Artifice - Man x Man - Book Six

Chapter 34

Then I heard the Lord asking, "Whom should I send as a messenger? Who will go for us?" I said, "Here I am. Send me."

We knew the storm would be bad, but nothing could have prepared me for the magnitude of something that I would never have faced in my homeland, something that had such immense strength and power that I could not even fathom such an event. 

In my sheltered life on the in-lands, how could I know what a hurricane even was? I expected rain, hail, and wind, I expected God's wrath but watching the spiraling vortex on the tablet in my hands and seeing the destruction that awaited us had me feeling rather bleak. There was a time when I had conjured a tornado when I was fresh out of school, but I could hardly control it.

 Now, feeling the immense pressure and weight of an event such as this on my shoulders was threatening to snuff me out. The closer we got the heavier it felt, pressing on me, leaning on me in a way that made it hard to breathe. 

I'd never been so grateful for rain, not for what it brought but for the cover provided as it made a heavy barrier between me and the darkness that loomed over an angry sea. Through the sheets of rain, spotting the approaching behemoth was a task on its own, I was happy to hide in the lie that it couldn't be as bad up close.

The coast shoulders the road, a startling closeness I hadn't expected. Looking out the window of the car, it becomes clear the rock face supports the street and the overlook of the dark ocean is a clear view of exactly how close to the action we will be. Would I have anything more than this flimsy surface to support such a feat?

 It's hard to not be nervous, it's even more challenging to get a clear head when I'm foggy from a night of drinking in a feeble attempt to forget what I'd agreed to do. I try to take my mind off of it, normally I'd be deep into mental preparations, but today I feel as if I'm only at half capacity and I struggle to collect myself. 

The car shivers and jerks on the bumpy road, the rain coming in at an intensity that drowns out the sound of the music playing on the radio. Even this metal beast doesn't want to partake in this event.

"Have you heard this new singer?" Reid asks, trying to make conversation as he squints against the rapidly moving wipers, the trees bow and roll in my peripheral vision and all I can focus on is the fact we might have just signed our death certificate. "I'm not much for today's music but this is pretty good, apparently it's from a local show. I wish the town wasn't evacuated."

I flinch as the car jerks from the wind, while Reid seems unphased. My hand grips the door handle as my eyes shut, I just want to get out of this car though that means a step closer to having to stand outside.

"Probably for the best, we might not survive the drive let alone civilians," I grumble at him, snatching his sunglasses off his shirt to put them on and get some relief. Crossing my arms over my chest, I lean back in my seat, sneaking a glance in the rearview to see Tyler and Helen are sleeping, something Helen does a lot these days. 

"I was hoping you could take her for a run before this started, we have enough to worry about without the impending threat of Helen getting loose.."

Reid laughs, and I'm reminded of how much I like him in these small moments. Our world lacks genuine people and Reid had been someone who was untouched by time, he was just as kind and loyal as he was when I knew him those four hundred years ago. "I'd love to, but my wolf isn't coming out with her around, I'm afraid. That wolf is something, alright." 

Of course, she would have a feral wolf. I shake my head, pressing my temple into my palm. "This is what happens when people repress their wolves. I blame her father for every last bit of it." Why didn't I document this better? I had always intended to publish literature on the lycans, as I felt not many tried to truly understand them as I had come to.