Afflicted

“Hold on back there!” Spencer called to the others.

Rose twisted the steering wheel hard to the right and bumped up onto the curb. There wasn't enough space for the van to fit between the car in front of us and a low wall that lined the sidewalk so she rammed the car aside. Metal groaned as the van forced a path into existence and the red sedan was shoved out of the way.

A wolf mounted the pavement ahead of us, baring its teeth in the headlights.

We made it past the sedan and Rose floored it. The wolf jumped aside just before we reached it and Rose swerved left suddenly, narrowly avoiding a lamppost.

I almost fell into her at the sudden shift in direction and Spencer caught my arm to pull me upright again.

Swearing came from the rear of the van at the sound of falling boxes. I couldn't help but feel glad to be in the front and let out a small laugh before I could stop myself. I must have been mad to be laughing in our situation but I suddenly felt like I couldn't hold it in.

Rose swerved right between abandoned cars and Demi screamed behind us.

I slapped my hand over my mouth as I laughed again and Spencer let out a snigger too. That was enough to make me completely lose control and I pressed my hand over my mouth to smother the sound as I laughed harder. Rose slammed on the brakes suddenly and someone thumped into the wall behind my seat.

Spencer let out a bark of laughter and I completely lost control. It must have been shock but I hadn't laughed that hard since I was a kid. And after the things we'd seen I really needed to laugh.

“Err guys,” Rose said slowly as I wiped my eyes.

“You're both assholes,” Lacey called through the grille behind me but I could hear the amusement in her voice.

“I can't get any closer,” Rose said, ignoring Lacey. She'd tried to force the van through a gap between an SUV and a haulage truck but they hadn't budged. Spencer's door was flush with the truck and Rose’s was in line with the hood of the SUV.

“We’ll have to climb out the window,” Rose said, her finger hovering over the button.

“Is that the place?” I asked as I looked through the windshield. We were about half a block from a large coffee sho

p with a red sign hanging above the door.

“Yeah and I think we should move. Those wolves probably aren't far behind us.”

Spencer banged his fist against the wall a few times sending a dull thud echoing through the metal.

“Time to run guys,” he said. “It's a straight shot to the coffee shop from the front of the van. Big red sign, easy to spot.”

“What about the wolves?” Tara asked, her voice laced with fear.

“No sign of them at the moment,” I reassured her.

“Let’s not give them time to catch up then,” my brother said. His voice was followed by the sound of the rear doors opening and I could hear my friends rushing to follow him out.

Rose hit the button for her window and it slowly sank into the door, letting in the crisp evening air. She hopped up onto her seat and scrambled out onto the bonnet of the SUV.

I hurried to follow her but something caught my eye, glinting from the footwell. As I looked closer I recognised the steak knife I'd dropped earlier and snatched it into my grasp before wriggling out after Rose.

She had moved aside and was standing on the hood, looking back down the street behind us, still as a statue.

The hood flexed beneath my feet as I stood too and I wondered briefly what the owner would think if he saw the two of us denting his pristine paintwork. The thought almost made another laugh bubble out of me and I had to mentally slap myself as I tried to pull it together. I was definitely going into shock. I just wasn't sure if there was anything I could do to stop it from happening.

“Holy shit,” Rose breathed and I turned to follow her gaze.

Between the cars at the far end of the block, shapes moved between the cars. As they drew closer they came in line with some of the street lights and I counted at least eight wolves before the shadows swallowed them again.

“Run!” Rose shouted just as a wolf in the centre of the pack lifted his head to the moon and howled. She turned and jumped from the hood before sprinting away down the street.

My heart spluttered to life in overdrive as I turned to follow her but Spencer still hadn't made it out of the van. His broad frame was making it harder for him to clamber through the window and I grabbed his arm, dragging him free with all my strength. I slipped as he fell through and we both tumbled to the ground.

The back of my head slammed into the concrete and I yelled out as pain erupted through my skull. I blinked furiously as darkness curtained my eyes and felt Spencer’s strong arms lifting me to my feet.