Chapter 12 Vhaena
Chapter Twelve
Vhaena
HAPPY HUNTING
Several demons came down and unshackled us—not being the least bit gentle.
I watched as they took two women at a time, leading them up toward the deck before coming back for more.
Our demon was large and gruff, built like a monster who had just crawled his way up from the depths of the hells; he looked muscular enough to crush my skull with his bare hands.
It made me wonder how many demons there were.
Would these be the same ones who hunted us?
Panic clawed its way up my throat, my breaths becoming short and rapid. I struggled to inhale fully as the demon gripped my arm in one hand and Inka’s in the other.
I had the right mind to at least tuck the wooden spoon into the hem of my skirt before he forced us up the stairs. It was practically useless against demons, but it was better than nothing.
I squinted against the light of the midday sun as we emerged from the brig of the ship.
The demons forced us off the deck, leading us down a plank and onto a long pier. My feet sank into the sand as they lined us up along the sandy shoreline side by side before standing in a row in front of us. Each of them wore a mask, making them look even more intimidating.
My nerves were getting to me.
This was it. I was about to be hunted down by unhinged, bloodthirsty demons for seven days if I was lucky. Or less if I wasn’t…
With a shaky breath, I pushed aside my fear momentarily and forced myself not to cry.
I needed to think about how I was going to survive the Hunt.
I glanced all around, but I had no fucking clue what to look for.
My eyes flicked to Amalia, noticing her doing the same thing but with calculated intention.
I could see her planning with a confidence I couldn’t fake if I tried.
I took in the island before me. Past the beach, there were trees. Towering and dense, it was a forest unlike any I had ever seen. To my left, I could just see the tip of a mountain with smoke billowing from the peak. Beyond that, there was nothing but empty ocean.
This wasn’t just an island, it was a grave—the final resting place for so many of us.
I trembled in place, as did most of the women. If I’d had any water in my system, I’d probably have pissed myself where I stood. Instead, my stomach twisted with anxiety. I bent over and hurled bile onto the sand. Inka’s hand pressed to my back as I spat out the remnants from my mouth.
“Vhaena,” she said in a strained whisper. “Stand up.”
I lifted my head to find one of the demons had stepped forward and was standing directly in front of me. I stood fully, forcing myself to put on a brave face when all I wanted to do was vomit again. He stared at me for a moment before trailing his gaze over the rest of us.
Then, his voice slightly muffled by the mask, he announced, “You’re all here as sacrifices for the Hunt. On behalf of the Umbra Ministry, I’d like to thank you all for participating.”
I nearly scoffed. They’re thanking us? What a load of shit.
“There are a few things you need to know,” he continued.
“The Hunt will last for a total of seven days. The demons who will be hunting you are arriving tonight at dusk. It gives you the rest of the day to run and hide before they get here.” He paused for a moment, looking at each of us.
“You are here so we can unleash ourselves fully and prevent demons wreaking havoc on the mainland. Know this; there are no rules on this island. You will be caught. You will be killed. Some will be beaten, tortured, or raped. If you somehow manage to evade or survive, you will leave here with your life on the eighth morning at dawn. If you do not survive, know that your sacrifice saves lives.”
My ears rang as fear pulsed through my veins.
With one final command, the sound so deep and menacing I could hear the smile behind the mask, the demon said, “Happy hiding.”
Chaos ensued.
We leapt into action. The younger, more able-bodied women bolted for the treeline while the others moved as quickly as they could.
I grabbed Inka’s wrist, pulling her behind me as she struggled to keep up.
She said she wasn’t physically capable of working, but I hadn’t quite considered what that meant exactly; how much she would slow me down.
It didn’t matter. I wasn’t leaving her behind now.
It was better we stuck together, going slower, rather than being on our own.
We could make up for our lack of speed by being smart.
The forest here was dense, which was a good thing.
It meant it would be easier to hide. My goal was to go as far as we possibly could, even past dusk.
As for hiding, I had no idea what the terrain was like or if there was any place we could conceal ourselves completely. All I could see were trees and brush.
I continued to pull Inka as fast as I could, sparing a few glances back to make sure she was alright. I was hardly running, but she panted as if we were sprinting. Looking past her, I could still see the ocean in the distance. We hadn’t made it very far, and I could tell she was already fatigued.
“Are you okay? Do you need a break?” I asked.
“Fine,” she said between strained breaths. “I’ll make it. Just keep…going.”
Branches whipped across my face, cutting the soft flesh of my cheeks, but I wasn’t letting it stop me. Further up, I could see a few of the women darting between the trees. We were far behind. Very far behind.
Shit.
It’s okay. It’s okay. We have time. It’s still morning, so we have roughly eight hours to get as far as we can and find a place to hide. Then we can come up with a plan. We just have to make it for seven days…
We ran for a while longer, aiming for the deepest part of the island.
Without knowing how large it was, I almost expected to reach the other side at some point.
But we never did. I’d never been to an island.
I had no idea how big they usually were.
The forest just seemed to go on and on farther than I could see.
“Hey!”
I came to a sudden halt at the voice, Inka bumping into me with the abrupt stop.
I whipped my head toward the sound but the rest of my body was tense, only relaxing once I realized it was one of the other women.
I knew we still had several hours of daylight until the demons would arrive, but I was on edge, just waiting for one of them to come out of nowhere.
One of the women was jogging toward us with long dark hair swaying behind her. I recognized her from the ship, but I didn’t know who she was. How she was running was beyond me, seeing as she was barefoot. Her feet had to be killing her.
“Hey, I’m Elke,” she panted as she approached.
“Hi, Elke, I’m Vhaena. This is Inka.”
“So, listen,” Elke started. “I know that Kilead woman is all about looking out for herself, but I don’t share her logic. I have a plan I think could work, and I could use help.”
My brows rose in interest.
“What’s your plan exactly?” Inka asked.
Elke pointed up, and my eyes followed the direction of her finger to the top of the tree.
“If we can each go into a tree, we can have a good vantage point from different directions and keep an eye out for each other and give warnings if we see a demon coming,” she said with a smile.
It sounded logical. In theory. But there were a few issues that immediately came to mind.
“But how are we going to get up there? The limbs are too high to reach,” I said, noting that even if I jumped as high as I could, I wouldn’t be able to reach the lowest branch.
“I’m sure we can find at least one tree with lower limbs. And for the others, we can boost each other up,” Elke offered.
“So, what are we going to do—just sit in trees for the next seven days?” How were we supposed to sleep?
“I mean, I’d rather suffer sitting in a tree for a week than running for my life on the ground from demons. At least this way, we can stay hidden.”
Fair point.
“I can’t climb a tree like that…” Inka said, staring up the towering trunk.
“Vhaena, I’ll completely understand if you want to go with her, but I don’t think it’s a good idea.
And not just because I’d be left out. If a woman can climb a tree, so can a demon.
Then you’d be trapped unless you dropped to the ground, but you’d probably break your legs with how high up you’d be. ”
I hadn’t thought of that.
“I’m just saying.” Inka shook her head. “I think it would be smarter to find a hiding place that can be easily escaped if needed.”
I pictured myself sitting up in a tree with no way to escape while a bunch of demons clawed their way up toward me, tearing me apart and leaving my body dangling from the limbs.
Yep. I couldn’t get the image out of my mind now. No, thanks.
“Thanks, Elke, but Inka and I are going to look for something else. I’ll give you a boost first, though.”
“Suit yourself. Good luck.” She shook her head as I gave her a boost up the tree so she could reach the high limb.
I grabbed Inka’s hand, and we started running again, not wanting to waste another minute.
My legs ached from running. My stomach cramped from hunger. My mouth was parched with thirst. My heart raced with dread, but fear kept me going. Fear of being found. Fear of being caught. Fear of dying.
After several hours, Inka and I came upon a stream and finally—blessedly—stopped for a short break to catch our breath and get a drink of water. I let go of her wrist, and she collapsed to the forest floor.
“Inka! What’s wrong?” I bent down next to her.
“I’m okay. I just need a minute to rest,” she mumbled.
“Okay.” I nodded. I knew she was pushing herself past her limits, and had to be in an extreme amount of pain, but she had no choice. It was either temporary pain now, or death. “Why don’t you get some water? We can stay here for a few minutes before continuing.”