“Never mind,” I said, straightening my shoulders. Ryder studied me for a moment before shifting his gaze forward.
I stared at the area, I’d thought I’d seen something. I almost laughed at myself. There wasn’t anything there except for drifts of white snow.
Wait.
Tracks.
Were those tracks?
I was almost certain.
My hand shot up to Ryder’s arm again as something whizzed through the air off to my right. I looked around as my heart pounded hard against my chest.
“What is it?” Ryder said noticing that I’d stopped moving.
“What was that noise? Are those tracks?” I said short of panic. I pointed toward a pile of snow that had gathered in one area. The wind had caused snow drifts, they were everywhere since we’d left the house.
Ryder started walking to where I had pointed to have a closer look. I grabbed the back of his jacket and pulled him back. Something was wrong. I could feel it.
“Let’s just keep going,” I said taking in a sharp breath as something grazed my leg just below the knee. “Oww!”
It felt like something had stung me. I bent down and touched my leg. I must have walked into something that had been buried in the snow and scraped my leg.
When I raised my hand up, I saw the blood on my glove. Ryder’s eyes widened.
“Are you OK? What happened?” he asked, his eyes darting around the area before shifting down toward my injury.
“I must have walked into something. It feels like something stung me,” I said examining the ground around my foot. There wasn’t anything there. At least not that I could see.
That was until something in the snow caught my eye. A couple feet away from where I stood, something was poking out of the snow.
I took two steps closer, avoiding putting too much weight on my hurt leg. When I realized what I was looking at, my breath felt as though it was caught between my lungs and my mouth. It squeezed my throat.
“Arrow,” I mumbled and turned around to face them. “We have to get out of here.”
Ryder followed my gaze and looked at my leg. His eyes widened as something zipped inches past his arm. “Run!”
24
It was nearly impossible to run in the snow. What we were doing, was more like a fast, awkward march.
I turned and looked behind us, just as one of the snow-covered, camouflaged men stood up and aimed an arrow at us. It looked as though he’d had a cloak made from a white wolf, the wolf head over his head like a hood.
I only saw the one man, but the arrows that came our way seemed to indicate that there were others. Even though I tried, I couldn’t tell where the others were hiding.
I pulled out my gun, but I couldn’t use it while we ran. My bullets were limited. I couldn’t waste them, not to mention I didn’t even know how many guys were out there, or where they were.
“They’re camouflaged,” I said between breaths.
With each step I took, warm blood seemed to stream down toward my ankle. The impact of my foot stomping into the snow sent a stinging jolt through my veins. My lower leg felt as though it was being torn in two.
Charlie was out in front, leading the way. She was being fueled by an intense fear.
Her arms abruptly jerked up into the air. Charlie lost her grip on her club and it flipped end over end before sinking into the snow. Her body flopped forward, and she fell face first towards the ground.
“Ugh!” she grunted.
“Was she hit?” I asked in a high-pitched voice as I glanced around frantically. I didn’t see the camouflaged man, but something told me he was still there.
Ryder inspected Charlie and pulled her to her feet. He looked into her eyes. “You’re OK. You’re OK.”
“I tripped,” she said, her eyes bugging out of her head.
There was movement to my right. Shawn was next to me, so I grabbed his arm and pulled him down to the ground with me. The arrow landed and stuck into the ground several feet in front of our faces.
They were after us. They weren’t going to give up.
“At least they seem to have terrible aim,” Shawn said with a weak, fear-filled chuckle.
He was right. They must have known it too, because with us on the ground, they got up from their hiding spots and ran toward us.
“They’re coming!” I warned, scrambling to get to my feet.
There was one thing they were good at, and that was moving through the snow. We started to run, but they’d caught up.
One of the guys after us jumped past me and landed on top of Ryder, knocking him to the ground. My feet slid into the snow, and I came to a stop.
I pushed the guy with both hands trying to get him off of Ryder. The guy jerked his elbow back, hitting me square in the chest knocking me away. The weight of my backpack pulled me down, and I grunted when I hit the ground.
Logan started toward Ryder as another guy caught up with us. It looked as though there was something in his hand as he popped Logan on the back of the head. His steps slowed as his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell forward.
Charlie screamed.
Shawn had got up and ran over to fight off the guy that had hit Logan. He launched his fist at the guy, striking him so hard blood sprayed out of his nose.
Ryder threw his fist upward and smacked the guy on top of him in the throat. The guy didn’t even hesitate to punch him right back.
I reached back and pulled out my gun, attempting to aim it at the guy moving around on top of Ryder. When Charlie screamed again, it broke my focus.
“Help me!” she cried, desperation soaking her words.
A third guy wrapped his arm around her middle and pressed his hand down over her mouth. He started dragging her away.
Three guys.
I wiggled out of my backpack and aimed up a shot as I took big steps in Charlie’s direction. A hand wrapped around my leg, and I stopped. Fingers dug into my wound.
Whoever had me, jerked my leg back, and the last thing I remembered falling face first toward the ground.
25
My body rolled forward slowly and then gently rocked back. I was on the beach near our home with my dad, watching the waves gently slosh over the sand.
Water splashed against the sides of the small dock. The wetness in the air was so thick I could taste it. I looked over my shoulder and into my dad’s eyes.
He smiled at me. I felt safe. I felt happy.
“Wake up,” he said, his voice soft. I smiled back but felt confused by his words. I was awake.
My body started to rock quicker, and my dad’s expression changed. He looked worried. A darkness I’d never seen filled his eyes.
“Get up, Emery!”
“What’s wrong?” I asked, but before I’d finished my sentence, he fizzled away. The waves were gone too. The world around me shattered like broken glass leaving me encapsulated by nothing but a freezing, white cloud.
My heart was pulsating aggressively at the back of my neck. The coldness made me shiver, and my eyes fluttered rapidly.
“Emery! Wake up!” Shawn was looking at me as he shook my body vigorously.
“My head,” I groaned trying to sit up.
Shawn wrapped his arms around me and helped me sit up. “You were hit.”
“Where’s Ryder?” I asked looking around.
“Behind you,” he said. It took effort, but I turned and saw him cleaning his knife in the snow. The still wolf-hide covered man laying on the ground lifelessly at his feet.
Logan was pulling himself up out of the snow. He rubbed the back of his head while he looked around. “What happened?”
“You were knocked out,” Shawn said.
“They took her,” Ryder said.
Logan stood up but wobbled so severely he fell down to his knees when he couldn’t balance himself. “We have to go.”
Ryder nodded as he pointed at the snow. “They went that way. We have to hurry.”
“I don’t see them
,” I said looking out toward the horizon. There wasn’t any sign of them except for the boot prints in the snow. “How many were there? Three?”
“Yes, just three, I think… well, now two,” Ryder said kicking the body on the ground. “This was the one… I came through on my promise.”
“Now we just have to get her back,” Logan said, back on his feet. “Otherwise it won’t even matter.”
I started to cry. Shawn held me even though I could tell he didn’t know why exactly I was breaking down.
I hadn’t been out in the world as long as the others had, but I knew it was hopeless. We’d never be able to find her… not in time. Would she even be able to survive whatever they were going to do to her?
They all stared at me. “She could already be dead.”
Ryder swallowed and nodded. “I don’t think so. They could have just done that here if they wanted to. I think they want to keep her.”
“They’ve already put her through hell,” I said unable to stop the tears. “They’ll do it again.”
“Can you walk?” Ryder asked looking at me and then at Logan.
“Yeah.” I sniffed, as I tried to pick up my backpack. Thankfully they hadn’t bothered to take it. Shawn reached over and grabbed it from me when he saw me struggling.
He slipped it over his good shoulder. “Just temporarily. When you want it back, let me know.”
I nodded, but the movement made me feel dizzy.
Logan moved his feet, but he weaved side to side as if he were intoxicated. “Go,” he growled, his face plastered with frustration. “Let’s go get her.”
I looked up at the sun and then at the tracks in the snow. The world started to spin.
“What’s wrong?” Shawn asked looking at me when I didn’t move. I stared at him, but I couldn’t say anything. He grabbed my shoulders and looked into my eyes before turning to Ryder. “I don’t know if she’s OK. She was hit pretty hard.”
I blinked slowly. “I’m fine.”
I wasn’t.
It felt like an imaginary string was pulling me south. If I turned and followed the footprints, it would break. I’d be lost.
I had to decide.
There wasn’t time to spare.
South like my mom said… or help my new friends? My dad’s warnings flooded my mind. How had this happened?
My heartbeat was like a ticking clock.
Tick.
Tock.
Tick.
Tock.
26
I sucked in a deep breath and closed my eyes. My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to explode inside of my chest.
“OK, ready,” I said swallowing hard. I sucked in a quick breath that froze at the back of my throat threatening to choke me. “Let’s go.”
My heart didn’t stop pounding as we headed west. The string between me and the south pulled tighter and tighter. I tried to ignore the fact that I was finding it harder to breathe.
It was easy to follow the tracks in the snow, at least for the time being. I wasn’t sure what we were going to do if we lost them, but I wasn’t about to ask.
Ryder was walking so quickly that he was actually quite a bit ahead of Shawn and I. We could still see him, and really that was all that mattered.
Logan was in between, sometimes he’d be closer to Ryder and sometimes closer to us. His weaving around had improved but based on how often his hand was on his head, I knew it must have still hurt where he’d been hit.
Ryder turned around and waved at us aggressively. He said something, but I couldn’t make out what he’d said. It was difficult, but I tried to walk faster.
My leg still hurt where I’d been hit, and I was suffering from a major headache I was trying to ignore. The pain I was in was hard to hide.
“You OK?” Shawn asked.
My teeth were clenched, and I was sweating despite the cold. “I don’t have a choice not to be.”
Shawn’s eyes shifted down toward my leg. I didn’t want to look. If I saw it, I’d be tempted to stop. It was better if I didn’t even know what it looked like.
“They could go ahead,” Shawn suggested.
I bit my lip. “I don’t want to get separated.”
“No, right, of course not.”
When we caught up to where Ryder had been when he’d waved at us, I noticed what he’d been waving about. There was blood sprinkled in the snow, leading in the same direction as the footprints.
“Must have been the one I’d hurt,” Shawn said.
“Or maybe they're hurting Charlie.” I sniffed.
The sun seemed to be moving quicker than it had earlier. It would be night soon. We had to find Charlie before it was too dark to follow the trail.
Logan had caught up to Ryder again. I hated how far ahead they were from us, but I knew time was of the essence. It was frustrating because no matter how fast I walked it didn’t feel like I’d ever catch up.
I tried to make my feet go faster, but when they didn’t do what I wanted them to, I tripped over my own feet. Shawn caught my arm and steadied me before I fell into the snow.
“We’ll catch up to them,” Shawn said, making sure I had my balance before letting go. “They won’t lose us. I won’t let them.”
The sun was even lower. Each step to the west seemed to make it inch lower and lower toward the horizon.
“Time’s running out,” I blurted. “She didn’t even like me.”
“Only because of him,” Shawn said.
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. She didn’t like me the minute she saw me.”
“She’s a tough cookie,” Shawn grinned. “That’s how I know she’ll be OK.”
“You can’t possibly know,” I glanced at him, my brow wrinkled.
Shawn stiffened his jaw. “You’re right. I don’t know, but if anyone would survive them, it would be her.”
Maybe he was right, but what he wasn't factoring in was that this time they were taking her after they'd already broken her down. I didn’t know if it would be possible for her to get her hard shell back up in time to survive whatever they were dishing out.
Bits of snow shot up from their boots as Ryder and Logan started running. Shawn pulled my arm.
“They see something,” Shawn said squinting. “It’s them!”
I watched from afar as Ryder leaped on top of the guy that was holding Charlie. All three of them tumbled to the ground. The guy lost his hold on Charlie, and she scrambled to get away.
The second guy started to go after her, but Logan dove toward his foot and tackled him. Charlie screamed as she looked around, not knowing what to do.
Shawn waved his hand at her, but her eyes were wide. Charlie was panicking and had no idea we were even there.
“I’ll go get her,” Shawn said handing me my backpack. “Watch your back. Scream if you have to.”
I nodded, and he ran off. The pain in my leg seemed to increase, but I kept walking. If I could get closer, I could help.
Ryder rolled on top of the guy he was fighting and hit him in the jaw. He pulled back and hit him again.
I was about ten feet away when I reached back for my gun. My fingers moved around as I frantically tried to find it. Nothing was in my waistband.
It was gone.
I turned around, my eyes darting in every direction as I scanned the ground. Had I dropped it?
I turned back to see Logan staring at the man he’d been fighting. He was holding my gun to the back of Ryder’s head.
“Get off of him,” he screamed, droplets of spit spraying out from between his teeth.
Ryder raised his hands. Shawn and Charlie froze in place.
The guy must have taken my gun after he’d knocked me out. He hadn’t cared about my supplies, just my weapon.
I noticed Charlie’s hand were empty. My eyes quickly scanned the ground.
About halfway between the guy with the gun and me, was Charlie’s club laying in the snow. One of the bad guys must have dropped it when Ryder
charged them.
I took a step forward, and Shawn’s head jerked to the side. His eyes warned me not to move.
If the guy holding the gun spotted me, it was over. But if I could get to the club without them noticing….
I took another cautious step.
“I said, Get off of him!” the guy said pressing the barrel to Ryder's skull.
“OK! OK!” Ryder said shaking his hands.
The guy on the ground sat up, but he hadn’t seemed to notice me through his swollen eyes. I took another step.
Five more steps to the club.
Five more after that to reach the guy holding my gun.
Ryder got up slowly. His eyes moved around slowly as he was taking in the situation. He spotted me but quickly shifted them away.
Step.
“Stand by your friend,” the guy with my gun said quickly turning around and spotting Charlie. “Both of you. Over there.”
Another step.
Charlie clung to Shawn as they walked over to Ryder and Logan. The guy with my gun kept his back toward me as the gun followed their movements.
Step.
Step.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” he said alternating who the gun was pointed at.
The guy with the puffy eyes, and a bloody lip stood up and squinted in my direction. He rubbed his eyes.
Dammit.
Step.
I bent down low to the ground and grabbed the club. The guy with swollen eyes tapped his buddy on the side of the arm and whispered something.
I gripped the club tightly and charged the guy holding my gun. He slowly turned and aimed the gun at me.
I was less than three feet away when he pulled the trigger.
27
I ducked even though I wouldn't have ever been able to dodge the bullet. The guy holding the gun hadn’t realized the safety was still on.
I raised the club over my shoulder and swung as hard as I could. He cried out when the nail-spiked club hit him in the shoulder.
His fingers spread apart and the gun dropped into the snow. He reached over trying to take the club out of his arm. I snatched up my gun and made my way over to my friends.
Ravaged Land: Divided Series - A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller Books 1-3 Page 14
