“Are we ready to roll?” Ethan asked, ignoring Claire’s comment.
“Sure, but how about a group hug, just in case?” Claire added.
No one asked her what “just in case” meant. They knew and didn’t want to hear it articulated. Gathered in a circle with arms wrapped around each other, they held each other tight with their heads down so as to avoid seeing any doubts or fears in each other’s eyes. They didn’t want to let go, fearing this might be the last time they would be able to hold on to the friends who were so dear, but the time had come to push forward.
They stashed their empty water bottles and food wrappers and headed out. The further they traveled the higher in the sky the moon crept, breaking through the lingering clouds, shedding enough illumination to allow them to travel without any artificial light. They followed the creek bed for several hours in silence, trying to ignore the howl of wolves nearby, increasing their pace, but still feeling like the distance between them and the terrifying noise was shrinking.
The sounds made the hairs on the back of Nyla’s neck tingle. She couldn’t tell how close the predators roamed, but as her mind replayed the scene from the highway through the abandoned towns she decided any distance was too close. She would never forget the hunger in the predator’s eyes, the gleam of their long teeth or the absolute lack of fear the wolves had shown for their passing vehicle. Now, they didn’t even have her tiny car for protection.
Nyla stayed close to Ethan as she cautiously walked on, picking up anything that could serve as a weapon for self-defense. She hoped the two wolves they kept hearing were the extent of the pack. The size of the group they had seen on the road would be impossible to escape from or fight off if an encounter occurred.
Another wolf returned the call and the sounds grew closer. Nyla had read that the animals’ sense of smell was highly evolved and feared their group had already been detected and determined to be an acceptable meal.
“I think they caught our scent, they sounds are getting closer,” Nyla said.
