Creatures

THREE

"You should be so dead." She whispered. "I can't even make that shot. What the hell are you?"

He drew one of his hands to his chest, pulled away with glossy red coating his fingers. "I knew you were smart." He glanced up at her, but his eyes were no longer that forest green, but crystalline blue.

She started to quiver. Now she was afraid. Very, very afraid.

He stood and stripped off his shirt. Both she and him watched as the wound edges slowly knitted themselves together, and her stab was no more.

Christine swallowed hard. "What are you?" She whispered again, eyes welling with tears.

"A creature the likes of which you've never seen."

She swallowed hard, and believed every word.

"And you," he grabbed her by the upper arm, pulling her from the dirt. "You are mine."

*

Chrissy paced the room like a tiger trapped in a cage. Back and forth. Back and forth. Her hands were even on edge, wanting her butterfly knife back. She twirled it when she was anxious.

And right now, she was very anxious.

They had walked over a mile into the forest, and came across a small settlement. Nobody seemed to be home. Tristan had stuck her in the largest of the homes and told her not to leave.

Back. And forth.

As the sun began to set, she heard people talking, laughing. Then, someone familiar.

Micah.

In a single moment, she could care less about Tristan tanning her hide. She needed familiarity. Now. Chrissy made a ran for the door, flung it open, and spotted Micah. His curly, overlong blonde hair was a dead giveaway. She ran for him headlong, nearly knocking him off his feet.

"Chrissy," he breathed, squeezing her equally, "Jesus, Chris."

"Christine...?"

She looked up and saw Jack Summers, of all people, looking extremely stunned. Chrissy broke from Micah.

"Oh, fuck." He finally said. "Jesus, Micah is your- and Tristan."

She stared at him. "Are you gonna, like, make coherent sentences?"

He ran his hands through his light brown hair. "Probably not."

She kicked at the dirt. "Yeah, Micah's my brother. Luke and Alex, too."

Micah grabbed Jack's shoulder with one hand and jarred him. "Jack is my apprentice."

Her brows furrowed. "Apprentice of what?"

Jack looked to Micah. "She really doesn't know anything?"

"No, not until Oregon gets back to us." He said. "I'm in the clear, but Luke and Alex are in some deep shit."

"Are y'all gonna tell me what the fuck is goin' on?" She drawled.