“Everyone, get back! Get out of the way!”
This time, I’m pissed, and people listen. I don’t like being surrounded by panicked people. Amira grabs a fistful of my T-shirt to stay with me as I push through toward the door.
Finally, we make it through the doorway, and I scan the main camp area to see if I can figure out what’s going on.
A frantic male voice shouts over my radio and Amira’s. “Command Team One to the storage building! Now!”
I think it’s Wyatt. I run as fast as my legs will move, but several Tiders pass me. Aromium allows them to move at least twice as fast as me, if not more.
When I arrive at our concrete supply building, my stomach drops. A massive lion has its sharp gaze fixed on Georgie, one of our kitchen workers. Its head is dipped and its ribs are visible.
It’s very rare for a regular animal on the island to approach our camp. This one is aromium-enhanced, though—I can tell by its size. It’s also hungry, probably from the volcano wiping out so much of its prey.
Damn. We lightened camp security with the Tiders here because we need everyone for other work. But we didn’t account for nonhuman predators.
The lion takes two slow steps closer to Georgie, who’s holding a burlap sack tightly against her chest.
I could shoot it. But it’s so big that a single bullet wouldn’t take it down. I’m not confident I could put enough bullets in it fast enough to keep it from getting to Georgie.
“Don’t move,” a male Tider says to Georgie.
Nova’s about ten feet from me, an electrified stun stick in her hand. Wyatt is a few feet from her, and he doesn’t have any weapons.
“Nova?” I call out, keeping my eyes on the lion.
“I’m thinking,” she says.
“Thinking we’re fucked,” Amira mutters.
She’s not wrong. Aromium made the animal into a mutant that has to weigh at least seven hundred pounds. Our only hope is to attack it all at once, with every weapon we have, and hope we can take it out before it hurts anyone.
“Everyone, get behind me!” I call.
The Tiders who beat me here are in front of and beside me. They don’t move.
“Everyone, get shoulder to shoulder,” a male voice orders.
I exchange a confused look with Amira as the Tiders close ranks and form a human wall. The male voice orders them forward and counts their steps, his voice clear and commanding.
They’re not moving quickly or slowly. It’s just a steady progression, and within thirty seconds, they’ve passed Georgie. Niran is there, and he moves himself in front of her and helps her slowly retreat.
I keep my gun pointed at the ground as I watch, fascinated. I recognize Marcelle’s tiny frame and wild blond curls in the line of Tiders. Their backs are facing me, and if anyone’s getting attacked, it will be them.
Amira and I move to the side so we can see what’s happening. The lion is looking at the advancing Tiders, its head still lowered. The tip of its tail swishes and my heart stills as I wait for it to pounce.
But instead, it backs up a step. Then another one. The deep voice is still calling out numbers as they all walk forward in unison, some of them with their arms linked.
Nova’s stun stick crackles in the air. The Tiders keep moving, and the lion backs up several more steps.
“It’s working,” Amira says softly.
The lion is close to the edge of the jungle, but it doesn’t seem to want to look away from the Tiders.
It chances a quick look, then turns and jumps into the jungle, running away. Everyone lets out a collective sigh of relief.
The Tiders disband, none of them looking fazed. I approach the tall, dark-haired man who assembled them into the line.
“Thank you,” I say.
