Page 67 of Season of the Wolf

“Ma’am?” Mrs. Callahan’s gaze met mine—hers confused and tearful.

A massive body breezed past me—Tobias again, the dick-ish one. Evie watched as he lifted her father from the ground and tossed him over his shoulder. The motion caused Mr. Callahan to groan, which visibly relieved his wife. It was a sign of life, and possibly returning consciousness after having been unresponsive for a couple minutes.

We moved quickly, the ten of us. Our group had swelled in size and I tried to ignore how that could become a handicap if things got hectic. We cleared the door, moving quickly through the lobby, but what met our vision when we finally reached the exit … it sent us all staggering back.

“Grab on to something!” After yelling out to the others, I scrambled for a nearby pillar to latch on to. A wall of churning water highlighted in moonlight raced toward us, sweeping stragglers off the street who hadn’t gotten out in time. Cars parked against the curb were shoved out of the flood’s path.

Evie’s heart hammered tenfold now, that high-pitched buzz holding steady.

“Tobias!” she called out, gaining his attention. “Don’t let him go.”

She was still fighting her emotions while clinging to a pillar with her mom.

Amidst the chaos, Mrs. Callahan must not have thought it strange that Evie’s hand made its way into hers, that she held it tight like they weren’t strangers at all, but I knew there was real emotion behind the gesture. As a moment of silence mocked what would follow, Evie was just a girl clinging to her mother as we took what might have been our last breath.

The floor-to-ceiling window exploded and cool mist hit my skin a millisecond before a powerful surge that tugged my body away from the beam, filling the building in one mighty rush. My fingers locked tight, struggling not to pull free from the force. Water covered my head and I held my breath, not knowing how long it would be before I got air again. All sound muffled around me except the liquid gurgling in my ears. My heart raced with uncertainty. Not only for my own fate, but for those here in the trenches with me.

Slowly, I felt my mass lowering, and my head was again above water. Spurting some from my mouth as I gasped, squeezing my eyes to clear my vision, I took a look around at the swimming pool that was once the theatre. One by one, others surfaced, but not Evie, not her mother. Even Tobias had managed to keep a grip on her dad, thanks to the wave pinning them both to the wall behind the concession stand. Had it not been there, they would have been carried away.

“Evie!” There was no missing the desperation in my voice, the panic as I called out to her.

Water still rushed in, but nothing like the first wave. With the current calmer now, I could at least swim through it, to the spot where I’d last seen her. Holding my breath, I went under only to find that the beam she and Mrs. Callahan clung to was missing its bottom half, an indication that something large had passed through and took a large chunk with it, and …

“Evie!” Her name quaked from my lips.

No trace of them anywhere.

I listened for her heart, hoping and praying, but … that prayer came back void. It was impossible to hear over the sound of falling debris, the building groaning, and the cries for help that now filled the streets of Seaton Falls.

General chaos.

I turned to the guys, these men who followed me into this mess all to find her.

“She’s not down there. And something wiped out the beam,” I added, trying to keep a cool head.

“Evangeline!” one called out, and then another once he caught his breath, pushing long hair behind his ears to see.

We all dove deep again and that’s when I spotted something as it floated past. Evie’s bracelet. And ancient-looking, leather band she had on every time I’d seen her lately. I grabbed it, tucking it deep inside my back pocket so it wouldn’t get lost. I looked around, doing another scan.

Had it not been for keen vision, I would have missed it … would have missed the tips of thin fingers moving frantically, barely breaking the surface.

“Over here!” At the sound of my voice, the others followed.

I took in a swell of air and went under again, unsure of what I’d find. However, the sight before me was one I never would have imagined. The hand I glimpsed belonged to Mrs. Callahan. Her strength was fading as she pointed desperately at her leg, which seeped blood from an injury. It’d been pinned to the wall by a vehicle—the one responsible for the damage to the pillar when it burst through the building with the river.

A weakening heartbeat pulsed through the water, as did the newly present hum, which was much stronger. Had it not been for that, I might not have even peered down, deeper in the murky water. When my eyes focused, I spotted Evie—lifeless as she lie beneath the wheel, unable to move with the weight of the vehicle locking her down by the shoulder.

I had the guys’ attention and two gripped the rear bumper, while me and the long-haired one took the front. Our strength was limited without being able to get traction, but it budged. Right away, Ivan, who stood by waiting, took Evie over his shoulder and moved toward the surface. With my aid, Mrs. Callahan swam to the top, favoring the hurt leg a little.

A collective gasp filled the space when we were finally able to breathe.

“I need to help them,” I said in a rush, knowing Mrs. Callahan needed medical attention, too, but her circumstances were nowhere near as dire as Evie’s.

“Go,” she urged, glancing toward Evie’s lifeless body—the girl who had undoubtedly saved her life. “I’m okay. I don’t think it’s broken. Just … help her,” she urged. “Please.”

I nodded and moved away, pushing random debris and people’s personal effects aside as I swam over.

“Is she breathing?” I asked, trying to keep calm. Her heart was still beating, I knew, but I wasn’t sure of much else.

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