赤裸裸的滑稽故事

“Axel!” Ashleigh screamed as she ran to her brother’s side.

“Ash…” Axel replied with a grunt. “I’m okay, I’m okay.”

“Alpha!” a man called from nearby when he saw Caleb, “we have killed the stragglers, but several got away.”

“Do you have a medic with you?” Caleb asked.

One of the men ran forward holding his med kit, and Caleb directed him to Axel.

Ashleigh pulled back on Axel’s shirt; the blood was all over his neck and collarbone, but she could see only one wound. A deep gash above the clavicle with six marks surrounding it.

“What the hell happened?” she asked.

Axel furrowed his brow as he thought for a moment.

“This might be the blood loss talking… but I think I was attacked by a giant blood-sucking frog….”

“It’s not the blood loss, at least not entirely. I saw it,” Ashleigh reassured him as she took his hand while the medic cleaned the wound and began stitching it together.

“The convoy was attacked. At first, it was just the wolves, crazy, foaming-at-the-mouth wolves, but then the fae appeared with them. Two cars were knocked off the road, but all the civilians managed

to get into another car.”

“One of the drivers didn’t make it,” Galen said. “What happened to the rest of the convoy?”

Axel looked up at Galen.

“I made them leave us. They were long gone before the attackers had any opportunity to try and give chase.”

Galen licked his lips nervously.

“Have you heard from them?” he asked.

Axel shook his head.

“We’ve been fighting for a while now. There was one of those tree monsters and a lot of bat-looking things. Plus, the wolves were like the ones that attacked Winter. Completely crazed, still trying to attack even after their bodies were cut in half,” Axel said.

“Sir, the attackers, were pretty focused on us,” said one of the soldiers. “They only chased after the convoy initially, but once we all left the cars, they let them go and just stayed on us.”

Caleb looked at his men, emerging from the trees after chasing down the stragglers. They were worn out and some injured. He looked back down at Axel. It was clear he had taken the brunt of the attack.

“Did they focus on you or Alpha Axel?” Caleb asked.

The man furrowed his brow, then looked at Axel and seemed to consider the question for a while.

“Now that you say it, they seemed most interested in the Alpha.”

“Caleb…” Ashleigh said softly as she stood and moved closer to him. “That creature… it took his blood, maybe a lot of it.”

“How did they know?” he growled.

Caleb’s phone buzzed.

“Hello?” he answered, “That’s great news.”

Ashleigh watched his expression. There was a slight furrow of his brows that was quickly erased.

“I see. We will see to it as soon as we get back. I will inform the others.”

He hung up the phone and turned to Galen and Axel.

“That was mom. She just got a call from Corrine. The convoy is almost in Winter and they have two escort teams with them for the rest of the journey.”

Galen closed his eyes and let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding.

Axel sighed and relaxed a little.

Caleb turned to his soldiers.

“You will take one of the trucks that should be arriving momentarily, continue your mission, and deliver Alpha Axel to Winter. Rejoin with the convoy team and return after a rest.”

“Yes, my Alpha!” they shouted in unison.

Caleb nodded and eyed Ashleigh and Galen.

“We need to return home now.”

Galen nodded and moved toward the road.

The medic helped Axel to his feet.

“Is everything alright?” he asked.

“Yes, just need to clear up a few issues back home.”

Axel nodded and turned to Ashleigh.

“Is Alice alright?” he asked.

Ashleigh smiled.

“When we left, she worried about you, but she was going to rest.”

Axel nodded.

“Tell her to call me.”

“I will,” Ashleigh said gently.

“How did you even know we were in danger?” Axel asked.

Ashleigh looked at Caleb.

“We really need to go,” he said.

“I will give you a call later, Axel. I promise I’ll tell you everything.”

***

Caleb did not explain the problem. He told Galen to stay with the team that arrived from Summer and began the cleanup of the two cars and the bodies. While he and Ashleigh shifted and returned home. Once they had made it back, he led her to the guest suites.

“Caleb, what is going on?” Ashleigh asked.

“It’s Alice,” he replied.

“What?” Ashleigh said. “If something is wrong with her, we should have told Axel!”

“She’s fine,” he replied. “But she claims to be the reason the convoy was attacked.”

“What?” Ashleigh asked in surprise. “What are you talking about?”

“I don’t know, Ash. Mom said Alice was upset and said it was her fault.”

They approached the room that Alice and Axel had shared.

Caleb knocked and then opened the door.

Alice sat on the couch, rocking back and forth with her fingers tangled into her hair. On the desk, her laptop was smashed to pieces. Likely by the small, now chipped, decorative statue that sat beside it.

Ashleigh looked at the mess and the state that she was in. Axel had told her that the lesions caused breaks in her memory and that she might do strange or confusing things.

“Alice…” Ashleigh called to her, moving to sit in the chair beside the couch.

Alice sat up, taking deep breaths as she looked at Ashleigh. Her expression was concerned, and her eyes were wet with tears. But they looked focused, angry perhaps, but not lost.

“Are you okay?” Ashleigh asked.

Alice’s brows furrowed.

“Am I okay?” she asked. “What are you… is Axel okay?!”

“He’s alright,” Caleb said. “He was injured, but he’ll be fine. The rest of the convoy made it to Winter. He is on his way there now.”

Alice closed her eyes and let out a breath of relief.

Ashleigh noticed that she brought her hand up to her collarbone and rubbed it. The skin that poked out from under her shirt was pink and irritated.

“Is there something on your collarbone?” Ashleigh asked.

Alice glanced down at her hand; she moved it away.

“It hurt,” she said, then looked up at Ashleigh. “Is he really alright?”

Ashleigh nodded.

“Are you…?”

Alice looked at her with a questioning glance.

Ashleigh pointed to the laptop.

Taking a deep breath, Alice sat back against the sofa.

“It’s my fault,” she said. “I am the reason for the attack.”

“What do you mean?” Ashleigh asked.

“I wasn’t careful,” Alice replied. “I should have known better.”

“Please, Alice,” Caleb said. “Tell us what you mean.”

“I didn’t check…I didn’t….” Alice tried to answer, but she was struggling to find the right words.

She let out a frustrated growl and stood up. Alice walked to the desk and then picked up a flash drive.

“I didn’t check!” she growled.

Caleb took it from her hand. He looked at it but saw nothing that identified what it was beyond a flash drive. But then he remembered the package she had received.

“Is this the video that Roman sent you?” he asked.

Alice nodded.

“He rode it,” she said. “It delivered him the words.”

Alice clenched her teeth and closed her eyes, letting out a frustrated sigh.

“Alice…” Ashleigh said. “Are you having trouble remembering your words?”

Alice nodded sadly.

“I think we should see the doctor; we need another scan.”

Ashleigh stood up, but Alice moved back. She grabbed the laptop and held it up.

“He rode it! It delivered him the words! I didn’t check! I wasn’t careful!” Alice shouted. Tears fell from her eyes.

“I understand,” Caleb said, nodding and setting the flash drive down to take the laptop from her. “I get it. Was there a virus? Or a backdoor in the video?”

“He rode it!” Alice nodded.

“Okay, okay… I will have Nessa take a look at it and have her run a full security sweep. But you need to go see the doctor for now.”

“This box… is filled with cursed treasures….” Alice whispered, touching the laptop.

“Okay…” Caleb whispered, “I got it.”

Ashleigh took Alice by the shoulders, gently leading her to the door.