"We'll need to pull up what was recorded in the last twenty-four hours. "
Will nodded, heading to the left while I went to the right. It only took me an instant to locate the camera we were looking for. "Hell," I muttered, and Will immediately joined me.
The apparatus had been mounted on the rear wall of the hospital and pointed toward the forest. I understood why. Any security issues approaching from that direction would come out of the trees. Any escaped prisoners - uh, I mean patients - would head directly for them.
So, were the beings emerging from the evergreens formerly patients or upcoming security risks? Considering they loped in our direction on four paws, it didn't really matter.
"Wolves," Will murmured. "A lot of them. "
"Mmm," I said, not bothering to count once I hit a dozen. I didn't have enough bullets to kill them all. Who would have thought we'd be attacked by a herd?
I should have. It had happened before.
Inching closer to the screen, I squinted in a vain attempt to see their eyes. Were they wolves, werewolves or something completely new and different? Hard to tell from here.
"Let's go. "
"I don't suppose you mean home?" Will muttered.
"Do I ever?"
He sighed, but he followed me from the security office, down the hall, up the steps, then toward the back door. As we went, we checked our guns.
"Not enough bullets," Will said.
"Make them count. "
"Then what?"
I patted the pure silver knife at my waist. "Then you get behind me. Find a room with no windows. Lock it. "
"Shouldn't we call Edward?"
We'd reached the rear entrance to the clinic where a bank of glass overlooked the trees. "Too late. "
Dozens of wolves blocked the exit. Darkness threatened, but there was enough light left to reveal their eyes.
They weren't human.
Chapter Four
"They're just wolves," Will said.
"Maybe. "
They weren't behaving like wolves. They sat in a semi-circle, patient, more like well-behaved dogs expecting a treat than wild animals, their attention focused on the windows but not on us. They were waiting for something, or perhaps, someone.
"We can't shoot them," Will continued.
"No?"
"No," he said firmly.
As a member of the wolf clan, Will had a soft spot for the species. According to Ojibwe legend each clan member--bear clan, badger clan, stork clan and so on--was a descendant of the clan's totem animal. Which would make Will part wolf. However, since many of his relatives had started to slobber and slaver and chase us everywhere we went with the intent of killing us, he'd changed his opinion a bit.
"If they're really wolves," he continued, "they're endangered. "
Not too long ago, the wolves had recovered enough in Wisconsin to be taken off the endangered species list, but recently they'd been put back again. This might have something to do with Edward's penchant for shooting first and discovering if the beast were wolf or werewolf later. I preferred Edward's way of doing things myself, but Will--being Will--disagreed.