I was roughly flipped over onto my back and only had time to look up into those disturbing eyes before it leaned forward, jaws open and teeth bared.

I shut my eyes and prayed my dad stayed unconscious through the whole thing.

I didn't want him to have to see his other daughter being torn to shreds right in front of him again.

Its hot and putrid breath had just washed over my face letting me know how close I truly was to knocking on Death's door and being invited in when a sudden blaring sound burst through the night.

The sound was high pitched and loud and apparently nothing that the creature above me liked because instead of sticking around to turn me into its next meal, it shook its head as if to clear it and when the sound persisted, growled in clear annoyance before stepping back and taking off back into the tree line on all fours.

The sound of other hurried paws hitting the ground let me know that its friends had followed suit.

I quickly sat up and glanced around trying to figure out what exactly had just happened.

The sound continued for another minute or so before cutting off abruptly. It was then replaced by the sound of hurried footsteps.

Before I had the chance to even try and move a figure came running around the side of the truck and stopped once it saw me.

I stared wide eyed as I took in the figure before me.

It was a girl, probably only a few years younger than me with fair skin that was practically glowing as the moon shown down on us. She had dark hair that stopped just above her tailbone, even darker eyes framed by dark lashes, and features that were commonly seen in the Eastern parts of Asia.

She was also my fucking hero at the moment and if I wasn't so sure that my legs would give out I would've gotten up and hugged her.

A bright light was suddenly shining in my eyes and I quickly held my hand up to shield them.

"Oh, shit sorry!" I heard her say before the light was being aimed at the ground.

I glanced back up at her before looking around.

"Was that you?" I asked, finally finding my voice.

The girl cocked her head to the side looking confused and then a look of realization crossed her face.

"Oh, you mean the sound? Yeah, that was me. Pretty neat huh?" She asked, looking a little too excited for a girl who had just encountered several man eating creatures.

But who was I to deny the facts?

"Well, it did save my ass."

This time she smiled before a more serious look took over.

"Are you okay?" She asked as she used the flash light to do a once over of my body.

The answer was clear before I even said anything.

I wasn't okay.

On top of the glass that was still deeply imbedded in my left shoulder, I had various cuts and small bits of glass that were stuck in my legs. Not to mention the most obvious wound that was on my right leg right  above my ankle that had been caused when that thing dug its claws into me.

I gave her a look that clearly said, "What do you think?"

The girl continued to look me over before her eyes widened when they landed on my right leg. She looked hesitant now.

"W-were you bitten?" She asked never taking her eyes off my right leg.

I looked down at my leg and then back up at her, unsure of why she was acting like this now.

I shook my head.

"I wasn't bitten. I got that from its claws."

The girl met my eyes now with a look of confusion on her face as she tried to figure something out.

Seemingly coming to a decision she nodded once.

"Alright, well I just have to get you back to the store then. My brother will be able to help you with your injuries."

She leaned down as if to help me stand but I held my hand up.

"My dad needs help. He's unconscious inside the truck."

The girl looked surprised and then quickly jogged around the side of the truck before leaning down to peer inside.

"Well shit." She muttered as she stood back up and dusted her hands off on her black jeans.

She came back around to look at me.

"Can you walk? I don't think I'll be able to get him back to the store by myself."

I glanced down at my leg quickly once again before looking back up at her.

"I can walk."

***

I in fact could not walk.

Every step that put pressure on my right leg felt like a thousand knives were being dug into me. But what else could I do but grit my teeth and carry on?

Once we had fetched our bags and the gun from the wrecked truck we were able to pull my dad out.

He was still unconscious but he was breathing which was all I cared about. So, I simply grit my teeth against the pain and supported his weight on his left side while Arden as she had introduced herself, supported his weight from the right.

"You guys almost made it into town. It's not that much farther." Arden said as we hobbled along with a man who probably weighed more than the both us hanging between us.

"You said that fifteen minutes ago." I grumbled.

"And I'll keep saying it. Eventually it'll be true."

I shook my head and said nothing else. Even talking seemed to cause me pain.

We trudged on for about another fifteen minutes before the city finally came into view. It was a good thing too because I was on the verge of collapsing.

"Our store is just around the block." Arden said as we continued on, looking over our shoulders every two seconds to make sure no more of those things were lurking around.

As we navigated the streets I noticed how desolate the city was.

Cars were stopped haphazardly in the street, some with the doors still open as if people had fled in a hurry and just abandoned them.

"We got hit pretty hard. Those things showed up days before the news even bothered to start making reports. I'm sure they figured it was just a bunch of people off their rockers calling in about big ass wolf men eating people." Arden explained as she caught me looking around.

Days.

These people had been suffering for days and no one had a clue. Not until it was too late. If we had decided to come through this city on our way up here would we have suffered the same fate?

I glanced over at my dad, and my mother and Ava's faces came to mind.

We already had.

We continued on in silence until we came to a stop in front a camping equipment store.

Arden used the hand that she wasn't using to support my dad's weight to knock on the door in two sets of two quick knocks and then one single one.

The door flew open almost immediately and we were greeted by a young man who looked like he was ready to murder somebody.

Mainly Arden.

He was tall, around six feet even, with short dark hair that curled ever so slightly around his ears and the nape of his neck and was a bit longer towards the front. I saw the beginnings of what was obviously a sleeve tattoo peaking out from under the right arm of his long sleeved t-shirt that he had rolled up just a bit. His dark eyes and features were similar to Arden's.

"What the hell were you thinking Arden?! I told you to stay put."

At this Arden glanced at me then rolled her eyes.

"Yes, and I didn't listen." She replied calmly. "Now, are we going to sit here and argue about it all night or are we going to help them?"

It was only then that the guy seemed to notice us.

"Who are they?" He asked looking warily from my unconscious dad to me.

"This is Allona and her dad Michael. They're my friends." Arden replied chirpily.

He eyed me from head to toe and I had to resist the urge to break eye contact.

"Friends. Right." He muttered.

He glanced at my dad one more time before sighing heavily and shaking his head.

"Well bring them in."

I took a step forward, intending to help Arden bring him inside but my right leg had done all it was going to do tonight and before I knew what was happening I was laying on the ground.

I heard Arden groan in protest as she suddenly had to support my dad's weight alone to keep him from falling.

The guy on the other hand, quickly came forward and crouched down in front of me looking me over again, his eyes taking in the glass shard in my shoulder and the blood that had quickly soaked through the bottom half of my jeans.

Without uttering a single word he pulled a piece of the torn fabric of my jeans aside and quickly looked back up at me with sharp eyes.

"She wasn't bitten Cory." Arden spoke softly.

"Then what is this?" He gestured towards my leg.

"I was scratched." I answered for myself, not liking that he didn't bother just asking me instead of acting like I wasn't right here.

I looked down at my wound. "Well maybe a little more than scratched, but I wasn't bitten. What does being bitten have to do with anything anyway?"

The guy, Cory as I now knew his name, looked at me oddly.

"You mean you don't know?"

I looked between him and Arden now more confused than ever.

"Know what?"

"We'll explain everything later. Right now you and your dad need help." Arden cut in and gave her brother a look. "You take him cause he weighs a ton and I'll help her inside."

Cory gave me another odd look before standing up and taking my dad from Arden as if he weighed nothing before bringing him inside.

"Don't mind him. He's all bark and no bite." Arden said as she made her way over to me and helped me to my feet and positioned me so that most of my weight was now being supported by her.

"Is that the brother you mentioned that's supposed to help treat my injuries?" I asked

Arden smiled brightly. "The one and only."

"Hmm, he looked like he'd rather leave me out here to take my chances with those things."

Arden laughed lightly and helped me inside.

"He may have seemed like that but I'm sure deep, deep, deep, down he was definitely happy that I brought you guys."

"Was that supposed to make me feel better?"

Arden gave me another bright smile.

"Did it work?"

"No."

"Then no, it wasn't supposed to make you feel better."

Once inside it was hard for me to see anything a few inches in front of my face because it was almost pitch black inside the store.

Arden let go of me for a second to close the door which she then bolted.

She was back at my side in an instant and we moved through the store with ease as she led the way. We stopped at what I think was a door but I wasn't one hundred percent sure because I couldn't see a thing.

Arden leaned forward and sure enough the tell tale sign of a door swinging open on its hinges was heard. A dim light bulb hung from the ceiling on a chain and barely illuminated the steps that lead downstairs.

Stairs that I would probably have to hop down like a one legged pirate and pray that I didn't break my neck.

Arden looked at me and then at the stairs as if suddenly realizing our dilemma.

I opened my mouth to tell her I'd be fine but the sound of heavy footsteps coming up the stairs cut me off. A second later Cory appeared.

Surprisingly he turned to me first. "Your dad hit his head pretty hard and I think he may have a slight concussion. I'll have to bandage the wound and from there we'll just have to keep an eye on him and see how he does."

I let out a deep breath and shook my head. While it wasn't the best news it was better than the alternative.

"Thank you." I told him sincerely.

He simply nodded in response before turning to glare at his sister.

"Now you. Don't think I've forgotten about what you did. I told you to stay-"

"There's no time for a lecture. You have one more patient to attend to." Arden cut him off before sending him a sweet smile and bounding down the stairs.

Cory watched his sister disappear with a clenched jaw before closing his eyes and rubbing a hand across his face. I had a feeling this was a normal occurrence between them.

As if suddenly remembering that I was still just awkwardly standing there he turned back to look at me.

"Alright, well let's get you downstairs."

He took a step forward and I'm pretty sure he actually had the intention of carrying me down these steps.

I quickly held up my hand to stop him.

"If you could just lend me your arm that'd be fine." I assured him.

He shrugged his shoulders as if he couldn't have cared less whether I jumped or cartwheeled down the stairs and held his arm out for me to take.

Once we made it down the stairs I was seriously regretting not letting him just carry me down.

I had lost a good amount of blood if my shirt and jeans were anything to go by and now I was starting to feel light headed. I swayed on my feet before using the wall to brace myself and keep myself standing.

"Come on." Cory gently ushered me into the first door to the right, barely giving me anytime to take in my surroundings.

Once inside I quickly glanced around. We were in a small bathroom. It was even complete with a small cubicle shower.

Cory closed the lid on the toilet and gestured for me to sit, which I did instantly. The relief of not having all of my weight on my leg was instant and I had to resist the urge to moan.

Cory left the room and returned a short while later  with gloves, a towel, bandages, anti-bacterial solution, forceps, scissors, and a needle and thread all stacked on a small metal tray.

My stomach gave a lurch when I spotted the latter.

I'd need stitches.

Cory quickly washed his hands before dousing them in the anti-bacterial cleaning solution before putting on the gloves.

He turned to me and had his hands up like he was ready to perform surgery. The sight made me laugh despite still feeling like my leg was was being chewed off.

At the sound of my laughter he gave me a quizzical look. "What's so funny?"

I tried and failed miserably to stifle my laughter. "Nothing."

Ignoring me now, I watched as he stepped forward and leaned over to inspect my shoulder, the laughter abruptly dying on its own once I realized again what he was about to do.

Noticing my clenched fists Cory glanced up at me from under his lashes, which I noticed were unfairly long, before looking back at my shoulder.

"How'd this happen?" He asked as he set to work.

He used the scissors to cut away part of my sleeve exposing part of my bra strap.

"Car accident." I replied and then sucked in air through my teeth as I felt him pour the cleaning solution onto my shoulder and around the wound.

"And I'm assuming the car accident didn't involve another car." He continued as he picked up the forceps.

I eyed the forceps warily before looking up at the ceiling, trying to concentrate on anything other than what was about to happen.

"You'd be right."

"How many of them was it?" He asked as he brought the forceps forward and with a hand that was as steady as a board gripped the piece of glass between the two pincers.

I shut my eyes tight and grabbed onto the nearest thing my hand could find which just so happened to be his shirt and clutched it in a death grip.

I felt him pause momentarily before he continued.

"Four." I answered.

"Four? You and your dad have a shit ton of luck then." And with that he slowly removed the glass.

It felt just as painful coming out as it did going in.
I was biting my lip hard enough to draw blood and then as quickly as it started it was over.

Cory quickly sat the piece of glass on the tray and pressed the towel against the wound to slow the bleeding.

"Hold this to your shoulder for a minute." He indicated to his hand that was holding the towel and with my other hand I quickly replaced his hand with my own and pressed the towel to my shoulder.

My heartbeat was doing a tap dance in my chest as I watched him ready the needle and thread before turning back to face me.

"Alright let me see."

I slowly moved my hand and the towel aside so he could look at my shoulder.

He leaned in close. Really close. Close enough that I could catch the faint scent of whatever soap or shampoo he used.

The scent was probably 'Battle Ax Armor Metal Wood Shavings' or whatever it was that guys tended to use to prove how manly they were and keep them from using anything that had the word fruity or fresh on the bottle.

I almost scoffed just thinking about it.

Men.

Whatever scent he used it smelled good though and I was so distracted by his nearness that I almost didn't feel him clean the wound again and start to pierce the needle through my skin.

Almost.

The minute the needle went through I let out a yelp that even embarrassed me.

"Sorry." Cory mumbled as he continued to work. "We usually numb the area first but I don't have any of the numbing solution with me."

My teeth were clenched together hard enough to shatter one another.

"Lucky me." I said exhaling heavily through my nose as the needle pierced my skin yet again.

It was only after he had cut off the the ending thread and bandaged my shoulder that I realized he didn't even seemed fazed by having to do this.

"Do you do stuff like this often?" I asked as I watched him set the needle back on the tray.

"Almost everyday. It's part of the job."

"Job?"

He finally turned back to face me with scissors in his hand and nodded.

"I'm a physician assistant." He shrugged. "Or at least I would've been had the world not gone to shit right before I was set to finish my program."

"How old are you?" I blurted out the question before I could stop myself.

He lifted one brow as he answered. "Twenty six. Why?"

I shrugged, now a little embarrassed at suddenly asking his age. "I don't know. You just seemed a little young to be a PA is all."

Cory nodded, understanding crossing his features.
"You'd be surprised how often I hear that. But it's normal to be a PA given my age. Four years under-grad, two in specialized training, and two in post-grad."

I nodded. "Well it's lucky I found you then huh?" I said giving him a small smile.

"Don't thank me just yet. I still have to take a look at that," he gestured to my leg. "And I'm pretty sure it's going to hurt like hell."

My smile vanished in an instant.

"We'll see if you still feel the same way after I'm done."

It could've been a trick of the lighting but I could've sworn I saw the smallest smile grace his lips as he turned away.

***