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Suddenly, a guttural growl echoed through the forest, followed by a scream, shattering the tentative silence surrounding us. My heart lurched in my chest as I realized its source. I watched a competitor I did not recognize tumble off a cliff further ahead.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as I watched the victim plummet through the air, their arms flailing desperately before disappearing. The sickening sound of impact echoed through the trees, leaving no doubt about their fate.
I flinched, bile rising in my throat.
I hated that sound.
One of the other competitors screamed, “Tavo!”
It took only a minute before the incessant beeping started, a sign for the person to be picked up. There were ugly gurgling breaths through the crunch and growl of another wolf. The competitor who had called out for her friend stood up and swung her arms.
“¡Ayuda!” she screamed as she called for help.
To my horror, a howl filled the air. The frenzied wolves had arrived.
"Come on. We can't stop!" Isaac urged, but I found myself rooted to the spot. My limbs refused to obey my commands. The horror of what I had just witnessed gripped me tight, a cold, unyielding vise around my heart.
Instincts I hadn’t felt in years kicked into place. I needed to make sure everyone was safe. Magda wasn’t here, but Santiago was.
“¡Santiago!” I screamed in my shaky voice. Isaac grabbed me by my mouth.
“¿Qué haces, Renata? You’re going to get us killed,” he hissed and released me as soon as I started panting.
"Isaac, I need to find Santiago.”
“Why? Do you love him too?” He growled.
Tears stung my eyes under my goggles. I had heard people speak to me with ire before, but I couldn’t do this. This was why we could never be married. “I—I can't..."
"Focus," he said, his voice tense with worry. "I know it's terrible, but you will end up like that pitiful boy. Santiago has his team with Sam and Isabela. He doesn’t need you waiting for him.”
He was probably right. But the image of the competitor falling to their doom was seared into my mind, another indelible stain upon my soul. How could I continue when each step might bring more death and suffering? What kind of world was this, where such brutality was a rite of passage for the rising generation?
Before I could protest, Isaac scooped me into his arms, a few wisps of sandy blond hair peeking out from under his hood, brushing against my cheek as we took off rapidly away from the dying boy.
“Put me down!" I screamed, my heart pounding wildly in my chest. "I can't do this!” It took a few solid wallops across his chest for him to put me down. I felt lighter, less like I was going to faint. I gained more strength and started running. My legs finally worked adequately, much to my gratitude.
I was strong. Antonio thought so.
Then a crash sounded behind us.
My heart clenched in my chest as I turned to see Isaac, his face contorted in pain, a snarling wolf latched onto his arm. The grisly knife slipped from his grasp, landing just out of reach. I could feel the blood drain from my face, leaving me cold and weak.
"Isaac!" I cried out, forcing myself to hold back a sob. My ghosts haunted me once again everywhere I turned. I saw Isaac’s lifeless body sprawled on the ground, a pool of crimson staining the carpet beneath me. The need to prove Martina de León wrong sprang to life. I couldn't let it happen again, not to Isaac, not to anyone.
"Get back, Rena!” Isaac shouted, struggling to keep the other wolves at bay with his makeshift stick. His green eyes were wild with fear.
I searched the ground for anything I could use as a weapon. My gaze fell upon a cluster of rocks, and without thinking, I scrambled to gather them, my fingers numb under my gloves.
“¡Saquense de aquí!” I yelled, hurling a rock at one of the wolves circling us. It struck the beast squarely on the head, causing it to yelp and stumble back a step. Emboldened by my minor victory, I continued to throw the stones, aiming for their snouts and eyes.
I screamed to make as much noise as I could. It was a desperate plea and a fierce command all at once. Isaac pried the wolf's jaws from his arm, but two more lunged for him, their teeth bared and eager for blood.
The air hung heavy with the scent of blood and fear, and I knew we were teetering on the edge of life and death. The ground beneath our feet trembled when it seemed like the wolves would overpower us. The wolves’ ears flattened against their heads. Then, as if commanded by some unseen force, they turned tail and fled into the forest, leaving us battered and shaken in their wake.
I stood there, frozen. What the hell had just happened?
Was that an earthquake?
