AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We?” I ask, shaking as the adrenaline rush passes. I wipe my eyes with the palms of my hands and then look at his group. They appear to be a rough lot too and a little dirty but none of them seem menacing. Unlike the two who attacked me. “Are you, uh, some kind of re-enactors?”
The man frowns, then grins and shakes his head while making a snorting laugh. He looks at the other men behind him. An older big man shakes his head and shrugs. The younger man looks back at me.
“Did ya hit yuir head?” he asks.
“No, I don’t think so,” I say, touching my head to make sure.
“Aye, ’eads up, Duncan,” one of the other men says.
Duncan and I both look at the speaker who points behind me. I turn around and my stomach drops.
Six armed men march over the ridge. At the head of them are the two who attacked me. They all have drawn blades and grim looks on their faces. The scent of unwashed clothes and bodies precedes them, strong enough to make me gag.
“Go up there,” the man I slapped—Duncan, I think—says.
Before I can say anything, he grabs my shoulder and pulls me behind him. I’m not going to argue. These people must be some serious method actors. Or maybe this is a live action role play game? There was a group that played games like that on campus. I thought they used foam weapons though and these are anything but foam.
Whatever is happening, it’s clear they’re deeply immersed in their make-believe. All I want to do is find my fellow students and get back to the hotel, as far away from the men who attacked me as possible.
The other men with Duncan rush forward and weave around me as I climb the hill. I’m halfway up the hill when I hear metal crash against metal. Every muscle tensing, I duck and flinch. Remaining in a crouch, I run. I don’t look back until I make it to the top of the hill.
The clanging rings through the air. It sounds almost like a car wreck. The men shout unintelligibly and then someone screams in pain.
Doubling over, I try to make myself as small a target as possible. The hill is steep, so I grab handfuls of grass to help pull myself up to the top. When I reach the crest at last, I drop to the ground and look back. My stomach clenches and a cold sweat covers my skin as bile rises in my throat.
This isn’t a game. The smell of blood and voided bowels is all too real. The swords flash, brightly reflecting the sunlight. I watch as they bite deep into flesh. The two groups of men are fighting for their lives. I’m frozen, watching a nightmare. I can’t move and if I could, where would I go?
A tight fist clenches my bowels. Is this a movie set? No. I know it's not but why are these people out here? What are they doing?
Duncan parries an incoming blow then reverses his stroke and brings it against his opponent. The blade swings up and blood sprays as the sword finds purchase. I scream and clench my eyes shut.
Terrified, I can’t keep my eyes closed so I open them a slit. I have to know if I need to run. In my peripheral vision, something moves. I turn to see what it was and a fist slams into my jaw. Blackness and stars dance in my vision. I’m thrown into the air. I land hard on something. I’m left gasping.
A dark figure towers over me. I try to scream but there’s not enough air. I kick and fight, but two massive hands push aside my feeble efforts and grab me.
“Help!” I manage to yelp.
He throws me over his shoulder. I bounce against his back. Another man binds my wrists frighteningly fast. Past the second man, I catch a glimpse of Duncan. He is looking up the hill towards me. His mouth opens, and he roars but I can’t make out the words. He waves his sword in the air then points it up the hill even as I’m carried over the crest and lose sight of him.
Chapter Five
I pound my fists against my captor’s back. He runs along the ridge of the hill, ignoring my struggles. Every step he takes jars me; my teeth chatter and I bite my tongue. Coppery blood fills my mouth, forcing me to spit to keep from choking. I continue struggling, trying to make him to drop me. I don’t care that it’s ineffective. If I can only get free, I can run.
“Let me go,” I yell.
“Ach, that will nae be happening. You’re mine now. I’m taking ya home. I’ll tame that fire.”
He laughs and it’s so uncaring and evil it chills my blood. I screech and pound my bound fists on his back while wildly kicking. His grip slips. I slide further over his shoulder, my hips past the tipping point.
I buck with hips and legs one more time and I’m free, tumbling to the ground. I land headfirst and stars mix with blackness. I’m sure he’s not going to leave me behind. Consciousness clearing, I grab for his legs, hoping to trip him.
“She’s a fighter,” one of the men says with a laugh. “I like a feisty woman.”
Three men close around, keeping themselves far enough away I can’t kick them. I roll over to my hands and knees, eyeing them carefully. The one who had me on his shoulder rushes forward and I lunge up. I don’t have a clear plan as much as a desire to hurt him as much as I possibly can.
Before I reach him, something hits me in the head. I fall back to the ground again, head throbbing and vision spinning. Blackness encroaches. I groan and try to push myself up, but I collapse. I can’t see clearly but I’m aware by sound that the men surround me.
Fight, Quinn. Fight or it’s going to be worse.
