“I’ll carry you,” I growl. “Just get your ass free. Quickly.”
I turn back toward the ambling people. There are four of them now, closing in on me, and behind them, I can see more stumbling from the forest.
“Hurry,” I rasp.
His scream of pain from behind me as he rips out another makes my chest squeeze in sympathy. Harrow, this is bad. I swing the dull blade at the nearest person, catching them upside the head and sending them tumbling. I kick the next one just as Locke screams again. He’s panting now, and I can hear the deep rattling sobs he must bite his lip to hold back.
“One more,” I tell him as I swing the blade, knocking them back. “You can do this.”
He grits his teeth so hard, I can hear the sound of them grinding together. I glance over my shoulder quickly to see him wrap both hands around the final large branch on his opposite leg. Tears trail down his cheeks as his muscles strain. His breathing speeds up, and then with a whimper, he yanks the final branch from inside him.
His scream is so loud, it hurts my ears. Locke tumbles to the ground behind me, his legs weak and unresponsive.
“Watch out,” he croaks, his voice just as weak.
I shove the nearest person away from me and reach down to loop my arm around Locke’s waist.
“Up,” I command. “We’re almost there. You’ve got this.”
His legs don’t listen to him, so I end up having to support him fully, but I won’t be able to fight this way.
“Fuck,” I growl. “New plan.” I set him back on the ground and shove the short sword into his fist. “Swing at anything that moves.”
Then I wrap my fists in the back of his shirt, and start to drag him to the clearing. The people lumber after us, reaching out toward Locke and me, making sounds of sadness as we rush away. Locke swings the sword, catching one of the people in the knees, sending it toppling over. I grit my teeth as I drag the heavy motherfucker away, trying to save him, trying to save us both. How did we get so far from the clearing? I swear it was only a meter away.
I rush faster, dragging Locke over branches and rocks, no doubt hurting him further, but it’s either that or be absorbed by the fucking killing trees. And, no thanks. I don’t have any desire to turn into one of these things.
One of the rotting players appears in front of me, moaning something that sounds strangely like my name.
“Ves . . . P . . .”
I kick it, hard, sending it flying backward. As I drag Locke past, he swings the sword and bashes its head in. It still gets up. It still follows.
Finally, the edge of the clearing appears. My arms are screaming. My chest is burning. I’m out of breath and exhausted. I break through the tree line, grin, and am immediately yanked backward by the force of something grabbing onto Locke.
He shouts in pain and swings the sword, but he can’t reach the creatures that suddenly wrap their hands around his ankles. I drop his shirt and pull out my own blunt dagger, stabbing at their faces. The blade, despite how dull it is, sinks into the rotten flesh, revealing nothing but branches underneath. My horror isn’t enough to overrule my survival instincts. I kick them both back into the trees and drag Locke the rest of the way into the clearing, dropping into a defensive stance as they all come rushing back forward.
So many.
I can’t even count them all as they amble in the darkness, moaning and reaching for us. I wait for them to flood our little clearing, but they stop right at the edge. They reach for us, but they never step foot past the line.
“They can’t come into the clearing?” I ask Cipher.
“They cannot,” he responds, “but?—”
“Locke, we need to?—”
Cipher’s sensual voice interrupts whatever I’d been about to say.
ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED
You took on the killing trees and her spawn. And you survived! Now that’s one heck of a chia pet. Now you can grow your own from your flesh as its spores dig their way further into your bones.
REWARD:two killing tree spore antidotes. You’re going to hate this.
Before I can dismiss the notification, another pops up right after.
ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED
