I moved around it and headed for the houses. Maybe one was open and had boots or slippers? Hands grabbed me, and I screamed and began struggling. Edwin! I fought against his grip even as I shrieked a second time. Boots ran towards me, and Edwin was yanked away. It was the guy whose bike had hit the ground.
“Leave her the fuck alone,” he growled and slammed a fist into Edwin. Edwin reeled back, pulled a gun, and shot the biker at point-blank range. He looked shocked and then fell backward.
“Onyx!” somebody bellowed, and a bullet whizzed past me. Another biker ran towards us with his weapon drawn and aimed. I raced off as Edwin did the same, in a different direction from me, ignoring the pain in my feet. They were fixable; my death—not so much. I ran around the back of a house and tried the back door handle. Finding that locked, I moved on to the next and almost sobbed as it opened. I shut it quietly and headed through the home, looking for a bedroom or closet. Agony raced through me as I hobbled around and finally discovered a bedroom. Opening the wardrobes, I found shoes.
Spotting the adjoining bathroom, I headed there and began washing some of the crap from my soles. They were completely shredded. There was a cabinet, and I discovered some rolls of bandages inside.
I wrapped them around my feet, not too thickly, or I wouldn’t have got the snow boots on that I’d found. Once done, I looked for some pain relief and, grabbing a bottle, swallowed four. Anoise close by made me freeze, and I nearly sobbed when Edwin appeared.
“Bitch, I should shoot you now!”
“Go away! I don’t know what’s happening or who’s hunting us, but please leave me alone!” I cried.
“No. Your death is going to be beautiful,” Edwin crowed and began dragging me out.
As I struggled, I glanced at the floor. Well, that answered how he’d found me. I’d left bloody footprints leading him straight here. Edwin dragged me outside and around a corner. In front of us was a massive sinkhole, and my eyes widened. Edwin was trying to skirt past it, but I kept fighting and making things difficult. In frustration, he jammed the gun against my head. There was no doubt that he’d pull the trigger.
A shout distracted Edwin, and I elbowed him in the stomach hard. Edwin gasped and loosened his grip, and I started to run. A hand gripped me, and I shoved Edwin. In temper, he pushed back, and I stumbled. My foot stepped into thin air, and my hands scrabbled for support.
I caught Edwin’s out-flung arm as he aimed the gun, and I dragged him off balance. Together we tumbled down into the sinkhole. Panicked, I let go of Edwin and grabbed hold of a pipe sticking out as Edwin fell screaming below. He hit the ground hard as I tried to find something to stand on. I was too far from the top, having fallen halfway, and I couldn’t reach it. My feet scrabbled in thin air until they found a jut of earth.
“Amy! For fuck’s sake, don’t move!” a biker yelled, appearing. “Viking, we need some rope or something.”
Moments which turned into minutes ticked past as I stared at the man. Did I trust him? He held my gaze and spoke, but I wasn’t taking in what he was saying.
“Got this hose. That’s all there is,” a second biker stated. If this was Viking, he was aptly named with long blond hair containing thin plaits. Yup, definitely had the Viking vibe going on there.
“Amy, slide this over your head,” a third guy instructed, appearing, and I blinked. He was the one who’d been shot.
“I don’t know you,” I murmured.
“What did she say?” Viking demanded.
“Shut up. You’re frightening her,” the shot biker ordered.
“What? I’m scaring her? That bitch has balls of steel. Did you see what she did?” Viking replied.
“Let’s get Amy the hell out before she slides to the bottom? Ain’t telling Vortex his woman died on our watch,” Shot Biker said.
“Onyx, move out of the way, you’ve got a shoulder injury,” the brown-haired biker argued.
Shot Biker, aka Onyx, moved without argument.
“Amy, I’m Venom. I’m going to lower this fire hose. Honey, I’ve made a noose to fit over your body. Hook your arms over the top, Viking and I will pull you up.”
Dazed, I stared upwards and didn’t react. They’d mentioned Vortex. Were they friends or enemies?
“Shit, girl’s in shock,” Onyx muttered. The hose dropped beside me, and I gazed at it before looking down to where Edwin lay. Somehow, I felt safer right here. I sat down on the outcrop and pulled my knees tight to my chest. I’d wait here for Vortex.
Onyx
After a few minutes of calling Amy, we realised she wasn’t going to move. She couldn’t stay sat where she was, and we needed to get her up.
“Venom, you’re going to have to go down and fetch her,” I said.
“Why me?” Venom shot back.
“Wanna haul that fat ass up?” I demanded, pointing at Viking. The asshole grinned at Venom.
