Claimed by the Pack

Finally she moved, which was a lucky thing. I was beginning to think I’d have to climb out and throw her over my shoulder again.

She slid against me, clinging to my body in the darkness. It wasn’t until her feet touched the floor that she was willing to let go. And even then, I noticed it was with great reluctance.

“Here, use this.”

I handed her a pocket flashlight, taken from a old pack near the floor. She flipped on the blue LED light and gasped. We were in a long, stone corridor with a smooth floor. The rough-hewn walls in both directions ran straight into pitch darkness.

“What is this place?”

“An extension of the Paris Catacombs.”

Serena’s voice cracked. “The same one that ran beneath Holy Innocents’ Cemetery?”

“Yes.”

I wondered if she knew the rest of the lore. That heavy rains and overcrowding had flooded the catacombs with waterlogged corpses and disease until they were closed back in the 19th century.

“That part’s still miles away though,” I assured her. “This is only a network of tunnels that join up with them, built back during the middle ages.”

If my assertion made her feel any better, I couldn’t tell. I was already moving, quickly and efficiently, taking a series of well-remembered turns at every junction. The air was stale down here, and choked with dust. It didn’t stop her from keeping up though.

“H—How do you know we won’t get lost?”

“Because I know where I’m going.”

“Are you sure?”

I needed her to trust me, and I was fairly sure she did. Then again, there were all kinds of stories about people who’d been lost in the catacombs. People that were found years later; dessicated and mummified, after having run out of food and water.

“We ran these tunnels,” I said, “Damien and I. We did it only when we were out together, though. Never with anyone else.”

We spent the next few minutes in silence, Serena’s flashlight splashing the walls and ceiling and floor. I could see well enough without it though. My Lycanthropy provided me with partial night vision, which was a handy thing to have.

“Ah, here we are.”

I led us into a side chamber carved directly into the stone. It was a place I knew well. A place where Damien and I had spent a lot of free time.

“Shield your eyes.”

I lit the kerosene heater at the opposite end. Serena squinted as the room filled with a warm orange glow.

“Whoa…”

The place was our little hideout, and it definitely looked the part. There were two small mattresses and some bedding, all dragged down by us. In one corner was a large stack of books and a camping lantern. In the other, a few crates containing canned goods and some non-perishables.

“The two of you hung out down here? You and Damien?”

“Yup.”

“Why?”

“Because sometimes we just wanted to be alone,” I shrugged. “Especially toward the end, when we were looking to get away from the pack.”

Damien had called the place our ‘wolf’s nest’, a term I hated. Abruptly I noticed Serena was staring at me. All of me. I followed her gaze downward, and let out a short laugh.

“Oh. Right.”

My nakedness hadn’t even occurred to me until now. From a duffel bag at the base of my bedroll, I pulled out an old pair of shorts and slipped them on. Serena pretended not to look as I wriggled into them, which was cute.