The Earth year of 2005 was at war with itself. Many supported the president of America, as others were contradicting themselves or their purpose. Throwing away or forgetting what the true ways of America were as they all pranced around in revealing attire claiming it was who they were and tried to teach children the wrong ways of America.
Then there were the true Americans, or Gen-X raised adults who gave no shits about politics and just watched the idiots go to war with each other with popcorn in hand and a gun at our side.
The proper American soldiers seemed to not get the dispatched orders and carried on training as usual because there was an issue with their coms system and paper work always got lost in the mail.
Then there's me, a white middle aged female with a bun just starting in the oven and alone living in the mountain range town near a military base.
My garden was lusciously full with the kids from other forest farmhold houses that came to help with chores, dropped some produce off, and took home some crops as payment. Forest Military patrols stopped by to check on the people and to make sure I wasn't going into labor alone and dying.
There were talks about their underground bunkers having cryo chambers for the people in case of emergencies, everyone appreciated the effort and rumor but mainly stuck to taking care of their plots of land and babysitting everyone's kids like their own.
Especially at night when the oddities and dark forgotten truths of the forests stir to life. Once the sky darkens every child is on lockdown in whoever's house they were playing at.
My plot of land had good WiFi connections, so most families gave me their kids gaming Xbox Console and stuff, so they could play games at my house and give their parents a rest from the screaming.
I turned my home into a base of operations for kids ages 9-14. If they wanted to game they had to play outside first, or they could work in my garden or do chores to earn their turn. After they got addicted to the game series Halo, they made their own squads and planned on who's squad gets their turn and which squads do labor.
They would switch every few hours and go play like the missions they had just finished gaming, until one squad found my complete Halo Series Books while cleaning one room dubbed my home library.
Then chaos ensured.
They all wanted to learn to read.
At the same time.
All wanted to read the same book at once.
A passing patrol heard the commotion and proposed a deal to the kids.
"Why not read a chapter out loud to everyone and take turns? Then you'll have a chance to know what it takes to become a Super Soldier!"
They liked the idea of knowing they could become super soldiers as well. When the patrol guys met my eyes they all blushed and looked away ashamed, "We have a few of the books but can't find which order they go in."
I chuckled and let them in to see the order and which ones they were missing. One soldier took out a small notepad and pen and wrote them down in order, with a nod they excused themselves. Sometime later I received a large paycheck as thanks for helping in forest patrols.
Five months pregnant and a change between my backyard and others that became wooden and rope obstacle courses for the kids is when there was a meeting at my home with the Forest Military High Commanders.
The rugged looking one with a scared face and in a tight looking uniform that showed his muscular body had a voice that matched his face.
"I am here to inform you that the myths of our underground facility are true! And would like to inquire your aid in provision acquisition that can last for years as a 'just in case' scenario. Any help will be compensated!"
They all looked composed but their eyes showed a worry that a storm was coming.
All the parents began chattering among themselves before coming up empty handed, the most they could come up with was home recipes that only last for five years at most.
Raising my hand the room became still, "If one of y'all would be kind enough to go to my basement and bring the big yellow bucket with a red cap… might solve the issue… but it takes a week for one order to arrive… Would that be within the classified time frame that y'all can't tell us about?"
With a nod from the rugged looking one the one closest to my basement nodded before descending, on his ascent heavy footsteps sounded like thunder as he had difficulties with my supply bucket.
Walking over I easily lifted the bucket and walked a few steps before another mother stopped me with a scowl and snatched it from me, almost tipping over at the sheer weight of it.
"It's like lifting a teenager!" She grunted and she made her way easier than the soldier but slower than me. Plopping it down had shook the house. The rugged one pried the red sealed lid off as silver powdered packaged ration meals stuffed the bucket full.
From meatloaf to soup and veggies many varieties were mixed in.
"I ordered them just in case something happened out here. I could order a lot more… but I don't have the fundings to do so." I said as I looked outside to the sun still shining overhead but beneath the trees seemed a tad bit too darker than normal. I reached for the radio in my pocket and ignored the soldiers' words of reassurance that soon became tense with concern as my words sank in, "Wolf Pack! Wolf Pack! Howl! Howl Howl!"
The radio crackled to life as hurried footsteps from above rushed down.
"White Pack on a mission!"
"Blue Pack at chicken coop!"
"Purple Pack at knitting house!"
"Black Pack enroute!"
The silence was heavy before the parents sighed in relief but the soldiers grabbed for the guns.
A husky quiet tone came from the rugged man as his voice lowered and his hand had pressed his coms, "What seems to be the problem, miss? Haven't the kids radioed in?"
"No. I'm still missing two." Clicking my radio, "Any eyes on Red or Pink?"
Many clicks over chatted themselves as none had seen them recently.
The radio went silent until a crackled and a whisper made the room seem to fill with an eerie weight.
The voice was quiet and scared as the sounds of squawking and panicked clucking being torn to shreds could be heard in the background, "This…This Is Blue… There's something in the forest!"
The soldiers cocked their guns and took a look outside at the still bright shining sun in confusion.
"Wolf Mom? I did what you taught us! We are in the coop! It didn't feel right to leave! Why is it so dark outside? The sun was up a little bit ago… but now it's like it's night time?"
"Blue? This is White… It's still daytime. What do you mean that it's dark?"
Panicked out of breath voices came next with the sound of hurried steps on wood and an unknown sound slowly getting louder, "This. Is. Black. Pack. Almost. To. Wolf. Mom. House. Dome. Of. Light. It's! A! Trap! Help!"
With a tone of order that even the soldiers snapped to look at their hands from hearing me, "Paw! Claws! Light Em Up!"
"This is White! I see Them! Kitchen Path!"
I darted with the soldiers on my heels to my kitchen door, grabbing my cowgirl hat off the counter and triggered its glow, and flung the door open and my pistol in hand and raised.
Howling like a mad wolf I got four responses from the eight glowing hands pumping like no tomorrow. As they got closer even the soldiers spaced out guns raised as they swept for movement with enough room for the kids to be able to dodge inside.
The hair on my neck began to stand as I let out a low steady growl that slowly grew louder. The senior soldiers understood the assignment and also began to deeply growl. The harmonics made the mysterious attackers misstep and broke some branches.
The sudden crack made the skilled soldiers snap and fire relentlessly as heavy thuds soon followed, confirmed as kills just as the four dashed past me.
Once they passed and collapsed within the open door I blocked the pathway they had run down with my whole body as a creature slid to a halt.
Its hands were like claws, its arms were inhumanly stretched with longer muscles, its head looked like a fussed bikers helmet with a human head, its skin looked like smooth armor, and its back legs were a mix of human and wolf structure with large paws.
It slowly stood as I saw tied hands just past its sharp muscular shoulders.
"It Has Kids!"
I fired at its thighs and bolted with mother speed to almost touch it, making it become shocked as it stumbled and turned, I grabbed blindly for the difference in shaded blackness.
Feeling two sets of fabrics I gripped tightly and dead weighted myself as two thuds echoed as the creature thundered away.
A helicopter high beam flood light lit up the surroundings as the sunlight flickered into nothingness. With a deadly grip on the feet of the two I wouldn't let go even after they pulled us into the well lit house and verified they were still alive!