Enemy Within (Moira Ashe Book 1)

Lincoln woke up sweating. He swung his legs off the edge of the bed and sat hunched over. He picked the locket off the nightstand and opened it. Inside was a portrait of him and his wife, Angela.

Lincoln slowed his breathing as he tried to forget the contents of his nightmare. It was the same dream he had experienced over the last three weeks, ever since the outbreak. It had become less common the more time passed since that terrible night. Lincoln sat there for some time staring at the picture of his wife. He shook his head clear before snapping it shut.

He looped the locket around his neck as he rose from his bed. Getting dressed in his new clothes, Lincoln looked out the window. It was late afternoon from what he could tell past the tree outside his window. It should be time soon for his hunt with Moira, Lincoln thought to himself as he wrapped his belt around his waist. If he was lucky, this whole business would be over and done with tonight, but if he was being honest with himself, he did enjoy Moira’s company.

His black notebook lay open on his windowsill, the freshly dried ink recounting Moira’s divulged knowledge, amongst other things.

Lincoln finished buckling his belt when a knock came at his door. He hurried flipped the notebook shut and then opened the door. Moira stood in his doorway fully armed. He was relieved to see her. After she’d found out about Ryan’s stance on their arrangement, he’d been a little worried that she would leave him behind.

“Ready to go?”

“Almost.” Lincoln left the door open. He slipped the notebook into his coat and then grabbed his pistol. His body quivered but his hand was steady as he placed the weapon into its holster and returned to the door. “Lead the way.”

Moira turned and strode down to the inn with Lincoln following close behind.

While he’d been asleep the inn came to life. No longer empty of patrons, the place was filled with noise. Some of it came from the musicians playing inside, but most came from the people themselves as the men and women laughed and talked after a day of work. The sight of it all confused him. All this joy and jubilation while death itself stalked their homes. He followed Moira through the crowds and out into the evening streets.

They said nothing to each other as they reached the front gates of the town. The guard on duty spotted their approach and yelled for the gates to open. The two large doors parted, allowing Moira and Lincoln to pass through without having to stop and closed again when they cleared the threshold.

Moira unslung her weapon and tossed her head to the right. “This way. Keep quiet.”

Lincoln nodded and fell in behind her as they began their hunt through the forest. Moira constantly moved her head back and forth as they walked, compensating for her limited field of view. She also stopped whenever she heard a suspicious noise, holding up her hand to signal Lincoln to wait. But those occasions were few and far between as they travelled through the forest, and only served to startle Lincoln on an otherwise uneventful stroll. They travelled for a short time in complete silence.

Soon Moira stopped and turned to Lincoln. She gestured to a nearby tree. “Climb up.”

Lincoln inspected the tree. There was nothing particularly outstanding about this tree when compared to the others around it.

Lincoln raised his eyebrow. “Why this one?”

Moira rolled her eye. “Just trust me, all right?”

Lincoln didn’t like the idea, but he complied with her request. He reflected on the fact that he hadn’t climbed many trees in his life as he attempted to pull himself up the tree’s limbs. After successfully raising himself a few feet off the ground, Lincoln stopped and started trying to make himself comfortable.

“Higher.”

Lincoln looked to the ground to see Moira pointing at a branch farther above him. “That one there.”

Lincoln sighed and climbed to the branch above him. Achieving his goal, he looked down at Moira. “Good enough?”

Moira nodded and began her ascent up the tree.

Lincoln couldn’t help but be impressed by her skills. Unlike him, she got to the branch on the opposite side of the tree’s trunk in several seconds!

Lincoln was still very conscious of staying on his perch. He couldn’t see Moira on the other side of the tree, but he turned his head to the right anyway. “Climb trees often?”

Moira responded. “When the occasion calls for it.”

Lincoln turned his head forward. “So, what are we doing up here anyway?”

“We won’t get ambushed up here,” she explained.

They sat in the tree for some time. The only sounds heard were the creatures that called the forest their home. And the only noticeable change was the encroaching darkness of the night.

Lincoln yawned.

“Don’t fall asleep.”

Lincoln shook his head. “Any idea how long this is going to take?”

“No idea.”

Lincoln rested his head back against the tree trunk. “You said you weren’t originally from here?”

Moira responded with a quick. “Uh huh.”

Lincoln closed his eyes. “Where are you from?”

There was no response for several seconds until Moira said quietly, “Brinn.”

Lincoln had to strain to hear her answer. “Where’s that?”

“It’s several miles north of here.”

“Why did you leave?”

He heard the sound of Moira shifting position. “Because I had to.”

“But why?”

Moira didn’t answer. Instead, she asked a question of her own. “What is your job?”

“I’m a medical officer.”

There was some surprise in her voice. “A medic.”

“That’s right.”

“Have you ever used that pistol of yours.”

“I’m trained, if that’s what you’re asking.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. I was worried you wouldn’t be able to defend yourself.” She then added. “I guess that’s why they sent you.”

Lincoln smiled. “That, and I volunteered.”

Surprise crept into her voice again. “Why did you do that?”

Lincoln replied sadly. “Because I saw first-hand the destruction these things can cause.”

Moira’s mood darkened as well. “What happened?”

Lincoln touched the locket around his neck. “My wife, Angela, and I were out for the night when we witnessed an attack.”

“You’re married?”

“Yeah.”

“What happened?”

“I would rather not talk about it. But they took the thing down … eventually.”

Moira replied, “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, I am too.”

A few seconds passed before Moira asked. “Where’s your ring?”

Lincoln rubbed where his ring had been, silently choking back his tears at the memory of his wife. Finally, he changed the subject in reply, “Any idea who this werewolf is?”

Moira shrugged. “I’ve narrowed it down to two people. James Nolan and Kelly William.”

“Who are they?”

“They’re two guards from the first attack.”

“Why them?”

She sighed. “James swears that Kelly is the killer, but we haven’t found him. And with the attacks so close to town, we would have found him by now.”

“So you think James is the killer and is using Kelly’s disappearance to throw suspicion off of himself?”

“I do, but the more I find out about James the more I’m convinced he’s innocent.” Moira sighed. “If I could find a bite on him, I could prove that he’s the one. But it could also be some unknown person from the woods. A lot of the beasts come from the bandits that roam some of the roads.”

Lincoln was about to respond when a scream shattered the calm. Lincoln bolted into a seating position and opened his eyes. Moira, on the other hand, had already jumped to the ground and was running towards the sound. Lincoln yelled for her to wait for him as he climbed down the branches.

The sound of yelling and gunfire joined the scream as Lincoln ran to catch up with Moira. New screams replaced the first, and as he came closer, Lincoln heard the inhuman snarls that had haunted his dreams for the past weeks. Lincoln could barely see anything as he tried to make his way through the darkness. His heart was still racing as he burst out of the foliage. A half dozen rifles swung in his direction as gasps and wails escaped the throats of the men holding them.

“Whoa! Don’t shoot.” Moira leapt between them. “It’s okay. He’s with me.”

A collective exhale left the group as they raised their guns. Moira sequestered them away, all of them with their weapons shaking in their white-knuckled hands as their heads darted in every direction. The group began pointing and gesturing as Lincoln moved to examine the area.

The body of a mauled guard was spread near a thicker cluster of foliage. The guard’s right shoulder and arm were almost torn from his body, and his chest had been shredded by the creature’s claws. Another man, still alive, was sitting on the ground. He was shaking, taking long drinks from his canteen. Other men in the group talking with Moira followed his lead. The man’s arm was wrapped with fabric that had turned dark red from heavy bleeding.

Lincoln rushed over to the man. “Can I see your wound, please?” He reached out to hold the man’s arm. “I’m a medic.”

The man winced and swore as Lincoln unwrapped the bandage.

“What’s your name?” Lincoln asked the man.

The man’s voice was shaky. “Kaleb, Kaleb Gallagher.”

Lincoln finished unwrapping the bandage and exposed the wound. Lincoln gasped when he saw it. It was a bite, and it was bad.

Moira’s eye widened when she turned to them and spotted the wound. She quickly stepped towards them, reaching into her coat.

The man turned to her, sobbing. He began pleading for his life as she drew the pistol on him. He held up his hands to defend himself. “Please, my family!”

Moira didn’t hesitate. She fired.

Lincoln was speechless as Kaleb fell lifeless to the ground. He stared at Moira as she replaced the weapon back into its holster.

She looked back at him and pointed towards blood streaks leading away from the group. “He’s dragged another body away from here. We need to find it.”

He yelled at her. “What the hell is wrong with you!”

Moira was taken aback. “Excuse me?”

Lincoln howled, “You just killed that man!”

“He got bit. He would have turned—given enough time—and the last thing we need right now is having two of them running around!”

Lincoln looked over at the other guards. All of them were standing around with their heads hung low. None of them joined the argument.

Moira growled. “We don’t have time for this! Are you coming or not?”

Lincoln glared at her, “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

Responding with only a glare in kind, Moira turned and ran after the beast.