There are things I want to say to Reyna, words I’m sure I should say, but a more compelling need overtakes me. Without thought, I cup her cheek with one hand, gently tracing her cheekbone with my thumb, and lean in. My pulse drums madly. My breath catches in my chest. The entire forest is silent save for the fitful beat of my heart. I lean in and tilt my head to the side, closing the distance between us. Her breaths are short and quick. I feel it against my mouth as I draw nearer. I feel as though I’ll faint when finally I press my lips to hers. Reyna’s mouth is warm, her lips soft and supple. I delight in their heat. My heart continues to pound, rushing dangerously fast, I fear. It threatens to burst from my ribcage. But at the moment, I don’t care. Not one little bit. All I can think of is how Reyna’s lips feel. I’m off balance, completely unprepared for the euphoric sensation I’m experiencing. I’m lightheaded, my thoughts swirling around remaining as I am right now forever. But all too soon, our kiss ends. A rustling sounds causes both of us to startle. We pull away from each other and stare in the direction of the sound. A small, furry creature with long ears and a puffy tail hops in the distance.
“Looks like breakfast,” Reyna comments and giggles.
“Maybe,” I agree. “But I’m guessing by the time I wake Ara, and get her back here with her bow and arrow, it’ll be gone.”
“True.” Reyna nods. After several beats pass, she says, “We should probably get back. Try to rest some before we start up again in the morning. The camp is still pretty far away.”
I want to stay. I want to kiss her again. But she’s right. We need to try to sleep, or rest at the very least. “Yeah, you’re right. Let’s get back.” I stand and pick up my gun. I hold it in one hand. I offer my other to Reyna. She accepts it and I help her to her feet. We walk back to our makeshift camp, hand in hand. I leave her in a spot between two women from the cell and head back to my spot near Ara and Pike. I lie down and stare up at the sky. This time, I smile to myself. I doze smiling, drifting off into a deep, peaceful sleep.
I don’t know how much time has passed when I’m awakened by screaming. The sound is loud, close. A high-pitched female shriek. Heart lodged firmly in my throat, I bolt upright and turn to my right. I see Ara. Past her, I see Reyna. Selfishly relieved they’re safe for now, I continue scanning our group. Everyone is sitting up, looking around. Ready. I immediately notice that one of the girls who shared the cell with Reyna and Ara stands. She’s one of only four girls left in our group. She stands screaming and pointing, at what, I have no idea. Frantic chatter breaks out and everyone scrambles to their feet. Panic seeps into every pore of my skin. I quickly realize that any peace and any happiness I felt is over.
Chapter 11
On my feet and rushing to Ashlyn, who stands pointing and screaming, panicked thoughts bolt through my brain. They flash like lightning, streaking through my mind and dominating my thoughts. All I can see are dozens of menacing shapes. Dozens of eyes glowing hungrily. Manes of golden hair that match the paleness of their gleaming eyes billowing in the breeze. Paw-like feet with long, lethal talons tearing at the ground with each stride, rushing toward our makeshift camp. Night Lurkers. They are monstrous, hideous beasts. I fear they’ve struck. “What happened?” I shout above the chatter. But as soon as my eyes follow the trajectory of Ashlyn’s finger, I know. Blood. Pooled in the grass. A lot of it. Blood is all that remains where a woman used to lay. Chest tightening, I struggle to breathe deeply. All I’m capable of are short shallow pants. Suddenly, the musky, slightly moldy scent of fallen leaves that was pleasant and comforting hours earlier unnerves me.
“T-Tamara! She was here! She was right here! And now she’s gone!” Ashlyn’s words are loud and shrill, her voice trembling in time with her body as tears roll down her cheeks.
The grassy, leaf-littered spot where Tamara lay is stained with puddles of blood. Head swimming around gory images of feeding beasts, I immediately spin, searching for Aaron and Jonah. They told us the area was safe. They told us Night Lurkers didn’t dwell in the Black Forest. I believed them, though it went against everything I ever knew about living in the forest. I believed Aaron and Jonah, despite firsthand experience. And now one of our people is missing. Only her blood is evidence she was here before. And what else hunts humans when the sun goes down? Fear and anger collide. I’m scared for all of us. And I’m angry. Angry at myself. Angry at Aaron and Jonah. As soon as I spot them, I say, “I thought you said Night Lurkers weren’t in the area!” My tone is as accusing as my words.
Color drains from their faces. Both men are silent. Jonah scratches his chin while he rocks back and forth from his heels to the balls of his feet while Aaron stares at me, unmoving.
“Are there Night Lurkers in this forest or aren’t there?” I fire and demand an answer.
Neither of them utter a word.
Xan and Micah unsheathe the swords at their hips, heads swiveling as they search the surrounding area. My gun has ammunition. I’m not sure how much. And I’m not sure how much ammunition the others have left. I fear that no matter what we have it would be ineffective against a pack of Night Lurkers. Their packs are large and their attacks are vicious. Though not bright animals by any means, their insatiable hunger drives them to track and kill unrelentingly. It makes them quick, deadly predators. A shiver travels the length of my spine. Part of me wants to lash out more at Aaron and Jonah. I open my mouth but another voice rings out.
“Lucas.” Pike’s voice rises above the frantic conversations. “A night creature didn’t do this.” He speaks with such certainty, I feel compelled to ask why he believes that to be true.
“What makes you so sure?” I ask without sounding challenging. Pike is not the person I’m upset with.
“Think about it, Night Lurkers are never alone. Ever. They hunt in packs. Big packs.” His voice is rich. He has the attention of our group right now and looks and sounds so much like my father I can’t help but feel a distinct ache in my chest. In spite of the ache, I feel tremendous pride, too. “They’re perpetually hungry. Their bellies are bottomless.” I remember those words. They’re my father’s. When he first told us of Night Lurkers, he used those exact words. I’d beam at Pike if our situation weren’t dire. “They’re not capable of controlling themselves. Tamara wouldn’t have been enough. The beast wouldn’t have stopped there.” He looks among the faces of those listening to him. They’re hanging on his every word. I am, too. He’s calm and is making sense. Aaron and Jonah look relieved. Jonah stops rocking. Both men slide a fleeting glance my way. I acknowledge them with a nod then return my attention to Pike. He softens his tone and continues. “If they’d have been here, none of us would be standing now.”
“He’s right,” Ara agrees. “Our village was protected by a wall, a tall wall built by our ancestors. In spite of it, the Night Lurkers came every night. Howling and yelping. They smelled us. They knew we were there. They wanted nothing more than to get inside, beyond our wall, and feast on us.” Ara impresses me with her comments. She’s right. Both of them are right. What does that leave? I’m about to say just that when Xan speaks.
“Okay, so it wasn’t the night creatures,” Xan says. “It must’ve been Urthmen. They’ve found us.”
I consider his words. “That doesn’t make sense either,” I say as I think out loud. “Why would they take just one of us? Or kill just one of us. They’d take all of us or kill all of us, right?” I think back to when they stormed my village. No elder member was left alive. Not one. And no child was left behind. Not one.
“Maybe they’re just toying with us,” Kai’s deep voice rolls through the forest.
“It’s possible,” I say. “With the Urthmen, anything’s possible. But it doesn’t feel like them. It feels different.” I try to articulate what I’m thinking. Kai listens intently, watching as my gaze drops to the bloody grass below. “They don’t strike me as wanting to toy with us. They want to destroy us. All of us. Right?” Kai nods in agreement. “But who knows? Maybe they’re trying t
o make us suffer for what we’ve done.” I shrug, examining the area where Tamara slept. I try to think clearly. It’s hard to look at gore and keep my head straight, much less have hope. “There’s a lot of blood here,” I say and swallow hard against the nausea creeping up the back of my throat. I study the leaves and dirt. More blood is smeared. This can’t be good, I think to myself as I follow the trail. “And there’s more here,” I point down to show Kai. He bends down to look. Everyone gathers around it. The moonlight layers the scarlet color in gray and blue shades. Still it’s unmistakable. So is the coppery scent. Sickened and scared of what awaits us at the end of this trail, I walk, head down. Following it. With every step I take hope wanes.
Copious amounts of blood begin to thin the farther I get from where she lay initially, from where the pools of blood sit, but traces remain visible on bushes and low tree limbs. I continue tracking the grisly clues, my pulse speeding so frenziedly I feel as if the ground will rise to meet my face at any given moment. Small spatters dot thorny brush that opens to a small clearing. Each of us passes through the hostile growth until we find ourselves standing in a circular patch of grass. No one complains about the spiny barbs in their clothes or burrowed in their skin. No one utters a word, in fact. All eyes are riveted to a small pile of ivory objects. Shouldering past Aaron and Jonah then Xan and Micah, I make my way toward the center, to what everyone stares at, mouths agape and speechless. I stand between Reyna and Ara. Both of them mutter words that sound like “oh my gosh”. I can’t be sure though. All I’m certain of is that my heart, beating frantically seconds ago, has spluttered to a near halt and plunged to my feet.
There, on the forest floor just inches from my foot, are bones. Bright white as though they’d been dried in the sun, they’re too large to belong to an animal.
“Those are human bones.” Jonah points to one on the end. “That’s a femur.” Silence has befallen our group. Even the nocturnal animals of the forest seem to be still. “Those are Tamara’s bones picked clean of flesh and blood.” His words leech all heat from my body.
“Wh-what?” is all I can say.
“The blood’s gone? Licked off?” Kai asks.
“Yes,” Jonah replies. I don’t know which question he’s answered. Maybe both. A “yes” to either is horrifying. A “yes” to both is unconscionable.
“It isn’t Urthmen. Tamara was eaten,” Kai asks more than states.
The bones, the blood where Tamara slept and Kai’s words, all of them gel at once. My legs feel heavy and my feet feel as if they’re fixed to the dirt below. No one speaks. We simply stand in silence, staring at the remains, until Pike asks, “What could’ve done this?”
An answer isn’t offered. The silence stretches until something in me is pulled so taut it threatens to snap. “I don’t know. And I don’t want to find out,” I say finally. “I think we need to get out of here now.”
“I agree,” Pike says.
“Me, too,” says Ara.
“Let’s move,” Reyna adds and turns her back to the bones.
Micah, Xan, Kai, Aaron and Jonah don’t need to be told again. They immediately start back to the area where we slept. Kai looks left and right, sweeping the dense foliage in expectance of a potential predator so vile and ferocious all that was left of its victim were her bones. Xan and Micah grip their swords, vigilant and ready to fight, and bearing the same demeanor as Kai. In the ashen light of the moon, Aaron and Jonah look paler than ever. And scared. All of us are. I know I am. The last thing I want is to encounter whatever creature took Tamara and ended her life so violently. I clutch my gun, my gaze searching the immediate surroundings. I feel a warm arm brush mine. Reyna is beside me. Close enough that I feel her breath at my ear when she says, “I don’t like this.”
“I don’t either,” I reply and feel the hairs on my neck rise and quiver. Turning, I spot Pike and Ara a few feet away. “Ara! Pike! Stay close,” I call. I need them nearby, need to feel that I can protect them, though at this point, I fear I can’t. All of us are exposed. Urthmen and an unknown hunter could be stalking us at this moment. To say I am unsettled is a gross understatement.
We continue walking, retracing our steps until we reach the clearing where we planned to sleep for the night. Now, with Tamara gone and her blood still fresh on the grass, no one will sleep.
“We need to cross this meadow and continue for a bit. The human village is beyond it,” Jonah says.
“Let’s hope,” Brad, who’s been silent for some time, adds.
“Yes, let’s hope,” Aaron adds and doesn’t inspire much confidence. How could he at this point? I think everyone is scared and bordering on hopeless.
“Lucas,” Reyna says, and somehow my name on her lips, despite all that’s happening, is a benediction. “Even if there is a human village like Jonah says, we won’t be safe. Not from Urthmen. And not from whatever did that to Tamara,” she tosses her thumb over her shoulder toward the rapidly disappearing camp.
Sighing deeply, I say, “I know.” I try in vain to push thoughts of what happened to Tamara to the back of my mind, but the images of the blood and bones refuse to leave. “The Urthmen already know about it, so there’s a good chance they’d check or send scouts.” No matter how dumb they are, the population of the entire city we fled is furious and calling for our heads. We killed their leader and humiliated them. That’s enough to motivate a plan of attack, even if it isn’t as sharp as one Jonah or Aaron would dream up. Reyna is right about that. “They’ll come eventually. But if we could find more humans and be ready for them, if we could make a plan…” I think aloud. “They don’t know exactly where we are. They don’t know we’re heading for the camp. Heck! Without the bred humans, they aren’t even positive it exists.” I’m grasping at straws. I’m hoping against hope. “If we can get a jump on them, find the camp and be ready, we can all find a new place to live.”
Reyna looks at me, puzzled. “So, we’re going to move a whole village?”
Hearing her say that back to me makes my face flush. It sounds farfetched. But it’s all I have right now. “No. I don’t know,” I fumble. “It’s our only plan for the time being.”
Reyna shakes her head. “I guess so.” She looks around, not bothering to mask her frustration. I wish I had more to offer her. I feel responsible for our predicament. As if sensing my guilt, Reyna says, “At least we’re free. We’re fighting to stay that way, not to keep the Urthmen entertained.” She slides me a glance that dares me to challenge what she’s said. I have no intention of doing so. I’m grateful for what she’s said. She isn’t the type of person who’d say something she doesn’t mean. “We have you to thank for that,” she adds in a hoarse whisper that causes my breathing to ratchet up.
I clear my throat nervously. “Thank you,” I mumble.
Reyna notches her chin and says, “Don’t thank me. You freed us. Not me.”
I cock my head to one side, unsure of how to reply. I part my lips, but she shoots me a look of warning then smiles. I smile back then stare straight ahead. Little more is said as we continue, walking as the moon shifts position in the sky. Legs heavy and nerves fraught from fear and hypervigilance, exhaustion permeates my bones. But I resist the temptation to slow. It isn’t until I hear heavy footfalls speeding that a spike of adrenaline jolts me. I spin and see Kai. His brows are gathered and worry lurks in the depths of his dark eyes. “Lucas,” he says my name then closes the distance between us in two strides. “Do you feel it?” he asks.
“Feel what?” I ask.
“We’re being watched,” Kai replies.
Three words settle on me like innumerable insect feelers scurrying across my flesh. I glance around, studying the bushes, the trees, the low-growing plants. I don’t see anything. But what he’s said rings true. While I don’t see eyes watching me, I feel them. I feel the press of a gaze against my skin. Whether it’s instinct, intuition or paranoia, or all three, I can’t be sure. I glance around at the faces of those with us. Pike and Ara fee
l it. Their bodies are tense and their eyes continually return to the lower-growing brush. Pike places his body in front of Ara’s reflexively. Xan and Micah grip the handles of their swords so tight their knuckles are white. Reyna’s ethereal, ice-blue gaze scans the forest, her brow low and her eyes narrowed to keen slits. Her gait has transformed from hiking to that of a skilled hunter. In the silvery light and with her eyes glowing so brightly they rival the moon, she looks like a warrior goddess.
“You feel it, too,” Kai says, studying me.
I look directly at him. “I do.” I turn to look at our group once more, but as I do, I’m struck by an anomaly. Something is wrong. Terribly wrong. I take a cursory headcount and arrive at the number thirteen. No, no no! I think. I must’ve forgotten to count myself. That has to be it! I count again. Pointing and doing so carefully. Still, I count thirteen. Who is missing? Who isn’t here? Then it dawns on me. Brad! Brad is missing. “Brad! Where’s Brad?” the words come out in a rush of pure panic.
“He-he was just here!” Aaron twists and looks behind him. “He was just with me!” Voice pitching up an octave, his features contort in horror.
“Are you sure?” I ask. My mind races, whirling too fast for me to form a complete thought.
“Y-yes! I just talked to him a second ago. I told him I had a rock in my shoe. That I wanted to stop. He told me ‘no way! Don’t do it! Don’t take the chance!’ and I listened. I listened and now he’s gone,” Aaron rambles.
The Black Forest Page 11