Page 105 of Dark Fey Captive

“No, I shot the knee out of one of the infected trying to get to Nav. He didn’t look happy. I think he’s using his group as a body shield.”

“Shit,” I said, understanding.

Eric wasn’t shooting at the infected around Nav; he was shooting at Nav. He wanted to get rid of him to get to the supplies. Not just the ones here but the ones at the house too.

Gwen’s gaze met mine, and she indicated Lettie. With a nod, I stepped in front of my friend and covered her ears. She stared at me, her gaze briefly sad.

“It’s okay. I’ll take more medicine.”

I kissed the tip of her nose and then glanced over my shoulder at Gwen.

“The two that are focused on Nav are the ringleaders,” I said.

“Got it.” She slid the bolt on the rifle and took aim.

I didn’t flinch when the first shot rang out. Instead, I grinned at Lettie and stuck out my tongue, stretching it to see if I could touch her nose without moving. The sadness left her gaze. Her shaking eased just a bit as she gave me a “What is wrong with you?” look. I leaned in. She started to struggle. Not enough to get away. She knew what I was doing—distracting her as the second shot rang out. Then the third.

“Clipped him,” Gwen said, sliding the bolt again. “I’ve got one more. Use it or save it?”

“Use it on the other one,” I said.

A fourth shot rang out.

“Lucky me,” she said under her breath. “They’re panicked now. Get down.”

I shoved Lettie to the floor a second before a volley of bullets hit the building, shattering the window.

Lettie cried out.

Nav roared.

The gunfire increased in volume. The shots stopped pinging off the building. The yelling by the docks increased.

Afraid for Nav, I scrambled to the window. Gwen tried to pull me back to stop me from looking out, but I was quick and peeked over the edge. In that brief flash, I saw Nav throwing infected like footballs at Eric’s group. The leaderless bunch was fighting for their lives, shooting infected and trying to make a run for it.

“We need to move,” I said, pulling at Gwen.

She dragged Lettie toward the door as I shoved at the dresser and checked the peephole. Seeing it empty, we slipped out. I ran toward the door to the stairs. Gwen held the stock and barrel of the rifle, ready to use it to push back any infected in the stairwell, but it was empty.

We ran up to the second floor to a room near the end of the building in time to see the group running away from the docks. Infected trailed behind them. The survivors were shouting and motioning to the broken-out window.

“What are we going to do?” Lettie asked.

“Strip the bed. Tie the sheets together.”

They moved away from the window. Material ripped behind me as I kept watch.

Nav was killing a few limb-impaired stragglers by the docks.

The boat was trolling closer.

The fleeing group reached the end of the building, and I could hear their harsh breathing as they passed underneath our window. The majority of the infected followed close on their heels, tripping and stumbling over the uneven ground. One fell into the water.

“Add some knots to it,” Gwen said. “Get the window open, Arena.”

I quietly slid the window to the side. It didn’t move far, but enough that we could squeeze through. Lettie handed me a knife. I cut the screen.

Gunfire rang out below. They’d reached the room we’d abandoned. Someone screamed. I didn’t look. I didn’t need to. Their fight to survive would be our escape.