Into the Dark

Chapter 43

"You'd be surprised," Odis butted in. "There are things back there that I'm surprised didn't attack when they saw us again."

"Don't let your guard down," I heard Delilah add in a meek whisper. "If they start to see you as weak or unable to lead... they might get ideas."

"The point is: be stern but don't piss them off," Maeve said. I took their advice to heart and locked it in place, I could use all the help offered to me.

The conversation kind of fell away after that. No one said anything until almost a half hour later when we finally found another spot to settle at. We didn't have any blankets or practically anything for comfort, only the trees, grass, and each other. Lucky for me, I had a great guy like Kade.

After I'd made an announcement to our large crowd, everyone and everything found their resting positions, making it obvious that they weren't too hyped about sleeping together. A lot of room was taken because of everything trying to space out. Some creatures, in fact, didn't even sleep-so Odis and the others informed me. They were great for keeping watch (although I was sure nothing would attack us now). But I still didn't feel safe around all these creatures and had the hardest time falling asleep... as did the others.

My eyes endlessly scanned their nightmarish faces, noticing even a few ghouls here and there. There weren't anymore wendigoes, though I had no problem with it. But there were other creatures that could definitely haunt my nightmares if I ever fell asleep again. I couldn't even keep my breathing under control, not to mention gain the confidence to drift off.

Instead I spent my time leaning against a tree with Kade who watched the crowd with as much intensity as I did. He had his arm around me which enabled me to feel his tension.

"You need to relax a bit," I said hypocritically.

"I don't like this," he whispered. His nose twitched and he spoke without looking at me. His other arm fell over his stomach as he laid his head back against the tree and sighed. "It's getting worse. If these things start getting ideas... I won't be able to do anything."

I didn't have to ask what he meant by "it". He was obviously referring to his sickness. It only made me feel worse about my decision, especially when I saw how pale his skin had gotten.

"We'll fix this... I promise," I whispered, laying my head against his side and giving him a reassuring pat. He just sighed again and fell into another spell of silence.

Moments later, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something approach us. I couldn't tell what it was at first, considering we hadn't taken the time to make much light, but when it was just inches in front of me, I could see its features quite clearly.

It was some sort of bat creature, nothing like the gargoyles, but more of a larger form of an actual bat. It had the wings, smooshed face, ears, claws, and so on. It wasn't as docile looking as the bats I'd seen in pictures, though. It was mutated, its claws extended and dangerously sharp, its rows of teeth uneven, and eyes that were seemingly tired and bloodshot red. It couldn't even close its mouth completely because of the teeth protruding at odd angles. Its dark brown fur was matted and there was a bite torn out of its left ear.

I wasn't very scared because I'd secretly pointed it out earlier and asked Odis for his input on it. His explanation was pretty simple: a wizard experiment gone wrong. I could believe that, considering I'd just described the bat as a mutant.