Read The Pack for Free Online

strangle its victim within an inch of his life. It allowed only enough air into his lungs for him to stay alive.
    â€œNow, where were we? Oh yeah, you were telling me about where those kids are being held—and as a matter of fact, where Security Force Leader McCann of Sector Three may be,” Shamira said. Then she forced him to look directly at her shaded eyes. The drug from the tick finally took effect, and Lenny got the dazed look and grunt of a forced truth teller.
    â€œI don’t… I don’t know where all the kids are. Some are in the Outlands where the dark isles where built. Some of the kids… uh… I don’t know… they didn’t survive,” he said, forcing out the words.
    â€œWhat about McCann and the other Security Force Elite that have been kidnapped?” she asked. She forced her knee further into his groin for added balance.
    â€œI… I’ll be killed if I tell you. I… I… they’re being held in a secret location. I… I don’t know where…” he forced out over a thickening tongue, one of the dreaded side effects of the tick. Sometimes the victim would have an allergic reaction that caused the tongue and then the throat to swell, which could lead to death by suffocation. Shamira frankly didn’t care that Lenny was allergic to the tick and considered it his fate. The monster was getting what he deserved.
    â€œLucky for you, that’s all I have time for today. I’ll be playing with you soon since you’re full of information, sweetness, hmm?” She punched him with such force his head hit the wall and he fell to the ground in a deep sleep. She noticed a new aroma in the air, a scent she remembered.
Just great. That’s all I need, a self-proclaimed hero lurking around for me to explain things to.
    â€œWell, I guess you
can
take care of yourself,” the boy from before said. “I’m impressed.” He came up behind her while she bent down and removed the tick from Lenny’s neck. She crushed the tick in her hands and placed it in a pouch on her belt. With a flick of her wrist, the sharp claws on her glove retracted.
    â€œWhat do you want?” she asked sharply while she walked past him to Lenny’s flunky.
    â€œI want what you want—answers. I’ve been tracking this guyfor weeks, trying to find out about my younger sister, who was taken over a month ago,” he said. She could tell from his voice that he was confident and sincere. He was also a bit older, and Shamira noticed the newness in the deepness of his voice, as if he was still getting used to his grownup man-voice.
    â€œWhere are your parents? Why aren’t they doing this for you?” she asked. Then, she pulled off the hook knives that held the metal web in place, and the victim fell loudly to the ground with a cold
thud.
“If your sister has gone missing, why aren’t your parents doing something about it instead of just you?”
    â€œI’m pretty sure they’re dead. My dad was a member of the Security Force Elite on Sector One. One day when I came home, I found my mom cut down dead in our living room. My father and sister were nowhere to be found. He loved my mom, and I know he would have killed anyone who harmed either of them. He and my sister were just gone,” he said and walked cautiously toward her.
    â€œBack up, boy. I don’t like people close, so keep your distance,” she said. She squeezed the metal ball, and the web retracted back inside. Squeezing it locked, she slid it into the pocket of her belt. “Well, look, I have to go. Just… just stay away from me, okay?” Shamira said. She then turned away from him and ran at top speed to her motorcycle.
    â€œDavid, come on!” she yelled then climbed on her cycle, and waited for him. She knew the boy hadn’t followed, for which she was glad. Hopefully, that would be the last she saw of him.
    â€œHey, Sis,