Chapter 6
The cardinal rule of monster hunting was to never run.
I’d like to say that knowing this wasn’t an animal was what made my legs move without permission. But the dirty truth was that my training flew out of my mind, and I reacted like prey.
As I ran, I reached into my pocket, looking for my flashlight again, hoping I hadn’t left it behind in the confusion.
I ran full-force into a slab of foundation. It hit my shin like a sledgehammer, and a pained yelp ripped from my throat.
Don’t stop.
I already fucked up. Now I had to commit to it.
I let out a short breath of relief when I found my light in my back pocket and ran down the main road. Every step throbbed, but I didn’t dare let that distract me. The temperature dropped, until my breath made large clouds in front of me.
The dim light from the fire that I left burning faded until the only light was from the LED beam of my flashlight. The forest was silent now that I’d sent the ghosts away. No crickets or frogs. No locusts.
Not even footsteps behind me.
The only sound was my ragged breathing and my heavy steps as I ran full-force out of the settlement.
That unnerved me more than if the ground shook or if a roar echoed behind me. I couldn’t gauge how close or how far he was, for all I knew he was still right on me. But I wouldn’t take the time to stop and look back.
The light guiding my way dimmed as if the brand new batteries were dying, giving me only half the amount of distance ahead of me. It continued to fade until it died out completely.
I stopped running, against my better judgement, knowing another injury would only make the situation worse. When I turned the flashlight toward myself it was at the brightness level I would expect.
The light was working, but it wasn’t illuminating.
It didn’t burn my retinas. Something swallowed the rays of light.
He’d already caught me.
The darkness I stood in was the same ancient fear that drove men to discover and harness one of the most destructive elements on earth. It created the stories and legends of things that would eat you in the night.
He was everywhere.
I pulled a small candle from my tool bag and lit it. A lemon balm candle that fit perfectly in the palm of my hand, and I knew wouldn’t harm him. Still, humanity claimed fire for a reason.
I lit my candle with my lighter, and let the small flame give a faint glow to the area. The oppressive energy around me lessened as the fire pushed the shadows back, even if it was just an inch.It made it easier to think.
I used the mediocre light to walk through the Dark Entry Forest. It didn’t give me much visibility, but it was enough to put one foot in front of the other. I hated how much my hands shook, and I had to force deep calming breaths to keep my head straight.
The presence hovered over me like a guillotine, but I didn’t dare look up.
The wind picked up, making the flame of my candle flicker. I cupped my hand around it to protect the only thing preventing me from being snuffed out by the darkness.
I clutched the candle to my chest like a safety blanket.
My eyes scanned the area, but it was useless. I was fumbling blind.
The hair on my arms stood on end. Every instinct screamed that I was prey, but I was unable to figure out exactly where the threat was.
An ice-cold tendril wrapped around my ankle. Panic made my throat tight and I held the candle protectively to me.
My knee hit the ground with a painful thump that sent a flash of agony up my thigh and back. My upper body smashed into the ground. Hot wax that had gathered on top of the candle poured over my hands. The reflex to release the source of pain hit hard, but I refused to loosen my grip on it.
If I had to set myself on fire to keep it burning, I would.
I rolled onto my ass and moved the light toward my feet to see what root brought me down, only to find nothing that could have caused the fall.
I got my feet back under me and kept walking. Every step felt like vines were wrapping around my limbs, rooting me to the earth, but I knew it was him.
What exactly he was trying to accomplish I wasn’t sure, but I didn’t decide to live so this fucker could kill me. He could kiss my ass. I would crawl if I had to.
When he couldn’t trip me up, tendrils snaked further up my thighs just short of indecent. It made a need I refused to name bubble low in my gut. My body betraying me.
The tendrils tightened and I knew I’d be a smear of bruises if I got out of this. My thighs burned from the force I used to move one single step forward. A free hand would have helped, but the wind picked up, threatening to blow out my makeshift torch.
I gritted my teeth as the weight holding me grew heavier. Each leg was a hundred pounds. The ground was wet cement.
I’d die on my terms. Not his.
“Go fuck yourself,” I grunted.
He chuckled in amusement, and the sound came from everywhere. He was a cage wrapped around me like a prison.
How long had I struggled to escape? Seconds? Hours? Days?
What was the point?
Focus on one thing. Just one to keep yourself ground, my aunt’s voice filled my mind.
I couldn’t see anything. All I had was this candle dripping hot wax all over my fingers.
The candle.
It burned down far enough to tell me it had been a long while, but I couldn’t say exactly what that was. The accumulated wax sloshed when I jostled in my struggle.
I took a deep inhale through my nose, letting the lemony scent fill my nose. Strings of sanity returned to me, anchoring me to that little bedroom where my cousins would burn lemon balm to help me sleep.
When I exhaled, it was easier to focus.
How long had it taken me to walk to the settlement the first time?
Would that even be helpful? Considering something had been actively holding me back for miles.
I was exhausted. The gas tank was empty, and I didn’t even know how much further the exit was.
A heavy hand pressed down on my back, making my knees buckle. Tears pricked my eyes.
How much further could I go like this? Did I even want to live that much? Two months ago, I hadn’t.
The lemon balm filled my nose with my next ragged breath. Esme and Willow.
I let out a guttural shout of frustration, tears pricking my eyes. Giving up wasn’t an option.
A tendril slid around my throat and squeezed, but didn’t cut off my air, as the shadow pressed himself to my back. With a single force of something, maybe a foot, to the back of my knee I collapsed to the ground. I used my body as a shield against the wind, crawling on one hand.
Were the trees thinning? My heart pounded against my chest, but I tried to squash the hope. Disappointment killed faster than grim endurance.
The wind whirled into a tunnel around me.
“Fuck you!” My nails dug into the dirt below me, pulling myself forward.
A hum vibrated on my back, and it was a gut punch to my ego. He was so unbothered, it was an insult.
I was the hunter that made the most vicious of creatures wail for mercy. How dare he?
“I’m going to hurt you,” I grumbled between my teeth. I’d get out of here, figure out how to destroy him, and hand deliver his destruction as painfully as possible.
He shoved me until I was belly-down on the ground. Hard enough to make me nauseous.
A big wave of icy breath blew across my face in one quick spurt, blowing out my candle like he was making a wish for the best birthday gift ever.
My heart stopped.
Fuck.
The sensation of lips, giving me a deep affectionate kiss on the cheek, shook me before all the weight disappeared off me.
I was so wrapped up in his passion that it took me too long to realize I wasn’t restrained anymore.
I shook off the way my heart yearned for that type of desire.
I wasn’t a fool. He let me go, but I still forced myself to crawl away.
Desperate to make any progress before he trapped me in that damn forest.
Two seconds later, I cleared the tree line. Brilliant orange light peeked over the horizon, like some kind of miracle.
I was out.
I scrambled to my feet, putting a few feet between me and the trees. My eyes shot to the entryway to see the shadow leaning casually against a tree, as if the fight of my life had been nothing for him.
Here I was, covered in dirt and sweat in every uncomfortable crease, standing on shaky jelly legs and a throbbing shin, and he was so unaffected it made me want to go back in. I didn’t fall for the bait, I wouldn’t win.
The only reason I made it out was because he let me.
My shadow stretched unnaturally toward the trees as if it wanted to stay behind with him. I didn’t give that a second thought, stumbling back to put as much distance between us as possible.
The way my shadow connected made my stomach twist, like I expected him to leap out of the forest after me.
I shot him two stiff middle fingers, hoping to appear more confident than I was. “What now, fucker?”
“You can’t escape, Dandelion.”