Page 49 of A Hunt So Wicked
"How many—" Isla swallowed harshly and wiped the tears from her face before continuing. "How many do you think we lost?"
Riv's brow pinched together as she surveyed the carnage. "Too many. Ten? Fifteen?"
"A lot," Kael said somberly.
The rest of our group was now at the gate, attempting to beat the door down. It was no use. That door was at least six inches thick.
"Nobody is going to let us in," I said, acceptance of that fact settling in me like a weight.
A gust of wind blew in from the sea, sending my hair flying around my face, and with it, the horrible sounds that let us all know we were still being hunted. Howls, roars, and growls. All of them together in a sinister symphony.
"Hush!" I barked at the group at the gate. Tiona grabbed Becca, who had become possessed with determination and refused to quit. Tiona pinned her arms down to her sides, and I didn't miss the blood that was dripping from her knuckles.
"Quiet, Bex," Ti whispered as Becca struggled like a rabid cat. "Shhh, hush now. Shhh."
Becca broke down and started sobbing in Tiona's arms. "I can't do this anymore."
"Listen up. We're still in danger, and we likely just alerted every predator within a five-mile radius of our location. We need to run from here. NOW," I instructed.
"B-but," Becca hiccuped. "When they open the door, we won't be here!"
"Nobody is coming," Rivka stated, her voice completely void of empathy. "Everyone needs to pull up their big girl britches if you hope to have any shot at getting out of this alive."
"It's horrible," I shook my head. "What happened here—what's been happening here. But it's clear that there is zero chance of rescue."
Girane nodded. "I saw the ships docked just off the coast when we climbed out of the tunnels. Perhaps we could swim for them?"
I considered that. It would certainly be safer in the water than standing around here like sitting ducks.
"That's perfect. We'll just leave," Kael said, scanning the area on the lookout for the predators.
“I can captain a ship. It wouldn’t be the first time,” Riv informed us, and several of the girls looked at her in surprise.
A sound from above caused all of us to jump into action. That horrible, horrible noise, the sails in the wind that preceded the arrival of the dragons—giant wings flapping against the air as they prowled the skies.
"Don't stop. Just bloody run!" Rivka shouted out as we all took off, sprinting faster than ever toward the beach.
"They're coming!" Becca screeched.
I couldn't speak. I couldn't do a damn thing except focus on the sand ahead and the water just beyond. Three ships swayed in the waves, just out of reach. I refused to fall. This wasn't how I died. Not today.
My feet hit the sand as the sound of giant wings gained on us.Run, run, run!
Isla was beside me. I could see her out of the corner of my eye, running with desperate determination. We were so close. Finally, I reached the wet sand, the water just out of reach. Glancing over, I didn't see Isla. Frantically, I looked back and saw her lying in the sand, struggling to get up. I couldn't leave her.
"Isla!" I screamed as I ran back to her and hoisted her up.
"I rolled my ankle, Evie," she hissed as we moved together to the ocean.
"It's okay, it's okay. We have to keep going," I encouraged, trying to shuffle her along faster.
"They're coming," she panted. "We're fucked."
This was the second time I’d ever heard her use a curse word, and I knew she believed what she’d said. "Not today, Isla. We're getting on that fucking boat. Now SWIM!" I threw us both into the waves before releasing her. The cool water was a shock to my system, but I powered through, swimming beneath the surface for as long as I could.
With my lungs burning, I broke the surface and greedily sucked in a deep breath just as a wave crashed over me. I kicked and pushed through the force of the sea, which was intent to return me to the shore. I came up again and looked around frantically. I didn't see anyone else, but I knew I needed to continue forward, and as I dove beneath the waves, all I could do was hope that my friends were safe.
My muscles screamed, already exhausted from the lack of rest, water, food, and overuse. I came up for air and let my body rise with the next wave, lifting me high enough to get a look at how far out I was from the ships. I looked back, trying to see where the dragons were now, but I didn’t get a clear look before I plummeted down into the water. Dipping beneath the surface, I kicked my legs wildly, pushing my way back out and sucking in a deep breath as soon as I broke through the water and rode another wave to the peak.
