Page 2 of The Lost Beloved

"I hope you do, too, friend."

Harley had been running forever it seemed and still he felt the pressure of eyes upon him. He’d panicked and left everything at his campsite and now he was probably lost and defenseless. He stopped by a large tree and tried to catch his breath while still listening to the forest around him. There was something there following him, and he wondered how long it would stay hidden.

It could have easily overtaken him but instead it seemed content in letting him exhaust himself. Harley wasn’t sure what to do other than continue to run and hope that a plan of escape presented itself. The woods were thick, and he hadn’t had time to lace his boots when he stumbled out of his tent. The thing, whatever it was had rushed the side of his tent forcing him to run but then dropped back to simply follow.

It wasn’t going to end well no matter what the thing had in mind. Harley ran into a cluster of dense pines and found the shelter he was seeking. There in hidden in the pines was a small concrete building. The door was steel, and it was locked with a padlock. Thankfully, Harley had one obscure skill from some misspent years in his youth, and that was picking locks and he was thanking the lord for that skill in this moment.

He popped the lock and removed the chain going inside and quickly closing the door behind him. He then took the chain and threaded it through the handle on the inside and secured it with the padlock. It was sturdy and hopefully would deter his pursuer. If nothing else it gave him a moment to rest and to try and figure out how he was going to get himself out of this mess.

He had his phone but no service although the light came in handy since there were no windows in the small structure. Flashing it around the area he noticed that there was nothing there just a concrete building, and he wondered as to its function but that soon fled his mind when someone started pounding on the door ramming it actually.

Harley held his breath and froze while watching the steel door with the chain and lock resist the pressure from outside. It wasn't an animal; the method of chase and attack was not that of an animal. He wanted to call out and demand what they wanted and tell them to leave. He wanted to say that he'd contacted the police, which was a lie, but the sound would not form in his throat. Fear held him in a merciless grip.

The pounding stopped, but a deep growl filled the air. Whatever it was, it was angry and tired. Harley had no idea what it was, but the threat it presented was immeasurable. Then, there was silence apart from the faint sound of his own shallow breathing. If he lived through this, he would be tormented by the memory for the rest of his life. It was that disturbing.

CHAPTER TWO

“Igot something on the camera in eastern sector four.” Gage told him and he transferred the coordinates. “It’s near the storage building.” Gage studied the area and in the darkness it was difficult to discern what was happening. “It’s not wildlife.” He stated.

“What is it?” Dumas asked and glanced over at him.

"A hiker, perhaps, but something is after him. He holed up in the storage shed." Gage studied the images, concern engulfing him. "It looks like a shifter in a half shift."

"That's fucked up." Dumas was not one to minimize or sugarcoat.

“Hurry man we have to get there before that animal takes the door down.” Gage felt his gut tighten at the thought of that thing getting close to the hiker. Dumas got as close as possible and then the two of them exited the vehicle and raced through the woods towards the storage building. The thing was still there when they arrived, and it looked properly shocked by their arrival.

Gage went for it barreling into its midsection while Dumas shifted and grabbed it from the ground and smackedit into the trunk of a large tree. “Don’t kill it Dumas.” Gage yelled. “We need to find out what the hell it is and what it was planning.” Dumas held it against the tree and shouted for it to shift.

The thing continued to fight and growl and refused to completely shift either to its animal or human form. "There's something wrong with it, Gage," Dumas stated and then snapped its neck. "It was infected.”

“What do you mean?”

“The shifter was diseased, out of its mind. Death was a mercy.” Dumas returned to his human form and looked down at the remains of the deformed shifter at his feet.

“What caused it, do you know?” Gage remembered hearing of a disease that had infected shifters in Master Duane's territory, and it turned out to be evil scientist bullshit. "This isn't like what happened over with the DuCane Coven, I hope." He voiced his fear.

“It looks similar, but we won’t know for sure until this corpse gets tested.” Dumas turned his attention to the storage building and nodded his head in that direction. “Our hiker is inside.” He said and Gage turned to look at the door and suddenly felt the fullness of the person’s terror.

“We need to make this quick. I don’t think the shifter is alone.” Dumas began scanning the area.

“Fuck.”

“Yes, exactly.”

Harley heard the commotion outside and had no clue what was happening apart from the pounding on the door had stopped. There were more people he heard voices, but he was tooscared to draw attention to himself. Slowly, one careful step at a time he made his way closer to the door. The chain lock had held, and he was unsure as to what to do next.

If he opened the door and things were not as he hoped, then he would be in a world of hurt. He slid his back down the wall to a sitting position and decided to wait it out for now. Then someone spoke.

“You’re safe.” The man said. “My name is Gage Miller, and I work security for Hadden Corporation of Pittsburgh. Nikolas Hadden owns this land, and you entering triggered an alarm. My colleague Dumas and I were sent in response to that alarm.” He was speaking slowly and clearly and as much as Harley wanted to believe he still remembered the beast that had been chasing him and he wondered where he was now.

"I was being chased. I entered this posted land because I was trying to hide in the thick of the trees. I didn't mean any harm; I was just trying to get away." He actually entered because he was simply running blindly, and he had no idea where he was, but he didn't want to say that.

“We took care of him; he’s not going to hurt you.” The voice was very convincing but still Harley preferred to remain behind the chain lock. “Come out and we’ll take you home.” Harley didn’t answer and after a few moments Gage Miller continued.

“Did he hurt you?”

“No, he chased me out of my camp but seemed to be toying with me. I’m sorry I picked the lock on this structure, but I needed protection.” Harley tried to explain himself.

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