Forcing the air out of my lungs, I try to relax, despite the pain in my back. These fake contractions have been coming and going the last couple of days, and it is becoming harder to deal with. Walking around seems to help some, but that just makes Quinn worry, watching me with wide eyes with every pass I make in front of him.
The stress of being here for the last few days is getting to me. We have been keeping track of how long we have been captured, scratches in the stone wall. So far there are five, enough to make my worry grow.
The beast has been by a couple of times, but never stays for long. It just checks to make sure that our cage is still locked, before wandering off again. It will not be long before it finally gives in, doing to us what it did to those poor, mutilated bodies hanging in the back of the cave. The others need to get here, and soon, or else we truly are screwed.
"More contractions?" Quinn asks me, snapping me out of my thoughts. He is sitting against the wall, legs crossed beneath him with a flimsy blanket draped over his lap. Luckily, the beast did not seem to care that we still have our packs, so we still have a good portion of our supplies.
"Yeah," I say, finally relaxing as the contraction passes.
Quinn pats the ground next to him, waiting until I am sitting down before handing over the can of sliced peaches he had been munching on. "Eat."
Rolling my eyes, I do as he says, despite my appetite being gone. The stress of being in here is getting to me. Add in the fact that I am thirty-one weeks pregnant, and the tendency of males to not make it to full term, and I am finding it hard to stay calm.
Every day, at least two times, I check to see if my skin is becoming thinner or if my scrotum has started to contract. So far, everything has stayed the same, which is a relief.
"They will be here soon," Quinn says, grabbing my hand with his. The now empty can of peaches sits a few feet away, and Quinn scoots closer so that he can drape the blanket over my legs as well.
The past few days have been freezing, our breaths coming out in puffs of white when we talk. Winter is fast approaching, and we are stuck in a cave, with no ability to create a fire, and only sleeping bags to keep us warm at night.
"They better be," I say, words tense. Quinn gives my hand a squeeze, laying his head on my shoulder.
"Guess what I found in the bottom of the packs?" he says, and I am grateful for the subject change. His excitement has me looking over at him in curiosity.
"Hm?"
He drags his pack over to us, before reaching inside. What he pulls out causes a small smile to spread across my face. "I didn't know the others had packed these."
"Neither did I," I say, taking the baby clothes that he is holding out to me. The fabric is softer than I remember, durable against the cold.
"There are also the baby blankets, and some of the shoes and pacifiers we bought as well." He holds up a cloth bag, where he had pulled the clothes from. "We have enough for when the little ones come."
A smile spreads across my face as I look down at the lavender colored onesie in my hands. There are small white polka dots decorating the fabric, looking so fragile against the cave we are sitting in.
My smile drops when a loud roar comes from outside. Quinn takes the clothes from me with shaky hands, packing them away before re-zipping our packs. The roar becomes louder until something comes charging out of the woods, straight at us.
"Oh god," Quinn whispers, eyes wide as he stares at the approaching figure.
I would notice that beast anywhere. It is one of the infected hybrids, a big cat of some sort. It is just as disgusting as I remember it, and it seems intent on getting to us.
Grabbing Quinn, I drag him to the back of the cave, far enough away so that the beast can't see us, but not so far back that we are close to the bodies. The infected hybrid stalks closer to the cage, but since he can't see us, and our scent is masked by the dead bodies, we are essentially hidden.
It sniffs around the edge of the cage, letting out periodic growls as it noses at the wood. It seems to be frustrated that we are gone, and I know that if it weren't for the wooden grate over the entrance of the cave, we would probably be dead by now.
We stay in the back of the cage for who knows how long, the beast never leaving the entrance. It paces the front with an uneven gait, a low growl a constant noise. It is only when the light outside starts to wane that the bad situation turns into something worse.
The beast suddenly stops sniffing at the cave, head snapping up as heavy footsteps start coming closer. It stands up, baring its teeth in the direction of the approaching beast. The creature that had taken us comes into view standing less than ten feet in front of the cave. It ducks down, looking inside, and Quinn and I press further back, hoping that it can't see us.
This seems to anger it, as it lets out a ferocious snarl. Its gaze snaps over to the infected hybrid before they charge each other. The resulting fight is vicious and long lasting. The creatures clash, teeth ripping away chunks of flesh and the sound of bones breaking ringing through the air.
None of this seems to affect either of the creatures. They continue to fight with the same intensity, at one point crashing against the wooden grate covering the entrance of the cave. Wood starts to splinter, and hope blossoms in my chest. Quinn buries his head into my neck, tears running down his face.
We are both terrified, but I don't let my eyes wander away from the beasts. It is only when the beast that kidnapped us throws the infected hybrid against the fence that the fight starts to wane.
The infected hybrid manages to take a huge chuck out of the other beast's neck but gets its head ripped away and crushed into the ground with the last of the other beast's strength. The infected hybrid is now dead on the ground, brain matter leaking out of its crushed head. The other beast stumbles to the ground, blood spurting from its neck. It lets out pain filled moans before crashing to the ground completely, dead.
Quinn is shivering against me, and I wrap my arms around him, trying to calm both of us down. Both of the beasts are dead, their blood being washed away in the rain that is just starting up. The light outside is waning, making the bodies harder to see. But we both know they are there.
"We have to get out of here," I whisper, words still sounding too loud against the silence. "Before something else comes by."
Quinn nods his head, allowing me to lead him back to the front of the cave. He plops down on the ground, organizing the packs while I go over to investigate the wooden grate.
A few of the thick branches near the side are completely snapped. Carefully, I pulled on them, not relenting until they completely snap away. The hole that is left is not too big, and looking down at my prominent midsection, I realize that I am not going to fit. Definitely would have if I was not pregnant, and Quinn...
My eyes snap over to him, mentally calculating the circumference of his midsection and determining that he would fit, just barely.
Tears gather in my eyes, and I realize that I have to choice but to stay here. So close to freedom, and the only thing keeping me behind is being too advanced in my pregnancy. Swallowing, I turn away from my best friend to wipe away the tears that are falling.
Clearing my throat, I turn around with a tight smile, watching as Quinn comes over to stand next to me.
"Can we get out?" he asks, eyeing the hole.
"Yeah, go on, I'll be right behind you." It's hard to lie to my best friend, but as I watch him carefully navigate through the hole, I know that it is the right thing to do. He wouldn't have left the cave if he knew I would not be following behind.
Once he is outside, he turns around, clearly waiting for me to climb through as well. When I just stand there, a sad smile on my face, fear comes over Quinn. "Henley, come on, we have to go."
"I can't," I whisper, "I can't fit."
A look of determination comes over his face, and he crouches in front of the large rocks blocking the gate, pushing with all of his might. It doesn't budge, the rock as large as a microwave and Quinn not as strong while pregnant.
"Quinn," I say, sticking my hand through the grate and grabbing his hand. "It's alright."
"No! No, it's not alright!" he yells, tears starting to stream down his face. "I'm not leaving you."
Shaking my head, I give his hand a tight squeeze. "The others should be coming soon. Head back to the path, you know the way."
"Henley, I swear to fucking god," he seethes, hand holding tightly onto mine.
He doesn't get to finish his threat before footsteps start to come closer to us. Looking over at the trees, I can't see anything in the darkness, but there are multiple sets of footsteps coming towards us, and Quinn is vulnerable.
"Quinn, you have to run," I say, words rushed as I look back over to his face.
He has that stubborn look on his face, the familiar one he gets when he will not back down on something. "No. If you're staying here, then I'm staying here."
I don't have time to argue, before the people who were approaching break through the tree line, their bodies dark blobs. They run closer, and I hold onto Quinn's hand tightly.
But when they get closer, a relieved sob makes its way out of my mouth. Link and Braeden are heaving, scratches and dirt all over their exposed skin. Alex doesn't look much better, but he is busy inspecting the beasts that are still laying on the ground.
"Oh, thank god," Quinn says, jumping into his mate's arms.
Braeden falls to his knees in front of the grate, his hands reaching through to run over me. "We're going to get you out of here."
"Damn right you will," Quinn says, finally pulling himself away from Link.
With the combined effort of Braeden and Link, they are able to move the stones away. Quinn doesn't waste any time in lifting the grate and winding his arms around me. His sobs make my heart hurt, and I know that he is angry with me. Link and Braeden watch us in bewilderment but don't say anything, letting us have this moment.
"Don't you ever do that again!" Quinn says, squeezing me even tighter.
"Alright," I whisper, my hands rubbing over his back. "I promise."
"We're in this together," he cries, "all of us."
Braeden steps forward then, not seeming to be able to restrain himself any longer, and I feel the same way. His arms are warm as they wrap around me, his chest pressed against my back. Link does the same with Quinn, and eventually, my best friend pulls away.
Alex comes over to us, a wary look on his face as he finally moves his eyes away from the bodies. "We need to leave, before more of the infected come. The humans and hybrids tend to form groups."
"That was an infected human?" I ask, looking over at the beast that had kidnapped us.
"Yep," Alex says, just as another roar comes from the woods. We all exchange wide-eyed looks. "Time to go."
We only stop to grab our packs before following the human through the woods, back towards the trail. The roars become quieter the further away we move, but I have no doubt that there are more of those beasts out there. We aren't safe, and won't be until we reach our destination. It's just going to be an uphill battle for the coming weeks.