Crissa's Mate

Chapter Twenty

The clock on Crissa's room wall told her it was still early in the night when she had been awakened so suddenly from the erotic yet frightful dream. The image of David as a wolf leaving her bed was a shock. It was only eleven o'clock and deathly quiet in the hotel when she then decided to go down into the lobby to see what the others were doing. She knew it would be an effort for them as well, waiting out the night for the return of their colleagues, and now just days before they were scheduled to return to Berlin and their flight home.

Crissa tried to imagine as she walked down the stairs in the darkness what would happen if the two cursed researchers were not to return as expected this night or the next in their human form. There would of course be a contingent plan by the professor to wait longer or search for them. But the four remaining still under the direction of Dr. Dekker were now also counting the hours to leave the remote and afflicted area of Eastern Germany. 

While an otherwise picturesque and charming place to stay, it had become a tortuous and nightmarish prison to them. Aside from the tragedy of losing their colleagues to the night, having no Internet connection or phone lines to report the incident had made it particularly difficult for them to cope with what had happened. Crissa herself, had made an understanding with her mother before leaving, that if she did not hear from her over the ten-day period, she should not to be alarmed. Nevertheless, without any contact over these past seven days and nights, she knew both her mother and father were already asking questions and becoming concerned.

The critical issue, of course, was not lact of contact with parents, but what David and Julie would even tell their families of the bizarre and tragic fate which had befallen the two of them. As Jannick had told her that evening, the two would now have to live in parallel worlds. And Crissa envisioned that new life would need to be totally masked in secrecy.

As she passed down the darkened stairway, she could see the lights in the large building were again shut off. An eerie feeling gripped her as she felt her way to the bottom of the stairs and onward down the hallway to the dining area. Soon she could make out the flickering light of the fireplace and could hear the gentle sound of voices in conversation.

Entering the large room, she could see that everyone was sitting around the fire, trying to share company in what was sure to be another sleepless and fearful night. Brad saw her first and left the group to come to her side as she approached.

"How was your sleep," he asked in a caring voice. "We figured you cashed-out after what happened today. I noticed your door was locked so I just took the hint. To leave you to your rest."

"God, Brad," she said excitedly, walking at his side to toward the fireplace where sat Josh and Mary.  "I had the most shocking dream just now! "

"Yeah, well we don't need nightmares around here, Crissa. We live  them, remember?"

"I know, but this was so real, Brad!  It was awful and disturbing on one level . . . but so pleasant on the other."

"OK. Just get back to what's happening here now, Miss Dreamer. None of us have had any sleep after what Horst has told us."

"Oh God . . . what?"

"He said that one of the villagers came to him late this in the afternoon. The man explained that wolves broke into a farmer's house. He had to kill one of them to protect his family. It was a large male."

The news hit Crissa like someone had punched her in the stomach. She stopped walking before they reached the fire place.

"You mean . . ."