Chapter 121 In the Loop

Galen came out of the office when he heard Axel’s name. He was stunned to see him in this condition. His hair was matted in blood, his exposed eye was swollen, and his nose appeared broken. It was clear from how he carried himself that there were also internal injuries.

“We need to get you to an exam room,” Peter said.

Shouting in the distance drew Galen’s notice. He saw nurses and orderlies grabbing piles of supplies and loading them up on carts.

“Granger… he killed Renee,” Axel said through gasping breaths.

“What?” Bell whispered.

Galen looked back at Axel, wondering if he misunderstood his words.

“He poisoned them both….” Axel coughed painfully, blood splattering onto the floor.

“We need to treat him now!” Peter shouted, trying to pick Axel up from his knees. He looked around and saw a nurse not far from them. “You! Get me a bed!”

The nurse ran off to do as she was told.

Several people further down the hall started running in different directions, hurrying around as though there was an emergency. Galen couldn’t help but wonder what was happening.

“Wait!” Axel shouted, trying to pull away from Peter as he looked at Bell. “There’s an attack…an attack on Winter.”

Axel coughed again; his breathing was strained..

“I heard him….” his words were getting quieter. “He said he was gonna…he was gonna take her… tonight.”

Axel lost consciousness and fell into Peter’s arms. Bell gasped and rushed to his side.

“Where is my freaking gurney!” Peter shouted.

The nurse came around the corner, pushing one of the hospital beds. Galen stepped in, lifted Axel off the floor, and gently placed him on the bed.

The medical team rushed Axel down the hall. Bell turned to Galen.

“I have to help him. You need to get Caleb. You have to save her!” Bell shouted as she ran down the hall after Axel.

Galen pressed down at the base of his thumb quickly, running towards the hospital’s doors.

***

The upgraded alarms rallied the troops of Winter in record time.

Even without knowing what these new alarms meant, every Cold Warrior had reported immediately for duty.

Reports of strange creatures attacking came in from the South East Zone, the Center Lane, and the North East Zone. Corrine remained at the Northern Base, coordinating attacks and defensive patterns through the monitoring station for the upgraded portions of the border.

In the North East Zone, Ashleigh had taken the lead. She was the first to report the creature that had entered the territory. She managed to hold it off on her own until backup arrived to help her take the beast down. Only to be faced by even more of them.

Ashleigh had called the creature a Treant. Every team reported seeing at least two or three of these monsters on the field and other more grotesque beasts.

The rangers in the South East Zone were being led by Beta Richard. The reports were promising. Not nearly as many creatures as in the north. Richard and his men were reporting injuries but no casualties. Corrine was able to redirect some of the warriors to him.

The Center Lane was being held by Alpha Wyatt and Saul. This was also where the heaviest concentration of monsters was reported.

It had only been twenty minutes since Ashleigh’s initial report had come in. But, even then, it had taken time for everyone to understand what was happening.

Corrine ordered all the civilians to report to the hospital. A bunker in the basement would keep them safe. The hospital was put on alert, and emergency teams were sent to the field.

Listening to the reports, Corrine was worried. Their response had been quick, but they were already taking casualties, and the number of injured kept climbing.

They were holding now, but they were going to need help. Soon.

***

“I’m kind of busy, Galen!” Caleb shouted through their neural link.

“It’s happening now, Caleb!” Galen shouted as he pushed through the doors into the cold night air. “The threat against Winter was real. There’s an attack coming right now!”

“I know,” Caleb replied as he swung his sword, severing the root.

They were almost within the borders of Winter. Already he and his wolves had been fighting through waves of these creatures.

“You have to stop leaving your phone in random places and turning off the neural link. It makes it very difficult to keep you in the loop,” Caleb said.

Caleb rolled out of the way of the root that swung towards him, continuing his conversation with Galen.

“Galen,” Caleb said, breathing heavily. “It’s not rogues this time. It’s fae. You need to get that MA set up and organize the hospital for venoms and lash injuries. They don’t know what they’re dealing with, you gotta prep as best you can, and–”

“Caleb,” Galen interrupted. “Ashleigh’s in danger.”

Caleb felt a chill run down his spine.

“Bell was right. Renee and Ashleigh, they were exposed to the same thing. Granger killed Renee, and it looks like he might have tried to kill Axel too,” Galen stated, taking a deep breath. “Axel said that Granger knew about the attack tonight as well. He’s using it to try and take Ashleigh.”

Caleb stopped moving. The Treant took the opportunity, tightening its last remaining root into a sharp needle point spear and plunging it towards Caleb’s chest.

Caleb spun his body around before the point reached its intended target, sending his momentum into his sword and slicing the root clean off.

The Treant screamed out its guttural roar before melting into a black pool.

“Go to the hospital, get them organized and then get your ass to the field,” Caleb growled as one of the smaller monsters seemed to take an interest in him.

Ears like a bat, a thick hide of sinewy flesh. Long jagged teeth and large wide eyes. It shrieked at him as they charged each other.

***

The battle had been going for almost an hour now.

Report after report was coming in, the number of wounded was spiking, casualties from all sides.

Corrine was frustrated. She had already heard back from Spring. They wouldn’t be able to provide aid until the morning. Autumn claimed they feared sending their forces would leave them vulnerable to attack.

But the response from Summer was baffling.

“The monitoring station should be set to receive all.”

Corrine was irritated, but she had nothing to lose.

‘Maybe there’s a defense system we didn’t realize was available?’ she wondered.

Corrine changed the settings, and as soon as she did, the screen changed, it widened, and she could see all the reports at once. The communications and all the information coming in was suddenly at her fingertips.

She could hear everyone on the field. Though they spoke simultaneously, somehow, the voices were organized. For example, those reporting injuries or causalities spoke louder than those calling all clears or roll call.

And then a new voice came through.

“This is Alpha Caleb. If you are hearing me, please respond.”

Corrine let out a shaky sigh of relief.

“Alpha Caleb, this is Luna Corrine, and I am so glad to hear your voice.”

“I have a team of forty wolves, ready and willing to aid Winter.”

“How did you… no, never mind, it doesn’t matter… Thank you…” Corrine sighed with gratitude.

Corrine told him the areas that needed reinforcement.

“I will send my wolves out right away, but I also need to know where Ashleigh is.”

Corrine took a deep breath.

“She was in the North East Zone, at the most northern border. I have had all team leads on ten-minute roll call, but she hasn’t checked in for the past twenty minutes.”

“I understand,” he said, “I will find her.”

A group of forty wolves howled into the night as they spread out to join the soldiers of their rival pack in defending their territory.