Page 76 of Rascal

We staggered a little way down the tunnel, with me ending up hopping and holding onto the walls for support, but my left leg began seizing. I lasted a minute before collapsing.

“Mia Charlotte, I can’t walk any further. We shouldn’t be far from the exit. Do you think…”

“No! I’m scared.”

I didn’t shout; I could completely understand where she was coming from. “Okay. I’m gonna get on my hands and knees and crawl. Mia Charlotte, climb up.”

With each torturous movement, we got closer to the entrance. Or at least I hoped we did. It was entirely possible that we were heading deeper into the mine. I’d no idea how long we’d been here, and I didn’t hold out much hope of somebody finding us. Mindlessly, I kept crawling, just praying luck was on our side.

I heard a noise and paused. That hadn’t been me. I searched around, seeking a light or something, but saw nothing.

“Hello?” I called. Was someone here to rescue us?

Mia Charlotte was suddenly shoved off me, and somebody grabbed my hair.

“You’re going to die!” Kira screeched in my ear.

Mia Charlotte screamed as I yelped.

Kira smashed my face into the ground. How the hell was she alive? Kira should have been buried under that rockfall. And how had she found us? It was pitch black in here. She has the devil’s own luck.

Fighting for Mia Charlotte and myself, I flipped over, sending Kira into the tunnel wall as Mia Charlotte began crying in fear. Blindly, I fought Kira as she landed punches; I couldn’t even see them coming. I reached up and punched where her face should be and hit something hard. My fingers caught on a strap, and I ripped it away. Night vision glasses, that total bitch! I flung them away, and now we were on level footing. We rolled about as Kira shrieked like a wild thing. Kira appeared in better condition than me and was winning.

Suddenly Kira missed a punch and fell forward, and I took my chance. With renewed strength, I straddled her and groped around, and my hands clutched a rock. I brought it down on Kira’s head, repeatedly, until she went still, but I gave her a few more whacks just in case. A torchlight appeared as I raised my weapon again.

“Hallie?” a voice called.

“Uncle Scythe!” Mia Charlotte shouted with relief. The light hit me, and I couldn’t imagine what the guy holding it thought. I hesitated and then glanced down and smashed Kira one last time. Fuck her.

“Damn! Hallie, I’m Scythe, from the Devil’s Scythe. I’m a close friend of Hellfire. We’ve been out looking for you,” he said.

“Mia Charlotte, come here,” I ordered.

“It’s okay, Hallie. It’s Uncle Scythe.”

“You know him?”

“Yes. He’s my uncle.”

“That’s good,” I replied weakly and collapsed face first onto Kira. I was done.

Scythe

Oh shit. I’d no idea what Rascal’s woman had been through, but Hallie looked like hell.

“Tinker, grab Mia Charlotte,” I ordered as I moved to where the two women lay. The one underneath Hallie had to be the nutjob. She wouldn’t be doing anything for a long time. Hallie had bashed her face in. I just hoped this was Hallie who I was picking up.

“Mia Charlotte, which one is Hallie?” I demanded, pausing.

“That one. See, her jeans are ripped. Hallie was crawling out with me on her back because her legs are hurt,” Mia Charlotte replied. “The one in the dress is the bad Hallie.”

I scooped Hallie up and followed Tinker and Bishop out. Once outside, I winced.

“Christ,” Tinker muttered.

“Bishop, call Hellfire, let them know we found their missing chicks, but Hallie needs a hospital.” I placed her down gently and started checking her over for broken bones. Her jeans were covered in blood and dust, and muttering an apology to Rascal, I slipped them down and hissed.

Yup, no wonder Hallie couldn’t walk. Her ankle was definitely broken, and her legs had been shredded. I’d no idea what had caused these injuries, but Hallie was in a critical state.