Jack leaned in. “We need to move.”
“No, wait. We need to know where they are going. If we can follow, perhaps we can find the source of where they pull us from.”
“Are you nuts? We’ll get caught if we follow them. I want to live. If you are smart, you will do as I say.”
Kaitlyn turned to face Jack. “Have you ever followed them before? Back in Missouri, I used to hunt with my father. He always said, ‘The best way to understand a predator was to follow it.’ Our very survival may depend on understanding where these creatures go and why. We may even find a way out.” She leaned in so close his breath brushed against her skin. “Please trust me. I know it’s asking a lot, but I’m sure I’m right.”
“I do trust you,” Jack replied. “Just give me one second. I need to make sure of something.”
“What?”
Jack pointed to the woman. “That.” Her body had started to shake before morphing into the same scouts who’d hunted them earlier.
“Jack, does that happen all the time?”
“I’ve only seen it happen twice.” There was sadness in his tone.
“They took someone close to you?”
“When I was pulled, I didn’t come alone.” He paused and stared at the ground. “My…my best friend, my brother-in-law, was with me. He was taken the first night we were here.”
His friend. No wonder he had sounded sad. But she understood his hesitation at getting out. He was scared. Scared of the questions and of facing his wife knowing she’d lost her brother to these things. Staying, and surviving, could seem easier than facing the truth.
“I’m sorry for your loss.” Her fingers gripped his hand. “I know going back must seem like a bad dream, but you can’t stay here. No one can. If we can find a way out, we have to try. If not for me, or for you, do it for Jessica. She shouldn’t be condemned to this place. She has her whole life ahead of her. Besides, don’t you have someone back home?” Kaitlyn waited to let her words sink in.
“Yes, my wife is still there. We were supposed to have dinner the evening I was pulled.”
“Then you need to get back to her.”
“What about you?” Jack asked.
Kaitlyn kicked a small stone across the ground. “My parents are dead, and I was an only child. No one is back there to miss me.”
“I’m sorry.” His hand touched hers.
“It’s okay. Right now we just need to find a way out of this place. I don’t want to die here.”
“Fine, but we keep a good distance. I don’t want them to see us.”
Kaitlyn held back a sigh. “Fair enough.” She squeezed his hand. “Thank you.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek. She hated what he’d already gone through. She wanted to take away his pain, but she knew she couldn’t. It was something he would have to work through, but she would do what she could to help. That was, if he was willing to accept her help.
“Come on, it’s moving.”
Kaitlyn looked down at Jessica, her eyes still closed. “Okay sweetie, it’s time for us to move. Now, I’ll need you to remain as quiet as possible. Think you can do that for me?”
Jessica just nodded. For her young age, she’d seen more than any adult ever should. Kaitlyn prayed her idea was right and she wasn’t walking them into a larger trap. If so, she would do everything she could to save them. Gripping the child’s hand, Kaitlyn allowed Jack to lead the way. Exiting the hideout he began to pick up speed towards the north, in the direction the creature had gone. They were on their way. On their way to what, Kaitlyn had no idea, but she hoped it was a way out.
Chapter Three:
They’d run for a good mile before Jack dragged them all to the ground behind a large stump. They had caught up to the Hunter. Kaitlyn kept still and waited, with the hair on the back of her neck standing up again. Glancing over the edge of the stump, she could see the Hunter ahead stop and turn to look around. Could it have sensed their presence? Kaitlyn waited. A few minutes passed before the creature slipped into some of the vines and was gone.
“Where did it go?”
Kaitlyn pulled Jessica close. “I don’t know sweetie, but don’t you worry. You’ll be fine.”
Leaning towards Jack, she whispered in his ear. “Did that thing just vanish into the wall or am I missing something?”
“I really don’t know,” he answered. “Okay, let’s move slowly forward. I want to see if there is an entrance here we don’t know about. Maybe the way out is in there.”
“Works for me.” She felt Jack begin to move. “But, if it isn’t. Thank you for coming. It means a lot to me.”
Jack turned to face her, placing a kiss on her forehead. “No, thank you.”
“For?”
“For giving me hope. For pushing me to find a way out. I don’t know if I ever would have tried to, if not for you.”
Kaitlyn was about to say more, but she heard another movement in the forest. Pulling Jack and Jessica onto the forest floor she waited. Another Hunter appeared from the far end of the clearing. It was also looking around, as if trying to locate something it couldn’t see. Its eyes came to rest on their spot, but it didn’t move forward. A few minutes passed by, and then it drifted towards the rock wall and vanished as quickly as had the other. There was definitely some sort of passage over there.
“It was acting as back up, in case one of us had followed. Glad you stopped me from moving.”
Kaitlyn squeezed Jack’s arm. “Not a problem. We’ll call it even for saving my butt earlier. Come on, let’s go. I want to see what’s inside there.” She started to stand, but a sense of dread moved across her again. “Let’s take it slow and keep to the bushes as much as possible. I don’t want to chance being seen if any of the others come back.”
They moved from their hiding spot and headed quietly towards the spot where the Hunters had disappeared. The closer they got, the more Kaitlyn’s chest tightened. As they approached the wall, her hands reached out to find any kind of opening. The spot the Hunters had seemed to pass through felt solid. Moving along the wall, Kaitlyn’s fingers continued to brush across stone and vines. Pushing further in, she felt a slight rush of air.
“Here,” Kaitlyn whispered to Jack. “There is a change in airflow.”
“I feel it.”
Jack moved ahead of her and pushed into the thick bushes. His body vanished before her eyes. Kaitlyn was about to call out to him, when his arm reappeared reaching out to her. Uncertainty rushed through Kaitlyn, but she knew she couldn’t turn back. Not now. Squeezing Jessica’s hand, she grabbed Jack’s hand. He pulled them both through the bushes and into a dimly lit room. Looking around, Kaitlyn saw crude pictures painted on the wall. She moved closer to get a better view.
“Oh wow. This is amazing.” Her fingers ran across the stone wall. “This looks to be a history of who they are. From what I can tell, they don’t do this all the time.”
Jack moved closer. “What do you mean?”
“Well, look at this. This shows them as if they are rising from some kind of sleep or something. Look, they rise and surround some kind of bright light. From within that light, people are pulled through. But, check this out. The first people they take, you can see them absorbing their energy.”
“We’ve seen that.”
“I know, but keep looking how these pictures unfold. It looks like they turn the first set of people they hunt, but then on this next wall, it only shows them absorbing their life force.” She moved to another wall on the opposite side. “Check this out, it looks like they go back to sleep after a while only to wake again.”
“Well that can’t be good.”
Kaitlyn turned to face Jack. “I don’t like what this represents. How can they manage it?”
Jack shrugged. “No idea. All I can think of is that absorbing the energy of those they hunt, allows them to live very long lives.” He moved closer to one of the walls. “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“So they w
ill keep doing this over and over.” Kaitlyn sighed.
“Unless we can find a way to stop them.” Jack moved toward a hallway that lead away from the room. “Let’s see where that goes. I don’t want to be here if any of the Hunters return.”
“Works for me,” Kaitlyn replied.
They headed towards the hallway, which was darker than the room they just left. Thankfully, the darkness only went on for about ten feet before the passage opened into a larger room. As her eyes adjusted back to the light, Kaitlyn noticed at least ten sarcophagi in the room. They were situated in a circle with a large oval mirror in the center. Kaitlyn had never seen anything like it before.
“Do you think that mirror is the way out?” Kaitlyn asked.
“It’s as good an idea as any,” Jack whispered. “When we move forward, we do so quickly. Don’t stop, don’t look around. If they show themselves, just try and find a place to hide.”
Kaitlyn closed her eyes for a moment. “I get it. Don’t pass go, don’t stop for anything.” She tried to still her nerves. “Sorry, don’t mind my sarcasm. Force of habit when I’m nervous.”
Jack smiled. “No worries. Come on, let’s go. I don’t want to delay this any longer.”
“Understood.” She knelt down and faced Jessica. “Okay sweetie. You understand what we are doing, yes? Just run to the middle of the room with us, and we will see if this mirror can help us.”
“Okay.” Jessica looked up at her. “I can’t wait to go home.”
Kaitlyn glanced at Jack and nodded. “Let’s go.”
Jack smiled and took her hand. Standing, they all ran to the middle of the room and past the resting places of the Hunters. As they got closer to the middle of the room, the air that surrounded them changed and became electrified. A loud screech echoed from the hallway, and Kaitlyn turned to find the Hunters emerging from the darkness. The creatures somehow sensed they were here, as if some invisible alarm system had been triggered. It was something they couldn’t worry about. With only about a foot to go, the Hunters were coming at them with full force.
“Go, go, go!” Jack shouted.
As they got close, the mirror shimmered and came to life. The reflective surface changed from a solid plane into something more. It almost resembled the water Kaitlyn had touched before being pulled through. Could it be the way out? Behind her the Hunters drew closer and she knew she had to act.
Kaitlyn took Jessica’s hand and put it in Jack’s to replace her own. “I’m sorry. Take care of her.”
“What?” Jack asked.
She hated the confusion on his face. “I’m sorry.”
She pushed both Jessica and Jack into the portal, their bodies absorbed from this place and taken to the next. Kaitlyn prayed she was right that they’d been sent back to the human realm and not somewhere even more dangerous. As soon as she was certain they were safe, she pulled with every ounce of strength she had on the frame of the mirror. At first it didn’t seem as if it would budge, but then the metal began to give way. As the frame came crashing to the ground, loud ear-piercing shrieks from the Hunters echoed in the room. Kaitlyn might die, but at least she’d saved them. It was her gift to them, the last she would ever give anyone.
“Take care of her, Jack.”
The darkness converged around Kaitlyn. Her life was forfeit, but at least Jack and Jessica had escaped. Kaitlyn’s body felt warm and then turned ice cold, the world around her fading into shadows and darkness. If she screamed, she had no clue; but she’d won. It was all that mattered.
#
RG Porter has always been fascinated with the dark and mysterious worlds we can’t see. Now she writes what most would consider nightmares.
Read more about RG Porter and her books at rgporter.net or follow her on Facebook and Twitter
The Eclective
The Eclective is:
Heather Marie Adkins
Emma Jameson
P.J. Jones
Shéa MacLeod
M. Edward McNally
Alan Nayes
R.G. Porter
Tara West
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