Chapter 21 LEENA
LEENA
Pure pain is all I feel. It's like my left shoulder has exploded and is just barely hanging on by a thread.
I stumble back, hearing the branch beneath me crack. I reach for the one above with my right hand, holding on with whatever strength I have left. The branch I had been on tumbles to the floor at the hunters’ feet.
“Fuck it, Jimmy, you missed,” the female hunter growls.
“How the hell is this my fault, Carrie?” Jimmy argues. “Both of us shot at her.”
I'm too dazed to do anything, but my senses kick in when they try to shoot at me again. I swing to the tree in time to miss this one. I try to hang on with both hands, but the pain in my shoulder fights against me.
It's almost like the bullet that's lodged in there is traveling. My entire hand feels useless, and gripping the tree the way I am makes it seem like I'm pushing down on a bed of nails.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I groan, trying my best not to cry. The hot tears roll down my face regardless.
“Look at her,” Carrie laughs, placing the gun back on her shoulder. Her partner shares in the laughter as well. Their mocking fills the night's air, scaring the insects and critters into silence.
“Should we let her fall?” Jimmy asks. “I don't mind waiting.”
“Yeah, we should have our fun with her,” Carrie jokes. “We haven't really killed anyone in a while. I'd love to savor this.” Carries levels her gun at me once more. “Even though I can blow her head up from here.”
Jimmy bends over with laughter. “Man, I haven't had this much fun in ages.”
A howl that travels through the forest, drawing everyone's attention. “Those wolves sound awfully close, don't they?” Carrie’s jovial expression changes. “We’d better get ready. If you hear any other howl nearby, then we'll finish her off.”
I look up, trying to find a different branch to climb to. I reach for the one right above me, but it snaps and plummets to the ground, almost taking me with it.
“Woah, not so fast,” Jimmy warns wryly. “We're having fun here, why are you trying to run away and ruin it?”
“Fuck you,” I spit at them. I dig my fingers into my shoulder, tearing through the flesh until I touch the burning silver. I yank it out, sending blood everywhere, throwing the bullet to the ground.
They share another terrible laugh. The sound is like a cheese grater to my ears. More than anything, I just want to jump down and rip out their throats, but I know I won't be fast enough. At least, not yet.
The scratches on my back have already started to heal, but my leg is still far from being a hundred percent.
I have no clue how much blood I've lost and whether my lightheadedness is because of that or the pain. Either way, I'm not going anywhere fast.
“Say, I can help you, you know?” Carrie offers. “If you give me something I want, then I'll happily set you free.”
“W—what?” I ask, trying my best to maintain my breathing. The pain in my leg is still there, but my healing is kicking in even more now. If I can keep them talking, I may escape with my life.
“We know there's more of you around here,” she says. “Just tell us how to get to them and we'll let you go. Easy as that.”
“How can I trust you?” I strain, readjusting my grip.
“We're talking to you right now, aren't we?” Jimmy says. “We could've killed you already, if we wanted to. Besides, if we kill you, we'll still find them ourselves.”
“What do you say?”
I pretend to consider it, but instead, I’m looking at the trees around me for my next best step. If I can maintain high ground somehow, then maybe I'll be able to avoid getting shot point-blank.
“Come on, we don't have all night,” Carrie says. The frown on her face scares me. “Are you going to talk or should we just send you flying?”
“Look at her,” Jimmy whispers to his partner. My wolf hearing is the only reason I can make out what they're saying. “She's so pathetic, just hanging up there. Let's just kill her, it'll be fun.”
“No, we'll lure her down and then we'll kill her. It'll be slow and painful.”
Jimmy is almost giddy at this prospect. He happily paces around while Carrie continues talking.
“I'll lead you to them,” I reply, bringing a smile to the woman's face.
“Good, good. You're making the right choice. Look.” She moves her gun away and shows me her hands. She turns to Jimmy, who's still holding his gun, and sends her elbow into his ribs.
“Damn it, Carrie,” he grumbles before returning his gun to his back.
“Alright, just come down nice and slow. We're not making any sudden moves, so you shouldn't either.”
“Okay…” I feel much better without the silver weighing me down, but the wound still isn't healing. My leg is better now, even though it's covered in blood, but my shoulder seems to have a mind of its own. “I'm coming down.”
“Yeah, yeah. Hurry up,” Carrie states.
I start climbing down slowly, watching my step as best as I can. The second I get close enough, I throw my body down, kicking both hunters as I land.
“Fucker!” Jimmy yells, scrambling to his feet. I leap up before he gets a chance to do anything.
I run as fast as my legs will carry me, but that's not enough. With how weak I am, only one thing can help me outrun the pair.
Once I feel like I'm far enough, I start the transformation. At first, I don't feel anything, but it starts gradually. I try not to scream, but the sheer agony I'm in proves to be much stronger than my willpower.
“Oh God! Ah!” Each crack echoes into the woods. If the hunters couldn't find me before, they can now.
By the time I fully recover, I still need another rest period to gather my strength. In the middle of the woods, I have no idea what direction I'm supposed to go. I've lived in this forest for days, but I've wandered too far. I may not even be on the Ironfang's land any longer.
I lie there under the covers of shrubs in my wolf form. My black fur blends into the night, giving me that extra bit of cover. I can only pray this is enough as I hear the hunters approaching.
“I'm going to kill her,” Jimmy growls. “When I catch her, I'm going to fucking kill her.”
“She's around here somewhere,” Carrie says. “You broke my fucking tooth, you bitch!” she yells out. “When I find you, it's going to be the worst night of your very short life.”
I keep my breathing steady, trying not to make any sound. They pass by just a couple of feet away from me, looking around.
The moon isn't anywhere near full enough to give them the light they need. While I can see them clearly, the hunters don't have my gift of night vision.
“Just come out, let's end this. You caused this in the first place, you know? You and that guy you were talking to. Pro tip, if you're ever going to discuss your kind in the middle of the woods, try not to be so loud next time.”
My eyes widen in realization. They must've heard Grant and me when we went to talk to the other pack. How could we be so careless? We'd been too lost in emotions to notice our surroundings.
I wonder if the other pack is okay.
My mate comes to my mind again, and I desperately wish he were here with me. I've been worried and anxious in his house, but I haven't been scared.
Grant's presence near me is like a guiding light that keeps everything else at bay. Now, I am the fool who sent him away.
I miss you so much, Grant. I need you here with me.
Grant doesn't magically appear, and my sadness threatens to take over. I fight back tears, trying not to think about the awful time I've had.
I should've gone with him. He tried to take me and I said no. Now, I may never see him again.
The thought of that grips my chest tightly. It's so painful that I let out an audible gasp. Both hunters turn in my direction immediately.
“We know you're here,” Carrie says. “Why are you hiding?”
She shoots her gun, but the bullet hits something else. “Fuck, was that a rabbit?” Jimmy asks. “Don't waste your bullets, we don't have a lot of them.”
I can't stay here, they'll find me.
My wounds are still healing far too slowly to take the hunters on my own. The pain is just as bad, weighing me down.
The fear of not seeing my mate again turns into desperation. I have to be reunited with Grant, even if it's the last thing I ever do.
I erupt from the underbrush when they get close enough. I watch them pull their guns as soon as they see me.
Jimmy and Carrie fire their weapons, missing their target. I land and keep running as fast as I can, making zigzags so I'm harder to hit.
They give chase, surprisingly fast. Part of it is the fact that I can't run as quickly as before. Still, this is much better than hanging from a tree while I wait for death to come.
I have to survive. I have to see Grant.
I repeat the mantra in my head, doing all I can to escape my attackers. The scent of the wolves reappears in front of me.
I quickly move to the side, trying to form a path to the left. I can't be caught between the hunters and the wolves—that's certain death.
This deviation makes the hunters even faster. They get a good line of sight to me and begin to fire again. Bullets whizz past my ears until one lodges into my already injured leg.
I growl in pain, stumbling but trying to continue forward. It gets harder and harder with the amount of blood pooling out of me.
As I try to dodge another bullet, I run myself right into a tree, making contact with full force. I fall to the ground in a heap, getting all the air knocked out of my lungs. I let out a whine that goes nowhere.
The air grows stale as I lie there with my face in the dirt. A sharp feeling travels through my body, numbing the pain for a small second. That bit of time is enough for me to feel the warmth I've been craving all day. The feeling of having Grant close to me.
I can't tell if this is because he's actually close or because my body senses that it's close to death and needs one last bit of hope.
I can smell him.
I turn around, feeling the world start to spin. Even when it stops, my vision is extremely blurry. Carrie and Jimmy stalk me, wearing their terrible smiles once more.
Carries lowers her gun, giving me a good look into the inside of the barrel.
“Any last words?”