The Moon Rot

Chapter Nine: The Chase Begins

The engines grew louder. Fast. Too fast.

We ran through the back alleys behind the doctor’s clinic, rain pouring down hard. My shoulder burned with every step, but I pushed through the pain. Zara stayed close on my left, her hand brushing mine now and then. Max took the lead, moving like he knew every shadow in the city.

“Keep low!” Max shouted over the rain.

Headlights swept across the walls behind us. Black vans. No markings. Silver Order.

Zara’s breathing was steady but her golden eyes were bright with worry. “They’re using trackers. The silver in your blood is like a beacon, Arian.”

I clenched my teeth. “Then we need to get it out of me.”

“Not now,” Max growled. “Right now we run.”

We cut through a narrow gap between buildings. My heart pounded so hard I could hear it in my ears. The wolf inside me was wide awake, feeding strength into my legs, sharpening my senses. I could smell the hunters’ sweat mixed with metal and gun oil.

A shot rang out.

The bullet hit the wall right next to my head, sending pieces of brick flying. I ducked lower.

“They’re not trying to kill us,” Zara said, voice tight. “They want us alive.”

We burst out onto an old train track area. Abandoned train cars sat like sleeping giants in the rain. Max pointed to one with a broken door.

“In there!”

We climbed inside just as two vans skidded to a stop outside. Heavy boots hit the ground. Flashlights cut through the darkness.

I pressed my back against the cold metal wall, trying to slow my breathing. Zara crouched beside me. Her wet hair stuck to her face, but she still looked beautiful and dangerous. Max stayed by the door, peeking out.

“How many?” I whispered.

“Eight. Maybe ten,” Max answered quietly.

One of the hunters shouted into the night. “We know you’re here, Anomaly! Come out and we won’t hurt your friends.”

My hands started shaking. The glowing veins on my arms brightened. The wolf wanted to fight. It wanted to tear them apart.

Zara placed her hand on my chest, right over my heart. “Breathe, Arian. Stay with us. Don’t let it take control.”

Her touch helped. The wolf calmed a little, but it was still pacing inside me, restless and angry.

Max turned to us. His silver-gray eyes were hard. “We can’t fight them all right now. Not with you injured. We need to split up.”

“No,” I said quickly. “We stay together.”

Zara shook her head. “Max is right. They’re tracking you strongest. If we split up, we have a better chance of losing them.”

I hated the idea, but I knew they were right.

Max pulled something from his pocket — a small black device. “This will jam their trackers for about thirty minutes. Take it and run north. Zara and I will lead them east, then circle back to meet you.”

He pressed the device into my hand. His grip was firm.

Zara leaned in close. Her golden eyes locked on mine. “You’re not alone anymore, Arian. We will find you. I promise.”

For a second, everything else disappeared. Just her face, her warmth, the strange pull between us.

Then the hunters’ voices got louder.

“Go!” Max whispered urgently.

I slipped out the other side of the train car and ran into the darkness. My feet splashed through puddles. Pain flared in my shoulder, but I didn’t stop.

Behind me, I heard shouting and the sound of fighting starting again.

I ran harder.

The city lights blurred through the rain. I didn’t know where I was going, only that I had to keep moving north.

But as I ran, a new fear grew inside me.

What if I never saw them again?

What if the wolf took over completely while I was alone?

I gripped the small jammer tight in my hand and kept running.

The night felt bigger. Darker.

And somewhere behind me, my pack was fighting for their lives.

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To be continued…