Three Fur All

Three Fur All

Copyright © December 2011, Crymsyn Hart

Cover art by Anastasia Rabiyah © December 2011

Amira Press

Charlotte, NC 28227

www.amirapress.com

ISBN:
978-1-937394-20-2

No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, and e-mail, without prior written permission from Amira Press.

Chapter One

She rubbed her wrists together again, hoping to release the manacles that bound her. October didn’t know how long she had been held captive. It could have been weeks or days. Everything had blurred together. The only light she had was from the flickering illumination of a bulb outside of her cell. Dirt walls surrounded her on all sides. Roots poked out from the walls and hung like ropes from the ceiling. Damp earth filled her nose. It was all she had inhaled for so long she had forgotten how fresh air smelled. She yanked again and felt the bolt that held the chain to the wall had come loose. Underneath her was a filthy mattress October had been given for a bed. A few feet from her was a rusty bucket that she used to relieve herself. With one more tug, she was free. Her hands might have been bound, but at least she had a chance to escape.
Thank God. Thank you. Now all I have to do is get out of here without him seeing me. Please don’t let his partner be here tonight.

She stood up slowly. Her legs wobbled from sitting so long. She wiped her hands on her already grimy clothes. The blood rushed to her head, and she had to lean against the wall to regain her bearings. Closer to the door, she could see
better
. The bars were rusty in the rotting wood door. October grabbed the latch, but it was tough because she had lost some of the feeling in her fingers.

When she got a hold of it, it wasn’t locked. She went to pull it open. The heavy footfalls of her captor coming down the stairs echoed in the hallway.
Oh shit!

October shrank into the shadows and returned to the grimy mattress. The footsteps stopped outside of her room. She dared a look and saw one of her kidnappers peering down at her. His eyes glowed yellow, and his teeth were white and sharp. He pushed open the door and stared at her. He was dressed in dark pants and a sweatshirt with a hood that covered most of his face.

“You’re being a good girl, aren’t you?” he asked. His voice was gruff and low.

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Good.
Because you’re next.”
He laughed and pulled the door shut behind him.

The thud of the door sounded like a nail being pounded into her coffin. A shiver ran through her.
Shit. I have to get out of here tonight.
October waited a few more seconds to be sure he wasn’t coming back into her room. His footsteps headed away from her to another cell down the corridor. She got up and gazed through the bars. A door down the hall was open. There were clothes on the floor and the hunkered-down form of her captor. His back was to her. She opened the door slowly. The creaky hinges made her heart freeze. October waited to see if her kidnapper would reappear, but he didn’t.

“Please, don’t! I’ll do anything.” Another woman’s plea trailed down the hallway.

October’s heart went out to her. She shook her head.
I can’t think about the others. I have to think about myself. Besides, the best way I can help them is to get the hell out of here. Then I can lead the cops back, and they can arrest this guy. Hopefully the other will be here too. Please give me the strength to escape.

“Oh, I know you will,” her kidnapper cooed to his captive.

October squeezed between the tight
opening
in the door and made it into the passageway. She pressed herself against the wall. In the dim light, the back side of her kidnapper wavered and contorted. The sound of breaking and popping of bones resonated in the hall. The girl in the cell uttered a piercing shriek. With horrified fascination, October watched as in the place of her captor was the largest back end of a wolf she had ever seen. She stifled a scream. The wolf entered the cell, and the other girl screeched again. This was her moment.

Taking the opportunity, she bolted down the hall, passing other cells. She came to a large room. In front of her was another corridor with more cells. A cool breeze hit her arm. October went toward the fresh air and discovered a rickety set of stairs that appeared as if they were going to fall at any moment. It didn’t matter. That was her way to freedom. She crawled up them slowly, praying not to make a sound. Halfway up, her left foot slipped through the rotten wood and stabbed her calf. A scream of pain escaped her throat. The cry reverberated through the underground dungeon and was answered with a howl.

Fuck.
Adrenaline pumped her heart and gave her the courage to continue.
I won’t let that thing get me. I won’t be its next victim.
She ran the rest of the way up the stairs, pushing onward with her injured leg, and came to the door that led to her freedom. October pushed with all her might and was greeted with the dark night and crickets chirping all around her. There was no time to savor it. Blood pumped through her veins, and her instincts kicked in. She had to get away. Noises sounded behind her, coming up the stairs. The canopy of trees above her hid the light of the moon and stars. It didn’t matter. She just started to run.

October rushed through the brambles and branches. They whipped against her and scraped her up as they stripped her arms and legs of flesh. While running, she tripped over a tree root, twisting her right ankle, and landed face-first into the earth and leaves. Behind her she heard the explosion of wood and metal. She glanced behind her and saw the largest outline of a wolf she had ever seen. She stifled a gasp. Her whole body hurt. After a count of three, she propelled herself off the ground and began running again. It took all her will to go forward and ignore the pain. The wolf was gaining on her with every second.

In the distance, she thought she heard the sound of tires hitting asphalt.
Salvation.
It’s a road. I can make it. I know I can.
The wolf howled behind her. Through a break in the canopy, she saw the illumination of the moon. It was a full moon. October broke through the woods, struggling up the embankment, and emerged onto the paved two-lane street. The road was in the middle of nowhere, and across from it, there were more trees. Coming toward her was a pair of headlights. She raised her bound arms and limped toward the oncoming car, waving her hands.

“Hey! Stop! Please!”

Next to her, the bushes parted, and her pursuer landed on the asphalt. She could see him fully now. He was a wolf the size of a small pony. Fear stopped her in her tracks. The animal bared its teeth, showing long, curved fangs that were stained with blood, with the strings of flesh from its last meal. Its pelt was midnight black. Its lips pulled back to show more of its teeth. October got the impression the beast was smiling at her. If she didn’t get away now, then she never would. It inched forward, but the car was coming closer. She hobbled toward it, ignoring the pain that engulfed her legs. The vehicle wasn’t slowing down.

Please don’t rush past and think I’m some stupid girl hoping to get attention.
The wolf pursued her. At the last minute, with the car barreling down on her, she leaped out of the way and landed on the other side of the road, feeling the skin on her arms and legs shred. Brakes screeched. A blast of air hit her. The impact of the car hitting something and glass breaking sounded next to her. October peeked out over her bound hands to see if the people in the car were okay.

The auto had spun sideways on the road. From her vantage point, she saw the large dent in the hood, the broken headlights, and the demolished windshield where it had hit the wolf. She stood up slowly and lumbered to the car, dragging her right foot behind her. The pain in her ankle made her wonder if it was badly sprained or broken. The blood she saw on the hood contrasted with the canary yellow paint of the vehicle. The prostrate form of the wolf made her confident that her captor was truly dead. Two men stood at the front of the automobile. One knelt
down,
examining the damage to the car, and the other was half in and half out of the car.

“Can you help me?” she asked, trying to find her voice.

A man inside the driver’s seat climbed out and stared at her. It took a moment for her presence to register. “Mika, come here!”

She staggered closer and made it a few feet before she collapsed. The one named Mika rushed forward and caught her when she fell. Relief flooded through her that she had been saved.

“Thank you. Thank you.”

“Hey, it’s okay. You’re safe. Elliot, give me your knife.”

She heard the word “knife” and began to struggle.
They’re with him. They’re going to do whatever they want to me.
“No. Let me go.”

“Hush. We’re not going to hurt you. I’m going to try and pry these manacles from your wrists so we can free your hands. I swear we’re not going to hurt you.” He gazed into her eyes and talked in a low, soothing voice.

October peered into his honey brown eyes and saw he was telling her the truth.
“O-Okay.”

She held out her hands to Elliot, who held out the knife. He slipped it between the
nut
holding the cuffs together. He pried it up, and after a snap, the first one broke. He did the same with the other side. Elliot backed away. He flashed
her a
small smile and then went back to the car. He took out his phone and dialed.

“What’s your name?” Mika asked.

Her gaze traveled to the still form of her kidnapper, but his body had vanished. “He’s gone. That’s not possible. I saw you hit him.”

Mika glanced over, and then back at her. “Hey, don’t worry about that. Tell me your name so we can get you some help.”

“O-October.
October Butcher.” She tried to stand, but when she did, the world titled around her.

Mika caught her again, but not before her stomach lurched and the darkness and events of the night overwhelmed her and she passed out.