Werewolf Suspense (Book 2): Outage 2 (The Awakening) Read Free Page A

halfway down, Tom caught sight of Desmond's body. The man was flat on his back, his carcass covered in gore. His wife, Tori, was sprawled next to him. She was already dead.
    One of the creatures must've dragged her outside.
    Tom shuddered and took another step, peering right and left up the street. The neighborhood was a replica of similar scenes. Opened doors, shredded bodies. They're dead . All of them.  
    Even without seeing his neighbors, he knew, the same way he'd known Jeremy was dead when the police knocked on his door. And he knew they'd be next if they didn't hurry.
    "Come on!" he hissed, urging his wife downstairs.
    They'd just reached the landing when something slammed against the front door. Tom and Lorena froze. A fur-covered hand raked the glass. Tom glanced back at the staircase, contemplating running back up to the bedroom. The porch creaked with the weight of the creature. He could sense the thing on the other side of the door, just as he was certain it sensed him .
    He aimed his gun as a red eye pressed against the glass.
    "Stay still," he hissed to Lorena through clenched teeth.
    Lorena stiffened next to him; Tom's breath caught in his throat. The creature's breath fogged up the window. Tom saw the glint of teeth, a black, snarled face. After a few seconds, the beast vanished.  
    Where was it?
    Tom and Lorena took another step. A roar escaped from the other side of the door—a terrifying, primal sound unlike anything Tom had ever heard.  
    And then the door buckled.
    "Go!" he shouted.
    They raced from the foyer into the dining room, skirting chairs, passing the dining room table. Tom's boots slipped and slid on the hardwood, as if the house itself was conspiring to kill them. Adrenaline coursed through his body, propelling him faster. He moved by muscle memory alone, darting through the kitchen without the assistance of the lighting, each step enveloping him further in darkness.  
    Behind him, the front door caved.  
    Lorena lost her grasp on his arm, but stayed right beside him as they reached the basement door.
    He'd just grabbed hold of the door handle when a window shattered in the den. Lorena screamed. Feet pounded from the rear of the house, crunching over glass. They're inside! The things are inside! Tom flung open the basement door and stared into the darkness, ready to forge down into it. But a voice in his head stopped him.  
    Don't go down there.  
    The thought hit him with such force that he reeled backward. They couldn't go down to the basement. If they did, they'd never leave.
    "Come on!"
    At the last second, Tom changed direction, pulling Lorena with him. Her panicked gasps echoed through the kitchen. He groped the kitchen counter in search of the keys, finding them right next to the microwave where he'd left them. He snagged them as he ran to the mudroom door, clawing at the lock. He'd opened the damned door a million times before, but between the adrenaline and the terror, his fingers felt numb and useless. Come on!
    "Hurry, Tom!"
    Something bounded through the kitchen behind them. Tom unlocked the door and flung it open, barreling through it and into the mudroom, Lorena almost toppling him over. Tom spun, trying to pull the door closed. But the creature was already at the threshold, pawing the air. Tom raised the rifle and fired.  
    The blast echoed through the doorway.
    The gun shook in his hands; the creature toppled sideways. It slammed against the kitchen counter, scattering several dishes onto the floor. Tom could barely make out its features in the darkness.  
    But it wasn't dead. It kept coming.
    "Go!" Tom screamed.  
    They bolted through the next door and into the garage, almost falling down the steps. They were immediately hit with a blast of white. Between the light of the sky and the falling snow, the garage was bathed in an ethereal glow. The generator spat loudly from across the bay. There was just enough room to get the SUV out around it.
    "Get in the car!" Tom