Tuesday Teaser 2/26/19 Gina’s Wolf Part 36

Winter is still not over!

Not surprising, of course, since it’s only the end of February. The last day it was above freezing was January 7. We broke the record for the most snow ever in February a few days ago. We’ve had five blizzards now and several winter storms, plus some light snow like we’re having today. I think it’s supposed to be 3 more inches by midnight. I just LOVE shoveling my car out. At least there isn’t much snow in the forecast. Just a couple of inches on Friday, but that’s March so it doesn’t count. As you can tell from the temps, it doesn’t feel like winter is going to end anytime soon.

I’m still on overtime at the day job, so writing time has been hard to come by. The thing is I do have time, but I am so tired and crabby after my ten hours that I just don’t want to do anything but play stupid Facebook games. So please excuse the shortness of this teaser. Friday is the last day of overtime so I plan for more writing time this weekend.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Carla allowed herself to be pulled several yards away and fell into deep, raw sobs. The two men went with her, making timid, ineffectual sounds of comfort. Carla’s grief and anguish sounded too real to be pure acting. As she moved stealthily toward the door, Gina inwardly promised her mother-in-law that she would free Cole or die trying.

Gina closed the little gate silently and hurried over the muddy snow to the cover of the brush one hundred yards away. Even outside the wall she could hear Carla wailing and figured she had at least until her mother-in-law quieted before the guard would climb back up to the walkway at the top of the wall and look out. Surely he wouldn’t abandon his Lupa while she wept.

Gina made it to the brush and paused to catch her breath. She couldn’t hear Carla anymore, but whether it was because of distance or because Carla had calmed down she wasn’t sure. She started off toward the river with caution, trying hard to walk as noiselessly as Cole had on their journey to Omaha, but it was impossible. She cringed at every rustle of a twig as she passed through the shelter of the brush. She had to watch where she was stepping so her foot wouldn’t get sucked into mud. Walking like that was hard and slow. It was about a mile to the river. How far after that to Todd’s camp? She wasn’t sure. Her pace faltered as she calculated. Could she even get there before morning? Her heart threatened to sink.

It didn’t matter. She would figure it out.

Creeping through the dark, deserted city had been spooky, but slogging through the dark, deserted countryside was scary too. Broken remnants of buildings from the Time Before were the scariest of all. Cold shivers danced along her spine every time she saw a tumbled wall with windows staring at her like empty eyes. You’re brave, she told herself. What you’re doing is too important to let a spooky walk stop you. She wasn’t sure about the first part, but she was determined to find Cole and free him. The details of that plan were still a little murky, but something would come to her.

She found the river by stumbling down the bank and skidding on her back through icy mud.  For a moment she lay there, panting and trying to force tears back. A sound from the top of the bank, almost too low to be heard, froze her breath in her chest. A glance up showed two hairy creatures with gleaming white fangs and ferocious glowing eyes.

The creatures sprang down the six-foot bank right at her. Tears blurred her vision before she flung an arm over her eyes.

“Gina?” cried a male voice above her. “Sister, what are you doing here?”

“Why do you smell like the chief?” said another.

She lowered her arm.  Two men stood there, stark naked, their hair long and black. “Wolf’s Howl?”

Her young brother-in-law crouched and laid a careful hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay? How did you get here?” He glanced around. “Where is your guard? You can’t be here alone.”

She struggled to sit up. He put on hand under her arm and pulled her to her feet. How annoying that the teenager was taller than she was. She tilted her chin. “I’m going to get Cole.”

The second man, who was just as young as Wolf’s Howl, scowled. “With who?”

“No one. Just me.”

Instead of immediately dragging her back to Omaha, Cole’s brother looked thoughtful. “You can’t go by yourself.”

She relaxed a little. “I have to. I can’t sit around waiting. Todd is probably already torturing Cole. Besides, I am the one who knows where Cole will be held and how to get through the camp without being seen.”

The second man said, “We’ll go with you.”

Gina blinked. “What?”

Wolf’s Howl grinned and pounded a fist into his friend’s shoulder. “Yeah, great idea, Glass.” He turned the grin onto her. “We will be your escorts. You shouldn’t be out here on your own. Dad wouldn’t like it.”

She almost blurted that Taye wouldn’t like them going with her either. She should refuse. But they were tall and strong, and with them along she wouldn’t be afraid of the dark. She sighed. “Okay, but we better get going. It’s a long walk to the camp.”