He hobbles over to me, leaning over to peer at the guide.
“Look at this symbol. What is that?” I ask.
“It looks like weapons,” he says, and I flip the map back over to show him where they are in relation to us.
Landon moves in front of me, heading in that direction.
“Be careful,” I say, walking steadily behind him.
He nods, staying quiet, his head moving like it’s on a swivel.
Once we reach a little clearing, I spot a large wooden crate.
“What if it’s a trap?” I ask hesitantly.
Landon pauses for a moment before carefully looking around it.
“I don’t think so,” he says before his hands go to the lid.
He strains for a moment, and I move to the other side, helping him pull it open. When the lid breaks free, my eyes widen as I look inside it. Knives, hatchets, a bow, arrows, rope, and…
“Is that a hunting spear?” I ask.
Landon picks it up and inspects it. “Looks like it. Grab all we can carry,” he says, then sets the spear to the side.
“Why?” I ask.
He looks at me as if to assess whether I’m kidding. “Have you forgotten who’s out there? Savannah didn’t hesitate to take Luna and Shane down, and they couldn’t be any more motivated to do the same to us should they need to.”
I shake my head. “They’re probably on the other side of the island. Their key is nowhere near here.”
“And, like you said, they’re playing dirty. We don’t knowwhere their heads are at or what their plan is. It’s better to have them and not need them,” Landon says, pocketing two knives, then slipping a hatchet into his backpack.
I frown and do as he says, and once we’re outfitted for a fucking war, we continue down our path.
When we round a curve in the trail, I pause. In front of us, there’s an old rope bridge. The wooden panels we’re expected to walk on look like they’re from the early twentieth century, and it’s an immediateno fucking thank youfor me.
I scan our surroundings to see if there’s another way around this huge ravine. It’s not even on the map. Of course it isn’t, right? What would be the fun in that?
Landon’s eyes meet mine, and I hate the look in them.
“No. You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” I say, shaking my head.
“Does it look like there’s another way?” he asks.
I huff a short breath. “No, but… Fuck. Every time there are heights involved on this goddamn island, someone dies. Every time.”
“I know. Which is why I’m going to go first.”
My eyes bug out of my head. “What, so you can die first? How noble of you.”
He rolls his eyes like I’m being a pain in the ass, and maybe I am, but goddamnit. I fucking hate heights, and this ravine looks to be well over five hundred feet. I swear, if anyone ever makes fun of me for being afraid of heights again, I’ll punch them in the face because I have enough evidence that nothing good comes from them. Ever.
“Just keep your eyes forward. Don’t look down. When I tell you, start crossing the bridge and take slow, even steps.”
My heart is hammering inside my chest, but I do my best to hide it as I nod. Fine.
Landon holds my cheeks in his hands, crushing his lips to mine like he may never get another chance to do so. Which, again, really doesn’t settle my nerves at all.
