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We can still escape.
Dez yells at Jace, elbowing him and trying to bite him.
Michael’s voice joins the fray. “Get a hold of your wife, Son. Now, goddammit!”
Michael’s and Owen’s forms come into view, stepping past Jace and Destiny. As Dez is dragged away by Jace, her screams haunt my fucking soul.
“No!” I bellow, throwing a fist toward Michael. “You can’t do this!”
My fist glances off his jaw and I end up shoving Owen to the ground in my efforts. Michael glowers at me but doesn’t move to fight me. Turning to my right, I take off through the trees. I’ll come back for her, for both of them. I’m nothing if they capture me again.
I don’t make it very far before a strong hand grabs my arm and twists to throw me to the ground. I land with a painful smack against my side on some exposed tree roots. Groaning, I attempt to sit up on my hands and knees to escape.
A boot slams into my ribs, making me roll across the rain-soaked forest floor. Before I can defend myself, the butt of a rifle comes down against my face.
Crack!
The world spins around me as pain throbs inside my skull. A wave of nausea has me retching. My attacker looms over me, blocking the pattering of the cold rain.
“Sleep well, pet. We have much to discuss when you wake up.”
Another crack of his rifle.
Everything immediately goes black.
Iwake with a start, momentarily confused by my surroundings. Rain patters on my tent and the chill of the evening air burrowing into my bones reminds me that I’m camped out deep in the wilderness on a hunt for my siblings.
“Psst. Ryder.”
Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I sit up as Rowdy enters my tent. It’s too dark to make out his features, but I recognize his voice.
“What’s up?” I ask, voice raspy with sleep. “Is it time?”
He grunts. “Not yet. I heard something. Get dressed.”
With my heart beginning to race, I throw on my clothes within sixty seconds and am out of the tent the next minute. Wild and Rowdy stand huddled nearby, whispering. The rain is cold, drenching me once more, but I’m more interested in what they’re saying since those two don’t exactly directly speak to one another.
“Predator?” I ask when I approach them.
From far in the distance, I hear what sounds like crying. Definitely not a predator. The three of us tear off toward the sound without further conversation, weapons at the ready. I’m hopeful we’re near the camp where my siblings are being held.
We travel for what feels like an eternity when we hear it again. Crying. Young, familiar, terrified.
“Declan,” Rowdy hisses. “This way.”
No longer running, we carefully prowl toward the sound of his voice. If their camp is nearby, we don’t want to stumble upon it unprepared. We need to locate it, make a plan, and then extract our people via whatever means necessary.
Knowing we’re so close has me feeling elated. I just want them all back safely so we can go back home and rebuild our lives.
The crying fades and we all come to a stop. I can’t hear anything over the sound of my heart thundering in my ears.
Come on, Deck. Let your big brothers know where you’re at.
Thunder rumbles above us, making the earth feel as though it’s trembling. I’m desperately trying to see through the dark rain, looking for a campsite fire.
Nothing.
More crying.
