Page 5 of Forsaken Secrets

2

Kaiya

My heart lurched as I searched for an escape. The light coming through the roof was just a small crack in the ceiling, nothing big enough to crawl through. The only other exits were the way I'd come and the tall door behind the little gremlyn.

It lead to the main hall where the rest of the pack was hopefully still sleeping, but crawling back the way I'd come would be too slow. She'd be on top of me in seconds.

I stared at that tall wooden door. Did it even work anymore? Gods, I hoped so!

Heart racing, I picked my way over the sleeping bodies, hands held up high to ward the gremlyn off as I crept to the doors. This close, I could see the cracks and decay, as well as several small holes the gremlyns must use to move between rooms.

Eyes wide, the female gremlyn lifted her lips to hiss at me, those sharp teeth warning of her next action.

Praying this would work, I slammed into the door with all my strength.

It creaked loudly, then broke into pieces.

Well. Any gremlyns who weren't already awake would be now!

Gods. This was a terrible fucking idea!

The altar room behind me echoed with a piercing scream that was repeated a dozen times from other parts of the ruins.

Were all the ruins in this cliff infested with the damn gremlyns?

Breaking into a sprint, I dashed through the broken doorway and into what must have once been the main hall of the temple. More cracks let in light here, letting me see the hundreds of little gremlyn bodies in various states of waking up. The poppy root had done its job, but I was out of time.

My mouth went dry, and my scar ached.

I could still remember the feel of claws slicing through my face … the blood, the fiery pain, and the sterile smell of the medic center. The moans of the patients fighting the plague …

There was no way I'd survive this!

Aunt Grace's worried eyes popped up in my mind and I clenched my jaw.

She needed me. I had to survive.

Pushing away my fear, I moved faster, jumping over groggy gremlyns. A group of three moved to intercept me, and I pivoted to run around them.

The entrance loomed brightly ahead, but my terror climbed at the sound of claws scraping against stone behind me. The sound seemed to grow louder with each step I took.

I pushed myself harder, ignoring the sharp pain in my side and my numb legs as I tried to outrun both the gremlyns and my own memories.

The statue in the cove was visible now. I couldn't give up when I was this close!

A weight landed on my back, sharp claws digging into the skin around my shoulder straps and sending fire through my back. I yelped and unclipped one strap to push the gremlyn off as I ran.

My breath came out in heaving gasps.

Sharp claws dug into my legs over and over. I pushed them away with my pack, but the movement slowed me down.

Finally, I passed the last set of stone columns. A pile of fallen rubble stood to my right, and I pulled rocks from it as I passed. The sound of falling stones was deafening.

Would it be enough to slow them?

I stumbled into the fresh air and sunlight, gasping for breath, as my legs gave out. The light made my eyes burn, but I didn't care.

If I could get up that cliff, I would be free …

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