To Be A Champion

Chapter 35: Take A Chance On Me

Nicole clicks her tongue. "That sounds legit. Probably a trap?"

"Read my mind. They want to meet by the old well at sundown. Alone."

"Definitely a trap."

"The well's on the hill. If you approach from the north, we'll see which terrifying people are waiting to ambush you, eh?"

I nod. "On it." I pat the pistol on my hip. "I suppose the one good thing about Amelia making her appearance is that she was able to provide us with a bit of weaponry. We'll have least have something to defend ourselves with."

"Yep," Nicole hums, patting her own pistol. "Now let's go."

We head off, footsteps soft on the dirt path as we head up the hill. Nicole seems tense as we run, not that I blame her. While the overwhelming sense of comfort still tries to seep its way into my veins every now and again, it's easier to push away. Now it's overshadowed by the disgust of knowing why I'm feeling this way.

A few minutes later as we are running along a ridge, Sam lets out a startled gasp.

"All of you, get down now!" He warns, and instantly Nicole is grabbing my shoulder and dragging me into a nearby bush. Jody is quick to follow.

"What is it?" The brunette says in alarm, chocolate brown eyes wide and searching. "I don't see anyone."

Sam's silent for a moment before letting out a breath. "No, it's nothing. I thought I saw a figure on the edge of town, watching you, dressed in gray."

We all share a look, but it's Jody who finally speaks. "Not followin' us now, are they?"

"No, I might have imagined it. Haven't been sleeping well recently."

I suck in a sharp breath. "Yeah, sorry about a few nights ago-"

"No, no, it's not you. I've uh, just some nightmares. Lots of nightmares. People in skincoats chasing me. Only in the dreams, they were made out of actual skin, dripping red blood."

He loudly shudders, and I notice Nicole has gone stone still beside me. I give her a questioning look, which she ignores.

"Sam," She says, voice awfully serious, "how long have you been having these dreams?"

"Uh, about a week? Maybe longer. Why?"

Her eye twitches, but her voice is steady as she replies, "No reason."

"Uh, okay," He says, befuddled. "Okay, you should have a good view of the well from where you are. See anything?"

Jody peers out of the bush, green eyes narrowing. "Someone's standing by the well. A young man with curly hair. He doesn't look armed."

We stand, and the man whips his gaze in our direction. He takes a panicked stance before turning and darting into the woods. Without thinking, I dash after him, staying along the ridge to avoid the rougher terrain.

As Jody said, he isn't armed, so at the very least, we won't have to worry about him shooting at us. The last thing Nicole and I need are more injuries. And if he's unarmed, we likely won't have to fire at him. While the skincoats are rumored to be cruel, and I know that Nicole and I can be as well, it doesn't mean we will be if we don't have to be.

Plus, from looking around, there's no one else about, so it seems very unlikely that this guy is leading us into a trap.

Sliding down from the ridge and entering the thick woods, I manage to pull ahead of the others, expertly hopping over tree roots and limbs. The sound of branches snapping ahead gives away the man running from us. He's having trouble maneuvering through the thick bushes and dips in the ground. I catch up to him almost effortlessly.