eliminated

:9:

what to listen to while reading this chapter:
"high" -sir sly

•~•

the bears snarled abhorrently, making their way down the hill slowly like a bug caught in amber. i noticed that the rest of the group was moving closer together. they were all facing the outside of the circle, defensive stances and weapons ready. i tried to mimic them, holding my knife out in front of me and blocking my face with my other arm.

"i thought bears didn't travel in packs!" i hissed at jasmine accusatorially.

"they've adapted over time. this is how they survive now." she said, her voice full of alarm.

"we have to try and scare them off." jasmine whispered next to me. "on my mark, everyone is going to yell." i nodded in agreement. a split second later, she raised her arm high into the air so everyone could hear and snapped her fingers. we all yelled in unison, our echos filling the forest. no luck.

the shouts just angered them more. the lead bear stood on its hind legs and roared, making the woods seem to shake and tremble. the two other bears behind continued to follow its leader, their eyes casting sinister glares.

"now what?" i asked.

"now," jasmine said faintly almost a murmur, and then cleared her throat and spoke more firmly. "now we run! go!"

the outlaws began to run. i followed after them, going as fast as my legs would allow, paying no attention to my surroundings. my only thought was i need to get out of here. we were gaining more speed than the bears. every so often, an outlaw would pick up a rock or a twig and throw it off into the distance, causing the bears to be confused. they're buying more time, i mused. i slowed down and picked up a pebble and threw it as hard as i could to the side of me. i didn't look back to see if it had worked.

after a while, i began to get weary. my breaths were short and ragged, and i would trip and stagger over the solid ground occasionally. sean was slightly ahead of me and noticed my tiredness. he reached out a hand and i took it.

i heard the clunk of someone tripping behind me, but i showed no interest in discovering who it was. that is, until i heard shouts of torment and despair.

i turned around and saw blair in the clutches of the largest bear. i stares in horror as the bear slashed at her face. she tried to escape, but it was no use. i looked back at the rest of the outlaws, fleeing, then back at blair, crying out and making futile attempts to save herself. it was too much. i had to do something.

sean looked at me expectantly. "go." i told him, out of breath. "i'll be fine. i'll meet you at camp."

"i can't just leave you guys here!" he shouted.

"you can and you have to!" i screamed, shoving him away. reluctantly, he started to jog away. "go!"

i yelled out and threw my knife at the bear. it hit it square in the shoulder and the bear roared in pain and fury. then it saw me, it's attacker and growled. the gears turned in my head and i realized it was most likely not very happy with me. i really did not think this through.

the bear approached me screeching in pure rage. weaponless, i backed away slowly. the bear stopped in its tracks and noticed something behind me. i furrowed my brows, confused, and looked behind me. there was nothing there. while i was distracted, the bear roared again and slashed at my left arm.