Chapter 142: follow the beast

Chapter 142: Chapter 142: follow the beast

Caleb grabbed at its wrist, his face twisting as he struggled to breathe.

"What the hell—"

A low growl rolled through the trees, followed by several others. Red eyes flickered in the mist around them, appearing and disappearing as the Underworld subjects shifted positions. Every time one of the group moved, the creatures seemed to know exactly where to strike.

Amelia’s expression changed the moment she noticed the pattern.

"They can read our movements because of the mist. Don’t engage!"

Enzo had already started toward Caleb, but he stopped at her warning, his grey eyes sweeping the surrounding trees.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Reid demanded, glancing toward Caleb, whose face was beginning to turn red. "Because our charming leader doesn’t look like he has much time left."

"Give me a second."

Amelia dropped to one knee and grabbed Caleb’s abandoned bag from the forest floor. She rummaged through it until her fingers closed around two compact smoke bombs. She pulled them out, checked them quickly, then rose to her feet.

Her gaze found Amy.

"When I give the signal, make sure that thing lets go of him."

Amy’s eyes flicked toward Caleb, who was still struggling against the creature’s grip. Her mouth tightened, but she gave a firm nod.

"And what happens after that?" she asked.

"We run."

Caleb’s muffled attempt to protest was cut short when the creature tightened its hold. His hands clawed desperately at its arm.

Amelia’s grip on the smoke bombs tightened.

"Now!"

She hurled both bombs against the ground.

At the same instant, Amy thrust out her hand, activating her ability as she sliced through her wrist deeply. The creature holding Caleb let out a hideous scream as its arm was severed. Its grip broke, sending Caleb crashing to the ground with a strangled gasp.

Before anyone could react, the smoke bombs exploded.

Thick black smoke burst across the clearing, mixing with the existing mist until the trees and creatures disappeared behind a wall of darkness.

"Move!" Amelia shouted.

Enzo reached Caleb first. He caught him by the back of his clothing and hauled him upright so roughly that Caleb stumbled into him.

"Get your feet under you," Enzo ordered, shoving him forward. "Keep up."

Caleb coughed violently, one hand pressed to his throat, but he didn’t argue.

They ran.

The Underworld subjects crashed through the smoke after them, their red eyes glowing through the thinning darkness. Claws ripped through bushes, and heavy footsteps pounded against the forest floor as the creatures pursued them.

Amelia took the lead, dodging between trees without slowing. Branches whipped across her face and caught in her hair. The ground was uneven, littered with roots and fallen logs that threatened to send them sprawling with every step.

Amy ran close to Amelia, her breathing surprisingly steady despite the speed at which they were moving. She glanced over her shoulder once, then turned back with a frown.

"Do you actually know where we’re going?"

"Somewhere safe,"

Amy gave her an incredulous look. "That’s not a destination."

"It’s the best answer I have right now."

Caleb, who was running behind Enzo, let out an angry laugh that quickly turned into a cough. His throat was still sore from the creature’s grip, and every few steps, he touched it as if checking that he could still breathe properly.

"Are you kidding me? We can’t keep running forever!" he shouted. "We have weapons, and there are only so many of those things. We can take them!"

Amelia didn’t even turn around.

"The mist is still around us. It’s thinner now, but it’s still there. They can read our movements as long as we’re inside its range. If we stop to fight, we’ll be giving them exactly what they want."

"Then we’ll just have to fight through it!"

"You nearly died before we even had a chance to fight. Do you want to give them another opportunity?"

Caleb’s jaw tightened. He clearly hated being reminded that he’d just been rescued, especially by someone whose authority he had questioned from the beginning. But he had no immediate answer, and the growls behind them were growing louder.

Enzo glanced at Amelia, his expression serious. "How much farther do we need to go?"

"I don’t know exactly. We need to get beyond the mist’s reach first."

Despite the danger, the exchange drew a brief, disbelieving look from Amy. She seemed unable to decide whether Amelia was remarkably calm or simply had no sense of self-preservation.

Then Amy’s expression grew serious again. "How do you know so much about their ability?"

Amelia cleared a fallen branch with one hand and ducked beneath another.

"I’ve seen something similar before."

It wasn’t a lie, exactly. It simply wasn’t the whole truth.

She had raised subjects like these in one of her past lives. She knew how they hunted, how they communicated, and how they used their surroundings to corner prey that was stronger than they were. She also knew the mist wasn’t supposed to stretch this far.

That last detail bothered her more than she wanted to admit.

Amelia drew a deep breath and tipped her head back. Then she let out a high, piercing whistle that cut through the canopy.

Amy nearly stumbled. "What was that?"

Amelia kept running, listening for an answer. A sharp rush of wings swept through the darkness above them.

A silver shape emerged between the treetops, darting forward. Even in the dim light, its familiar silhouette was unmistakable.

Amelia’s shoulders relaxed slightly.

"Swifty."

"How is it here?"

"Swifty is always around."

Amelia pointed toward Swifty, who had begun flying farther ahead. "Follow it. It’ll get us out of here."

Swifty darted above the trees, its silver body flashing whenever it passed through a break in the canopy. The others followed as best they could, stumbling over roots and forcing their exhausted legs to keep moving.

The forest seemed endless until, without warning, the trees ahead thinned.

Amelia emerged from the undergrowth and stopped just long enough to take in what lay beyond.

A river.

Not a small stream they could wade through, but a wide, black stretch of rushing water cutting through the landscape. The current churned violently below, crashing against the rocks along the banks. On their side, the ground sloped toward a steep drop, leaving no easy way down.

Behind them, the growls drew nearer.

Reid skidded to a halt beside her, nearly colliding with her shoulder. When he saw the drop, his face went blank.

"Oh, absolutely not."

Dean arrived next, breathing hard. He looked down at the water, then at Amelia.

"You want us to jump?"

"Yes."

"Into that?"

"Unless you can convince the creatures to let us pass another way."

Amy came to a stop beside them, her gaze fixed on the rushing water. Her face had paled and Caleb arrived just in time. He stared at the river, then at Amelia, his expression shifting from disbelief to outright outrage.

"You cannot be serious."

Amelia turned toward him. "Do you see another option?"

"We could fight!"

A roar sounded from the trees behind them. Several red eyes appeared between the trunks, and the underbrush shook as the first of the creatures broke through.

Caleb glanced back. His face tightened.

Amelia didn’t give him time to change his mind.

"Jump. Now!"

She ran toward the edge and threw herself into the darkness.

"Amelia!"

Her figure hung against the night sky. Then she disappeared below the short cliff.

Amy swore under her breath and followed without hesitation.

Dean went next, with Reid right behind him.

Caleb stood frozen at the edge. "No. No, I’m not doing that."

Enzo turned to him slowly. A creature burst from the trees, its claws tearing through the underbrush as it lunged toward them.

Caleb’s eyes widened. "Wait—"

Enzo planted a hand between his shoulder blades and shoved.

Caleb’s scream tore through the night as he plunged over the edge.

Enzo didn’t bother watching him fall. He took two quick steps and jumped after him.

The river swallowed them all.

Cold water slammed into Amelia with enough force to knock the breath from her lungs. She plunged beneath the surface, her body tumbling as the current seized her and dragged her downstream. For a moment, she couldn’t tell which way was up. Water rushed into her ears, and the darkness closed around her as she fought to orient herself.