Page 8 of The Healer and the Wolf: Part Two

I tried to say something, although I didn’t quite know what. Not that it mattered as it couldn’t get past the metal in my mouth. Ven, the specter that she was, murmured something, then very real hands were on either side of my head, undoing the restraints that kept me in place.

Ven produced a key from God only knew where, then undid the rest of the restraints. With every shackle falling off me, more slivers of clarity began to sink in until I could finally understand some of what she was saying.

“Don’t worry, I’m here. We’re going to get you somewhere safe, okay?”

Safe? Of course, I would be safe. I was with her, wasn’t I?

Of course, seeing her meant I was likely in the deep throes of torture, but that didn’t really matter if I couldn’t feel it, right? Even the wolf that had demanded to be let out was easing back, settling into its usual territory within my mind.

“The others are making it safe for us to go, so all you have to worry about is sitting up when you can. Don’t try to speak now. Just focus on your breathing, please? For me?”

The others?

As if on cue, Ricky appeared within my field of vision, along with two other people I’d never seen before. I’d read somewhere once that our minds couldn’t make up new people in our dreams, so maybe I hadn’t slipped into a torture-borne disassociation.

But if that was true, it meant Ven was indeed right in front of me.

“Okay,” Ven said, voice still so soft and syrupy. “We’ve got all the restraints off. Do you think you can sit up?”

Sit up? Sure, even babies could sit up, and I most certainly wasn’t?—

Huh.

I tried to sit up, but my muscles weren’t receiving signals from my brain. I lay there, tongue slack in my mouth, staring up at my four rescuers. If they were real, they had to be having some wild thoughts about me at the moment.

“I don’t think you can,” Ricky said. Even in my messed-up state, I could hear the concern in his voice. “You two carry him. I’ll make sure to clear the path. Ven, you bring up the rear.”

“Will do.”

They picked me up off the table that had become so much of my world and carried me through the chaos. There was more screaming and what sounded like fighting, but I couldn’t really focus enough to see it. It wasn’t until we were nearly out the verydoor that had first locked me away from Ricky and Ven that I managed to get my wits about me enough to speak.

“Wait!”

I would have cringed at my weak and reedy voice if I was physically able. Ven was at my side in an instant, gripping my hand.

“What is it? Are you okay?”

“The others…” I wheezed, hoping that would be enough, but when I saw confusion on their faces, I knew I needed to say more. It was difficult considering how fuddled and slipshod my thoughts were, but somehow I was able to grab on to an idea enough to get it out of my mouth. “We have to free the others. We can’t leave them behind.”

Ven’s voice was only soothing as she brushed my sweat-soaked hair off my forehead. “I know, dear. We’ve got people on it.”

People? What people?

As if she could hear my thoughts, she stroked my hair one more time. “We learned our lesson and came with a whole lot more than just the four of us. We’ll make sure not a single person is left in a cage.”

Oh.

Relief flooded me as heavy as any drug, and whatever fight I had left in me faded. I could only barely cling to consciousness as we hurried to the elevator I’d thought I would never see again, then up and out of the building. I wanted to ask more questions, but even without the metal contraption in my mouth, I couldn’t quite work up the wherewithal to speak.

However, my vision cleared up enough to see that there were four vehicles waiting for us, engines all running. They placed me in the back of the van, where the seats had been flattened and blankets laid out. The two who had been carrying me hurried up front while Ven and Ricky settled beside me. They slammed thedoors shut and peeled out before I could say a word. There was still plenty of room for others.

Worried, I raised my head enough to see more figures rushing out of the building and piling into the other vans and truck before also speeding off. Had we really done it? Were they all free?

I didn’t know, but I took solace in the fact that all the vehicles were taking off in different directions. Even if one of us got caught, the majority would make it.

I couldn’t believe it. As I watched the facility get smaller and smaller in the distance, it suddenlyexploded.

I stared, dumbfounded, until one of the strangers from the front spoke. He was missing an eye, but his other one shone with malevolent glee as he twisted in his seat to look back at us.

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