Page 112 of Juniper Unraveling

Another sinks his teeth into one of the older women.

“Anna!” The one who sat next to me seconds ago hurls herself at the Rager hauling away her sister, but one hard slam of the male’s deformed hand sends her flying into the adjacent rock.

Red shoots the one now feeding off the older woman, and two more gather at her body, tearing into it as she lets out a gurgled cry.

All my instincts tell me to run.

Run. Survive.

I spin on my heel to do that, and catch a glimpse of Red, shaking her head, before she takes off after the Rager who stole the girl. Along the way, she helps the brunette, and the two hobble along the path behind them.

A Rager darts toward me, and I snatch a palm-sized rock from the ground, pitching it straight toward its forehead. Blood marks the impact, kicking his head back and his feet out from under him. He collapses, scuttling across the limestone on his knees toward me. I nab another rock and slam it against his skull. One. Two. Three. The fourth blow makes a sickening crack, and he falls to the ground.

Need to go. Need to go. Need to go.

A foghorn blares inside my head, telling me to get the hell out of here.

Another Rager rushes in, and as he reaches out for me, I skirt the swipe of his arms and continue along the path.

Instead of running away, though. I dart after Red and the brunette.

* * *

A frosty chill branches up my spine, as I enter the mouth of the unfamiliar cave. I peer into the darkness beyond, into which the footsteps I’ve been following have disappeared, and the chasing shiver is my body’s last-ditch effort to turn me around.

Screams echo from up ahead, and the pinprick of light tells me I have a good couple hundred yards of pitch-blackness to walk through before I reach it.

If I wasn’t so stubborn, my brain would convince me to turn back and abort mission, but there’s only so much the body can do when adrenaline takes over.

A putrid scent hits my nose, and I choke back the urge to upchuck, as I tread across the gravel that crunches beneath my boots.

More screams.

Every nerve in my body is wired. Standing on end. Waiting to be dragged away, or bitten.

I should go. I should turn around right now and save my own ass.

Like Papa said, being alone is the only way to survive out here.

An object strikes my foot, and I swallow a scream, slapping a hand over my mouth. The rattle of the object draws my curiosity, and I bend forward, patting around in darkness, until I palpate a cold rod. A sticky wetness slides across my fingertips, and I lift the object, recognizing the flashlight in my hand.

I flick it on.

A mangled face lurches toward me on a growl, and a scream explodes past my lips. On instinct, I slam the flashlight in his face.

Arms band around my waist, and I stumble backward, falling to the ground. Fear strangles my breaths, and I flop onto my stomach, clawing at the dirt to get away. A harsh yank sends me flying backward with the gravel scratching across my stomach.

I kick out at the Rager that drags me deeper into the cave.

“Yar mine, bitch,” he growls.

Arms flailing, I reach out for a passing boulder and grip tight.

The Rager stumbles, his grip faltering, and I scramble away from him.

An obnoxious growl clatters inside my head when the Rager dives toward me.

Fire streaks across my scalp, as he grabs hold of my hair.