“I only said I wouldn’t use guns—didn’t say I wouldn’t use anything else.”
He raised his hand and made a small gesture.
His trained wolf handler immediately understood and blew a whistle.
Dozens of starving wolves shot toward us like black lightning.
The pampered Parker elders, already battered by the stone guns, no longer had the strength to resist.
“My leg!!”
Uncle David had a massive male wolf clamped onto his calf. He let out a scream and passed out.
Aunt Helen’s ski suit was shredded by claws. Terrified, she sobbed uncontrollably.
I shielded Margaret behind me, flailing a dead branch, but I was hopelessly outmatched.
No—if this kept up, everyone would die.
In desperation, my fingers brushed the lighter I’d just used to light a senior’s cigarette. I hurled it to Lily with the last of my strength.
“Lily Parker, light the branches—fire will scare the wolves!”
Lily was quick-witted. Hands shaking, she set a bundle of twigs alight. The feeble flames pushed back several wolves that were closing in.
I stripped off my already-torn ski jacket and wrapped Margaret, who was shivering violently.
“Mom, I’ll draw them away. You find a place to hide!”