The Sea and the Wolf: Chapter 3

 

Hali awoke startled when she heard her cell phone go off. She leap off the couch, taking a moment to try and settle back down. The phone rang again. Half asleep she fumbled with her phone, grabbing it from her pocket. She found the on button and sheepishly answered.

 

“Hello?” she answered.

 

“Hi, Hali, it's Lyris.”

 

With the reply her eyes went wide and she sat up straight. “Oh my God! Lyris are you alright? What happened last night.?You said you were hiding in the bathroom, but you weren't there,” Hali panicked.

 

“What are you talking about Hali? I rented some movies and watched them myself.”

 

Hali quickly became confused when she heard this. Her mind raced, but all that went through her head was her certainty that it had happened. Her hips throbbed, where she had slipped and fallen on the way home. That was all the assurance she needed to know she wasn't crazy.

“You called again. You said you were being chased and I came to save you. I was attacked myself. I know you called me, it was your number on caller ID.”

 

There was silence for several moments, but Hali could hear Lyris breathing, letting her know that her friend was still on the line.

 

“Well I don't know what to tell you, I was here by myself. I didn't call.” There was silence again, until Lyris spoke up again. “I didn't call. I didn't get attacked, and I didn't call you.”

 

Hali was even more confused as to why Lyris was repeating herself so much. Lyris just didn't repeat herself. People didn't repeat themselves unless they were nervous and lying badly.

“Are you alright? You sound nervous.”

 

“I'm fine. I am. Listen, I got some stuff I have to take care of, so I'm going to let you go.”

 

Before Hali could say good-bye Lyris hung up, leaving the phone with a dead dial tone. Hali closed her phone and placed it on the coffee table in front of her. Once it was down she sat back on her couch and looked around. Her eyes stopped by the front door, where her room mates baseball bat was still laying on the floor. She had taken that from Caren's room the night before. She had used it as a weapon and she had beaten her attacker unconscious with one good swing in the head. Once again she grabbed her phone off the coffee table and looked at it again, examining it before she opened it and searched through her history.

Searching through she had found her history and looked at the call from the night before. She found the first call from Lyris at 8:15PM, and the second call was at 9:54PM, also from Lyris, less than two hours later. She knew that Lyris had called, and this was her proof.

 

'I don't understand, why would she lie to me?'

 

Silence was her answer, which in itself wasn't much of an answer. Hali put her phone down again, this time standing up and walked into the front hallway, closing her eyes and leaning against the doorway. A sigh escaped her lips as she thought of what to do.

 

Her semester was done for two whole weeks, which left her with little to do. And she didn't feel like doing anything arty at the moment. With another glance at the baseball bat she decided that it would be best to put it away before Caren returned and found it missing. Bending down she grabbed it and than began to head up the stairs.

 

8 8 8

 

After returning downstairs, having gone to her room to change and read a little Hali thought it would be best to prepare a small light lunch. Once in the kitchen just off the stairs in the opposite direction of the living room, she began her search. She was glad when she saw a sandwich she made a day earlier was still present.

 

She picked it up and brought it to the cupboard, putting it on a clean plate. Once that was done, she turned to the living room, ready to eat and watch a little television. She was just past the front door when the mail drop opened and a letter fell inside.

 

She froze. 'We don't get mail delivered here, and its a Sunday.'

 

She was curious, but terrified and unsure all at once. She wanted to see who it was for and from who, but she was frightened to know. Yet there was also the nagging feeling of her common sense telling her that she was over reacting and being irrational. That was what got the better of her. She knew she was being crazy. It was just a letter, it wasn't like it was an explosive device like in the movies. Stuff that that just didn't happen in real life. That settled that. She found a place for her sandwich and put it down on the coffee table. With her hands free she grabbed the letter and looked it over.

 

A closer exception was that it wasn't in an envelope at all, and was just a piece of paper folded over twice, with her name neatly written. She unfolded the letter and opened it, letting her eyes fall on the writing.

 

Hali,

I can understand why you wouldn't have taken my last warning so seriously. Even I admit it sounded a little insane, but I am not a liar. I honestly have your very humanity in my best interests. After last night I think you can really understand the importance of the urgency of the this situation. Last night was only just the beginning, and it will probably happen again very soon.

 

You're lucky to have a room mate who is very superstitious and who has so many protection charms around the house. That will protect you while your inside, but that will not be for much longer. Those things only last for so long. For now I just need you to stay inside. As I have stated, last night was only the beginning, and it will happen again. Just stay put and stay safe. They will give up soon enough, just be patient.

 

-C

 

At some point during the duration of reading this letter Hali found her knee's go weak and she found herself needing to sit. She took cover on the stairs, sitting and staring at the letter. Reading it over and over again, trying to make some sense of what was going on. Who was this C? What was their role in this?

 

As she thought her mind wandered back to the night before and the one who had distracted her attacker long enough for her to get away. Was that perhaps the same person? A male she thought, or at least they sounded like a man. She was running for her life and wasn't paying attention to that much detail. And here she was, running for her life some more. While it was true she wasn't running at the moment she was currently hiding inside her apartment. Scared for her life because some people were after her; for a reason she was having a hard time apprehending.

 

That's all there was too it now. She was hiding for her life. She was hiding. All because of a stranger who was sending her letters, letting her know that they were watching out for her, but that she also needed to save herself. She didn't understand it, but she didn't distrust this person, not after last night. No, last night she was sure that it was all just a prank, but then she went out to save Lyris, and she was attacked. Only to end up here, a prisoner in her own home.

 

Her hand raised up, wiping away an ticklish wet sensation from around her eyes. 'Oh God Hali, please don't start crying.' It was too late, the tears were already falling from her eyes. All Hali could do now was drop the letter to the ground and cover her face as she quietly sobbed.

 

8 8 8

 

 

She closed her cupboard, a frown was present on her lips. Turning back to her refrigerator she opened it up again, looking around inside. Empty. Just as empty as they were in the movies just for jokes This wasn't a joke. This was her life. The last few days she had been nibbling on whatever was left in the cupboards. Crackers, Kraft Dinner made with no milk, but rather coffee cream that was going to go bad anyway. She was uncomfortable, and this situation didn't help at all. Common sense told her to just go out and buy some food, like a normal sane person. She had become ever so paranoid since that night. She was too scared to call delivery for food, to answer her phone or answer the door. Even when Lyris was at the door.

 

She didn't want to distrust her friend, and she didn't mean to ignore her. She was sure that her friend was telling her the truth, but she wasn't sure what to think. Someone had called her from her friends cell phone number and sounded exactly like her. Theories were floating around in her head about what could possibly be the answer to what had actually happened. One of them being that someone had attacked Lyris, and forced her to make that call. That sounded like a good theory, one she was sure was possible. Yet even as her mind tried to take that it all her mind scared was how she had lost her mind.

 

That or she was just very hungry. Which sounded like it was the probable cause. Which meant she needed to do one thing and just one thing. Go out. And get some food. Just thinking about it, her stomach growled agreeing with her completely. That settled it then. She was going to go out and get some food! It was late in the afternoon, but she had a few hours of sunlight left. There would be tons of people around, which would make it safe. Or so she hoped, but the call for food was far to great. And that was assurance itself.

 

With that she grabbed her purse, put it on, and headed for the front door. She locked it behind her, putting her key's in her purse, and then headed down the street. She looked around curiously as she went, studying her surroundings. Half from the fear that someone maybe following her, and the other from the nagging feeling that she was over reacting, and was simply just enjoying the sunny afternoon. She carried on, hurrying to catch the bus downtown. She could see the stop in the distance and looked back behind her to see if she was making good time or not. She didn't see it coming, and glanced at her watch. It would be there very soon. She hurried along, taking on a jogging pace as she went. Only slowing once she got to the bus stop.

 

8 8 8

 

The store was packed full of people. A lot of people indeed, which reminded Hali why she always came after classes, late at night. It was slow and she was usually in and out. That was not the case. The crowds made it hard to move around the aisles. She took the time to take some samples. Partly out of boredom and as a way to sooth her growling tummy. Apart from that she spoke to the ladies, waiting for the aisle to empty enough for her to fit through. When she had the room, she bolted, trying to get what she needed as fast as possible. It was taking a lot more time than she had originally planned, and it was something she was now kicking herself more. The crackers at home were looking a little more pleasing now that she was in this mess.

 

She grabbed a box of cereal. Plain and boring, but pleasing to Hali, who liked to cut her fruit up in it. With that done she hurried down out of that aisle and into the next. She froze when she nearly bumped into a couple. She smiled and apologized. She had remembered seeing this couple come into the store when she went in earlier.

 

She took note of them, and how out of balance they looked. The man was young, looking to only be in his teens, fifteen or sixteen at the most. His hair long, braided half way down his back. His shirt very faded and looked worn. A band was advertised on the front, but Hali couldn't tell what it might have been at one time. His jeans were ripped and torn, and looked like they probably should have been replaced, even if it was just for fashion. They looked like they needed to be replaced.

 

While the young woman looked much older. Older than Hali, in her late twenties and looked very professional. Dressed for a job it looked like. Her hair and cloths neatly put together. The only guess Hali had for them being together as a couple was the fact they were intertwined, her arms interlocked with his one arm, his hand stuffed in his pocket. Besides that, they looked so out of place, and so different.

 

'Opposites attract they say.' She moved out of the way and passed them into the next row. She squeezed in and hurried down to what she needed in that section. She grabbed a few items, stuffing them into her carrying basket as she went. She cut through more sections, taking whatever she needed, and finally to the milk and juices refrigerators at the edge of the store. She turned to look down the aisle to see what she needed when she noticed again the couple.

 

She frowned. This was getting a little creepy. So many people in the store, and she just so happens to run into the same two people every few sections. It wasn't normal. She grabbed the milk she needed and was able to turn away. Out of nowhere she felt a strong presence behind her, and without a warning the basket was forced from her hands, and she felt her hair begin to go in all directions wildly. The few glances she did get all she saw was blurs of colours and shapes as they seemed to past by. Then it all stopped. And Hali felt everything spin, which didn't help when she felt her body drop to the ground.

 

“Remy, why did you drop her?” she heard a females voice call.

 

“Sorry, Teianna I can't help it, carrying two people while running is a lot harder than you'd think,” a male voice answered.

 

“Oh well, help me get her,” Teianna answered.

 

Hali felt her dizziness go away and she looked up at the two. Her eyes widened and she jumped away. The couple from the super market were standing before her. And they were no longer in the store, but rather in an alleyway, right by a closed fence. She leaned against the fence as she got up, studying any means of escape. She didn't see anything unless she could possibly get away from them. She didn't see any at all to her disappointment, not unless she could get past the both of them. She didn't know if she could, but she decided it was better to try than to not even bother. It was worth a shot.

 

She leapt forward, dodging the young woman, but found herself blocked by the young man, who seemed to just pop out of no where lightning fast. She gasped and tried to push him out of the way, but the young woman grabbed her, and pulled her back. Hali began to fight back, kicking and slapping whatever part of the young woman she could.

 

“Help me,” Teianna yelled to her companion.

 

He did not hesitate and came closer to her to grab her. Hali fought harder, getting free for a moment before being grabbed again. Now turned away from them both for a moment she heard a deep growl that sent a shiver up her spine. She began to panic and she felt all the blood rush from her face.

 

'A wolf oh god, its the wolf, these guys are the wolves I've been seeing,' she screamed in her mind. She was turned right around to look at her kidnappers, only to see them replaced by hairy wolf like creatures. They weren't the same as the wolf she had seen twice before, but none the less she felt herself become even more frightened. They stood up right on there hind legs, there arms could bend like humans, but were long and hairy, with long claws. There faces were very wolf like, shaped and seemed just like a wolves face. She screamed out loud, frightened by the monsters before her. She kicked even harder, punching and scratching trying to get free.

 

“HELP ME!” she screamed. She heard another growl, but this time it was more distant, and the two creatures before her stopped fighting with her for a moment. They looked up, down the alleyway. Hali's eyes widened and her lips parted. “It can't be...”

 

Down the alley was the reddish wolf that she had seen two before. It stood on all four paws in a very defensives stance, staring at the three down the alley. The creatures growled back, dropping Hali to the ground, paying full attention to the wolf. Hali backed up, hitting the fence again, climbing up, her eyes never leaving the scene.

 

Both creatures jolted at the wolf, slashing with their claws. The wolf twisted its body, dodging and missing the blows from them. It jumped and kicked off of the back of one, landing on another, sinking its fang deep into the flesh of one. The creature howled, crying out in pain from the bite. The other, swung at the wolf, trying to free the other from its assault. They missed again, and the wolf instead attacked that one, landing hard on its chest, forcing the creature to the ground. Once pinned the wolf again sank its fangs into the creature, this time much closer to the throat, just above the chest. The creature clawed to get free, and forced the wolf off. The wolf landed between the creatures and Hali.

 

'My painting!' It was just as she had painted weeks earlier. The painting with the wolf that was before her now. The two figures attacking, the person, and the strange wolf that was standing between them, protecting the person. Protecting her.

 

“Oh my God,” Hali whispered.

 

She couldn't believe it. It was her painting. It was happening right now at this moment. The wolf before her was trying to help her. It wasn't attacking her like she had thought, it was guiding her. Trying to help her. Her breathing was becoming hoarse and hard as this realization came upon her. Her heart was pounding and she couldn't take on anymore of this. The shock was a lot to take in, and it burned hard in her breast.

 

The creatures backed up, staring at the wolf for the longest time, both had gathered together, almost as if they were guarding the other. All three growled at each other, almost communicating in their own form of language. Then suddenly the two creatures began to change, and quickly the man and woman from earlier reappeared, covered in blood from the bite wounds they had received. With one final glance at Hali they disappeared, quickly and in just a flash. Her gaze stopped on the wolf, who was already looking at her. Its brown eyes, already studying her. Slowly she stepped away from the fence and headed toward the animal. Yet as she stepped closer, it too began to change, slowly taking on the shape of a person. And then the form of a wolf like man, then to a man covered in hair, and then to a full version of a young man. His jaw was covered in blood, no doubt from the attacking he had done. Hali stopped, staring at the young man, her mouth fell open, half trying to say something and half from shock.

 

He broke their gaze just long enough to take his sleeve from the dark coloured sweater he had on to try and wipe away the blood. He wiped as hard as he could, making his skin burn a red colour, but he got most of the blood. He glanced at her again, his eyes curiously taking in her face, checking out her reaction.

 

Hali was terrified. This wolf had just turned into a man. A man who turned into a wolf. A human shouldn't do that. A human couldn't have done that. Could they? This young man before her was living proof that they could indeed. The silence ended when he spoke.

 

“Come with me,” he said. Silence took over again, and for a moment Hali was conflicted. Until her legs took over, and she began to follow him out of the alleyway.