Page 17 of Locke

He didn’t answer, because why would he? He was an animal. Probably the beast that’d been roaming the forest, and, for some crazy-ass reason, had decided to be my best friend.

I let out a heavy breath and put my hand under his jaw to stroke it. There wasn’t any fur there, but it was mostly clean of blood. He was damp, like he just bathed in the lake, too.

Well, at least the thing has some manners for a savage beast.

It’s official. Not here twenty-four hours, and I’ve got a biker club I can’t make sense of, a beast that thinks I’m his best friend and a hand.

I should cut my losses and leave. Take up two jobs and go somewhere else.

With someone finding me here, I would have to move my RV. Drive ten-twenty miles out of town and drive in back into town when I needed. It would be a nuisance. I could try to work it out but I couldn’t stay here.

The only problem is getting this wolf to understand that.

“Please don’t eat me,” I warn the wolf, “and I won’t shoo you off.”

The wolf’s head cocked to the side, and I lifted my lip up into a smile.

The wolf backed away as I got up to grab some supplies for cleaning. I took the severed appendage with a gloved hand and tossed it outside. The wolf huffed in annoyance and trotted outside, while I began the job of cleaning out the RV.

It didn’t take me long; I have a lot of bleach for accidents and before I knew it, I was done and my RV smelled like the inside of a chlorinated pool.

When I stepped out, I saw my wolf holding the hand and wagging his tail, as if I was supposed to take it.

“Yeah, I don’t want that thing.” I shook my head. “Thanks for protecting the fort, but ah, yeah, we should dispose of that.” I pointed to the hand he was holding onto, by its middle finger.

Well, excuse you.

“Where did you put the body, anyway? Maybe I can see if I recognize the guy.” I stepped over to the bushes where the leaves and twigs had been disturbed and saw just a pile of shredded clothes. The wolf trotted up beside me and sat down, gazing up at me.

“You… ate him?” I made a face of disgust.

He growled at the tattered clothes like they were going to harm me. He scratched at it and started digging. The dirt beneath the clothes was displaced, and I saw that the soil was loose and fresh.

I sighed in relief, “Oh, you buried it.” Then wiped my nose with the back of my arm.

I kneeled and ruffled through the scraps of clothing. This wolf was smarter than he looked, and I looked him up and down again.

Maybe hewasa werewolf.

I shook my head.No, he couldn’t be. He really couldn’t. Most animals like to bury their stuff. He just buried it for later. Then, he would come back and eat it.

I dry heaved, and the wolf looked at me with a cocked head.

“Sorry, I can’t stand the smell of blood.”

I went to pick up the clothes, but they were nothing but rags. Pulling out my phone and switching on the flashlight, since the moonlight wasn’t enough, I dug around in the dirt, and looked around more. Closer to the trunk of the tree I saw a small square.

Bingo! We have a wallet.

I found the ID and pulled it out. The face meant nothing to me and neither did the name.

I tucked the ID into my pocket for later use and looked around the area for anymore items. The only thing left were bullets and a phone with a cracked screen. I’d have to go through that, and then destroy it. If it had a tracker in it I might need to drive out of town and dispose of it.

I stood, satisfied with my find, and grabbed the scraps of clothes to throw away in town. The wolf followed me closely, and I watched him as he took the same strides as me.

Why was he so close to me? Why so attached to a random human?

Was it because I was a female? A reminder of an old handler?