She’s looking right past him, and sure enough, when he follows her gaze, there’s a man in the distance, lumbering along at a slow pace.
This is the answer to their hopes, a chance at rescue, but something in his gut tells him to be careful even as they dress quickly in coats and boots to greet their visitor.
“Stay behind me, okay?” he asks, before they leave. “Just until we know it’s safe.”
He doesn’t like pulling that kinda shit. She can take care of herself, but he doesn’t trust this situation yet, and if anyone wants to hurt them, they’ll have to go through him before getting to her.
For a moment, there’s a sassy reply on the tip of her tongue, but maybe she sees how worried he really is, and that’s enough to soften her. “Okay.”
He grabs the bow just in case, and she takes the knife and the rifle, then they’re through the door, heading for salvation.
Or, so he hopes.
It’s not until they call out to the man ahead and he races toward them at full speed, face half torn off and remaining teeth snapping, that it becomes clear they’ve got a whole new problem.
Chapter 11
One moment, they’re heading for rescue, and the next someone’s racing straight for Nora like she’s on the menu.
They attempt to bypass Theo completely, which takes some effort considering he’s directly blocking her. She only has a moment to ready her weapon, but Theo slams the dull end of his bow right into the soft, torn face of her attacker before she has a chance to use it.
He drops like a rock into the snow, limbs twitching and a pitiful groan sounding one last time.
He doesn’t get back up, but the commotion alerted his companion, who emerges from the woods with a blood-coated mouth and strips of skin hanging from his teeth. This time, Theo kicks him backward, yelling at her to run for the house. She isn’t about to leave him, not a chance. Not when the struggle only gets worse. Theo throws his weight on top of their attacker and pins him to the ground. Despite her desire to help, she has no fucking idea what to do.
He’s trying his best not to use lethal force this time, but when this one gets the upper hand, it finds the same end as its companion when Theo slams the bow into his forehead with a sickening crunch.
“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” His concern for her is instant once the threat is gone and paired with roaming hands that check her for injuries despite the lack of contact made.
He’s making a fuss over her, and she lets him. Too numb to do much more than cooperate while staring at their attackers turned into victims.
“I’m okay. They didn’t get close enough. What the hell just happened?”
“Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Fuck.”Her well-being confirmed, he finally turns back to the people who came close to mauling them. He nudges a leg hopefully, the fishing line wrapped around it, dragging the attached pole a few inches as it shifts. Reaches down with shaky fingers to feel for a pulse before his face pales. “He’s dead. Is he dead? I killed them. I killed someone. I wasn’t trying to. I didn’t even hit themthathard.”
Theo alternates between monotone and unraveled as realization hits that he took not one but two lives.
“Come on, we have to get inside. There could be others.” She gives him a gentle push that only succeeds in tilting him back, his eyes still locked on the bodies painting the ground an alarming red. “Theo! Come with me. We’ll figure this out.”
She reaches across to the other side of his face, cupping his cheek to turn him toward her. Not quite sure how she’s managed to stay calm so far, but maybe years of practice at trauma and shock have given her a barrier. She’s good in a crisis. Usually. Assuming it doesn’t involve the death of someone she loves, or, it would seem, defending herself against someone trying to rip her throat out with their teeth. Theo’s no stranger to stress, but this is hitting him hard. If she has to be the practical one right now, then so be it.
Eventually, Nora succeeds in pulling him away from the scene and sheds her extra layers once they’re inside, enveloped in warm air. It quickly becomes clear that he’s lapsed into a semi-non-functioning state. He only stands motionless in the entry hall, eyes fixed on the front door window with a clear view of what they left outside.
She shuts the curtain, cutting off his line of sight and locks the door just in case.
He doesn’t move to shuck his coat, so she does it for him, carefully unzipping and peeling it off his shoulders, mindful of the sore one. He’s pliable and easy to maneuver, and that’s worrisome when he hadn’t even been this affected after the crash.
“I killed someone,” he whispers, slumping against the wall, head hung low.
“The first one was heading straight for me, and the second one almost ate the nose off your face. If you didn’t, then I would have. I had my knife ready. You were protecting me and yourself, Theo. You had no choice.”
Something seems to click while she’s fussing over him and he forces himself upright, full of false confidence that’s a clear cover if she ever saw one.
“Whatever this is, it’s spreading. It’s not just on the plane anymore,” he says, calmly. “We have to get into the communications room. The risk of using the rifle is worth it. The radio works. We need to reach it.”
She nods. “Let’s shoot the lock off then.”
They haven’t yet, for fear of a ricochet bullet, but evidence of a working radio inside makes it impossible not to try after their ordeal. Even with the promise of Gwen returning soon, they can’t simply sit on their hands and wait for rescue, trusting that she’ll show up. Nora knows better than anyone how easily well-laid plans can get completely fucked.
