“Let me see your gun.”
The man held his rifle out to him, and Declan opened it to check the bullets. “Metal,” he said to Willow. “They’re looking to catch us, not kill us.”
She didn’t find that at all reassuring.
Declan handed the rifle back to the man. “Now, forget all about seeing us and go resume your post.”
The man rested his gun against his shoulder, walked out of the woods, and returned to his place on the lawn. The others hadn’t noticed his absence as they remained focused on the Savages who were almost to Gus’s house.
Declan held his hand out to Willow when the tendrils of her apprehension brushed against him. She slid her hand into his and squeezed it.
“That was easier than I expected,” she said. “We just have to get through the rest of the town.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” he said flippantly.
She smiled at him. “Not at all.”
“Let’s go.”
Chapter Forty
Instead of runningtoward the end of the street, they ran through the woods and away from Gus’s house. They covered almost a hundred feet of woods before arriving at the back side of the homes lining the next street.
Out on the road, flames sputtered in the torches a different group of Savages carried as they searched the street. A knot formed in his stomach while he watched them carry out their mission with ruthless precision. He’d underestimated the number of Savages in town.
He glanced at Willow as she stood beside him with her eyes narrowed on the scene. He had to get her out of this, but he had no idea how they would evade the creatures crawling all over this place. They couldn’t stay hidden in these woods; they weren’t big enough to keep them concealed.
“This way,” he whispered and tugged on her hand.
They remained parallel to the homes as they sprinted through the woods before coming across another street. Except this road ran through the center of town, and they were standing on the back side of the buildings lining the street.
Declan stopped to study the main street. There were no homes here, but there were apartments over some buildings, and people and Savages guarded the sidewalks. They were at least a mile from Gus’s house now. They could turn back and follow the woods as far as they would take them in the opposite direction, but they would only run across another road and more Savages.
Besides, the Savages might be moving into the woods now. They could turn back, but Savages might already block the way as they closed in on them. There were people out there, but this street had a lot less innocent bystanders on it than any of the roads with homes on them. Trying to find a way across the street and into the woods beyond was their best bet for survival.
“We’ll follow the back of the buildings. Maybe we can find a break in the guards, or one of them will get distracted,” he said.
“Maybe,” Willow murmured.
When they first drove through here, she’d marveled at the quaint town and the welcoming people who called out greetings to Gus. Now, the sinister air enveloping it was so thick it made it difficult to breathe. She felt like she’d stepped out of an air-conditioned store and straight into a muggy afternoon in mid-August as she tried to inhale the thick air.
Declan released her hand as they followed the woodline while they ran behind the buildings. They progressed until the trees thinned and the main road intersected with a side street.
Grasping her arm, Declan pulled her to the ground as headlights from a truck turned in their direction. Dead leaves and a stick dug into her cheek when she flattened herself against the earth.
She wanted to melt into the ground and never be seen by these things, but that was impossible. Still, she didn’t move as her breath rattled the leaves, and she inhaled a chunk of dirt.
Please don’t let there be any worms.They were most likely deep beneath the earth where the creepy little wigglers belonged, but as her fingers dug into the dirt, she couldn’t help picturing them squirming toward her.
She closed her eyes as she tried to block out the image; now was not the time to let her irrational phobia take control. She had far more significant problems.
The headlights flashed over the trees before the truck turned onto the side street and vanished around a bend. Declan’s fingers entwined with hers, and she inhaled the musty scent of wet earth before turning her head to look at him.
He also lay flat on the ground with his head turned toward her. The moonlight filtering through the trees was the same silvery color as his eyes. They lay, staring at each other. She took in the chiseled planes of his face, the auburn stubble lining his cheeks, and the curve of his lips.
Longing speared through her. She yearned for the life they could have together and the future they would spend with each other. She could love this proud, broken, beautiful man. They could build a life of happiness and laughter on the foundation of a love so true that it would strengthen and better them as they grew older.
That life was so close she could almost touch it; she could practically hear the laughter of their children and see the sun spilling over him as she woke beside him every morning. She could taste the millions of kisses they would exchange and feel his arms enveloping her.
