She went into her kitchen and dropped everything there except the diaries. She only went out not because of anything but just to stroll.
She sat in the kitchen listening to Bob Dylan then she stood up and walked back into her room. She lay in bed turning John's words around in her head.
Elle has started staying sometimes over at Sam's place and somehow she knew about the spies that were killed in the caverns. Her father told her. But to her, she can't continue keeping this away from the man she loves. She woke him up. He turned like a tunneler in war.
"What is it?" He asked.
"Sit up, I need to tell you something."
"Alright, I am listening." He responded and sat up.
"So much has been going on here lately. Though it might seem strange I know it's not new to you."
"Alright. What's it? He asked.
"There is a Dikkorp spy among us."
"What? Who is that?"
"The old Alpha. I know you rescued him from there. But have you seen any other first out of the caverns talking about what's happening there?"
"None," Sam responded. "But he said your father works with Dikkorp."
"That's a lie. He sold the packs to them. They asked him to spy from here. The spies you sent over how we're they discovered quickly? Look at this."
She brought out her phone and showed him a screenshot of Old Alpha's call log on the first day and the second time they sent spies.
"Can you see them? He never thought my father will get a phone to call. He never thought we'll know."
"Damn. So, Old Alpha leaked out our secret. Damn."
"Be careful around him. I have known him to be dangerous for long."
"Sure," he hugged her closely.
***
Sam went straight to Alpha's room.
"We have a serious talk. But we have to meet secretly at the bunker. I'll inform Damien too. Please Alpha, this should not go out."
"Alright, Sam. You sound too serious. Good morning."
"Sorry Alpha. Good morning."
I'll be at the bunker in three minutes."
"Great. Where is Catherine?"
"In her room."
"I'm greeting her." He walked away from the door to get Damien.
***
The bunker had been renovated. More light and more seats were fixed in it.
Sam sat directly opposite the two men. A board had been fixed behind them. He couldn't talk at first but he has Elle's phone with her to show them the evidence.
"What's it, man?" Damien said. "I only started sleeping forty minutes ago."
"Sorry. Let me get to it. We have a spy among us."
"What?!" Alpha said.
"Are you playing back what happened before or what?" Damien asked.
"I'm serious. There is a spy among us. At first, I didn't believe it but the evidence is implicating. The first time we sent four spies to the caverns they were killed."
He stood up and went to the board with a marker he found in his drawer in hand.
"We made sure the spies got there at 8:30 Pm that same time they were killed. We changed our strategy and used a lady. She got there at 9:30 Am, right?"
"That should be it," Alpha said.
"It's it. I ran my research. Look at these call logs."
"Minutes before the killings?" Damien frowned his face.
"Whose phone is this?" Alpha asked.
"The spy is Old Alpha. He gave those guys intels. I have called this number on another line and it belongs to a man working with Dikkorps."
"Damn!" Damien said.
"We have an enemy among us. We will have to cut him out before it's too late."
"That's what should happen. Who are we using for the job?" Damien asked.
"I think it's better we poisoned him and takes him far away from here to die. We make sure he dies before we move."
"That is good, Sam. I know we understand why this Is needed. So we are doing it."
The next day, old Alpha was sent a message to meet up outside by Sam. He thought it was from one of the men he works for. He trekked for a while but didn't see the man.
"Old Alpha," Sam pulled up beside him. "What are you doing here?"
"Just taking a stroll. Sitting indoors always is mind-numbing."
"You are right," Sam said. "Come on in let me give you a ride around."
"Sure." He accepted not knowing what come next.
Sam drove gently into the forest telling him about trees and how he grew up liking them.
"That is good, Sam. I grew up In those caves. It was different then though but the changes aren't like those in forests. Things grow around here faster."
"Yeah." He brought out two packed juice boxes and gave him one.
"Thanks." Quickly he opened It and drank it in a gulp. "Like you knew I was tired." He smiled.
"Oh, I have more if you want."
"Never mind. I'm good now."
They got to a place in the forest where a car can't go further. The forest was thicker than those outside. Old Alpha looked up at the canopies and said.
"Wow, this is magnificent. We should come here often."
"Sure," Sam said. "I am glad you like it here."
They heard footsteps, it was Alpha and Damien.
"Oh, what are you guys doing here?"
"We came hiking too. " Damien said.
Alpha didn't say a word to him. He was just looking at him. His eyes bulging. Old Alpha looked at him and said.
'What is happening here? Why are we here?" He asked and tried moving backwards.
He stopped when Alpha took out his gun and aimed at him.
"Aiden, what are you doing with that?" He asked anxiously.
"I'm going to kill you with it. You lied to us. Aren't you a spy of Dikkorp?"
"Spy? What are you saying?"
"I'll blow up your head, you lier. You lied to us."
"I didn't lie to you guys. What are you saying?"
"Shut up there," Sam said. He brought out his phone and showed him the screenshot and the pranked call.
Old Alpha went silent for a while, they were looking at him with guns in their hands.
When he raised his head his eyes glowed then suddenly he leapt into the air. They shoot at him the bullets missed. He turned into a larger brown wolf and ran towards them. Quickly Alpha shot at him again, the bullet scratched his front leg. He cornered them and ran into the forest. They followed him. Damien and Sam reached out for their guns. He zig-zag into the forest like a snake. They followed him with bullets flying about.
He continued running both his hind limbs bleeding. Lastly, he fell into a stream, blood gushed out of his mouth and his skin was badly injured with bullet holes here and there. He howled and died slowly afterwards.
His eyes were opened and minutes later flies started coming over him.
***
They made sure nobody saw them going out with him. He was seen alone going out. They never knew any of them were out too.
"We change here before going back. Also, make sure you wash well. His germ cloud might linger around for a while. Though It won't go far." Alpha said panting.
"At least we have gotten rid of him. He would have caused us more harm if he's around."
"A pest is a pest, Damien. We cut them out before they grow." Sam said resting on the trunk of a tree.
***
At night, they searched for him together with others who cared enough to look in the shallow forest.
"He wouldn't have gone this far?" One of them said.
"You are right, nobody comes this way. I have been in this neighbourhood for some years now, I have not seen anyone go beyond that stop."
"Alpha Aiden, probably he went out. He might come back anytime." Another one said.
Alpha couldn't smile knowing they have already killed him. They only came out because it's necessary.
Sam came back with Damien in his car. When they got out the gate they asked what happened.
"Old Alpha is missing," Catherine said. Sarah came with her team to gather some evidence in his room. Alpha laughed within him. He couldn't say much.
In the room, the next day, Elizabeth was crying. She never imagined her father could be gone like that. Elle was there, she knew something happened and it had to do with Sam and others. But she wouldn't say anything because if at all, they did it to protect them.
***
"I know more enemies are coming but it is good we weed them out immediately," Alpha said. They sat together in the bunker Drinking some coffee.
"It hurts he did that. I respect that man but look at what he did. We did the right thing. Look at when Lillian was here. You will think she's never an enemy. Until she burst it out. I was surprised."
"That's it, Sam. People are bad but I don't know why."
"Now, that sounds like a poem," Alpha said and they all laughed.
"Elle, will you stop snubbing me? I have been trying to talk with you for days. What happened? Why are you doing this to me?"
"You killed him, right? Just tell me the truth. Did you guys kill him?"
"Alright. We did. He was an enemy. He could kill us anytime."
"I know. What hurts was your pretence. All of you."
"I understand but you also know we needed that. If not,what do you think will happen to us now?"
"You should have told me. If I didn't tell you, you'll be in the dark."
"I am sorry about that. Please accept my apology."
"I won't."
"Please!" He hugged her close and kissed her. She kissed him back and they put out the light.
***
"Aiden, you've been cold lately. What is it?"
"I don't know. It doesn't feel like me. Back then I knew who I am, but now."
"Hmm, we have all changed but what has not changed is that I still love you."
"I love you too, so much."
*****
"I don't know what I have done to my mother. I want to talk to her about so many things. Catherine has been too busy. We have not been talking. It's like our friendship is going down the hill. And I somehow like someone but he's different. I want to see what I can do to bring him closer."
"I just lost my dad. I hope he'll come back to me. But then I have to be strong. This world isn't going to be easy for the frail. He could have told me where he was going. I would have known where to find him. But now he's going and everything is changing. What a world."
***
The poet boy lay down in bed reading a poem by Browning. He started thinking about those days he read poems with Damien and how they planned on writing some books together. He looked at the clock and found out it was late. He closed his eyes to think about those days when poems made everything beautiful. He took out a book by Elizabeth Barret Browning.
It has been a lovely adventure for John and Maddie to have visited Whitney in her new place. It is an alone island located across the ocean. She found it while travelling. So she asked them to buy it for her. They did and she is now left alone there.
"That's better for her," John said. " Or what do you think Maddie?"
"She's going to die there, lonely." He laughed.
"That's the freedom she wanted to have. Freedom of well from everything. She has enough food there. She won't die easily."
"When she calls, I won't pick it up."
"So you really want your cousin to die there?" He chuckled. "She is too funny. She wants to be alone. That'll end in loneliness."
"Let's wait for her. I know in a few years she'll run down here." He laughed again.
"Great. How is it going with the new acquisitions?"
"Great. I heard one of our spies got missing in Smallsville. I have looked into it. He's not found yet."
"He stays at the fortress?"
"Yeah, with his daughter, Elizabeth."
"Probably they found out he's a spy and do away with him. Look into it."
"That's probably what it is. I'll look into it."
Maddie walked out of John's room. He needs to get home and rest. They've been travelling for the fast few weeks and it's been mind-numbing. John walked into his bathroom and put on the stereo speakers.
**********
The next day was also fun for him. Elvira came over with tons of questions after reading the second book he asked her to read. Now she's enjoying the learning process and somehow she has started writing out her plan on how to recapture Smallsville. She is going to crush them.
She entered the study and found John seated steadily with a cup of coffee in his front and some stack of books he had pulled out from the shelf. It was apparent that he pulled them from the shelf closer to him. They are all the legends of everything.
Elvira smiled.
"You are here already "
"I have been waiting for eighty." He giggled.
"Are you joking?"
"Of course, I'm waiting."
They both laughed at the joke with words again and she sat down opposite him.
"You are welcome." He said.
"Thank you, sir."
"Look at what reading has done to you. It turned you into a finer woman. Your father will be proud of you."
"Thank you, sir."
"You are welcome. Where do we start?"
"From the beginning." She said.
"In the beginning was the word and the word was with…"
She laughed and nearly fall off the chair.
"But there are things we still can't explain."
"Yeah. Those are the realms where we just make things happen without understanding how or why they happened."
"So, I'm a she-wolf, a human and everything, right?"
"Yeah. We are everything and we can be anything we wish to become. We have that will."
"When next we meet, I'll show you something. Remind me. And we started buying into Smallsville, I'll soon give you the chance to lead again."