Until something slams into my side and knocks me off balance, just as Bean kicks out with her hind legs.
I tumble forward, hands so slick with blood and rain that my hold on the saddle slips and I keep falling. Bean, sensing this, ends her buck and rears upward, attempting to catch me. But all that ends up doing is unseating me further and, as her head comes up, mine goes down and we slam into each other.
Pain ricochets across my skull as stars burst across my vision, blinding me. An awful ringing in my ears drowns out the moans and groans of the zombies, along with Bean’s snorts and cries. I fight to clear my vision from the blinding white, but it’s like I’m swimming against the current. Something hot and wet trickles down my face. Tears? Blood? I’m not sure.
The world tilts sickening to the left. I groan, barely able to keep the bile down as I blindly grapple for something to hold on to. But my arms are weak, and anything I grab slides through my slick fingers. The white light has gone from my vision, replaced with blackness that’s dragging me under.
In the distance, I hear shouting followed by the deep caws of a bird. Bean snorts, her body moving beneath mine. Somehow I’ve stayed on her back and she’s taking me somewhere, hopefully to safety. The sound of the zombies lessens, their rotting hands gone from my body, and for a moment, I wonder if I’m dead.
Until agony pierces through my consciousness. It’s like white-hot needles stabbing into my skull as fire races across my body. Every part of me is nothing but pain.
Definitely not dead. Unless I’m in hell.
“Whoa, Bean. Easy girl,” a deep voice says, and the movement beneath me stops.
The world tilts again, this time aided by gentle hands on my waist, hoisting me up to cradle against something. The loud thumping of a heartbeat echoes in my ears, but I’m not sure if it’s mine or someone else’s. Another set of hands brush against my face, smearing the wetness across my cheeks.
“Ollie? Baby? Can you hear me?” A familiar voice reaches through the darkness, yanking me to the surface. It sends another bolt of agony through my skull.
I groan and turn my head away from the voice, needing the pain to stop. Those hands on my face don’t let me, forcing my head to stay still.
“Ollie, open your eyes.”
Open my eyes? Can’t the voice see that I’m trying to avoid more pain? I want to shake my head, but the hands stop me. Probably for the best, since I’m sure I’ll throw up.
“Princess,” another voice snaps, his voice like the crack of a whip. “Open your damn eyes.”
That voice seizes control of my eyelids, and without conscious thought, they flutter open. Even though the sky is a dark, gloomy grey above me, it’s still almost blinding as agony pulses across my skull. I whimper, wanting to shut my eyes again, but my body isn’t obeying me right now. It’s still obeying the voice.
A blurred face blocks the sky. “There you are.” It takes a moment for me to realise it’s Theo gazing down at me, his eyes tight with concern and his lips pressed into a hard line. “Can you tell me where you hurt, baby?”
I think it’d be easier to tell him where Idon’thurt.
“Everywhere.” It takes more effort than I like to croak out that one word. Whatever happened to me, it’s fucked me up bad.
Theo nods, the concern on his face deepening. “Alright, baby. I’m going to need to check you over, make sure you’re not bit and then look at that head of yours, okay?”
I make a small noise of assent, not having the energy to speak.
“Good girl.” He moves away, and the dark sky fills my vision, no longer hurting my eyes. “Let’s move to the treeline where there’s more cover from this rain. Rhys, I’m going to need your help with this. Do what you need to do to herd the cats.”
“I’ll be back in five,” Rhys says.
Arms tighten around my body, and I’m reminded that someone has been cradling me against their chest. I turn my head to see Alex staring down at me, his bright blue eyes shining with unshed tears and his jaw clenched so tight I’m worried he’ll crack a tooth.
“Alex,” I mumble, wanting to comfort him, but I don’t have the energy to move.
His face softens. “Sweetheart, you scared me. I thought you were dead.” He sucks in a sharp breath, and his eyes grow haunted.
I hate it, but there’s nothing I can do about it now. I just pat his arm weakly.
“Bring her over here, Alex, and keep her awake,” Theo calls from somewhere behind me.
“Come on, let’s get you sorted.” Alex adjusts his grip on me before striding off.
The movement jars me, causing me to hiss as the pounding in my head gets stronger. Alex apologises, the guilt clear in his voice, but he doesn’t stop. Bare branches and towering trees quickly obscure the sky above me.
Theo’s face appears, his expression drawn as he frowns down at me. “Still awake, baby?” he asks, brushing his fingers against my cheek.
