Page 122 of Blue Arrow Island
“I’ll walk.”
McClain’s gaze lands on the knife at my waist. “I’ve been looking for that.”
Marcus ties the rope around McClain’s midsection, then secures it around his own waist.
“You try anything, I’ll knock you unconscious and carry you the rest of the way,” he says.
“There’s no fight left in me. I’m just existing until the day I die.”
Marcus scoffs, disgusted. “How fucking zen, you selfish bastard.”
When his eyes meet mine, I offer a sympathetic look. His tortured expression reaches inside me, making me even more curious about his history with McClain.
I know enough, though. McClain made aromium, which means he worked for Whitman. Which makes him my enemy.
35
Construction has begun on a wall around our camp. The aromium shield is effective, but an enhanced jaguar became so crazed that it was undeterred by the shield. It died from the shield’s effects about twenty yards outside our camp. A physical barrier between our team and the aromium-enhanced creatures has become a necessity.
-Excerpt from the journal of Dr. Randall McClain
We’re the last team of two to make it back to camp. Nova’s waiting for us at the cutoff area for the aromium shield, holding a torch that lights up the inky darkness of night. Her expression goes stony when she lays eyes on McClain.
Amira’s with her, and she throws her arms around me in greeting as Nova deactivates Marcus’s aromium.
“You guys did it,” she murmurs in my ear.
“I can’t believe it.”
She pulls back, her hands on my shoulders. “We ran into a group of megamantises. Total horror show.”
A smile pulls on Nova’s lips as she runs the aromium device over my hip. “Our Artemis took five down with arrows.”
Amira beams proudly. “Got two of ’em right in their freakishly large eyes.”
The device beeps and energy seeps from my body. I stumble, unable to stay upright with the aromium off. Marcus is there. My back lands against his chest and he wraps an arm around my waist.
“Give it ten seconds,” he says. “It’ll get better.”
“What should I do with Runaway Randall?” Nova asks, untying the rope around Marcus’s waist.
“Put him in a cell. Bring him some food and water.”
“I don’t need food,” McClain says.
Marcus gives him a murderous glare. “Nova’s going to monitor your food and water intake. Try some hunger strike bullshit and I’ll force-feed you.”
“I won’t hunger strike. I just don’t eat very much.”
Marcus’s face is drawn with anger as Nova leads McClain, the rope still secured around his waist, toward camp. Amira walks on one side of me, Marcus on the other.
“I didn’t notice when my aromium was turned back on, but I definitely noticed when it was turned off earlier,” Amira says. “It was like getting hit with a tranq dart.”
“Yeah, I could sleep for the next few weeks,” I say.
“Want me to bring you guys some food?” Amira asks.
Marcus puts an arm around my shoulders, looking over my head at Amira. “Will you ask someone in the kitchen to leave some food outside the door of our room?”
