help me or not, I would figure out how to save my
friends and family. Or I would die trying.
The sharp pain in my side pulled
me up short. I stumbled, gritted my teeth, but continued. I would not give up.
The lives of my family depended on me winning. Will and his friends had one
goal in mind…survive. But I had another, not that I was going to share my plan with
them. They’d try to talk me out of it, or worse, forbid me. But I was going to
save my friends and family. Save them all, even if I had to do it alone.
I raced on my toes, making sure
not to leave footprints, and zig-zagged through the trees, leaping over fallen
logs. Will said people instinctively went right. I started to go left, but
paused. Yeah, he was teaching me the basics, but I also knew survival had a lot
to do with knowing your opponent, and Will would try to read my mind. I spun
around and darted right.
A few steps down the trail and my
legs were trembling so much that I found myself tripping over my own feet. At a
deer trail, I paused to lean against a beech tree, the bark smooth and cool
against my cheek. I heard no footsteps, no breaking branches, only the harsh
catch of my breath.
Slowly, I moved across the trail
and into a patch of brush. Where was he? Surely he should have found me by now.
Gently, I lowered down, peering through the spindly branches as I awaited
Will’s arrival. I was too damn exhausted to run. A surprise attack was my only
option, and Will wouldn’t expect me to fight.
A high-pitched howl pierced the
evening air. Although it sounded merely like one of the wolves or wild dogs
that I used to see roaming the hills outside the compound, the fine hairs on
the back of my neck still stood on end. Perhaps it was stupid of me to be out
here alone.
The snap of a branch behind me
had me stiffening in surprise. My determination quickly gave way to
disappointment. Would I ever win this game, or was it my lot in life to be killed
by a beautiful one? Bracing my hands on the tree in front of me, I managed to
stand.
“Well done, Will.” I turned to
face him. “How’d you…”
But it wasn’t Will’s familiar
warm hazel eyes that found me. No, an ice-blue gaze pinned me in place. As a patch
of fading sunlight pierced the trees, catching the stark paleness of that scar
across his cheek, I realized who stood there.
Thanatos.
I froze, my breath held. All the
nightmares I’d tried so hard to forget returned. Suddenly I was back in my
compound again, under Thanatos’ watchful gaze.
“Her, I pick her.”
He had started this endless
nightmare. Every drop of blood spilled, every death, every moment of fear that
I’d endured had been because of him.
“I’m sorry,” he said, taking a
hesitant step forward. “I didn’t mean to…”
Terrified, I spun around and burst
through the brush. My rational mind fled as I ran. He was a beautiful one. A
monster. He would kill me. He would kill us all. I had to warn Will and the
others. At the least, I had to lead Thanatos away from the group. How many
other beautiful ones were with him? Was this one of the infamous hunting
parties Will had warned me about?
“Jane!” he called out, close, so
close.
I knew in that moment I would
never outrun him. Barely pausing, I reached down and scooped up a branch. The
moment I felt his presence and saw him come up beside me out of the corner of
my eye, I turned and swung.
He ducked, but I wasn’t about to
give up. I dropped the branch, spun around and darted left through a patch of
elm trees. “Will!” I screamed, hoping I could at least warn the others. “Will, run!”
Thanatos suddenly hit me from
behind, sending us both sprawling to the ground. His heavy body pinned me to
the dirt, so like how they had pinned Sally to the tabletop before ripping out
her throat that instinctively I opened my mouth and screamed.
He slapped his hand over my
lips, those ice-blue eyes glaring down at me. “Stop screaming, you idiot. You
might attract
friends and family. Or I would die trying.
The sharp pain in my side pulled
me up short. I stumbled, gritted my teeth, but continued. I would not give up.
The lives of my family depended on me winning. Will and his friends had one
goal in mind…survive. But I had another, not that I was going to share my plan with
them. They’d try to talk me out of it, or worse, forbid me. But I was going to
save my friends and family. Save them all, even if I had to do it alone.
I raced on my toes, making sure
not to leave footprints, and zig-zagged through the trees, leaping over fallen
logs. Will said people instinctively went right. I started to go left, but
paused. Yeah, he was teaching me the basics, but I also knew survival had a lot
to do with knowing your opponent, and Will would try to read my mind. I spun
around and darted right.
A few steps down the trail and my
legs were trembling so much that I found myself tripping over my own feet. At a
deer trail, I paused to lean against a beech tree, the bark smooth and cool
against my cheek. I heard no footsteps, no breaking branches, only the harsh
catch of my breath.
Slowly, I moved across the trail
and into a patch of brush. Where was he? Surely he should have found me by now.
Gently, I lowered down, peering through the spindly branches as I awaited
Will’s arrival. I was too damn exhausted to run. A surprise attack was my only
option, and Will wouldn’t expect me to fight.
A high-pitched howl pierced the
evening air. Although it sounded merely like one of the wolves or wild dogs
that I used to see roaming the hills outside the compound, the fine hairs on
the back of my neck still stood on end. Perhaps it was stupid of me to be out
here alone.
The snap of a branch behind me
had me stiffening in surprise. My determination quickly gave way to
disappointment. Would I ever win this game, or was it my lot in life to be killed
by a beautiful one? Bracing my hands on the tree in front of me, I managed to
stand.
“Well done, Will.” I turned to
face him. “How’d you…”
But it wasn’t Will’s familiar
warm hazel eyes that found me. No, an ice-blue gaze pinned me in place. As a patch
of fading sunlight pierced the trees, catching the stark paleness of that scar
across his cheek, I realized who stood there.
Thanatos.
I froze, my breath held. All the
nightmares I’d tried so hard to forget returned. Suddenly I was back in my
compound again, under Thanatos’ watchful gaze.
“Her, I pick her.”
He had started this endless
nightmare. Every drop of blood spilled, every death, every moment of fear that
I’d endured had been because of him.
“I’m sorry,” he said, taking a
hesitant step forward. “I didn’t mean to…”
Terrified, I spun around and burst
through the brush. My rational mind fled as I ran. He was a beautiful one. A
monster. He would kill me. He would kill us all. I had to warn Will and the
others. At the least, I had to lead Thanatos away from the group. How many
other beautiful ones were with him? Was this one of the infamous hunting
parties Will had warned me about?
“Jane!” he called out, close, so
close.
I knew in that moment I would
never outrun him. Barely pausing, I reached down and scooped up a branch. The
moment I felt his presence and saw him come up beside me out of the corner of
my eye, I turned and swung.
He ducked, but I wasn’t about to
give up. I dropped the branch, spun around and darted left through a patch of
elm trees. “Will!” I screamed, hoping I could at least warn the others. “Will, run!”
Thanatos suddenly hit me from
behind, sending us both sprawling to the ground. His heavy body pinned me to
the dirt, so like how they had pinned Sally to the tabletop before ripping out
her throat that instinctively I opened my mouth and screamed.
He slapped his hand over my
lips, those ice-blue eyes glaring down at me. “Stop screaming, you idiot. You
might attract
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