Chapter 29

Jeff drapes his arm over my shoulders, strolling next to me as we walk along the shoreline. We might be exposed out here, but it lessens the chance of something or someone sneaking up on us. Right now, we need to find the rest of the group we left behind. If they had a run-in with the monsters that control this island, they might have answers that we can use to our benefit.

“Our old camp should be up ahead. If they’re not there, they still won’t be far. We can head to the creek if we have to. We might also have the advantage. Only Lisa, Ian, and Reggie might be alive. That’s six against three.” Evan clutches the machete, peering at us from over his shoulder.

“I doubt they’re where we left them. They had to have gone somewhere they thought was safer. Maybe there’s some more caves or trees separate from the forest that they could have built a shelter from.” Zev scratches his fingers across his head.

“It’s what I would do. Better to take higher ground or to the trees. It would be easier with so few of them.”

“Damn, why don’t you make us a fucking treehouse or something?” Dustin scoops up a smooth rock and tosses it into the waves.

“Figure out how to plant us a garden or some shit then, farm boy.” Breck grins with his words. “I need you all to fucking Gilligan’s Island this shit.”

“Nah, man. We’re like Lost.” Jeff tugs me with him until he surprises Evan and hooks him in a headlock. “We even have a doc.”

The others laugh, the sound of their playfulness helping to ease my nerves. It’s easier not to think about all the possible outcomes with them teasing and playing around with each other, acting as if they’ve been friends forever.

“What do you think, Sasha?” Breck asks.

I look at the five of them, stopping on Dustin. “We have a ginger,” I tease. “Just as hot, too.”

Dustin chuckles and rushes me, lifting me off my feet. “That’s what I’m talking about. You hear her, assholes? I’m the hot one.”

I laugh as Dustin spins me around, his eyes sparkling in the sunlight. We have at least an hour or two until sundown and plan to relocate our camp from where we previously were. It’s safer to keep moving. That was the first thing we agreed on. If we can’t find the others, there is no way we want them to find us and catch us off guard.

“Shit. There it is.” Evan’s voice lowers. “Is that a body?”

“Two. There’s one over there.” Jeff points toward the crashing waves. Whoever it is looks as if they were trying to run toward the water.

Dustin swears under his breath and sets me on my feet. “Get your weapons ready. Stay close.”

“Sasha, get in the middle.” Zev holds his hand out to me.

I honestly don’t have a problem with that. It might be wrong of me, but if they want to protect me between them, I’m here for it. I don’t need to test my ability or prove my strength. I just want to survive.

We shuffle through the sand as a group, keeping our eyes trained on our surroundings. I can’t take mine off the first body though. It looks normal. It’s not one of those things—the half transformed. It’s definitely human. Male.

Evan strides ahead and uses his spear to push the body over. Leaning over, he checks for a pulse even though there is no way someone could survive with... ugh. I think part of his insides hangs out.

Swinging his attention to us, Evan furrows his brows. “It’s a stranger. I think human. He’s naked like we were.” Evan bends down and lifts up the man’s hand. “Looks like he was restrained as well. There’s bruising on his wrists from trying to break free of something. Looks fresher than ours. They must’ve come to the island after us.”

Breck tenses next to me. “So, there are more people on this island. What the actual fuck is going on? They’re kidnapping humans and trying to turn us like them. Why?”

“Maybe for population growth? To hunt? It could be for a lot of reasons. Sasha’s stalker wouldn’t say anything, but I know he knows.” Zev looks at me. “I bet you could get the answers out of him. We keep intercepting his attempt at alone time with her, but maybe if we just watch and wait, he’ll let his guard down and you can find out more for us.”

I dart my gaze toward the water, where a body lies in the sand as a wave crashes over it. I know that we need the answers, but the thought of finding Kellan instead of just getting off this island freaks me out a bit. Especially knowing that my grandmother was the only one to have ever escaped.

“No way. I don’t want to put her in that position,” Jeff says. He grazes his fingers over my arm. “He already thinks she belongs to him or some bullshit.”

Zev frowns. “But—”

Something rustles from the trees and a net falls over Evan and the body he inspects. No one has a chance to react as a man jumps from the trees and tackles him. He hollers and tries to shove them off. A blade sparkles in the sunshine a second before the man stabs it into Evan.

I scream and run forward, my fear getting the best of me and stealing away my good senses. I beat the others to the man and swing my makeshift spear at him hard enough to get him off Evan. I jab it into his leg, piercing his skin. The man screams, his voice higher than I think even mine can go. He locks his fingers around the spear and snatches it away from me.

Evan manages to get his knife through the netting and cuts it open to free himself. “Sasha, behind you!”

I spin around in time to see another man charging me. Jeff tackles him, and I realize there are three other guys. Dustin struggles underneath another net, thrashing around. Breck faces another man, trying to get close enough to stab him.

My mind races. Why are they attacking us? Who are they? Did they kill Lisa and her group?

I spin on my feet, looking for the next threat. Hopping over a body, I go after the guy fighting Breck. A net falls over me, tangling around my limbs. The weights hit the ground beside me, stopping me from throwing it off. Another man jumps down from the tree in front of me. I don’t get a chance to even try to escape before he grabs the bottom of the net and scoops it up, snatching me off my feet. My body curls in on itself, and I scream and thrash, trying everything I can to get him to drop me to the sand.

“Don’t fight. I don’t want to hurt you, but you have to come with us. We need a woman.” His gruff voice strikes fear into me.

Why do they need a woman? Hank said the same thing after Zev killed Helena. Why does it have to be my luck that others want me like this?

“Let me go! I’ll fucking kill you!” I thrash harder, clawing at the man through the net. My nails bite into his skin as I scratch him, drawing blood.

He flips me over and slams me into the ground. The air escapes my lungs and I can’t even scream. I can’t breathe. The edges of my vision shadow.

“Keep it up, little girl. I hear they like them feisty.” The man grabs the net again and hoists me up. “Now, why don’t you take a nap?”

He swings me toward the ground again, hitting me hard enough to make my head spin.

I blink through the stars peppering my vision, but I don’t pass out. I can’t fight though. The man swings me back over his shoulder and carries me away.

I hold onto my consciousness the best I can. The world jostles around me and a massive headache pounds against my skull. I try my best to memorize the way the trees look as he trudges through the thick vegetation. The sounds of fighting continue behind us, but they grow quieter and quieter the deeper he carries me into the forest.

How am I going to survive this? Do I want to?

Fuck yeah, I do. I’m not only going to survive this, but I’m going to murder this guy the moment I get the chance. I’m not dying here. I’m not going to let my grandmother’s escape go to waste. These monsters don’t control me. I’m starting to realize that now. They can try all they want, but in the end, it’s up to me.

“Where did you find her, Matt? That’s not the one we’ve been watching.” Another voice cuts the air, and I try to stretch my neck to look around.

“It was luck. Fate. Another group found the abandoned shelters.” The man holding me, Matt, swings me in front of him and drops me on the ground again, hitting my back on tangled tree roots.

I can’t control my gasp of pain. I squeeze my eyes shut, thinking about how I’m going to take on two men. I’m not strong enough if they work together.

“Damn, she’s a looker. I hope that the Windshore pack was right. I’d like her to be our little bitch.” The other man stands over me, tilting his head and leering, lust and something dark in his eyes. “What do you think, honey? Do you want some big strong man to take care of you?”

I manage to free my leg from the net. Jerking up my foot, I kick him hard between the legs and feel his balls squish with the force.

He hollers and clutches his junk, wheezing with his anger.

I don’t get a chance to protect myself as Matt lifts a rock and bashes it into my head.

I fall limp, agony swelling through me.

These men are now out for my blood and body. I prepare for the worst.