Page 63 of Monsterland Mayhem
I scream, my eyes squinting shut.
But we don’t land. Weswing.
The sensation causes my stomach to drop and my limbs to tighten. I only belatedly realize I’m clinging to Craze again, my legs once more wrapped around his hips, except I’m tucked into his side this time.
He has one arm around me while his other—I peek my eyes open—is grabbing vines.Plural.
He keeps releasing them before taking hold of new ones, having us swing with one hand.
I gape at his movements, stunned by his ability to release one vine in midair, just to grasp another to keep us moving forward.
It shouldn’t be possible.
The long blue strands arehelpinghim.
They’re thrashing like live wires, reaching toward us and moving with us as we swing.
I watch in amazement, then yelp when he comes to an abrupt stop as our feet touch the ground. It shifts beneath my shoes—an item I’m really glad I shoved on my feet in the closet earlier—parting to reveal millions of beetle-like creatures.
“Oh, gross,” I mutter, suddenly wishing my legs were still wrapped around Craze.
“Shh,” he hushes me, his expression hard as he searches the landscape for something I can’t see. “There’s something strange going on.”
No shit, I nearly say back to him as I shake a vibrant blue beetle off my foot.
“Stay here,” he says.
“What?” I whisper-hiss back at him.
“And be quiet,” he adds, his command like a whip to my senses. He’s been so jovial and playful that I didn’t realize he possessed a serious side. But it’s on full display now, his eyes radiating dominance.
I swallow and nod, telling him without words that I understand.
He brushes his knuckles against my cheek before nudging me closer to a mushroom stalk. Once my back touches the cool, hard texture—one that reminds me a bit of a tree trunk—he leans forward to press his lips to my ear. “I promise I’ll be back for you. Please don’t run. It’s dangerous here.”
With that soft request—very unlike the snap in his voice from seconds ago—he turns and runs.
I reach out for him instinctively, not wanting to be left behind. His name lingers on my lips, then halts when a growl echoes in the distance.
I swallow.
That… that doesn’t sound friendly.
The beetles around my feet scatter, making me jump back into the rough, bark-like stalk behind me. It snags on my sweater, ripping some of the fabric and nearly drawing a gasp from my mouth.
But I swallow it.
And listen as that growling grows louder.
My heart jumps wildly in my chest.
Why do I suddenly feel like bait?
Craze has disappeared. Yet whatever is emitting that grumbling noise is definitely getting closer.
Yeah, I’m definitely bait.
Fucking Craze.
