Another Half

May 2011

Blade lay on the clean cot and stared out the two long, slender skylights with thick glass in the middle of her prison cell. The skylights were separated by a slender concrete division. The walls of the cell were paved with grey cement, rough to the touch. She imagined this prison would be an icebox during winter.

It was a dark, moonless night outside, and she wondered whose bright idea it was to build a prison cell with an escape hatch in the ceiling.

She touched the bump on the back of the head, where Maverick had slammed it against the wall. It still hurt, and there was now a large bump. While she would have liked to take one of her knives and carve out Maverick’s belly button along with everything attached to it, her first order of business was to get out of there, look for Caroline, and—-big belly and all—-cart her off and save her from the monster that had already decided to kill her and her pup.

But Blade had to wait. There was still a lot of noise and movement going on in the prison for several hours after Maverick left her cell.

It was a couple of hours after what Blade felt was midnight when she got up and put her ear against the thick metal door to make sure no one was close. She looked at the cell door more closely and, just as she had thought, all the door’s locking hardware as well as the pins that held it to the frame was on the outside. She didn’t even bother taking out her lockpicks from her boot.

She stood under the skylights. Either skylight might be wide enough for her to squeeze through if she sucked in her stomach as close against her spine as it could go. There was nothing she could do about her breasts, though. Blade snickered and remembered how Nick had encouraged her to get a boob job.

As if that would have made a difference, Blade thought. She was neither well-endowed nor flat-chested.

I’m glad we said no, Talon said. Can’t take your boobs off when you’re escaping prison!

Blade grinned while she further studied the skylights. She estimated they were perhaps nine feet from the floor, but she couldn’t determine if they were made of plastic or glass.

My money is on glass, Talon said.

Let’s see if you’re right.

Blade took off her black t-shirt and readjusted her black sports bra. She tore the shirt in half as she walked to the far wall, where the silver chains lay on the floor. The faint fumes from the silver irritated her nose. She ripped the shirt into long strips and used them to carefully wrapped each hand. Once her hands were protected, she pulled out the silver chains. Each chain was about three-feet long and had a wide cuff attached at one end. There were two iron rings built into the cement wall where the chains should have been attached.

Why are the chains on the floor? Blade asked her wolf.

She looked around the cell. Everything was new.

Blade laughed out loud. No wonder they were excited to have her. They’d never had a prisoner before, and this was a brand-new dungeon that hadn’t even had its chains installed yet. It also explained why they had skylights, of all things, and why they didn’t put her in chains, as they should have.

I guess they don’t have much experience with prisons and prisoners, Talon said.

When Rachel said that this valley had been at peace for several decades, this is what she meant, Blade thought. They forgot how to be at war.

All of this gave Blade hope that it would be easier to escape than she had anticipated.

She took both chains and tied the end of one chain into the cuff of the other. Then, swinging the elongated chain, she slammed the other cuff against one of the skylights. It cracked and chipped. Four tries later, the skylight shattered. Ten minutes later, the floor was littered with the shattered glass of both skylights and the cool air of the silent night rushed into the cell.

Aware that she had made a lot of noise while breaking the glass, she waited to hear if the noise had alerted her jailers, but she didn’t hear anything, not even crickets or wind disturbing the trees. Everything was silent and still as if the night itself was waiting for something to happen. A soft shiver of anxiety ran down Blade’s spine, leaving her frozen and on high alert.

A loud wolf’s howl pierced through the heavy silence. Blade immediately recognized it as an alpha’s call to war. It sounded close but still outside the town.

Was that Maverick’s wolf? Blade asked Talon.

I don’t think so—

The howling of what sounded like an approaching stampede of several hundred wolves rushing and answering their alpha’s call cut off Talon. Surprised, Blade stared up at the ceiling.

What’s going on out there?!

Blade! We have to get out of here! This pack’s under attack!

Caroline! We have to get to Caroline!

We may no longer have time, Blade! Think of Andy! We have to run NOW!

No longer caring if anyone heard her, Blade swung one end of the chains and threw it over the concrete division between the skylights. She managed to grab both ends of the chain and haul herself to the roof of the prison through one of the empty skylights. She remained on her stomach as she inched toward the part of the prison that overlooked the main street.

Hundreds of growling and snarling wolves poured onto the street and headed forward. One, in particular, stood out. Maverick's wolf was a large wolf whose specific coloring Blade couldn’t make out in the dark. He led the wolves through the streets, past the prison building, and out of her view through the nearby treeline.

Fortunately, the Pack House was in the opposite direction of town, and she made her way to the back of the prison. She kept an eye and a nose out for sentries, but she could perceive none.

Blade had no idea who the invading pack was, but she was grateful to them for the distraction.

Blade, we have to run. We can’t get caught again by either Maverick’s pack or by the invaders.

We can’t leave Caroline. She and her baby need us.

Andy needs us more.

Once Blade was at the back of the building, she stood up and assessed the height of the one-story building. Still wary of any prying eyes, Blade gave herself a good running start before jumping into the air, flipping twice in the air, and landing on her feet and knees bent. She looked around and ran towards the Pack House, keeping to the trees in the back of the buildings.

Blade reached the Pack House and hid behind thick trees in front of the back door. She looked up to the third floor, where a single light flickered, and focused her hearing on that room.

Someone was grunting and moaning inside that room, but she couldn’t identify if it was a woman or a man, or if they grunted out of pain, distress, or—

A sudden infant’s cry answered her questions, and she felt her heart soften and break. She was too late. There was no way to escape with a newborn pup in tow.

Blade turned around as something approached, only to watch a light-furred wolf shift into a very naked Griggs.

“Seems like you need help getting back to your cell, love.”