“Don’t Zahara. Don’t do it. Those things will tear you apart. There’s just too many,” Xander warned as he moved quickly to the storage door. He unlocked it and shoved the metal door up while looking over his shoulder. Zahara was moving toward the fence, her body in a crouch.
“Help me get my shit out of the car, Moreno. Now,” Xander barked. Ethan was jolted out of his daze and moved toward Xander. Unlocking the trunk, Agent Echo took out several long cases and handed them to Agent Vector, jutting his chin toward the truck bed. They would secure all gear in the storage boxes in the truck’s bed.
“Damnit, Zahara, now. Come on, those things will be through that fence and we gotta get the hell out of here.”
“I can take ‘em,” she snarled and Ethan stopped and stared at the diminutive woman. Shit.
“Not now, damnit. Not now. Get in the fucking truck. Don’t you do it,” Xander shouted and looked to Ethan, who stood with his mouth gaping open in shock.
Zahara stood erect, looking over her shoulder. Her eyes glowed a shimmering gold now and her face was elongated and her canine teeth growing. She was growling low and she was shifting and changing into something otherworldly. Her fingers and joints were popping and her legs lengthening, muscles bulging and straining against a hide. Before too long, she would bust out of the clothing and she’d be naked. Xander walked over quickly and grabbed her arm and yanked her to him.
“You can’t be a werewolf now damnit. I mean it! Not now. We gotta go and you don’t know if those things will turn you into a damned zombie werewolf,” he snarled. He could feel his own body responding to hers. He’d known she was a werewolf the first time they’d met. You couldn’t miss that smell and he was torn between frustration and desire at the sight of her. His own inner wolf was responding to the female wolf. He couldn’t let this happen and now Ethan was seeing it, stunned shock painted on his dark features. They’d have to do some explaining but not here and not now. He yanked again, his own nails beginning to grow and she looked at him.
Her eyes were beautiful and her face was stunning, the long fangs gleaming. Then her face began to shrink and her muzzle pulled back into her human skull. He let out a breath and punched Ethan who was clutching a box of ammo to his chest.
“Get moving Ethan unless you wanna end up as dinner for those things,” Xander yelled. Ethan nodded absently, his eyes wide and he set the box of ammo into the bed of the truck. Xander grabbed Ethan and shoved him into the passenger’s side and nudged Zahara and she looked at him and grinned sheepishly and shrugged.
“Sorry,” she said in a small voice.
“No, you’re not,” he said and laughed and closed the shed door and set the lock. Just as he jumped in the truck the fence crashed and dozens of zombies surged forward and trampled those in front of them. Their mouths were open and chomping and for a moment, Xander watched them as the creatures moved toward his truck.
“What in the hell are you waiting for, Wilder?” Ethan said, nearly crawling up the seat.
THREE
“How in the hell did you find me?” Xander asked, turning toward Agent Vector in the confined space, his eyes narrowed.
“Can we talk about this later, man?” Ethan urged as the zombies moved closer.
“Fine. I think we’re gonna need a place to hole up and figure this shit out. I don’t think this is a temporary situation,” Xander said, surprised at the calm in his voice.
“Well, move the fucking truck before they block us off and swarm us,” Ethan urged, looking out the back window. Xander could feel the man vibrate with tension, but whether it was because of Zahara’s near change or the zombies, he didn’t know. He put the truck in gear and pulled away just as the first body tried to grasp onto the back of the truck.
“Ah crap, look,” Zahara said as they headed toward the gate of the facility. There were more zombies and they were milling in front of the gate and their exit.
“Seatbelts,” Xander said and he began to move through the bodies. He wasn’t going fast and the zombies bounced off the front of his truck. He slowed, getting a closer look at them. Some were fresh dead and others had a bit of rot and they all had angry and aggressive expressions. One of the zombies smacked his window and Xander was afraid that the damned thing would shatter the window. He sped up and hit another zombie and the truck bounced over the body. He gritted his teeth when he heard the bones snap and crack.
He pulled out onto the street and saw that there were more zombies wandering around aimlessly. He sped up a bit.
“Geez, I think we need a cow catcher on the front of the truck,” Zahara said.
“We need a better vehicle,” Ethan said.
“Yeah, got that. Let’s head to that dealership,” Xander said and began to maneuver around the bodies. He hated the thought of leaving his beloved truck, but he needed something a bit more substantial. He jerked when there was a thump from the back and turned to see a zombie standing in the bed of the truck. He jerked the steering wheel and the zombie toppled out.
“So, what in the hell are you?” Ethan asked Zahara. Xander leaned his head over and looked at the woman and she winked at him.
“I’m a werewolf, naturally.”
“You knew about this, Wilder? Does the agency?” Ethan asked, his voice rising.
“He’s a wolf boy too,” Zahara
