The Mating Run

Chapter 22

Hi. I guess. We haven't seen each other for quite some time. Sorry about that. Here's a present.

***

I sit at the edge of the cave with my knees pressed up against my chest. Dawn peaks from below the trees, a muddy pink splashing across the sky as clouds begin to paint the world in grey. Blood covers my cracked nails from where I've been digging them into the rocks. I can't feel the pain. My heart ache demands all the attention.

I've been sitting here for what seems like forever. Karina had to hold me back as Ty receded into the black abyss of the night, his sweet scent slowly dissipating.

Karina sleeps in the back of the cave, cradling her injured arm against her chest.

I stand and walk over to inspect her wound. The area around the cuts are swollen with dried blood and red skin. Her face is clammy and drenched in sweat, her lips shivering in the warm summer weather.

"Fuck," I murmur as I begin to realize the signs of her symptoms. I lean down and press my hands against her face, trying to wake her. "Karina." Her eyes shoot open in fear, her scent turning into a sharp taste of anxiety and pain. I wrinkle my nose, trying to battle the unsavory smell. "We need to go. Now."

I launch across the cave and collect our things, hurriedly throwing them into a bundle of a torn shirt. I tie the top of the shirt into a knot and sling it over one arm as I use the other to haul Karina up.

"Where will we go?" She grimaces at the sunlight as it hits her eyes. I stare out over the Grounds, trying to ignore the sudden Mating Howl ripping across the morning, silencing the birds and the insects. At the beginning of this Run, I would've jumped in fright. I've become use to it all now. A night without at least five howls is an oddity. Karina almost recoils back into the cave at the noise.

"Your wound is getting infected," I murmur as I stare at the closest tower, watching as shadows of men drift back and forth. "That is a cause to leave and find medical assistance."

Karina protests no further other than a weary look. I smile softly and stroke a stray hair from her face. Her cheeks are sunken in, making her cheekbones even more prevalent. Dark half circles hang below her bloodshot eyes. I cup her face, trying to funnel my hope into her. "I'm not letting you give up."

***

It is somewhat of a struggle to coax her down the cliff side, her weak whimpers echoing across the forest as she accidentally pulls the wrong way at her injured arm. When her feet hit the dirt, she almost collapses into my chest. I twist our bodies until her uninjured arm is grasped firmly around my shoulders, her fingers clutching onto me so hard I can already feel the bruises forming.

She does not limp, but she trudges as the infection begins to make her movements even more sluggish. While every single crack of the forest startles me, she seems not to notice; her eyes are glazed over and her head leaned over, her mouth opening up and down with no words or sounds leaking through.

On my own and walking at a moderate pace, I could've been to the watchtower and further. But with Karina's slow pace, it might take us all day. The sun is high in the sky, but I can barely see it through the thick canopy. The amount of tree growth is another problem. How am I supposed to get her there before nightfall if I have to help her parkour over so many grotesque and overgrown roots?

I can feel her stomach rubble against my side. Last thing she had was yesterday when I convinced her to eat a few blackberries. I try to ignore my hunger in favor for the need to get her safe.

***

She begins to break down near sunset. "I can't go on," she insists as she suddenly caves, releasing her grip on me and plopping down onto a patch of moss.

"Yes, you can."

"No," she mutters weakly, holding her hands in front of her to warn me away. Tear begin to shine in her eyes as she begins to weep softly, broken mewls spilling from her lips. "I can't. I'm such a burden, I can't."

I frown at the other Omega, trying to resist the tears tugging at my eyes. "No," I growl, my heart suddenly pumping with rage. "You don't fucking get to decide that you're done or that you're a burden."

"I let her down, my baby sister," she sobs. "Elana didn't do shit to this world, and it was my job to protect her, my job."

I crouch down to her level and grab her wrists and pull them from her face. "It is not. Your. Fault." I persist, my teeth almost grinding together in anger. "Just because something happened that was tragic doesn't mean you get to give up," I spit at her, my voice deadly low. "You think I gave up when my friends were claimed unwillingly? When I watched as Trish screamed in pain as that Alpha bitch tore into her neck?" Karina is silent. Tears stream down her face like waterfalls. "I fucking didn't. I did what I told them I would do and I fucking prevailed. I'm not letting myself starve to death just because they got the short end of life."

"Why won't you let me die?" She murmurs weakly, her voice cracking. She is broken. Broken beyond belief. "Why won't you let me die?"

Every part of my body screams at me to tell the bitch to fuck off, that she can did for all I care. She is weak, and only another person to worry about. I want to storm off and leave her there to either die or be claimed, or both.

"I don't get to chose who dies in this Run. But I most certainly chose that you fucking won't."

***

Karina was tired. Beyond tired. The taking of her sister and her friend weighed heavy on her heart, and the fact that she hadn't slept more than eight hours in the past three days made her hungry for the end.

Evie was right, she knew that. She didn't get to stop. What would Elana think?

As Evie stayed up to watch the dark, Karina pretended to sleep, the whole time thinking about if this Run was ever going to stop. Evie fell asleep quickly, her lack of rest being her downfall. Karina hesitantly stood, staring down at the younger Omega. Never before had she seen such fierce determination in a first year runner. The back of Karina's neck prickled, reminding her of her tattoo. Her brow furrowed. Maybe, if she was still alive after all this, she could convince Evie to join. Maybe.

The wind suddenly swept across her shoulders, sending another chill down her spine. Without understanding why, she followed the current of the wind, wishing it would take her to her sister.

After a long while, with the last rays of light beginning to fade, she came across a small stream. She had to resist dropping to her knees to lap up the fresh, clear water. She rejoiced at the crisp taste of the creek, splashing the water over her wound.

She came to a still as she gazed at her reflection for the first time since she entered the Run. Twigs nested in her hair like birds, and her face seemed hallow and fragile, like a little doll waiting to be dropped. The wind whipped from behind her, sending her hair flying in her face. When the wind ceased, she shot up at the smell of an Alpha. She stared in fear and then sudden confusion as she looked across the stream, her legs poised to run. Before she could even kick off the ground, she stopped at the sight.

Hector stood there, the shadows casting over his body. His face was grim yet stoic, even with the blood splattered in his hair and beard. His clothes were somewhat torn, but not as bad as she had seen on other Alphas.

They stood staring at each other in complete silence, never once dating to glance at anything else. The last hints of light faded.