Page 44 of Chaos Destiny
“Neither am I.”
Antlers appeared several feet from the trap.
A thick, unexpected lump rose in my throat as I watched the buck amble along, unaware of its potential fate. The second the trap was triggered, we would have to make our way over;there was no sense in making the poor animal suffer longer than necessary.
It stepped into the snare.
The trap tugged.
Dallas and I rushed over, and the lump grew thicker. We did our best to stabilize the thrashing animal as I removed my hunting knife and raised the blade.
“I’m sorry, mate,” I whispered. “I wish I didn’t have to do this, but you probably noticed things are different. I have my family to feed, and I wish there was another way.”
I lowered the knife.
The thrashing stopped.
Then, behind me, Dallas’ voice went from filled with joyful relief to laced with the threat of death. “I would think twice about that,” he hissed. “This here is our kill. I suggest you keep on. It ain’t just the two of us out here, neither.”
A weapon clicked.
“Try to be more aware of your surroundings, lady,” Memphis added. “Unless you’re trying to die. If you’re dead, you at least won’t have to worry about being hungry, so I see the upside.”
Omar and Allen joined us.
Frowning, I turned around to face the newcomer. “Where are they?” I asked.
The woman wasn’t carrying a single weapon, yet she’d brazenly walked up to a group carrying enough firearms to stock a small armory. My gut screamed that she wasn’t alone, and I would have bet the entire buck that there was a sniper in the midst.
Sighing, she reached for her belt.
“Be real careful,” Memphis warned.
“Just reaching for my two-way, see?” She unhooked a small radio from her waistband and raised it to her mouth. “Hunter, stand down.”
A voice came through the device:
“Shida, I didn’t get that.”
I released the buck, stood, and marched over to snatch the radio from her hand.
“Say that again,” I ordered.
Nothing came through.
“Julien, it’s me. It’s Gage.”
The woman reached for the radio, but Memphis swatted her hand away and aimed his gun directly at her head. Memphis and Dallas, for sure, were the type of people I planned to keep around. If we ever had to leave the camp, I would take them with me, along with Tayler.
“If this is really Gage, then answer me this…is she dead?”
“No, they’re alive,” I said. “We left Virginia together. I never left her side. They’re back at our camp, but they’re safe.”
“They’re back at your camp? They’re as in more than one? If that’s true, I need the name. There are two we were trying to choose between, and if this is really Gage, Gage would know?—”
“Thandie. Ari picked the name Thandie, and I can’t wait for you to meet her.”
The silence returned.
