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Ishouldn’t have chased theone for help It was crazy, rushing off into the darkness by myself

But he was after Sam Sam, anted to join the Cirque Sa-winded Sam The boy who’d saved my life

I didn’t think about my own safety Sam was in trouble, and there wasn’t tiht be the death of o after theot out of the camp quickly The clouds had parted overhead and I spotted the wolf- as fast as I could

I heard the wolf-n It ht hi to howl

I wondered why he hadn’t caught hi in the open, I was sure hewith him before he moved in for the kill

Their footprints were clear in the daht earth, but I would have been able to follow froh a forest, especially at night

We ran in that way for a few ht, et really tired, but I forced ht up There was no way I could beat the wolf-ht I could s, but probably not He was strong and fast, and had the taste for human blood He’d be pretty much unstoppable

The most I could hope to do was throw myself in his path and take Sam’s place If I offered myself instead of Sam, maybe he’d takefor Saiven upso ive up my life for another

Besides, this way, if I died, it would be for a good cause I wouldn’t have to worry any to death I could go down fighting

After a fewand realized where Sam had led us: the old deserted railroad station

It showed he was still thinking clearly This was the best place to co spots and lots of stuff - chunks of ht Maybe neither of us would have to die Maybe there was a chance we could win this battle

I saw the wolf-man pause in the ain, a loud spine-shivering howl, then sprinted toward one of the rusty train cars

I ran around the back of the car, ot there but couldn’t hear anything I lifted

I loweredto the thirdover I couldn’t see anything when I looked inside again

I was lifting myself to peek in the next hen I suddenly saw a h speed

I twisted to my side just in ti e

"Saround There was silence for a moment, then Sam’s face appeared in the round

"Darren?"he whispered "What are you doing here?"

"I followed you,"I said

"I thought you were the wolf- to kill you"

"You practically did"

"I’m sorry"

"For God’s sake, Sa,"I snapped "We’re in big trouble We’ve got to think Get out here quick"

He backed away fro sounds, then he appeared outside the car door He looked to make sure the wolf-man wasn’t around, jumped down, and crept over to me

"Where is he?"Sam asked

"I don’t knohispered "He’s around so in this direction"

"Maybe he found so else to attack"Sam whispered back hopefully "A sheep or a cow"

"I wouldn’t bet on it,"I said "He wouldn’t have run all this way just to abandon the chase at the very end"

We huddled close together, Saht with his eyes, , and I’ to do?"Sam asked

"I don’t knohispered "Any ideas?"

"A couple,"he said "We could lead hih the rotten floorboards We could trap hih, too? We’d be trapped He could jump down and eat us whenever he liked"

"How about the rafters?"Sam asked "We could cli on, back to back We could take sticks with us and beat him off if he attacked There’d only be one way for hiot to arrive fro it over "But what if he decides to snap the rafter at one end?"

"They’re set pretty deeply into brick,"Sam said "I don’t think he could break theht of three of us?"I asked