, making Willow gasp and jump, clinging to the other side of the car. The man smiled in a way that gave her goosebumps. Then turned to follow Luke who was circling the Land Rover.
"Luke, watch your back!" Willow yelled and banged her fist on the window as she tried to get Luke's attention. But it didn't work. He couldn't hear her. And he couldn't hear Boris either. The rain must have been too heavy. Then it was too late. Boris slammed his fist into Luke's head.
Willow could do nothing but watch as Luke fell to the asphalt like a sack of bricks. The rain pounded on his motionless body. Luke was either dead or unconscious. Either way, he couldn't help Willow anymore. She had to take care of herself.
Now Boris turned around and started back to the Audi. Willow was stricken with even more panic. Her heart was racing and she couldn't think, not even to get out of the car and run. Her head turned all over the car, looking for anything she could use as a weapon of protection, but there was nothing but her snack bag. And she was running out of time. She still had time to lock the doors just as Boris arrived at the front of the car. She backed away as far as she could from the side of the car where Boris was standing.
There was nothing else she could do. Then she saw him.
Boris knelt down until he was level with her, then smiled showing off his sharp teeth. He then bent down further until only his back was visible. Willow watched in astonishment. However, that amazement was replaced by shock when the part of the car where Boris had bent over suddenly lifted off the ground. Willow didn't even have time to scream when the Audi flipped over.
Willow rolled around in the car helplessly, her head hitting the back of the front passenger seat. She must have blacked out for a moment because the next thing she knew, she was lying on her back with blood running down her forehead. He groaned and sat up slowly, wiping away the blood. Her eyes scanned the windows-most of them broken-while looking for Boris. Once again, he had disappeared. The only thing on her mind was to get out of the car as soon as possible. So, Willow crawled to the nearest window that had been broken. Carefully avoiding the broken glass, she stepped out into the icy rain. Her body was instantly soaked as she crawled across the waterlogged asphalt.
She hadn't seen Boris yet. For a moment Willow considered what she should do. It was clear she had to get away. But where? Who could she ask for help? There was no one there for the three of them, and Luke was still unconscious. He couldn't possibly run to the forest on the other side, because she didn't know anything about the forest.
Then, she saw the dilapidated toilet building. She might be able to run there to hide for a while. Willow made up her mind. She jumped to her feet and sprinted towards the building, but before she could get there Boris appeared in front of her.
"Hello, Willow."
Willow stopped abruptly, almost skidding to a halt. She stared at Boris wide-eyed. Where had he appeared from? Horrified, she backed away slowly.
Boris grinned, showing off his pointed teeth. He moved forward towards Willow. The way he appeared and disappeared suggested that he was playing around like a cat chasing a mouse. "Come along, Willow. Lowell's waiting for us."
"No. Just go. I'm not going anywhere."
"I promise I won't hurt you," he coaxed. "You should feel lucky to be Lowell's mate. You'll be leading the pack together. That's more than a half-breed like you can get. You should be grateful."
Willow, however, would hear no more. Meanwhile Luke was still lying motionless on the wet asphalt. Willow turned around and started running towards the highway. It was her last chance. She hoped a driver would pass by and help her.
As she ran, she looked back. Over her shoulder, she saw that Boris didn't immediately catch up with her. Instead, he bent down, lowered himself to the ground and crawled. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye Boris transformed into a huge gray wolf, just like the one she had seen in her house. She was so shocked by what she saw that his running slowed down and completely stopped. However, when she saw the wolf start to move forward, Willow resumed running.
The highway was her only hope. She made it to the highway and continued running as fast as she could without looking back. Willow could hear the sound of running feet behind her, getting closer and she heard a growl. Then something tackled her from behind with a louder growl that sounded savage and terrifying.
She held out her arms to stop her fall to the asphalt, and rolled to avoid serious injury. It was something she had learned because she had loved athletics in high school and had been a cheerleader. Willow finally managed to fall on her back with a gasp.
Seconds later, however, the gray wolf was on top of her, his powerful paws pinning her where she lay. Its huge, monstrous jaws were only inches from her face as the foam from its muzzle dripped down her cheeks.
"No! Let go of me!" She screamed, gripping the werewolf's neck to hold him down. Even though she knew that she couldn't possibly fight back if the beast intended to kill her right then and there. Just then, Willow caught a glimpse of light to her left. She turned her head and saw a car approaching. The light was coming from its headlights. She couldn't see the driver, but it was enough to scare her. What if the driver didn't see them? The car would crush her and Boris.
Willow struggled to break free of the wolf's clasp, but Boris didn't seem to mean to let go, which meant he hadn't noticed the car coming either.
"Get out of the way," she yelled at the wolf. "If you don't let me go, we'll both die!"
But Boris didn't understand her or perhaps didn't care. He remained standing nearby, his claws pinning her to the asphalt. Willow looked back in the direction the car had come from. Its lights were getting closer at the mouth of the bend. The car couldn't have seen them in the darkness in the middle of the wet highway. Her heart pounding, she was sure that she would end up dead in the middle of the road with her limbs a mess.
Instead of getting hit, Luke appeared from behind Boris and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck like a mother cat taking her kitten. He pulled the wolf away from Willow. When she realized she was free, Willow immediately got up and ran to the side of the road. Luke, meanwhile, was now fighting the wolf in the middle of the street. Luke was pushing Boris' neck, trying to keep the wolf from biting him, while the car was rapidly approaching.
"Luke, watch out!" cried Willow.
Luke turned his head and saw a car coming around the corner. The driver must have seen them too because he slammed on the brakes, trying to stop in time, but it didn't happen.
Luke acted faster than any human could and pushed Boris away from him while jumping backwards at the same time. A split second later, the car slammed into Boris and the wolf was thrown.
Willow was frozen where she stood, staring at the wolf lying on the asphalt, motionless. Meanwhile, the car that had just hit him stopped not far away. Then Luke's grip on her arm brought her to her senses.
"We need to get out of here," he said. "Come on, hurry!"
Willow followed Luke back to the wrecked Audi. Willow's heart sank at the sight of her now wrecked car. It was the car her grandfather had bought her as a gift when she started college. Now everything was just a memory. She wouldn't even see her dead grandparents again.
Meanwhile Luke opened the trunk of the car and took a few things from there. Willow saw two backpacks that were used for campers placed on the ground. "What are those?" Willow asked. "When did they end up in the trunk of my car?"
"I put them there when you were at your friend's apartment."
Willow was wide-eyed. "You followed me?"
"Yes. All day." Luke looked calm, unconcerned by the look of shock on Willow's face.
"You planned this escape, didn't you?"
"Not this way, actually. I wanted to take you to see your father properly. But apparently Lowell and Boris beat me to it with their uncivilized actions. Fortunately, my decision to take precautions by preparing these two backpacks turned out to be correct."
"Then you knew Lowell and Boris were after me? You knew there was a possibility of them committing violent acts against my family?" Willow's face began to turn bright red with emotion.
"Yes, I should have come to see you first, but...."
"They killed my family," Willow cut in angrily.
Unexpectedly, Luke looked down. Regretfully, he said, "I would have stopped it if...."
"Never mind," she said again. Her heart ached at the thought of the lifeless bodies of his family members. "I don't want to talk about it now."
"Okay." Luke sighed and handed over one of the smaller backpacks. "Here, take it with you."
"Why do I have to carry this?" asked Willow, holding the straps of the backpack in astonishment. "What for?"
"Because we're going to walk from here."
"Walking? You're crazy, aren't you? It's going to take us forever to get to the border. I can't afford..."
"You're right. It will take longer. But I know how to navigate in the wild. Trust me, we'll be safer in the forest than on the road."
"You killed Boris. Doesn't that mean we're safe."
"In that case you can't be too naive, Willow. While it's true that Boris is dead, his pack is behind him. Lowell must have followed him and Boris has given clues that lead to the same route. We need to move now and avoid any new clues that might lead to our current position. The best way to do that is in the wilderness. Lowell and his pack have been in the city all their lives, Willow. They have no skills in the woods."
"What makes you different from them? You're not from the city?"
"That's right. I grew up in the wild. In the forests and mountains." Luke slung his backpack over his shoulder. "Trust me, we'll be safer this way."
Willow glanced toward the highway, and saw no one coming from that direction. She didn't see Boris, not even the driver who had hit him and stopped. She wondered if she wanted to continue running down the highway hoping a strange driver would help her, or go into the woods with Luke who was also a stranger. It seemed like she had no choice, as both options were equally dangerous. However, at least Luke proved to be helpful and had a good attitude.
"Alright, I'm coming," Willow said as she picked up her backpack and carried it on her back. "But I'll run if you dare mess with me."
***