CHAPTER 43-The Strange Community

***Varick’s POV***

The road stretched on ahead, a seemingly endless expanse of dark asphalt cutting through the wilderness. My eyes scanned the surroundings, but I couldn’t shake the sense that I was heading into the unknown. The person who was supposed to help me navigate, Lulu, was fast asleep beside me. His breathing was deep, steady—almost serene. I couldn’t blame him. He’d stayed up all night preparing for this mission, strategizing and making sure everything was set. But right now, I needed him awake. I wasn’t sure if I was on the right track, and with every minute that passed, I grew more uncertain.

I glanced at the map on the passenger seat next to me. The paper seemed to mock me. I couldn’t make sense of it; the roads, the landmarks—all of it was a blur. If I didn’t wake Lulu soon, I feared I might drive us into the wrong place entirely.

“Lulu! Lulu!” I called out, shaking his shoulder gently at first. But he only shifted in his seat, groaning in his sleep. I shook him harder. “Lulu!”

He finally stirred, blinking his eyes open, looking at me with a mix of confusion and irritation. “Where are we now?” he mumbled, stretching his arms above his head, clearly still half-asleep. I could tell he’d enjoyed a solid nap, but I didn’t have the luxury of waiting for him to fully wake up.

“Can you check the map and figure out where we are?” I asked, my voice tinged with urgency. “I’ve been driving for over an hour, and I haven’t seen a single community. Just this long, lonely road.”

“Over an hour?” His eyes widened, and he sat up straighter, fully awake now. “Well, I didn’t tell you something important. I should have, but it slipped my mind.”

My heart skipped. “And what’s that?”

He hesitated, looking uncomfortable, as though deciding how much to share. “There’s a dangerous city nearby. They hate our kind—wolves and Lycans. If they catch us, they’ll capture us. They’ll do everything they can to keep us from escaping.”

My chest tightened at his words. This was the kind of information I should have had from the start. Why hadn’t he told me sooner?

“What the hell is wrong with you? Why didn’t you say anything earlier?” I snapped, keeping my eyes on the road but feeling a knot form in my stomach.

“I didn’t think it was important,” he said, shrugging nonchalantly. “Besides, we can pass through without them noticing. And if they stop us, we can fight back.”

I scoffed, raising an eyebrow. “Are you kidding me? You think just the two of us can fight an entire community?”

Lulu’s expression shifted, and his eyes glinted with confidence. “We can if we’re smart about it. I’ve got weapons, and there’s extra gas in the truck. We can use that to our advantage.”

His words didn’t reassure me in the least. I didn’t know if Lulu was a good fighter. I’d never seen him in action. If he wasn’t, then we were in for some serious trouble. I shifted in my seat, but my thoughts kept racing. The weight of what he’d said sank deeper into my mind.

Then, suddenly, I noticed something. A strange, unmistakable smell—gasoline. The scent was so strong it almost burned my nostrils. It was coming from the back of the truck.

“What is that smell?” I asked, my voice tense. I instinctively slowed the truck, pulling over to the side of the road.

“Why are you stopping? This doesn’t look like a safe place to stop,” Lulu said, looking out the window with concern.

“I think there’s a gas leak in the truck. It’s too dangerous to ignore,” I explained, cutting the engine and stepping out of the truck. Lulu followed suit, and together, we went to the back of the vehicle.

When we opened the truck, the source of the smell became clear. The extra gasoline Lulu had packed had leaked out, leaving us with barely any fuel. The amount left in the tank wouldn’t even get us a mile down the road.

“Oh, damn it!” I cursed, kicking the tire in frustration. My mind raced. I couldn’t get stuck here. I’d just escaped Star’s clutches, and I wasn’t about to be stranded in the middle of nowhere.

“We have to move,” Lulu said, his tone calm despite the situation. “I’ve got a little bit left in the jerrycan. If we pour it into the tank, we can get a few miles down the road. There’s a gas station somewhere nearby. I still have cash on me.”

I nodded, though my mind was still reeling. “How far is it?”

“I’ll check the map,” Lulu said, pulling out the map once more. He studied it intently for a few moments before speaking again. “There’s a small community just a few miles away. They should have a gas station, but we need to get there before sunset.”

Without wasting time, I slid back into the driver’s seat, and we continued on our way. The road was eerily quiet, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were being watched. It was almost as if the world had grown still, holding its breath.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, we saw the faint glow of lights ahead. A town. But it wasn’t like any town I’d ever seen. The houses were old, dilapidated—some with missing roofs, others completely abandoned. The air had a heavy, oppressive feeling to it. It reminded me of the kind of places you’d see in horror movies, where something was always just lurking in the shadows.

“Is this the town you were talking about?” I asked, my voice quieter now, the unease creeping in. I glanced at Lulu, who was staring at the town with wide eyes, his fingers gripping the seatbelt tightly.

“Oh, my God,” Lulu whispered, his voice trembling. “I didn’t know if this was the place, but it sure looks like it. Look at this—everything’s falling apart.”

We drove through the eerie streets, and I couldn’t help but feel that something was off. The houses were either falling into ruin or completely abandoned, and the streets were deserted. It was like a ghost town. The only signs of life were the occasional flickering lights in the windows, but even that felt unnatural. The entire place gave off an unsettling, almost haunted vibe.

We drove for a while, the silence in the car only broken by the hum of the engine and the occasional creak of the truck’s suspension. Then, out of nowhere, we saw them—people. But not the kind of people I was expecting. These were elderly folks, their faces drawn and pale, standing in small clusters along the roadside. They all stared at us with empty eyes, not a word spoken. They were at least ten feet apart, each holding a walking stick and following our every movement as we drove past.

I shivered, trying to shake the feeling that something was wrong. Something wasn’t right about these people, or this town. I could feel the weight of their eyes on me as we passed.

As we continued down the road, my mind kept racing. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw her—a figure standing in the middle of the road.

I slammed on the brakes, the truck screeching to a halt.

A woman, disheveled and malnourished, stood in front of us. Her clothes were torn, and her face was gaunt.

“Help me!” she pleaded, her voice faint, barely audible.

Lulu and I exchanged a look, our instincts screaming that something was horribly wrong. But we couldn’t ignore her. Not yet.