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one of those hands was still holding the revolver. The driver, an older man with aviator
shades settled over a large, lumpy nose, took one look at them, deer and all, and stomped on
the accelerator. His car veered to the side of the road, debris and dirt spinning up from the
wheels as he swerved around them and back onto the road.
The driver started to speed down the road away from them and towards the wolves.
Ross shouted after him, Turn around! You can t go that way.
He ll be all right, surely? Lan said. They can t stop a car.
Eclipse of the Heart: Here Comes the Sun 75
Mason took a few steps down the road. He wasn t so sure, but there was no way he was
going to catch up with a speeding car.
The wolves could be clearly seen now, approaching with uncanny speed straight down
the road. They all watched as the wolves fanned out. The car, still weaving slightly as it
corrected from the swerve, was driving right down the centre line. The car and the wolves
came together about one hundred yards away.
Mason raised the shotgun. It was hard to see exactly what happened next. There was a
crash. For a moment, he even hoped the driver would take out a wolf or two and just keep
on driving. But the car lurched to the side of the road, where it plowed into an old wire stock
fence and stopped with a sickening crunch.
Mason took a couple more steps out in front, wanting to go help. But he saw four of the
wolves still on the road and still running right at them. He judged their speed and decided in
an instant that his best hope was to fire at the edge of his range and try to reload and get in
two more shots before they arrived.
He braced his feet, aimed, and squeezed the trigger. The first shot spat up blacktop just
in front of the lead wolf. It didn t even flinch. Mason felt a cold calm as he corrected and
fired again. This shot took the lead animal in the chest, and it cartwheeled to the ground. He
broke and tipped back the shotgun, and the shells slid out. The other three wolves were still
coming as he reached into his pocket for shells. They were within about fifty feet; this was
going to be close. Saliva ran from their mouths, and their lips were pulled up in ferocious
snarls.
He heard the sharp retort of Ross s revolver, firing measured, aiming each time. He
kept a count. One, two. By the time Mason raised his gun again, there were two of them still
coming, almost right on them. He squeezed the trigger, but was jostled aside as the stag
jumped forward, rack lowered. Mason cursed as the shot went wild.
76 Emily Veinglory
He stepped to the side, trying to get in front of Lan and also aiming for the wolf that
was leaping for the stag. His shot seemed to glance off its head, slowing but not stopping it as
the stag butted forward into its body. He heard Ross fire again. Three. The stag staggered
back under the force of the wolf s attack.
The remaining wolf swerved and launched right at Mason. Four, five. He grasped the
stock of the shotgun, hoping to swing it as a club. He knew this wasn t going to work. In that
last blur, he saw the glint of the wolf s reddened eyes and a flash of yellowed teeth. Then the
heavy black head of an old Victorian shovel flashed between them, hitting the beast full in
the face. It still kept coming forward, landing hard on his chest, so he, the wolf, and the
shovel ended up down on the ground together.
Mason wrapped his hands around the wolf s throat, feeling the thick skin slide over its
muscular neck. Its hot breath over his face stank of rancid flesh. He thrust back with straight
arms, squeezing down as hard as he could. In a fumble of limbs, he saw someone else s arm
around the wolf s neck from above. Very gradually, the wolf started to weaken. Then there
was a blast, and the beast jerked and fell. Six.
Mason pushed off the heavy body. His shirtfront was soaked with blood. The stag had a
wolf pinned down on the ground. About ten feet behind him, another wolf, its muzzle
smeared with gore and blood, was racing towards him. There were three more behind it. The
rest of the pack.
The shotgun was broken open on the ground, and shells had spilled out of his torn
pocket across the ground. There was no time.
I ve got this one, Ross said, reloading as he stepped forward, then folding the revolver
closed. But as he hurriedly pulled the trigger, the gun jammed.
Mason grabbed for two shells and scooped up the shotgun as he rolled to his feet. He
knew there still wasn t enough time, but there was no way they would take the wolves hand
to claw. Charles dropped the shovel and jumped forward, transforming as he did. Reba
Eclipse of the Heart: Here Comes the Sun 77
braced and fired. The bullet hit the wolf square in the chest, but the caliber was too small to
stop it.
Charles was on it, his coyote form much lighter than the wolf, lacking the broad,
strong jaw. But he got a hold on its throat and hung on. The wolf thrashed wildly, flinging
him around. Lan stepped forward with the bat and swung at it.
Part of Mason wanted to step in there, before Lan drew the enraged beast s attention to
himself. But the two other wolves were almost on them all as he snapped the shotgun closed.
So Mason took two running steps forward and fired. He hit a wolf, but even his larger shot
didn t stop it. All the same, he lifted the barrel and aimed for the second animal even as the
first was almost on him. Better to weaken them both -- even one healthy werewolf could
take out the whole team now that they were out of ammo and time.
He fired, saw the shot take the wolf in the foreleg with a splash of blood, and was
pummeled backwards again. His head flew back in a whiplash movement, exposing his
throat. So this is it.
He hit the blacktop. Teeth snapped, grazing his neck. But something stopped the beast.
Reba was by his side, the slender barrel of her rifle thrust between the wolf s jaws. Up close,
he could see the pure, senseless rage in the animal s eyes. Whoever this animal once had
been, that person was long gone. Instead of pulling back, it seemed to try to chew right
through the barrel. Mason grabbed the gun too, and they were both pushing back. The wolf,
with its feet on the ground each side of his body, was actually pushing them both across the
ground, lunging to get at his throat. Ross came up behind it, the heavy shovel raised in both
hands. He brought it down hard on the wolf s lower back, and there was a crack of bone.
The wolves fought hard. The wounded snapped and snarled at them until the very end,
but eventually they had the wolves immobilized. Ross got his weapon freed up and finished
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