Ben placed a hand on his hip and glanced around, quickly looking over Esme and Miranda’s heads. “I know, and I’m not blaming you or the kids. The sun is grueling, and the terrain is overgrown. I’d feel much better if we had a map or something.”
“We don’t have a destination,” Esme added.
Ben nodded. “Right now it feels like we’re walking just to be walking.”
Esme glanced at her wristband. It was a little different than before. There were five sections now. The first had a lone line with maybe room for more. That was new. But the characters flashing one after the other was the same. A countdown.
Her heart thudded. She didn’t want to guess what the next countdown was leading up to. “Why don’t we use one of those pod things?”
“It doesn’t come with unlimited usage. As long as we aren’t in danger, we walk it, use it for emergencies only.” Ben raised his arm to look at his wristband. “Besides, we have no clue where it will take us.” He shook his head. “No, I say we wait until we absolutely need to and even then we go as a group.”
Miranda wiped at the beads of sweat sliding down her neck. “You’re the boss. I’m not asking for anything besides a short rest break. Lexi only weighs a little more than a stone, but it feels like I’m carrying a sack of bricks on my back. Besides, Esme has the right idea. I have to feed the kids.”
“Adam probably weighs triple that,” Ben said. “I guess we can sit down for a few.”
Both Esme and Miranda sighed at the same time, happy that Ben would let them rest for a while and glad to be off their feet. Esme lowered herself to the ground in a series of painful groans.
“Hey! What are you doing? We can’t stop in the middle of the trail. We’ll look for somewhere safe.”
At the thought of even taking two more steps on aching feet, Esme whimpered.
Miranda gave her a pitying look and held out her hand. “If I can do it so can you.”
Esme took it and let Miranda help her to stand. Every muscle in her body throbbed and burned in protest. Her legs shook from fatigue. “Way to make me feel like the out of shape sloth that I am.”
They followed Ben as he left the trail and fought through a grouping of trees.
“I haven’t gotten proper rest in the past four years.” Miranda ducked under a low hanging branch. “I’m used to walking, running and standing to eat.”
“With two kids I guess you don’t get a lot of time to sit down.”
“Not at all. But this…” She glanced at the sky. “This is different. I’ve been on edge since we woke up here and I’ve been running on fumes ever since. I need to sit down for a second. Feed the kids and re-group.”
Esme nodded. She was also on edge. “I couldn’t imagine going through this with kids.”
“I don’t know what’s going on here, but I’m glad they’re with me though. I know it sounds selfish, but if I didn’t have them I would be worried about where they were and who was taking care of them. At least this way I have them by my side.”
“What about their dad? I bet he’s probably going crazy wondering where you guys are.”
Miranda’s eyes went dark, and her face blank. “It’s just us. Always has been.”
“We’ll stop here.” Ben paused at a clearing under a tree. He lifted Adam from his shoulders. “Down for you.”
When Adam was on the ground, he ran to Miranda and hugged her legs. “I was so far up in the air,” he said with glee in his voice.
Ah, to be young and without worries.
Esme helped Miranda unravel Lexi from her swaddle. When she was done, Esme dropped to the ground, not being able to stand for a second longer. Her feet immediately thanked her. Despite having acres and acres of land, she’d never hiked it. Mostly she sat and enjoyed the swing on her wrap around porch.
“I’m so out of shape.” Esme leaned against the tree, taking in struggling breaths. The humidity was thick and stifling. The air was heavy in her lungs. “I kept meaning to take up spin classes or something, but never found the time.” Esme stretched her neck from one side to the other, tendons stretched and popped.
“We’re not staying here long,” Ben said, bursting her bubble. “So rest up and get some food in your stomach.”
Esme gave him a lazy salute. “Got it, boss.” She touched the icon on her wristband for food and a second later a small white ball popped from the ground. She opened it and took out the water canvas and a block of brown substance. It wasn’t gourmet, but that didn’t matter. Esme didn’t hesitate to stick half of it in her mouth and wash it down with gulps of water.
Ben ate his food more thoughtfully and when he was half done he stuffed the rest in his pocket. The smart thing to do would be to follow Ben’s lead since he was the expert at survival, but she was so friggin’ hungry. Miranda didn’t save any of hers either. Adam downed his food hungrily while Miranda fed Lexi.
“So the plan is to keep going in that direction?” Miranda nodded to her left.
“No, the plan is to keep going the same way we’ve been going.” Ben pointed in the opposite direction.
“Semantics,” Miranda muttered under her breath.
“How do we know when we’ve reached, you know? The end?” Esme squinted, looking to where Ben had pointed. She could tell how Miranda got mixed up. It all looked the same to her too.
Ben exhaled hard. “I’m not sure if we’ll ever know when we reach ‘the end.’ We have to keep going until we can reach someplace safe.”
“Keep walking and walking,” Miranda muttered.
Esme took another bite from her mystery meat. “And walking.”
“And walking,” Adam said, smiling.
“What walking did you do, little man?” Ben joked with the first smile Esme had seen on his face since the day started.
Esme chuckled. “Care to trade places, Adam?”
What sounded like a bird squawked in the distance. Esme raised her head in the direction of the sound, seeing nothing through the abundance of odd-looking leaves and branches.
All the playfulness in Ben’s demeanor changed. Gone was the smile he’d worn for Adam and back was the set of rigid lines in his serious face. Ben recapped his water canvas. “Time to go.”
Miranda looked up with worry coating her features. “But we’ve only rested for about fifteen minutes. Can’t we sit a little while longer?”
A squawk sounded again. The hairs on the back of Esme’s neck stood on end. Something was wrong. “I think Ben’s right.”
Esme pushed a button on the white ball, and as if pulled by magnets the ball became heavy. Esme dropped it, and the ground swallowed it up, without leaving a trace.
“What? Because of the bird?” Miranda asked.
“I don’t know.” Uneasiness washed over Esme. “It might not be a bird. I just have a bad feeling about it.”
Ben stood. “The first rule out here is to trust your gut. And mine is telling me that sound ain’t no bird.”
Yelling. Distinctive this time. Esme scrambled to her feet. “You’re right.”
While Ben grabbed Adam, putting him on his shoulders again, Esme helped Miranda to stand.
Esme’s feet were killing her, and she probably had more blisters than she could count, but her fear of what was in the distance made her push all her pain aside. When Ben trotted away, she dutifully followed behind even though every breath felt like sandpaper on her throat.
They traveled in silence for the next three hours. Muscles she hadn’t used since she was a kid burned. If she’d spent more time in the gym rather than working overtime maybe she would’ve been more prepared.
Prepared for what?
To hike on an alien planet?
It was almost comical when she thought about it. There she’d been, working fifty hours a week with her butt on a soft stool and peering through a microscope. She’d always been a hard worker, concentrated on school, graduating high school and college early and going on to get her Ph.D.
Her only focus had bee
n to work, work, and work. She’d worried about her school and career for all those years and hardly had time to think about anything else. Like a husband, kids or fun.
Esme gave Miranda a sideways glance. She looked the same age as Esme, and she already had a family. She could hear her mother’s voice in her ear. “Mija, slow down. You need to find a husband and start a family.”
If, no, when she got out of this mess, she would clock out on time, maybe join an online dating service, take up exercise classes and live more.
“Everybody keep calm. I think we’re being followed,” Ben whispered in a harsh tone. He kept going, facing forward.
How could he drop something like that and act like he hadn’t said anything at all?
Esme trotted to catch up with him. “Is it one of the others? Maybe Min, Payton or Danny?”
Ben’s jaws clenched so tight that Esme could see the outline of his bone and tendons. “If it were any one of them they would’ve said something or made contact. Not follow twenty feet behind us.”
“H-how do you know?” Miranda turned around and walked backward, keeping her eyes on the thick jungle they’d gone through. “Should we call them on the wristband?”
“About face, Miranda,” Ben barked out. “We don’t want to let on that we know they’re back there. I need to buy us some time, so I can figure out a plan.”
“But—”
“It’s not one of the others,” Ben said adamantly.
Esme touched the sticks she had stuffed in her purse. If she fooled herself, she could pretend they would make adequate weapons against whoever pursued them, but honestly, they weren’t even that sharp. She could scratch them up good, but that was about it. She took them from her purse anyway.
“Miranda, I want you in front of me.”
Miranda walked fast to pass Ben and Esme.
“Here.” Ben took Adam off his shoulders and put him on Esme’s back.
With trembling hands, she adjusted Adam’s legs to wrap around her waist and arms tight around her neck.
“When I say run, I want you both to run as fast as you can. Go straight. If it comes down to it, I want you to use a pod. Stick together. Got it?”
“What about you?” Esme asked in a trembling voice.
“I’m going to be running too, but if needed, I’ll be fighting.”
“Don’t leave us alone,” Esme begged, fear present in every word.
“I’m going to try my best to take care of you all. Now, run!”
Ben didn’t have to tell her twice. Esme took off.
Adam was heavy on her back, slowing her down. His bony butt bounced hard against her, but she held tight to his legs and kept going, jumping over anything in her way. Miranda was a step behind her, panting and huffing just as hard as Esme was. Esme didn’t have to turn around to know that Ben was behind her. His heavy breathing and quick steps were on her heels.
“Turn right!” Ben yelled.
Esme veered to the right. “Duck!” she yelled to Adam as she ran under branches thick with leaves.
Esme peered behind her. Miranda wasn’t far. Her face was full of panic as she cradled Lexi close to her chest. Ben was behind Miranda pushing her along. Esme couldn’t see anyone following Ben, the jungle was too thick, but she could hear another set of feet behind him.
Oh, Jesus!
“Keep going, Esme!” Ben called out.
Esme let out a small cry and turned around, only to slam into something as hard as a tree. Adam cried out, and Esme stumbled back. Miranda ran into her and Ben into Miranda.
Esme looked up and staring at her was something she’d never seen before. A man, no, it was an alien. He wasn’t much taller and bigger than Ben. The thing in front of her was dark grey from head to toe, including his hair and eyes. The only pop of color on him were the white hoops that hung from the sides of his face, and what looked like a kilt sitting low on his hips.
His mouth was the only normal part of him. His chin had four sections that hung from his face. His nose was broad and flat and had extra cartilage on the sides. His grey eyes were deep set in his head with his forehead protruding over them. There were deep ridges on his forehead. She couldn’t tell if they were decorative or a part of his skull.
He didn’t have on a shirt. His rippling muscles were exposed and dripping with sweat. No wonder she’d thought she’d hit a tree.
“I claim you,” his voice came out deep and guttural.
Esme took steps back. Shock held her tongue.
Miranda whimpered behind her.
“Go the other way!” Esme yelled.
“We can’t,” Ben replied.
Behind them, another alien stormed through the brush. She thought it couldn’t get it worse, but she was proven wrong.
The one who’d been following them was tall, green and wiry, reminding her of a praying mantis. His insides pulsated behind thin skin. It didn’t have a nose or lips that she could see. His eyes took up most of his face, black as coal. Plates of hard skin framed his face, head, and chest.
“They are mine!” The praying mantis looking alien beat on his chest. “I track and hunt them.”
“I take one. You take the rest,” the grey alien said, his eyes on Esme.
“No, no no,” she whimpered. She thrust the pointy sticks at the alien. Her hands shook but she held them tightly.
Ben pushed both her and Miranda behind him and pulled out his knife, waving it in the direction of the hunters.
“Ben, we need to get out of here,” Esme said to him.
“Everyone hold onto each other,” he whispered.
Esme hooked her arm with Miranda. She didn’t know who shook more. Ben grabbed Miranda’s other arm.
“On my mark,” Ben yelled as the two aliens closed in.
Screech! Screech! Screech!
The aliens stopped. One shook his balled fist at the sky. The other tried to lunge at Esme but mid-motion he fell into convulsions, hitting the ground.
“Should we push our wristbands?” Miranda whispered.
Ben stilled her with a hand. “Wait. Something’s happening.”
The ground opened, and both aliens were swallowed. The alarm stopped, and the jungle was eerily quiet.
“What the hell was that?” Esme held tight to both Miranda and Ben, not being able to let them go just yet.
For the first time since they’d woken up, Ben appeared as scared as Esme felt. “That. That right there was officially day one.”
Esme pressed her wristband. “I-is everyone still there?”
“We just ran into some pretty freaky shit,” Ben said into his wristband. “We need for everyone to check in.”
Miranda cried softly and buried her head into Ben’s armpit. Esme fell into the other. She couldn’t stop shaking.
“Ben, Esme, Miranda and the kids are safe. Who else is out there?”
“Yesenia is still here.”
“Min is too.”
“Kaylin and Danny have seen some scary crap, but we’re still here and hanging on by threads,” Danny said.
Silence.
“Payton and her trusty sidekick are still alive.”
Another beat of silence.
“Where is Mary Ann and Spencer?”
Silence.
Miranda’s sobs grew louder. Ben wrapped his arms around both women and held them tight.
“I guess we know who was screaming,” Min said.
“I-I just want to go home,” Esme cried. Her tears spilled onto Ben’s shirt. Her legs gave way, and her knees hit the ground.
This can’t be real. This can’t be real.
Chapter Ten
I’m not allowed to intervene.
That’s what Xrez kept telling himself over and over again as he’d watched the small group of humans cornered by a Scraislaes and Threecax. But that also hadn’t stopped him from running as fast as he could to reach the humans before they were claimed. Finding the group had been unchallenging. They’d first tried to go through a particularl
y dense patch of jungle before ultimately giving up and following one of the paths made during previous hunts. He’d also seen the hunters when they’d homed in on the humans.
The logical part of his brain reminded him this was their fate—her fate. She would most likely end up as the mate of one of them. Both species were primitive and more advanced than humans, but still, they would work her or bed her to death. Then there was the other part of his brain that screamed for him to save her, help her through the levels.
But how could he help them in front of so many witnesses?
He couldn’t. He’d watched with bated breath for the inevitable. Then a miracle happened. The evening alarm rang. Stunned, he’d checked his timer and confirmed what he already knew. The evening alarm had rung early.
The evening alarm signified the day was done and the prey were off-limits until the morning alarm. He’d dropped into the pod. As the pod propelled on the track, rushing him back to the lodge, Xrez saw the other hunters leaving empty-handed as well.
The evening was the only time the hunters traveled in the pods. The previous game wardens wanted the prey to be able to re-group and rest before the start of the next day. Before there were evening pods, the hunters wouldn’t make it back to the lodge. They would instead stalk and hide out in the arena, waiting for the morning alarm and claim prey before they even had time to open their eyes.
There were already hunters congregating and sharing stories when Xrez walked into the great hall. He wasn’t interested in what the others had to talk about. Those who hadn’t paid for the expensive private suite would take a meal together then later rest in a cot in a room shared with everyone else.
Xrez snaked through the hunters and made his way to his quarters. There was a message waiting for him. It was broadcast on a hologram visible as soon as Xrez opened his door.
“Dear, Hunters. As you all may well know, we experienced a mechanical glitch in the timing system. This triggered the evening alarm and retrieval system to end The Hunt prematurely. Please be informed that we have made the necessary corrections and have applied credits to every hunter’s account to reflect the missed time in the gaming arena. We hope you enjoy the rest of your visit on Turolois and in The Hunt!”
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