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Panic latched onto me, urging my legs forward as I started after her. “Adriana, please!” My plea sliced through the crisp air, but she didn’t even pause. I could’ve easily caught up to her, but I was too stunned to move for a few seconds.
Once my paralysis broke, I ran after her into the woods, calling her name until my throat grew hoarse. Her form continued to disappear deeper into the woods as if she were a phantom that could vanish at will. I pushed through brush and limbs, ignoring their scratches against my skin as I desperately tried to chase after her.
“Adriana!” My shout echoed in the silence of the woods, only answered by the rustling leaves in the wind. A cold dread seeped into my bones as I finally caught up to her, grabbing her arm and spinning her around to face me.
Her eyes met mine, a wild fire lighting them up as she glared back at me. “Let go of me,” she hissed between clenched teeth, wrestling against my grip.
I was about to plead with her when the sound of a gunshot quieted us both down.
Chapter Fourteen: Adriana
Ididn’t want to believe it was a gunshot at first. It was just a loud noise, right? It had sounded like it was so close, though. Like the gunman was definitely shooting at us.
Maybe a car backfiring or someone dropping something heavy. But the look on Tristan’s face confirmed what my gut already knew, despite trying hard to rationalize it.
We were in danger.
Again.
Tristan reacted before I could. Pulling me behind him, he scanned the forest with narrowed eyes, his body tense and ready to spring into action. “Stay behind me,” he commanded, his grip on my arm tightening. This was suffocating, but I could worry about that when I hadn’t just heard a gunshot. My heart dropped to my stomach when I heard the sound again, this time closer.
It was a terrifying little song—the sharp crack of a gunshot, the echoing silence in its wake, and the rapid drumming of my pulse in my ears. Tristan jerked back against me. “Fuck,” he said. His hand went to his pocket, where he had hidden his piece. “Go back to the house, Adriana. Stay down!”
But I was anchored to the spot, too shocked to move. The reality of the situation crashed down on me: we were being hunted. In the deafening silence that followed, Tristan spun around and squared off against our invisible attacker.
Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed Tristan’s arm. He looked at me, his piercing blue eyes softening for a moment. “I can’t leave you,” I said. “I can’t.”
“Adriana,” he said, his voice heavy with warning. It was then that my mind started racing with all the possible scenarios of how this could end. Each one was more terrifying than the last.
Even if he was an asshole, I didn’t want him to die.
Not when he was the only one standing between me and the wrong end of a pistol.
“Tristan, I–” My words were cut off by another gunshot, the echo reverberating through the woods. I felt Tristan’s grip on me tighten, and then he was moving, pushing me behind a thick tree trunk.
His body served as a shield, his back pressed against mine as he returned fire. The shots were loud and disorienting in the quiet of the woods, and all I could smell was gunpowder and pine needles.
And then there was silence. The gunfire ceased suddenly, leaving only the rustling leaves and my own labored breathing to break the stillness. Wordlessly, Tristan pushed away from me and rushed forward. Tristan’s right hand gripped his piece at his side.
“Don’t follow. If you can’t go back, stay hidden,” he called over his shoulder. His voice was strained, heavy with unspoken warnings that sent a shiver down my spine. But I was frozen in place, unable to move even if I wanted to.
I couldn’t see him anymore, his figure swallowed by the dense forest. All I could do was listen, my heart pounding in sync with each crunch of leaves under his boots. Three gunshots, all in quick succession. Then, an abrupt silence.
My breath hitched as a new wave of panic surged through me. Where was he? Was he okay?
“Tristan?” I called out tentatively, my voice barely above a murmur. The eeriness of the quiet woods amplified it until it echoed around me like a desperate cry. There was no response.
A sudden bout of dizziness had me clutching the rough bark of the tree for support. I tried to inhale deeply, but my shaky breaths did little to calm my raging nerves. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the terrifying images that filled my mind—Tristan injured…or worse.
“Ade...”
His voice was weak, barely audible over the rustling of the wind through the leaves. But there it was.
I turned towards the sound, squinting into the darkening woods. I saw movement, a lone figure stumbling forward. It was Tristan. Whatever relief washed over me quickly receded as I took in his state: his clothing was ripped and bloodied, and he was limping heavily.
“Tristan!” I ran to him, ignoring the sharp pain in my side. His face was pale, his lips drawn into a tight line. He looked at me and tried to give me a reassuring smile, but it barely reached his eyes.
“Told you not to follow,” he managed to get out before collapsing onto his knees. I dropped down next to him, my hands hovering over him uncertainly.
