Read Werewolf Suspense (Book 3): Outage 3 (Vengeance) for Free Online Page B

Rosemary screamed.
    Tom swerved, but his reduced speed had cost him. He collided with the beast, whose body ripped the driver's side mirror clean off. The beast's snarls heightened as it ran behind the car.  
    Rosemary shrieked in panic.  
    The creature slashed the back of the car with its claws. The station wagon struggled to regain traction, the tires spinning in the snow. The engine stammered.
    Please don't stall, Tom thought frantically.
    The beast dug its nails into the vehicle, working its way to the driver's side window. Tom clung to the steering wheel with one hand, aiming the rifle out the window with the other. He fired, but missed.
    Glass shattered behind him. The beast reached inside the backseat, clawing the back of Tom's headrest. Tom ducked to avoid its swiping claws.  
    "Shit!" he yelled in panic. With the beast right behind him, he barely had room to escape its savage swipes. He didn't dare take his foot off the accelerator.
    Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rosemary spin in the passenger's seat, flattening herself against the dashboard and aiming her gun. She screamed at the invading beast and fired. The gunshot was deafening in the confines of the car. The creature fell from the vehicle and landed somewhere outside. At the same time, the tires caught hold, and Tom reclaimed the wheel. He steered the station wagon away from the fallen monster.  
    He looked in the rearview mirror, watching the beast struggle on the ground. The headless body of the man lay on the ground behind the creature.
    "Jesus…" Rosemary whispered, her face ashen. She lowered her gun.
    Tom fought a wave of bile. "It's okay. We're okay," he said aloud, as if trying to convince himself.
    Tom touched the back of his head. His fear was that he'd sustained some serious, numbing wound. But he was mercifully intact.  
    The image of the headless man collapsing in the snow replayed in his head. He recalled the look of terror on the man's face when he'd run out into the road. One minute the man had been making a last, desperate attempt to escape, the next he'd been dead.  
    "God help us," Tom whispered.

Chapter Nine

    Tom drove for several blocks without turning while snow emptied from the sky. When they'd driven a safe distance from the gory scene, he stuck his head out the window and assessed the damage. He stared at the empty place where the driver's side mirror had been, observing deep gouges on the side of the vehicle. Air gusted through both broken windows. It was as if the beasts were tearing the car apart piece-by-piece.  
    He stuck his head back inside.
    "How's it look?" Rosemary asked from beside him.
    "It's a little damaged, but I think it'll make it," he said. He glanced over at Rosemary, who was still shaking. "You all right?"
    "I'm fine," she confirmed.
    Tom exhaled. Given the hours he'd been alone, it felt good to have someone with him, watching his back. Rosemary's survival instinct had saved his life. His ears rang from the gunshot.
    "Thanks for shooting that thing," he said.
    "N—No problem," she said. "I didn't even think about what I was doing. It was so big I couldn't miss it."
    Tom wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, composing himself. His thoughts returned to the man they'd tried to save.
    "What happened to that guy was awful," he said, shaking his head. "I've seen a lot of things tonight, but dammit…" His voice trailed off.  
    "I wish we'd gotten to him sooner."
    "Even if we were able, I think he was too far gone," Tom said gravely.  
    They kept an uneasy vigil for the next few miles as they drove through another commercial center. Around them sprung up several fences, blocking off the perimeter of a slew of industrial buildings. The parking lots were empty. For a second, Tom contemplated finding a way past the fences and locking themselves inside.  
    Certainly they'd be safer there.
    He looked over at Rosemary. Their encounter with the vicious beast was sobering. "Are you sure you want to go to the