Then I close my eyes, just for a moment.
They burn with my need to sleep, but I resist, though the giant white noise machine at the entrance of the cave isn't helping my efforts to stay alert.
I lay back on the moss and wait for Drasuk to return.
I'm fighting a light doze when I hear a disturbance of something big exiting the water not far from where I lay. I snatch the gun up and swing it around, then let out a sigh of relief when I see it's Drasuk.
From the scent wafting toward me, he not only had a successful hunt, but took the time to cook it. I don't care what the thing is, it smells heavenly.
"I could kiss you," I tell him.
"What's a kiss? More violence?"
I let out a choked laugh. "Uh, yeah. Violence."
"An odd reaction, considering how much your stomach has been grumbling for food. Or I assume that's what that odd growling-screech was our entire walk."
"Yes, that's what it means."
He snorts. "Fitting, since that's how the rest of you communicates."
I flip him the bird, too tired to try to figure out an insult that actually translates. Instead, I focus on eating as much of the still-warm hunk of meat he hands me as I can fit in my stomach.
He happily gobbles up what I can't finish, and I equally gladly take him up on his offer to take the first watch. With no pressing need to stay awake, I'm asleep within moments.
***
I'm running. My lungs burn with every breath, my heart pounds in my chest, and blood pours down my temple, blurring my vision. My left arm is useless. A gaping wound pulsing with searing pain, aching and twitching against me. I'm clad in my combat gear, boots pounding the rough terrain, trying to escape from something that feels like it's always just a step behind me.
The world around me is a chaotic blend of shadows and dim light, shapes that twist and contort in my peripheral vision. The ground beneath me shifts and buckles, making every step treacherous. I stumble, nearly fall, but force myself to keep moving. I can't stop. If I stop, I'm dead.
A guttural roar echoes behind me, a sound that sends a shiver down my spine. I glance back, and for a split second, I see it—an amorphous, monstrous shape with glowing red eyes, teeth gnashing as it pursues me relentlessly before it morphs into gleaming metal and skin. It's eyes the black orbs of a cyborg.The sight of it fills me with terror, urging me to run faster, but my body is already on the verge of collapse.
My foot catches on a protruding root, and I go down hard, the impact knocking the wind out of me. I scramble to my feet, but it's too late. The thing is upon me, its rancid breath hot on my neck. I turn to face it, my one good hand fumbling for a weapon that's no longer there. Panic sets in, a cold, paralyzing fear that grips my entire being.
The creature lunges, its claws slashing through the air, and I brace myself for the inevitable.
40
Kira
I wake up with a choked scream, my heart racing, my body drenched in sweat. For a moment, I'm disoriented, the remnants of the nightmare clinging to me like a shroud. I take a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself, but my hands won't stop shaking.
"Fuck," I mutter under my breath, cursing myself for overreacting.
I can't afford to be this weak.
I force myself to lie back down, closing my eyes and trying to will myself back to sleep. This is my opportunity for rest. It might not be the best accommodations, but my belly is full of whatever mysterious meat Drasuk brought back.
This is as good as things get here.
I squeeze my eyes shut and tell my heart to slow. It's no use. The image of that monster, a twisted version of the past andpresent, is tattooed on the back of my eyelids. Mixed in is the remembered terror and the pain in my arm that was once a constant companion. It's all too vivid.
Sleep won't come.
The sound of footsteps splashing through the water reaches me, and I roll my eyes, remembering Drasuk's superior hearing. Of course, he heard me.
He reenters the cave, his massive form silhouetted against the faint light of the waterfall.
