Chapter 34
Thirty-Four
Alastair snarled, warning the overwhelming number of strange people who surrounded us. He snapped, biting the air between us and them, as I held Alaska’s limp body close to my chest, the blood of my wound soaking her pale hair. My hand fumbled, gripping the knife from its sheath as I swung, holding it high in defense. “Stay back!” Jinx gripped Ruby’s chest as Ruby held her good hand high, magic flickering from her palm. She was weak, losing too much blood from her injured ankle. She wouldn’t last long if she used her magic now.
The numerous strangers parted as an older man, the one whose cabin we were staying in, stepped forward. He was holding a rifle and lantern, same as the night we arrived. “You shouldn’t be here. They’re coming.” His voice was oddly deep and soothing. He tossed his long, braided black hair behind his shoulders, his dark, sun dried skin sagging around his aged face as his russet eyes moved to me and passed his rifle to the person beside him.
“Who’s coming?” I demanded, holding my knife firm.
“Let me see her.” Before I could respond, he moved towards Alaska. I tried to stop him, but one of the many people from his group pushed the muzzle of his rifle against the back of my head.
“Don’t move,” they grumbled.
I froze, carefully watching as the old man groaned and kneeled next to me. His hand trembled, shaking as he brushed Alaska’s hair aside, noticing the blood dripping from her nose. He scoffed. “She’s drifting.” Drifting? What the hell does that mean? “She needs proper rest.” The old man sniffed the air, catching a whiff of Ruby’s blood. He turned, looking at Ruby, her wound obvious beneath their lighting. “You need medical attention, both of you.” The old man struggled to stand, two members of his group quickly helping him to his feet. The same hair-raising screech from before pierced through the night and it set my nerves on edge as I clung Alaska’s body closer to my own. The old man cautiously glanced around, studying the trees. “We need to leave. Evil is nearby.” His gaze returned to me as thunder echoed. “You must come with us. Quickly.”
“Why the hell would we go with you?” Ruby snapped, wheezing her words through the pain.
The old man grabbed his rifle back as one of the group members extended it out to him. “You can come with us, back to our camp where we have a fire, food, water, medicine,—all the things you need, or you can stay here and let the Wendigos devour you.” Her eyes widened.
Ruby signed to the man. “What is that?”
He furrowed his brows. “What is she doing with her hands? Why does she not speak?”
The muzzle of the gun lifted from the back of my head. “She’s deaf.” I sighed, directing my hands toward Jinx. “He can’t understand you.” She huffed and rolled her eyes. I turned to face the old man. “She can read lips, but you need to speak clearly or else it”s harder for her.”
The man grunted, turning as he began to walk away. “The choice is yours.”
One by one, the surrounding people began to follow, leaving us alone. “Wait!” I shouted. “If we go with you, will you help us?”
The old man stopped, lightly turning his head, speaking over his shoulder. “We will make sure you are taken care of. All of you.”
“You can’t be serious. Lazarus!” Ruby snapped.
“Enough! You need help, Ruby! So does Alaska. If they can help us, why not let them?”
She stared at me, quiet as she pondered for a moment. “What about Cain?”
“Your friend is marked for death. Possessed.” The man surprised us with his statement. “Poisoned by the soul of the very witch who plagued these lands long ago. There is no saving him.”
“We don’t care about saving him, but he’s hunting us. If we go with you, he’ll follow,” Ruby snapped, wincing as her wound continued to bleed.
“We do not fear him. We stopped his kind before, and we can do it again.” The man’s face turned as he resumed walking away.
I turned to look at Ruby, the two of us silently nodding in agreement. I carefully stood, positioning Alaska’s body in my arms, my chest piercing with pain as Jinx tried to help Ruby to her feet. Ruby screamed in pain as she pressed her weight onto her injured foot. Two random men from the group suddenly approached, one helping Ruby as he wrapped her arm around his neck, lifting her weight from her leg. The second man approached me, offering to help with Alaska, when Alastair snapped at him, growling, refusing to let him near. The wolf remained on edge, untrusting of the strange man. Why is he being so aggressive? The man glanced from the wolf to me, unsettled by the action.
“I got her.” The man nodded, quickly sprinting to join the group. I got you, darling.