Shelter 2014 Novels & Stories

"It's okay. She's hurting right now. You need to understand that." I kept up the facade, even more so now. Before coming here, I had imagined the shelter would be a rundown place where everyone would be squeezed together, sleeping on the floor and simply trying to survive. But now that I had seen it, it didn't seem that bad. People were rebuilding their lives here. Of course, it wasn't luxurious, but everything would be fine soon. As Lydia continued to walk away, Nathan rushed after her. That was when some of the omegas appeared. They were doing the hardest jobs, carrying bricks and other building materials to expand the shelter.

"I'm going to turn the house into a shelter. For women and children escaping abuse." Isabella's eyes filled with tears. "That's beautiful." "It's necessary." Ruth handed her the paper. "I want you to help me. Both of you." Isabella looked at the paper plans, budgets, and timelines. A dream taking shape. "Yes," she said. "We'll help." The shelter opened in the spring. Isabella stood at the ribbon-cutting, Ruth beside her, Sebastian and Damien behind her. Lucas and Lily held the scissors, their faces serious.

I inform him. “We saw, don’t worry,” he replies. “Mindy is overwriting the lock.” It takes all my self-control not to tap my foot or fiddle with my fingers out of impatience. I want to get out of this hallway and into that shelter. Finally, there is a soft beep, and the door clicks open. “Go, go,” I rush everyone inside. “Wow,” Matt mumbles once we are inside, and I look around. Not only is the shelter equipped with beds and chairs. There is also plenty of food, water, and medicine.

I’m torn for a moment. I needed somewhere to stay, a job, and I needed these people to point me in the right direction. This shelter’s specialty was hiding battered wives from husbands or helping them start new lives, and I needed that knowledge. If I was really lucky, maybe someone here would have contacts to help me get a new ID: Alyssa Johnson could no longer exist.

I have to find shelter first. The darkness was suffocating, but then, faintly, through the trees, I saw a glimmer of light. My heart leaped as I cautiously approached, praying it wasn’t a trap. What I found instead was a small, dilapidated hunting shack, nearly swallowed by the forest. Its wooden walls were warped, the roof sagging in places, but it was shelter. For now, it was enough.

Two emergency tunnel entrance/exit and a false tunnel remained. Going to the safe house was no longer a scary event for the children of the pack. As the kids piled in, they spread out to various activities, video games, laser tag, movies. There were also bunk rooms and a nursery. A fully functioning and stocked kitchen could last for up to two weeks. Yes, even with the shelter full of hungry teenagers. Celeste’s favorite change that Jack and Jill did was not in the basement. Although, the hidden armory that was under the back patio was a close second favorite. During the renovations, they raised the sides on the roof, giving more protection to the humans as they stood guard.

I almost cried out in relief when I saw the shelter come into view. It was a small little place, only ten to fifteen parking spaces in the parking lot. The paint on the walls was peeling and the window that looked into the shelter was tinted grey as if it hadn't been washed in awhile. Still, the pure joy on Axel's face made up for the shambles of the shop.

The day before the wedding. Maya stood in the completed shelter at 4 AM. It wasn't perfect. Wasn't large enough. But it was functional. Could house thirty people for three months. She'd spent every penny of her inheritance. Maxed out two credit cards. All for a secret that would end everything if discovered. Her phone buzzed. Unknown number. *Good work on the shelter. But you forgot something—air intake filters need to be higher, above potential snow line. Also, triple your fuel.*

“Prioritize families with kids and anyone who can’t shift.” They turned a corner, passing heavy steel doors already propped open. The shelters weren’t pretty—stripped-down rooms with emergency lighting and stocked shelves—but they were secure. Reinforced during the rebuild, deep enough to hold. As she paused at one of the storage units, she heard soft footsteps behind her. Mira approached, her laptop hugged against her chest. “Got a minute?” she asked. Ember nodded, stepping into one of the quieter rooms. Mira sat on the edge of a cot, posture hunched slightly, tension radiating from her.

"Well, I was hoping that after our wedding, you'd let me bring you and our son home." Valiant smiled tenderly at her man. "And you think that this is our home?" "Yeah. Why not? It's got all of the amenities plus a killer tech package, a pool with an out door kitchen and its own four room pool house." "Oh so the four room pool house is the selling point for the guys..." She raised an eyebrow at him. "So the boys need a place to crash always, they're family. Caleb is going officer and Todd, Gerald and Angelo are here to stay until they move out."