Toy Wolf

Chapter 19: new surroundings

After dinner, they escorted us to a van. I had hoped to see the sky, but the van had been parked underground. There was only darkness and a musty smell. Stefa's cuffs clinked together as they shut the door behind us. There were no seatbelts, and Stefa leaned against me with a sigh. It burned more acutely and I resisted flinching away.

"We're out," she said. "One step closer."

"Maybe," I said. "You're still in cuffs. And they fed you silver at dinner."

She grimaced, sitting up, and scooting away from me. I wished Stefa didn't feel the need to protect me; I could handle a little silver.

"Really?" she complained. "Why even bother with this façade of freedom? Conor, you really should just tear through this van wall and get out of here on your own."

The van rumbled to life and we began to move. There were no windows; we would have no idea where we were going.

"I doubt that I can tear through metal," I countered.

"Well, I could," Stefa scoffed. "I have a horrible feeling about this."

The van ride was long. I fell asleep several times, though I didn't try to balance on the chair, but rather slept on the van floor. Stefa said that we went through a couple cities based on the traffic sounds, but since I didn't know where we were in the first place, that information wasn't helpful. We stopped for gas once, but no one checked on us. Stefa tested the siding while we were stopped.

"You could be free," she told me. "This is probably your last chance."

"Free for how long?" I said. "I have no way of getting back home and if I did manage it, they could track me any number of ways. I don't want to risk my pack."

She rolled her shoulders and I closed my eyes again as the van drove off. Stefa was the one to wake me when the van stopped a second time. She shook my shoulder, her hand only slightly burning me. It had been over twelve hours.

"I hear voices," she said. "We might get to walk outside, if we're lucky and it's night."

"If it's night?" I asked.

"I burn in the daylight," she reminded me. "It's like silver for you, but more acute. Speaking of, do I need to step away?"

"No, it's been long enough," I told her, taking her hand to rise from my position on the flooring. "What is going on out there? What are they waiting for?"

"I imagine that they're not expecting us to be calmly waiting to get out," Stefa said. "I'm expecting tranq guns, but who knows, to be honest? If it's a ditch in the middle of nowhere at least we'll know that our deaths will be quick."

Someone outside of the van was yelling now. I stretched my neck, wondering if being in wolf form would help or hurt the situation. No one out there had tried the door, and they weren't close enough for us to understand what they were saying. I wished I had a better idea of what to expect.

"They know that you can persuade me, right?" I inquired. "Do you think it would be better to be a wolf?"

Stefa eyed me and shrugged. "I think it might be better. It'll definitely leave an impression if you walk quietly out of the van on all four paws. I'll keep your clothes for you."

I undressed, handing Stefa my things to fold as I shifted into my wolf form. About the time we were ready, the van door opened, letting a shaft of light in. Stefa jumped back from the light with a hiss and I stood in front of her protectively. The light was blinding and I squinted to make out a figure. Stefa's cuffs unlinked and she placed a hand on my head, stroking my ears.