The Wolves in the Woods

Caught in a Jar

I turned my nightmares into fireflies and caught them in a jar.

— Laini Taylor

***

The people caught in the labyrinth fight for their lives.

***

              Salomon sped down the street, not caring about the countless roadside laws he was breaking. His hands grasped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles had begun to turn chalk white. The passengers in the car with him all folded their hands, praying to every higher power there was for the nightmare to pass without casualties. All around them, cars without owners sat in parking lots devoid of all life. No dogs were barking nor where there any business owners in their shops.

There weren't even any birds singing.

But none of that mattered at the moment.

SCREECH!!!

Running on pure willpower, Salomon parked his car, kicked his door open, and rounded the front to the passenger side, where a young boy had been sitting.

Click!

He swung the door open, allowing the young passenger to glide out of the car and to the back doors, with Salomon rounding the back to take the opposite side. With careful precision betraying his true age, the young boy held the door open for the elderly passenger.

The afternoon sun glinted off a turtle-shaped bracelet on the boy's wrist.

"Thank you, Jingyi," the old man in a Hawaiian shirt said, hobbling out of the car. Jingyi smiled, hoping to reassure the old man.

"It is my pleasure," the youth said. "Grandfather Fu."

Wang Fu smiled, grateful for the help the young man was giving him. With considerable effort and assistance from Jingyi, he huffed and propelled himself to the sidewalk. By some miracle, he was still standing with his cane in hand. Leaning on Jingyi's arm, he hobbled to the front of the car, where Salomon had assisted the other passenger.

"Marianne," Fu called. The ache in his lower back hampered his movement but not his will. His cane snagged on a stray pothole in the pavement. He wobbled, stumbled. The cane nearly flew out of his hand. But Jingyi's swift and strong hands kept him from tumbling onto the sidewalk. For that, Fu was grateful.

"Fu!" Marianne called, hobbling around the back on Salomon's arm. "Fu, are you alright?" The retired Guardian would have thrown her cane away and ran towards him had she not required the younger man's assistance.

"I'm fine," Fu grunted. Jingyi kept a firm grip on his arm to keep him from falling. "What about you?" Marianne shoved the question aside to focus on his well-being.

"I'll feel better knowing you are alright," the retired Guardian huffed. "Let me see." Without warning, she grasped Fu's chin and checked both sides of his face for any injuries. Jingyi and Salomon chuckled, the latter having seen this many, many times with the students at his previous school. Marianne had been an excellent school nurse before her retirement. She would be sorely missed by the student body.

"If you'll pardon me," Jingyi said. Both of the elders turned to look at him. "I think we've arrived at our destination." He pointed toward the Place des Vosges, where a large number of people had gathered around a labyrinth in a familiar pink color. Despite the commotion from the gathered crowd, they could still hear the screams of the people trapped inside. The newly arrived quartet carefully approached, spying the tall figures patrolling the premises.