AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Rebecca!" she called out again, her voice barely audible above the frenzied buzz of the bees. "I'm here! I'm going to get you out of there, I promise!"
As she reached the container, she spared a final glance at Jake and Luke. They were locked in a vicious struggle; their faces twisted into masks of pain and determination. She felt a surge of guilt for abandoning her partner, but she knew that if she didn't act now, Rebecca's blood would be on her hands. And that was a weight she refused to bear.
"Rebecca!" she shouted one last time, her voice cracking with emotion. "Hold on – we're coming for you!"
Fiona's heart thundered in her chest as her mind raced, searching for a solution. The padlock on the storage container gleamed maliciously in the moonlight, taunting her with its impenetrability. She knew she had to act fast – Rebecca's life depended on it.
"Rebecca!" Fiona shouted through the small gap between the container doors, "You need to stay calm! The less you breathe, the less the bees will notice you and sting you! Just try to relax!"
The words felt hollow, even to her own ears. How could anyone stay calm in a situation like this? But she knew that panicking wouldn't save Rebecca; it would only guarantee her death.
Fiona's fingers tightened around the padlock, her knuckles turning white with the strain. Her mind flashed back to her training days at the academy when they were taught how to break locks under pressure. Focus, she thought. Breathe.
With a deep breath, she steadied herself and slammed her heel against the padlock. Once, twice, three times. On the fourth strike, the metal gave way with a satisfying crunch, and the padlock fell to the ground, useless.
"Rebecca, I've got the door open!" Fiona called out, yanking the heavy container doors apart. A wave of stale air rushed out, carrying with it the sharp tang of fear and desperation.
"Thank God," came Rebecca's weak reply, her voice barely audible above the buzzing of the swarm inside.
As Fiona reached for Rebecca's hand, she couldn't help but feel a swell of pride at having succeeded in her mission. They had found their victim alive, despite all the odds stacked against them. And now, all Fiona had to do was lead Rebecca to safety, away from the nightmare that had been her prison.
"Come on," Fiona urged her grip tight on Rebecca's trembling hand. "Let's get out of here."
As they took their first steps toward freedom, the swarm inside the container began to grow agitated.
Fiona could feel the vibrations in the air, as if the tiny insects were calling out to each other in blind fury, sensing that their intended victim was slipping away. She knew that if she and Rebecca moved quickly, they might be able to outrun the stinging cloud.
"Run!" Fiona shouted, pulling Rebecca along with her. But as they sprinted across the uneven ground, Fiona could hear the hum of wings growing louder behind them. The swarm was following, and it was raining.
"Keep going!" Fiona urged through gritted teeth, her lungs burning with exertion. She could feel the first prickling sensations on the back of her neck, like the touch of a thousand needles. And then the pain came, sharp and sudden, as the wasps began to sting her.
"Go on without me!" she gasped, stumbling forward, her vision swimming. But Rebecca refused, gripping Fiona's arm even tighter.
"No! We're in this together," she panted, half-dragging Fiona as they continued their desperate dash. Still, the wasps persisted, their piercing stings relentless. It was as if they had become a single-minded entity, hell-bent on exacting vengeance for their interrupted plan.
Fiona felt an icy chill spread through her veins as the poison took hold. Her body grew heavier with each step, her limbs wooden and unresponsive. She could no longer ignore the searing pain or the creeping paralysis that threatened to claim her - she was losing the battle.
"Rebecca...I'm sorry," she whispered, her words slurred and barely audible. The world around her was growing darker, the edges of her vision blurring into blackness. "Get...to Jake..."
"Come on! You can't give up now!" Rebecca cried. But her voice seemed to be coming from far away as if carried on the wind.
As she stumbled forward, her legs buckling beneath her, Fiona's last conscious thought was an image of her Joslyn, standing in a field, the wind blowing her hair off her face.
"I'm here, Fiona... you found me."
Then, everything faded to black.
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
The swarm of hornets descended upon them like a living, breathing cloud. Jake gritted his teeth and ducked as the angry insects buzzed around him, their tiny wings beating furiously against the air. His heart raced with something more than adrenaline – fear. He knew it was irrational, but his childhood terror of hornets had never quite left him. But he had bigger things to worry about—like Luke Harris, who was putting up more of a fight than Jake had anticipated.
"Give it up, Harris, it's over," he said to Luke, trying to keep his voice steady despite the buzzing in his ears. The killer grinned at him from beneath the haze of black and yellow, looking eerily calm amidst the chaos.
"Guess we'll find out, won't we?" Luke taunted, lunging forward with surprising speed.
Jake barely managed to dodge the blow, his instincts saving him from a crushing hit. He threw a punch of his own, connecting solidly with Luke's jaw. The man staggered back, but the hornets seemed unaffected by the violence, only growing angrier as they swarmed and stung.
"Damn it!" Jake muttered through clenched teeth, feeling the fire of a dozen stings blooms across his skin. He knew that these hornets could be deadly, but he couldn't let that distract him from capturing Luke Harris. If he didn't succeed, more innocent lives would be lost.
