FINDING MARY

Chapter TwoThe Voice in My Blood

Chapter TwoThe Voice in My Blood


The wolf did not move.
For several seconds, neither did I.
Its teeth were still against my shoulder, but the pressure had disappeared. Its body trembled beneath its golden fur.
Then, slowly, it pulled away.
I stumbled backward, clutching my bleeding shoulder.
“Sam!”
Mary rushed toward me.
“I’m fine,” I said quickly.
But I wasn’t.
My eyes remained fixed on the animal.
The wolf was staring at me differently now.
Not like prey.
Not like an enemy.
Almost like it recognized me.
The driver was shouting something, but I could barely hear him. My heart was pounding too loudly.
I looked down at my shoulder.
Blood was running between my fingers.
Then I looked at the wolf.
A single drop of my blood was still hanging from the fur around its mouth.
The wolf stared at it.
Its breathing became heavier.
Then it suddenly staggered.
Its front legs buckled.
It collapsed onto the wet ground.
Mary gasped.
“Brother…”
I looked down at it.
Up close, I could see just how badly injured it was.
Its golden fur was dirty and matted with blood. Several patches had been torn away, revealing deep scars underneath. One of its hind legs was badly wounded, and its breathing was shallow.
It looked nothing like the powerful creature I had imagined a wolf would be.
It looked like something that had been running for its life.
Something that had barely survived.
“It’s hurt,” Mary whispered.
I slowly stepped closer.
“Don’t go near it!” the driver shouted.
But something inside me told me otherwise.
I crouched down.
The wolf lifted its head.
Those golden eyes met mine again.
For a moment, the world around me seemed to disappear.
The wind stopped.
The sound of the taxi engine faded.
Even Mary’s voice became distant.
All I could see were those eyes.
Then the warmth returned.
It spread from my shoulder through my chest and down my arms.
The wolf closed its eyes.
And I heard the voice again.
“Run.”
I froze.
“What?”
Mary grabbed my arm.
“Sam, what happened?”
I looked at her.
“Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
I stared at the wolf.
“Nothing.”
The wolf suddenly opened its eyes.
Its head snapped toward the forest.
Its ears stood upright.
It was listening.
Then I heard it.
A branch breaking somewhere among the trees.
Crack.
The wolf’s entire body stiffened.
It tried to stand.
Its legs shook.
It collapsed again.
I looked toward the darkness.
“What is it afraid of?”
The driver was already back inside the taxi.
“We’re leaving!” he shouted. “Now!”
Mary pulled my arm.
“Sam, please!”
I looked at the wolf one last time.
Something about its eyes made it impossible for me to simply leave it there.
But I couldn’t understand what that feeling meant.
I stood slowly.
The wolf watched me.
Then, with what little strength it had left, it dragged itself toward the trees.
One step.
Then another.
Its body disappeared between the shadows.
I waited.
Nothing happened.
No growl.
No movement.
Nothing.
I finally climbed back into the taxi.
The driver slammed his foot onto the accelerator.
The tires skidded across the wet road before the taxi shot forward.
Mary pressed herself against the seat.
I looked through the shattered window.
The forest became smaller and smaller behind us.
And then I noticed something on the ground.
A faint golden light.
I narrowed my eyes.
It was coming from a single drop of my blood that had fallen onto the road.
The blood glowed for a few seconds.
Then it disappeared.
I stared at the spot until the darkness swallowed it.
“Sam?”
I turned toward Mary.
“What?”
She looked at my shoulder.
“Your wound.”
I looked down.
The bleeding had almost stopped.
“That’s strange,” I whispered.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
I pulled my shirt over the wound.
I didn’t know why, but I didn’t want Mary to see it.
The taxi continued through the darkness.
Neither of us spoke again.
But I couldn’t stop thinking about the wolf.
About its eyes.
About the voice.
And about the warning.
Run.
I didn’t know what was waiting for us in this strange new place.
I didn’t know who that wolf belonged to.
And I certainly didn’t know why it had recognized me.
But one thing was becoming painfully clear.
Whatever had followed us to the lake wasn’t finished with me.
Not even close