My shotgun was empty so I stowed it away and threw all of my knives one by one from my position on the ground. I wasn't able to hit a single target as the animals surged back and forth quicker and quicker with excitement and anger.
Then a new sound punctured the night air, breaking through the shrieking. It was a long, low howl and it was clearly being made by a different type of animal. The attacks against us paused for a moment as heads snapped around to point in the direction Coal had wanted us to take.
"Hold your fire!" Coal shouted just as Kaloo leapt from the forest, fangs bared, hackles raised and leaving havoc in her wake.
She was magnificent, jumping, snarling and snapping at our assailants. Her long, sleek fur blew in the wind as she bounded confidently back and forth taking on the whole pack without the slightest sign of fear. The shrieks and growls changed marginally and the pack's attention shifted away from us.
"Move." Coal's arm was on mine and he propelled me back onto my feet and sent Laurie and I flying forward.
We ran again, somehow finding another reserve of energy to push us onward. After a few moments, we burst from the trees to discover a collection of buildings not unlike those Taylor and I had explored outside The Wall. These buildings weren't old and in disrepair though, they were sleek and well maintained. The windows were all barred with thick, metal shutters and all but one of the houses was locked up tight.
The door of the building directly ahead of us was wide open.
A beautiful girl was running straight towards us brandishing a machete. She had long, white-blond hair that flew out behind her, sparkling in the moonlight almost as much as the lethal looking blade in her hand.
"Go!" she shouted, barely sparing us a glance as we flew past and through the door into the house.
I collapsed, gasping, on the floor and watched the view back through the doorway as Kaloo appeared between the trees, pursued by a group of the enraged animals.
The girl spun, her hair flying about her like a silver cloak and ran next to Kaloo through the door, which Coal slammed shut behind them. He snapped a heavy metal bar down to reinforce it just as the sounds of large bodies smashing into the building filled the air.
I held my breath, waiting for them to find a way inside. The metal shutters screeched as they ran their claws along it but the house was locked down firmly. We were safe.
Chapter Nineteen
Just as I started to breathe again, the stunning blonde girl leapt at Coal.
She wrapped her arms around him and he caught her up off of the floor in a bear hug, spinning her around.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to do that to me?" she demanded, slapping his chest with the palms of her hands.
She was tall and annoyingly good looking with full lips and wide eyes. She was anything but delicate though. With the machete hanging from her hip and a definite athleticism to her build, she looked like she could easily hold her own in a fight.
"Sorry." Coal rolled his eyes and set her feet down on the floor again. "It wasn't really planned, I was just meant to be grabbing some guns but everything took a bit of a turn."
"Yeah, I noticed you collected some strays. No offence," she added, throwing a grin in our direction.
"I got the guns too." He stepped back and started unstrapping the small arsenal that was attached to his body in every thinkable way. "And plenty of knives." They clinked down onto the table as well. When he was finished, the table held a pretty impressive pile of weapons.
"Did you get hurt?" she asked. She stood on tiptoes to inspect him and tutted at every scratch or bruise she discovered.
"Get off," he shoved her aside playfully. "Stop playing mother hen."
"And what about Kaloo? She came flying in here like a bat out of hell, dragging some unconscious stranger and as soon as I cut her free of him she shot back into the forest to find you." The girl crouched down next to the big dog who had collapsed, panting on the ground and checked her for wounds too. Kaloo seemed to enjoy the attention and her tail thumped against the tiles as she rolled over to have her belly tickled.
"It would take more than a horde of cougars to take down Kaloo," Coal smiled. He looked over to where Laurie and I were sitting awkwardly in a corner. "I should introduce you. This is Laurie the Warden and Maya the convict." He gestured to us as the girl's big eyes widened to take us in. "Oh and Taylor." He waved a hand at Taylor who had half fallen out of his litter and was sprawled across the floor.
"From the city?" she asked, looking horrified.
"Long story," Coal sighed.
"I'll bet." The girl gazed at us with unconcealed curiosity.
"Hi," I said shyly, suddenly very aware of the blood and filth that smothered me from head to toe.
"And this-" he indicated the blonde girl, pulling her up from the floor where she was crouched by Kaloo, "-is my sister, Alicia." A knot unfurled in my stomach. I smiled a genuine smile. She actually seemed pretty nice, her immaculate appearance aside.
"You don't look very alike," I said, taking in Coal's broad ruggedness and dark looks and Alicia's dazzling fairness.