RIPTIDE ▹ THE ORIGINALS

twelve; right in the shoulder

-•-•-

The two Marshalls panted as they ran throughout the wooded bog, with River's less agile limbs occasionally tripping over a fallen tree log or a particularly thick root roaring up out of the ground. 

More footsteps were quick on their heels, squishing and squelching against the thick layer of mud from the previous night's rain. Heavy, stocky men could have easily gotten entrenched in it if they weren't careful, but Hayley and River were quick on their feet and skidded across the slick with precision.

Without warning, Hayley jerked her little sister behind a tree, motioning for the smaller brunette to muffle her quick, almost asthmatic breaths. River nodded in acknowledgement and perked her chin up as she draped an elbow over her mouth. Her lungs still shook and spasmed under her ribcage, but River forced the awful wheezing noises down. 

The pair glanced anxiously around the bog - until they spotted the same men that River temporarily barricaded back at the clinic, dark clothing almost completely camouflaging their figures as they searched for the two Marshalls they had let escape.

River bit down on her lip and shared a momentary, knowing look with Hayley. There was only one way; they both knew what they had to do. 

Divided by the tree, Hayley ran up to the group and aimed for the gut as she slammed the first man she encountered, sending him barreling toward the ground. River twirled her knife in her hand as she quietly darted up to another man, kicking the back of the knees and delivering a minor slash to his calf before elbowing him in the temple. River turned her head, watching Hayley snap another man's neck and letting the completely limp body drop. River couldn't help but wince, but she was pulled back into reality as another figure came up behind her, teeth gritted and hands clenched. Before he could make a move, River fell to her knees and jabbed her knife into the man's thigh as a loud cry echoed through the empty woods, but another elbow to the head was enough to get him to shut up. 

As the teen allowed the bottled-up breaths to finally escape her lungs, coughing and hacking as she exhaled hot air, Hayley was crouched on the ground and River could have swore that her sister's eyes flashed a hauntingly luminescent gold.

In fact . . . River felt a strange sensation overcome her own eyes - an almost bubbling feeling; but it was probably just her mind playing tricks on her. It had to be.

Just as the two girls readied themselves to pounce as a particularly burly fifth man approached them, his neck was suddenly snapped from behind, and River had never been so happy to see a familiar flash of blonde hair.

"I'm so glad I don't have to stab you," River sighed in relief as her shoulders un-tensed. 

"And I'm glad I don't have to stab you for stabbing me," Rebekah replied teasingly (hopefully), as she stepped over the corpse's body and eyed the slew of them. "Have to say, I'm impressed."

Hayley finally seemed to let her guard down as she put an arm on River's shoulder. "How did you find us?"

"River's mildly concerning text got me halfway, vamping here did the rest. Who are they?"

"Who or whatever they are, they're dicks," the teen replied, though avoiding looking anywhere near the ground. Today had been her first time ever stabbing someone (multiple someones), so seeing a dead body (multiple dead bodies) hadn't quite sunk in yet.

Hayley shook her head. "Witches, warlocks, whatever."

The fun didn't seem to be over just yet however, as a cluster of faint voices and thin streams of directed light appeared in the distance.