Into the Wild Dark

CHAPTER 35 - SUNNY

"Are you with Ravani?" the soldier tried again.

"No," I wheezed. It was the truth. Sort of. It seemed like Ravani and his team were on the same side as Jack, Mal, and me.

The two men shared a worried frown. Or maybe that was their normal visage. "You shouldn't be here, human," the other said gruffly. I imagined their thick brains working out how much trouble they'd get into for exposing a human to the existence of Supernaturals. Would they kill me to cover their own butts?

I decided to play into their assumptions I was only human. "What are you, anyway? Cosplayers? I'm out here camping, and you drag me into this Orc LARPER nonsense," I sneered.

"Where's your tent?" asked the other.

"Packed up. Why, what's it to you? I was heading out when I decided to try a swim before the weather got bad," I lied, grateful the rain hid my nervous sweat.

Another skeptical look passed between us. "Well, then, why'd you fight us?"

"Wha–?! You attacked me!" I screeched incredulously.

"Get out of these woods," said the lead man.

I couldn't fathom my luck. "What?"

"Get–out–of–these–woods." They stepped aside to watch me leave.

"Let me get my stuff first." I had to play it cool. I gathered Jack's clothing and my sword, but there was no way I was leaving him behind. And no way to go after him with these goons from the Council of Overlay Affairs overseeing my march from the forest. I studied the ground as if seeking something misplaced as I tried to figure out what to do.

The two soldiers trudged behind me, following my every move. They didn't realize I was herding them. As I passed by a sturdy oak tree, I made my move. Pivoting with the short sword, I flowed forward with the speed of the river and drove the blade through both men until it pierced the tree. They couldn't be killed by it, but they could certainly be trapped. They struggled for release, glaring at me in disbelief.

"You should've asked how a human would have access to an enchanted sword. That's for Aurie," I growled. To the chorus of their swears and grunts, I spun around and kicked the blade deeper. "And that's for making me swear. Assholes."

I knew they wouldn't break free any time soon. I limped toward the river, hoping it wasn't too late. As I dropped the bundle of Jack's things, I tucked the remaining portal card between the folds of his clothes so it wouldn't get damaged.

I gingerly walked along the decaying log to the point where it hung over the water. Bright green moss covered its bark like carpet and made the walk velvety but perilous. The wind whipped at me, same as it tore at the pine trees and oaks looming nearby. It shrieked and howled in ways average storms didn't. I tried not to let the sound get to me, though boughs creaked under the strain and leaves ripped from their moorings and ran off into the woods.

The wildlife we had seen earlier seemed to have taken shelter. I kept an eye on the only other sentient beings in the clearing. The Fext soldiers struggled against the Billao that pinned them, but short of allowing the blade to cut through their torsos or bore through their chests, there was no way free. Satisfied my plan had worked, I focused on the slippery task at hand.

Removing my clothing, I tied a long sleeve of my shirt to a pant-leg and tied the other leg to the downed tree where I had seen Jack go under. The remaining sleeve, I tied as best I could around my waist, and I swan-dove into the swirling maelstrom. I prayed. I was only human.

Prayers not withstanding, the river did to me what it had done to Jack. The minute I dipped beneath the surface, I realized it was impossible to see. My makeshift rope held, but I wasn't sure how long I could rely on it. Besides, anchored to the line, I couldn't go far. I thrashed around near the downed tree, searching for my friend. Sediment and debris made the going treacherous.

I splashed to the surface with a gasp stymied by the violent storm. I glared at the heavens in reproach at making the situation worse. As I ducked into the river again, the travails of my battle against the Fext ached every muscle and sinew. Should I have called Mal for help? It was too late now, I reasoned. I held my breath as I swam as deeply as my anchor would allow. In the murk and grime, my hand brushed against another's. Blurbles of excitement erupted from me.

I didn't want to calculate how much time had already passed. I didn't want to speculate on what it meant that his fingers were so cold. Something large and leathery swam past me. Please, please, please, make it not be an alligator, I called on the divine. It didn't matter if it was because I wasn't leaving the river until I had my lover. I didn't dare resurface for a breath until I had him. I wasn't hopeful I would be able to find him again if I did.

I reigned in my emotions as I struggled to reach Jack. I was hampered by the line; all I could do was graze his fingertips. I had the sinking feeling he was drifting away. I couldn't let that happen. I wrestled with the knot of the sleeve around my waist, even as I feared release. Surely, the water would take me. Surely, I wouldn't make it. But if I could just get Jack to shore, his lycanthropic healing abilities would take over, and he would be okay.

I wriggled free of the safety line and used every ounce of my remaining strength to swim down. I grabbed Jack beneath the arms and kicked as hard as I could to push him upward. As I did, the circling gator came back around. I had barely managed to push Jack to the shoreline when it grabbed me.

The pain was unbearable. I had never experienced anything like it. Thick, razor sharp teeth with a bite-strength unparalleled pierced through my shoulder. Its breath steamed near my face. It reeked of decay and rot. I vomited, felt like I would pass out. The world became a spinning top. My heart stopped and started. My cries gathered river water. My arms touched the air and were dragged back into the current. Again and again. The monster had me in a death spiral.

From the clearing, I heard the Fext solders laugh. I punched the gator's nose frantically over and over. I had learned somewhere that the move could stun the creature. However, the only effect the punch seemed to have was to make the creature more aggressive.

It moved at unfathomable speeds as it forced me to the middle of the river, spiraling, spiraling. No cries. No screams, now. Blood in the water. Crimson and mud. Flesh serrated, heart ready to burst, beyond panic. But Jack. Jack would be okay. Jack was on the waterlogged, boggy shore. He would be okay. I was dying.

I was... Heaven help me. Dead.