The Escape

“S-Stay back!" Nyla gripped the pistol in her hands, the slick blood coating the grip making her fur feel sticky. “I-I'll shoot!" She remained rooted to the spot, her tail fleeing between her legs. Her hands shook so badly, she could barely hold on to the gun. Her shoulder burned from when he had bitten her before. Shoot him. That's not Keith anymore. That's not your husband. The thought replayed in her mind continuously, but she couldn't act on it. All she saw was the wolf she spent the last thirteen years with. Even dripping with blood, she couldn't acknowledge the monster she saw now.

            Keith continued his slow advance, not even acknowledging her threat. His arms hung at his sides, one arm bleeding from the cut she gave him before. He dragged one leg which had a hole in it from the officer's gun. Blood poured freely from the wound, but Keith showed no signs of pain. The same officer lay on the floor behind him, the mangled remains all that remained of the human. The wolf's brown fur stood on end, his lips pulled back into a snarl as blood dripped from his fangs. His eyes—the same blue eyes Nyla had fallen in love with—were lifeless like a doll's eyes. He didn't see her—no, he did see her.

            He just didn't care.

            How? Why? Is this my punishment because of what I did? Her time with Keith had been a good one. They met at a college party when she still had dreams of being a school teacher. She was young, just entering early twenties, while he was a little older. They continued to run into each other and eventually started hanging out. Hanging out turned into dating, and dating turned into marriage, taking three years total. Ten years later she was a graphic designer for an advertising company while he became the partner of a small construction business. It wasn't the ideal life she set out for, but it was good enough. He hardly ever raised his voice to her, he was always caring and considerate, he had no bad habits worth mentioning, and he never hit her.

            Now he was ready to kill her without a second thought. She just didn't understand why. He had been sick the last few days, and she took good care of him. Just this morning, he got out of bed claiming he felt better. He wanted to “thank" her for being such a good nurse, the beginnings of an erection rubbing against her buttocks giving away his plans.

            It was going to be a good morning. One minute he was licking her neck and telling her how much he loved her. The next, he was sinking his fangs into her shoulder like a piece of meat. She didn't know when she grabbed the knife, just that it was in her hands, and she had cut him. It didn't faze him. He continued to chase her around the house until the police arrived.

            Nyla shook her head forcing away the memories. She couldn't afford to lose focus. Keith had crossed half the gap between them and wasn't slowing down.

            Tears flowed freely down her face. “K-Keith, please. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Keith didn't respond. He continued his advance.

“Please. Don't—"

Keith snarled and lunged. Nyla squeezed the trigger out of reflex. The gun's boom was deafening, causing a ringing in her ears, and she felt the kickback in the bones of her hands. Images flashed through her mind. Their first meeting at the college party. Their first date where they ordered takeout because their dinner plans were ruined. Their first time making love—a moment she'd never forget. Their first apartment together, marking the beginning of their life together. Finally, the first time she lied to him marking the end of her perfect marriage. Keith's head jerked backward, pulling the rest of his body into an almost cartoonish flip. He landed on his back and lay still. Just like that, their ten-year marriage, ended.

Nyla dropped the gun to the floor and fell to her knees. Her ears still rang, and she wanted to vomit. Her eyes were glued to Keith's lifeless body bleeding on the rug they picked out together.

“Nyla!"

She jerked and saw Lincoln kneeling before her. His soft brown eyes looked into hers and his round soft face was twisted with worry and slick with sweat. Just yesterday, the idea of seeing Lincoln made her tail wag. Now, she wasn't sure how she felt about seeing him. At first, their interactions were just the casual hello when they saw each other. He was her neighbor, nothing more. She didn't know when things went beyond that. She just remembered waking up one morning with her arms wrapped around a human instead of the wolf she married. It was supposed to be a one-time mistake, but it became a two-time mistake, then a third. Eventually, they talked more than they had sex, and she found she enjoyed Lincoln's company more than Keith's. They had so much more in common. She started wishing she had met Lincoln first.

Nyla couldn't help but wonder if she hadn't had the affair, if she had been honest and gotten the divorce like she said she would on so many drunken nights, would this have happened?

“Nyla?" Lincoln shook her again. “Nyla, I know this is a lot to take in, but we can't stay here."

“Hey, is she okay?" Another human knelt next to the cop's remains on the floor. Unlike Lincoln, he was dressed like someone who lived in the woods, and he reeked of tobacco. His face looked as if someone carved it out of wood, and his voice was rough like his vocal cords were hugging sandpaper. “If she's done with her little 'episode' we need to go."

“Will you give us a minute, Dean?" Lincoln growled. “She just shot her fucking husband for christsakes!"

“She can cry about it later!"

Lincoln grumbled under his breath, gently took Nyla by the arm, and pulled her to her feet. He then pulled her close and led her to the door. His body shielded her from the view of Keith's and the officer's bodies. Nyla took in Lincoln's scent. Beneath the sweat, she could still smell his cologne. It calmed her down a little.

She didn't look around when they got outside. The sounds told the story: people rushing about, glass breaking, sirens blaring in the distance. Her mind felt hazy. Just this morning, there was nothing but the usual morning traffic outside.

She was sat down in the back seat of a car painted with mud and rust. Lincoln sat beside her and buckled her in. The other human, Dean, climbed into the driver's seat. Without a word, he started the engine and peeled off down the street. He weaved through the abandoned cars and running people that cluttered the street, even driving onto the sidewalk. The car creaked with every movement, but it moved smoothly and held together. The cops never appeared to stop him. It seemed they were busy getting the city under control.

Nyla sat silently and played with her wedding ring. On the days she was with Lincoln, she would take the ring off, but for now she wanted to keep it on. Lincoln held her and slowly stroked her hair while whispering how everything was going to be okay. His voice was soothing.

She knew it was all lies. How were they supposed to move on with their relationship given how things ended with her and Keith? That was assuming they lived through whatever happened.

After a few minutes, she found her voice. “Lincoln, what's going on?"

“I'm not sure. I just know that people are getting sick."

“No, the fuzzies are getting sick," Dean corrected. “By the way, sweetheart, if you show any signs of turning into one of 'em, I'll take you out my—"

Lincoln frowned at the back of Dean's head and pulled Nyla closer. “Dean!"

“Yeah, yeah. She's your problem now. I still think you're taking too big a risk. Even if she was human, how do you plan to explain—"

“Where are we going?" Nyla asked, hoping to change the subject and remind Dean she was in the car.

“Dean is a bit of a survival nut," Lincoln said. “He's got a bomb shelter we can hole-up in until this whole thing blows over."

Dean laughed. “ 'Blow over?' Cousin, you are living a lie. Have you never watched a zombie-apocalypse movie? We're not dealing with zombies, but its close enough."

“You watched enough of them for both of us."

“True. But now crazy-ass Dean is the one everyone wants to pull their dicks out of the fire." He looked at Nyla in the rearview. “Hey, sweetheart, if you got any family out here, you'll need to forget about 'em. Like I said, the fuzzies are the ones getting sick. I'm taking a big risk just adding you to the party; I won't be taking anyone else."

Nyla had no immediate family. She had a few cousins who lived in Canada somewhere hundreds of miles away. She did have friends, both human and anthro, whom she worried about, but she didn't say anything. As much as she hated leaving them behind, she was a plus one. She had no right to make any demands.

Dean swore as he swerved to avoid a human woman who had run into their path. “Listen, we can't stay at the bomb shelter. We need to get out of the city before they lock it down."

“What the hell are you talking about?" Lincoln asked. “A couple of anthros turn violent and suddenly the whole city goes on lockdown? Just give it a few days. I'm sure the police will—"

 “Cousin, we got fuzzies running around attacking people," Dean said firmly. “We have no idea why or what's happening to them. At best, they're gonna kill every fuzzy they see to be safe. The National Guard is probably on their way already. If we don't leave the city now, your girlfriend is fucked."

“She's n—Fine. We'll do things your way."

There were no further arguments. Dean offered his theories behind the sudden violent outbreak, everything from viral epidemic to government experiment to alien invasion. Nyla stared at her lap and half-listened to what he said. Lincoln held her and said nothing. Eventually, Dean stopped talking and turned on the radio. The few stations that were broadcasting all said the same thing: anthros across the country were going on sudden violent rampages and no one knew why. Several cities had already been locked down.

Nyla's heart sank with every broadcast. No one knew why her kind were attacking people. It meant that at any moment, she could turn. She could attack Lincoln, and he would have to put her down assuming he didn't die first. She squeezed her hands together. Her fur was now matted from the dried blood, and she could still hear the loud pop of the officer's pistol. If she closed her eyes, she could see Keith's face, wild and fierce, staring at her. She shuddered.

“Hey, Dean, can you turn that off?" Lincoln said. Dean switched off the radio, and Lincoln pulled Nyla closer and whispered. “Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you."

Nyla squeezed his arm and nodded.

Up ahead was a long line of cars leading to the highway's on-ramp. Dean brought their car to a stop at the end of the line.

“Nyla, get down," Lincoln said, leaning Nyla's head toward his lap. She had to unbuckle the seat belt to lay comfortably. Lincoln put his jacket over her head, and she tucked her tail beneath herself.

“This ain't good. This was the fastest route out of here," Dean said. “I didn't think things would be backed-up like this already."

“Dean, we can't stay here," Lincoln urged.

“I know. Just hold on."

The car began moving backwards then it came to a sudden stop.

“Shit! Some asshole is boxing me in. Come on, buddy! There's no point in staying here!" Dean cried. A moment of silence. “Okay, here we go."

“Dean!"

Someone screamed in the distance. It was a sound of pain and horror that made Nyla's fur stand on end. The car lurched and there was the sound of breaking glass and crunching metal.

The jacket was snatched off her head. She didn't want to sit-up and risk being seen, but Lincoln was opening the door and pulling her out. “The car's no good. We can't stay here."

Nyla quickly got out of the car. The front of the car had been smashed by the minivan in front of it. It looked as if the two vehicles had been welded together. They weren't driving anywhere. Two cars ahead of them, the door was wide open. She saw the tail of an anthro and blood covering the windows.

She turned away and followed Lincoln and Dean across the street into an alley. More people started screaming mixed with snarling. Many of those screams were silenced. She didn't look back.

The moment she reached the alley, something slammed into her from behind. The air rushed out of her lungs as she hit the ground, her attacker on top of her. Her head was pressed against the pavement, and something breathed onto the side of her face.

            The weight was snatched off. She pushed herself to her feet to see Lincoln and Dean struggling with a large canine anthro. He had short, black fur and pointed ears. He had the same lifeless look in his eyes Keith had. Dean and Lincoln pummeled the anthro, but he didn't seem to feel any pain.

            The anthro struck Dean in the face, sending him stumbling backward. He grabbed Lincoln, and bit down on his shoulder. Lincoln screamed and tried push the anthro off. He lost his balance and the two of them fell to the ground.

            Nyla leapt onto the anthro's back and wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing as hard as she could. The anthro stood up as easily as if she wasn't there, still holding Lincoln in his jaws. Dean rushed over and stabbed the anthro in the side.

            He didn't flinch as he shoved Dean against the wall. Nyla squeezed harder. His breathing was ragged from lack of air, but he refused to release Lincoln. Another anthro, this one a feline with black fur and dressed like someone going to a casual business party, rushed in. Nyla feared the feline would join in, but instead he stabbed the canine anthro in the chest. The canine's eyes widened in shock, and he released Lincoln. The feline stabbed the canine again. This time the canine fell to his knees. Nyla continued to hold on until she could no longer hear his growls then immediately checked on Lincoln.

            His shoulder was bleeding heavily. Already, he was looking pale. She folded his jacket and pressed it on the wound. “We need to take him to a hospital."

            “No good. All the hospitals are packed, if the infected haven't swarmed them already," the feline said. “The hospitals are always the first to fall in the event of an outbreak."

            “Speaking of infected, thank you for saving us," Dean said. “I didn't think fuzzies were that strong."

            “Whatever is happening, anyone infected seems to have above average strength and immunity to pain," the feline added.

            “You know a lot about this," Dean's skepticism was clear in his voice.

            “I don't know much else about it," the feline stated calmly. “I'm just stating what I've noticed so far."

            “Well, I noticed you seem awfully calm for someone who's essentially witnessing the end of the world."

            “Who cares?!" Nyla said. She helped Lincoln to his feet and faced the feline. “Thank you so much for your help. Would you mind helping us a bit longer? We need to get out of the city before it's too late."

            The feline pondered her offer, but she saw in his eyes his mind had already been made up. Eventually, he stuck out his hand. “Name's Sebastian, and I'll be glad to help you out. Honestly, I was hoping to tag along anyway."

            “So saving me wasn't entirely out of the goodness of your heart," Lincoln said through clenched teeth.

            “No. It's only a matter of time before all anthros become target practice. I'll live longer if I have some humans to vouch for me. Seeing as you already have one anthro with you, I know where you stand on the matter."

            Lincoln faced twisted in either disgust or pain as he stared at Sebastian. Nyla was also put off by Sebastian's attitude, but she appreciated his honesty. Knowing where they stood meant there would be no surprises later. “I'm Nyla, and this is Lincoln."

            Dean walked up standing at full height and looking Sebastian in the eye. “And my name's Dean. Look, I'm glad you saved my family and all, but it's bad enough, I can't turn my back on her"—he pointed at Nyla—“Adding another fuzzy is too risky."

            Sebastian shrugged. “How 'bout I sweeten the deal? A friend is trying to get a bus and evacuate as many people as possible before the city is locked down. You help me get there, and you three can be my guests."

            “Deal," Nyla said quickly. She gave Dean and Lincoln stern looks, silencing any objections. Lincoln was hurt, and they had no car and no supplies. She was willing to take whatever help was offered.

            Sebastian smiled. “Good. Do you have weapons?"

            “We got a gun and knives," Dean said.

            “That'll work. Let's try to hold off on the gun, though. I'm pretty sure more will be attracted by the sound. As for the knife, go for the heart or the throat. They're immune to pain, but they're not invincible."

            They started moving again. They stuck to alleys and avoided places where there were large groups of people, human or anthro. The anthros could be infected, and the humans might attack them fearing they were infected. All around them people were looting and destroying property. Cars and buildings burned. A few times, they passed a body laying in the street either torn apart or filled with bullet holes. It made Nyla feel sick. No one said anything except when to warn the others of something they saw or to suggest another route. Sebastian and Dean led the way, somehow communicating with each other without saying a word. Nyla stayed by Lincoln who was having a bad time with his shoulder wound. The bleeding had stopped, but it was clear he was in a lot of pain. He dripped with sweat, and he was breathing heavily. He could only walk a few blocks before needing to stop and rest.

            No one said anything, but he was slowing them down. Nyla knew it was only a matter of time before Sebastian suggested leaving him behind, and she knew what her response would be.

            “We're not gonna make it," Lincoln said. “I'm slowing you all down."

            They stopped and turned to Lincoln in surprise.

            “What are you suggesting?" Sebastian said. “You can't expect us to leave you here."

            “What? We're not leaving anyone," Nyla argued.

            “Exactly. You can't expect me to leave you, cousin," Dean added. 

            Lincoln leaned against the wall. His shirt clung to his sweat-soaked chest, and he was looking very pale.  “It's okay. I'm barely walking, and I can't run. If we get attacked again—"

            Nyla shook her head. “Lincoln—"

            “—we're not gonna make it. You have to—"

            Nyla slapped him, hard. The sound echoed through the alley, swallowing all other sounds as if the whole world had been stunned into silence. Nyla ignored the stinging in her hand and glared at him. “Don't even think about starting that 'heroic speech' bullshit. We are getting out of here together." She faced the others, daring them to challenge her.

            No one argued. Nyla took their silence as acceptance and pulled Lincoln's arm over her shoulder. They walked a few feet when they heard growling behind them. Two infected canine anthros had wandered into the alley. The infected stared at their soon-to-be prey with wild eyes.

Dean drew his pistol and walked to the front of the group. “You three go on ahead. I'll catch up."

“But—"

“No time to argue," Dean shouted. The infected snarled and charged. Dean fired two shots, hitting one of the infected in the leg. The canine hit the ground, and his companion tripped over him. The two snarled and bit at each other trying to get up first. “I can outrun 'em. Lincoln can't. Go on ahead and I'll draw them away."

Nyla was about to argue when Sebastian touched her shoulder. There was no time to argue, not if she wanted to get Lincoln somewhere safe. They hurried down the alley. Dean shouted curses at the infected and fired more shots. Nyla didn't look back.

They moved as fast as they could until Dean's shouts could no longer be heard. Nyla fought the feeling of guilt twisting in the pit of her stomach. All that talk of not leaving anyone behind, yet she folded so easily when Dean stayed back. If it had been Lincoln, there would have been no convincing her.

“It's okay," Lincoln said. “Dean will be fine. He's trained for this kind of thing."

“Your cousin is ex-military or something?" Sebastian asked.

Lincoln made a dry wheeze that Nyla assumed was supposed to be laughter. “He always said the world was gonna end one way or another. Viral outbreak, massive earthquake, robot takeover—"

“I'm starting to think I found the wrong humans to get involved with."

Lincoln laughed again, but it quickly turned into a fit of coughing. Nyla's stomach flipped when she saw blood.

“How much further?" Nyla asked.

Sebastian stopped and looked around. “Another block or two."

The next block seemed to stretch on forever. Every sound Nyla heard, she jumped fearing it was another infected anthro coming to attack them. Sebastian was also tense. His fur stood on end and his ears swiveled in the direction of every sound. Lincoln's condition was worsening. His eyes were dull, his breathing had become ragged, and he was moving more slowly. Nyla was practically dragging him.

“Just a little farther," she whispered into his ear. “You're going to be okay. Once we get out of here we can get your shoulder looked at, and then we can figure out our next move." She had no idea what their next move was going to be. She wanted to be with Lincoln, but to just turn around and jump into the arms of another man so soon after Keith's death felt wrong. But Lincoln wasn't just any man; he was someone she loved and wanted to be with. There were nights where they would hold and talk to each other while watching the sun rise from the window of their hotel room. She never had moments like that with Keith, nights where they would sit up all night, talking about nothing. She enjoyed Keith's company as well, but sometimes she felt as if Keith saw her as something beautiful and precious rather than a living, breathing individual. She wondered if Keith knew about the affair. Some of the nights when she lied about going to be with friends, she saw the pain in his face. He never spoke on it, but some spouses never did. Maybe he never spoke on it because she came home to him each night. He had resided himself to a contract, ignoring his wife's infidelities, in exchange for her staying with him. To keep this beautiful precious thing by his side. Sometimes, she imagined leaving her husband and starting a new life with Lincoln, but the idea of leaving her husband simply because she wanted to be with someone else felt wrong. Now that Keith was gone, nothing stood in her way. They could be together with no strings attached.

But then why did she feel so guilty?

Sebastian spoke, snapping her out of her thoughts. “We're need to move!"

Nyla looked over her shoulder and saw at least a dozen infected rushing toward them with more on the way. She got Lincoln into a better position to start running. “Come on, Lincoln! Just a little farther."

“N-Nyla…you have…to leave—" Lincoln began.

“Shut up!" She knew he was probably right. Lincoln couldn't even manage a half-jog; she was essentially trying to run while carrying a grown man. She blinked away the tears blurring her vision. She could hear them getting closer, their snarls growing more savage and excited.

I have to leave him, she thought. If I leave him behind, it will slow them down.

She shook her head furiously to chase the thoughts away. Leaving Lincoln behind wasn't an option, period.

But it was so easy to put a bullet in your husband wasn't it? Her mind taunted. You had no problems letting him die. What if there was a cure? What if he could be saved? You didn't even bother to try and save him. Not surprising. You've been lying to him for years, watching him die inside. That you were the one who killed him is almost poetic.

She tried to push the thoughts away. An infected caught up to them, trying to ambush them from the side. Nyla took the pistol from Lincoln's waistband, the one he took from her, and fired. She was aiming for its head, but the shot was wide, clipping the side of its face. It was good enough to catch it off guard and send it sprawling along the ground.

            They rounded the corner. Sitting in the middle of the street was the bus Sebastian mentioned. Nyla had expected a large yellow school bus. This one was a large white coach bus. She didn't care if it was a motorized wagon so long as it got her and Lincoln to safety.

            Something struck them from behind. She lost her balance and fell, pulling Lincoln on top of her. She tried to get up, but one of the infected jumped onto Lincoln's back, the extra weight forcing the air out of her lungs. The infected bit into Lincoln's back and he screamed. Nyla pressed the pistol against the infected's temple and fired. Part of its head exploded, showering her in blood and bone. She ignored the renewed ringing in her ears.

            Several shots rang out in rapid succession, and the growling of the infected had grown significantly quieter. Dean appeared and pulled the infected anthro off them and helped them to their feet. Dean's face was covered in blood and sweat, but he seemed fine. The infected closest to them lay dead in the street, the survivors tripping and fighting one another to get their prey first.

Dean pulled Lincoln's other arm over his shoulder, and they were able to get him on the bus. Sebastian held the remaining infected at bay using an assault rifle he had to have gotten from the bus. Nyla wondered why a transport bus would be carrying such firepower, and how Sebastian was so good at using it. Sebastian waited until they were safely on-board then joined them. The driver then closed the doors and peeled off down the street.

An anthro on the bus gave Nyla some gauze and disinfectant to treat Lincoln. The places where he had been bitten were swollen and discolored. His skin seemed paler than ever and felt cold and oily. She cradled Lincoln's head to her breast and held a hand over his heart. They used to lay like this on many nights after their passionate lovemaking. Nyla found it comforting how their heartbeats would eventually sync. It always put her doubts to rest. She tried to ignore the guilt of considering even for a moment to leave him behind and save herself.

Sebastian stood next to the driver, the two engaged in conversation. Dean rose from his seat and approached Sebastian. “I just want to thank you for saving my family's skin back there," he said, offering the feline a handshake. “You didn't need to save 'em or wait for us."

            Sebastian shook Dean's hand. “We had a deal, remember? You helped me get to the bus, so you three will be my guests. The whole world is likely going to shit, so it pays to have people you can trust, right?"

            Dean nodded and returned to his seat. Nyla again felt a pang of guilt. She couldn't be trusted, not after what she'd done. She looked around the bus and noticed that everyone, except for Dean and Lincoln were anthros. They were scared. It was plain in their faces and in the tension in the air. She didn't say anything. With the anthros going berserk, no one else would be looking out for them.

            The driver avoided the main highways, instead driving to an old road that led out of the city. The road hadn't been maintained in years, so it was a bumpy ride, not that anyone complained. It wasn't until Sebastian announced they were outside city limits that everyone calmed down. They began talking to one another about where they could go, their families and how to contact them, and how they would rebuild their lives.

            The rumble of the engine drowned out most of the conversation happening around Nyla, not that she was listening. She couldn't feel Lincoln's heartbeat. Even with the sweat and grime on his face, he looked so peaceful. She continued to hug him, tears streaming silently down her face.