Chapter XXI

MICHELLE QUICKLY ROTATED HER body, her arms still poised ready to release an arrow if necessary. Joey's heartbeat quickened as she pushed herself completely up into a sitting position with a grimace, and she listened intently as Brianna asked the question that had been on Joey's lips, "What is it, Michelle? What do you hear?"

Michelle narrowed her eyes as she slowly swept the tree-line. "Something small, yet ..." she paused, "... big at the same time."

"We need to get out of here." Lucinda turned to flee, and Jacob and Evangeline were right behind her.

"Hey, you can't just leave!" Alex marched towards her. "What about David?" She flung back around to face him.

"Do you know what's out there?" she spat in a harsh whisper. "Because I do, and let me tell you, you and your little companions here won't hold off the monsters for long." Her eyes drifted towards David who's convulsions had slowed to mere jolts. After scanning him, she said, "He'll survive a few more minutes."

"Where are we supposed to go?" Ella asked. Her eyes were bloodshot red and tears stained her cheeks as she gripped her brothers hand tightly in her own.

"My home isn't far from here," the Scottish woman replied in a softer tone. "We can take the boy there."

Joey's head snapped to the left as Michelle let the arrow from her bow fly. It didn't take long to hear a tiny shriek as a green speck plummeted to the ground and splashed into a puddle not far off.

Joey climbed to her feet, wobbling for a moment before steadying herself, and made her way over to what had fallen. Staring into the puddle, she found an upside down lizard with a black body covered in green spots along with a green underbelly.

"No offense, Michelle," Kathleen squinted and furrowed her brow, "but I think there are worse things to worry about than a lizard."

Evangeline shook her head as she crouched, and poked the green and black reptile. "This isn't just any lizard." She looked up at Kathleen. "It's a Roums."

"A what?" Kathleen asked, crouching low to get a better look.

"A Roums. If it makes even the smallest touch to your skin, it will chew its way through your flesh to feed."

"Feed on what?" Alex asked, his hand resting again the nonstick pad on his shoulder.

"The human brain," Jacob replied blankly, drawing everyone's attention. "That's how it stays alive."

"I think some of us are safe." Joey looked up at Michelle who was staring at Chase as he made his hand invisible then visible again.

Joey felt nausea boiling in her stomach and she resisted the urge to vomit. "Have you seen a Roums before?" She turned her gaze up to Lucinda who directed her words at Michelle.

Michelle shook her head. "Only from people who've passed by."

"Then you should know that Roums' only hunt in packs," Lucinda continued. "This one might have been a scout. Trust me when I say, they can be as smart as your wolves." Her lips pressed into a thin line. "We must hurry! Someone grab the boy." Ella released David's hand, and Rufus and Brutus bent over to pick him up when Lucinda cried back, "Someone a little taller who can keep up!"

Nathan heeded her call, zipping over to David, and misting everyone in water from the ground. With the twins help, he lifted David into his arms, and held him tight to keep him from jerking out of his grasp.

Ella's eyes popped open as she reached with an outstretched arm, and shouted, "Watch out!"

Joey swung herself around as another Roums came flying towards her face. She gasped and her eyes widened as she froze, unable to summon her ability in time.

Someone grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her away with a force that knocked her to the ground to her side. Twisting her body around to be propped on her elbows, she watched as the creature landed in front of her on all fours hissing wildly.

Michelle yanked out an arrow getting ready to slaughter the beast, but before she could, Thomas plunged an ice shard into its back, staking it to the ground. His shard retracted and the purple blood painted his knuckle.

Joey's heart pounded as she thought about how close she had been to death yet again. Panting from the sudden rush of adrenaline, she turned her head upward to see Thomas standing with an extended hand towards her. "You okay?"

She sucked in a deep breath. "I am now. Thanks to you." She reached up, gripped his hand, and rode his strong pull to her feet.

"Saved you from Jacob and the Roums," he said with a smile. "I saved your life twice now. Surely that can buy your forgiveness."

She stared into his blue eyes, but gave a shrug. "I saved yours first. Now, we're even." She cleared her throat and quickly averted her gaze as she withdrew her hand.

"We need to keep moving," Michelle said hurriedly with a hand on Brianna's shoulder pushing her along. "Where there's two, there's bound to be more."

"Count on it," Lucinda confirmed.

Joey watched as Thomas waved Bellamy forward, telling him to stay close to him. Her gaze was then drawn to Nathan who conversed with Lucinda, and she pointed through the trees before he sped off through the jungle with David leaving the rest of them behind. She took a step forward to follow, but before she could go anywhere, the sounds of a thousand little chirps filled her ears. She lifted her head towards the trees, and the far distance between her and closest tree branch allowed her to see the minuscular green dots that closed in.

Michelle grunted. "I knew all that noise couldn't have been two. Get moving!" She grabbed another arrow.

Joey scanned the others, seeing their abilities come to life as they took off in a sprint. Kathleen's arms transformed into long, pointed spikes, Alex's skin began to crackle as he summoned his fire, the twins withdrew their broadswords—one having found the sword he lended to Michelle—, and anyone else who had an ability to fight with conjured it. She looked down at her hands as they began to glow orange from the energy rising, and in an instant her daggers formed.

"Hurry!" Jacob shouted, bringing up the rear.

Joey grabbed Ella by the hand keeping her from falling behind. "Stay with me. I'll protect you."

Joey jumped as a Roums landed beside her and Ella with a hiss, and before she could react, Ella stomped the tiny lizard with her heavy boot.

"Come on!" Ella pulled on Joey's hand, and the group made a run for it, following blindly after Lucinda as Roums dropped from the trees.

Joey twisted her head around to find Michelle at the back of the group with Jacob, and she shot arrows into whichever creature flew through the air trying to attack from above. Joey swung back around and flung her daggers at the monsters that advanced on her and Ella. A few balls of fire were flung through the air, and barbecued Roums plummeted to the ground.

"Michelle!"

Joey swiftly turned around at the mention of the leaders name to find hundreds of the tiny creatures racing up both the twins legs, who had fallen behind.

Michelle skidded to a stop, waves of water splashing up to her waist as she ran to aid the boys. She scraped the creatures with the side of her boot and yanked the boys along, but the monsters were quick for their size and hard to escape. Seeing their struggle, Kathleen, Brianna, and Chase came to assist.

In the midst of the scuffle, Brutus suddenly let out a blood curdling scream and dropped to the ground.

"No!" Rufus shouted, fighting off the Roums that kept him separated from his brother.

Michelle fought her way towards the other boy as she helped Rufus free of the monsters, and knelt beside Brutus who clasped a hand around his lower leg. Lifting the broadsword that Brutus had dropped, she commanded, "Hold him down."

Brianna forcefully pushed him down and kept his arms pinned to the ground while Chase pushed his knees into Brutus's thighs to keep him still. "Stay still, Brutus," he said calmly. "We're not losing anyone else."

Joey, who watched from afar, grimaced as Michelle lifted the boys right pant leg to find a broken piece of flesh at his ankle and a raised bump on his skin scurry up his leg. Quickly slicing the material, Michelle shoved his pant leg up further, and gripped the lump on his now lower thigh. Without warning, she dug the blade into his skin, and Brutus let out a gut-wrenching scream. Joey, freeing the daggers from her hands, gasped and covered Ella's eyes.

"Brutus!" Rufus shouted once again, continuing to fight off the small creatures along with Kathleen and Jacob.

The screaming changed to a low grumble as Michelle pulled out the Roums from his thigh. It squirmed in her grasp, and Michelle clenched her jaw, skewering the monster with the tip of an arrow in its neck. She yanked out the arrow, tossing the beast into a puddle, and yanked Brutus to his feet.

"We can dress that when we're safe," Michelle said, gesturing towards his wound.

Rufus quickly made his way over to him, and he placed his brothers right arm around his shoulder as Chase wrapped Brutus's left arm over his. Together, they dragged him in-between them as Brianna, Kathleen, Jacob, and Michelle protected them from behind. Brutus could barely hold open his eyes, let alone keep his feet underneath him.

"Hurry!" Ella shouted.

Joey quickened her pace as her eyes landed on Nathan standing in the doorway of a small shack made entirely from wood and held together by thick vines; moss traced a few of the boards from the ground up. With David not in sight, it motivated her sprint.

Yelping, she suddenly tripped as her foot sank into a puddle that was deeper then it looked. She fell and rolled into a somersault, her boot slipping a few inches off her heel, before springing back to her feet.

"Not a good time to be tripping!" Thomas laughed from behind.

"How could you joke at a time like this?" she shouted back.

"It's his way of dealing with fear!" She stole a quick glance behind as Thomas whacked Bellamy on the arm.

Reaching the hut, Joey darted inside and twisted frantically in a circle searching for David. When her eyes met the now still boy on the ground, she raced to his side and the others quickly piled in.

Michelle backed into the hut, still firing arrows, as Rufus and Chase dragged Brutus across the threshold. Once inside, she grabbed the rough-edged wooden board used for the door and slammed it shut. She rested her back against the plank, and it shook as Roums pelted the door.

"That's not going to keep them out," Kathleen stated, looking down at the giant gaps between the ground and wall.

"Please, you think I'd build a home here if I had no way of protecting it?" Lucinda crossed her arms.

Brutus released a muffled cry as Rufus and Chase set him on the dirt that made up the flooring. His eyelids grew heavy as he stared up at the ceiling, and his breathing slowed.

"He's losing too much blood!" Rufus's voice quivered and his hands shook as he pressed against his brothers wound. "We need to patch him up."

"We have some supplies," Evangeline responded, stepping to the side of the hut where a shelf thrown together by a few logs stood, and Chase followed to get the items he needed.

Staring down at David's limp form, Joey scanned him up and down. Panic squeezed her chest, and she shook his shoulder. "David?"

"Is he ...?" She looked up and eyed Ella who sat across from her, tears streamed down the little girls cheeks. Unable to answer, Joey twisted her head around and found Michelle.

"Not yet," Michelle shook her head, giving Joey a sliver of hope. "But soon." She squinted. "His pulse is weak. I can barely hear it."

Joey's throat tightened. Shocked, she watched Michelle spin around and yank an arrow from her quiver. Joey gulped as Evangeline, who was in the middle of wrapping a bandage around the gash in Lucinda's arm, paused. Michelle jerked forward, grabbed Lucinda's bicep, and flung her down at David's side. She instantly nocked her arrow against her bow, and aimed it inches above the back of Lucinda's skull. "You can bandage yourself after you cure him." Lucinda chuckled, and Joey flinched as Michelle grabbed a fist full of her red hair, yanking her back. "I'm sorry. Is something funny?"

A creepy grin spread from ear to ear across Lucinda's face. "I let you take refuge in my home to save yourself from the Roums, and this is the thanks I get?"

"We had a deal!" Ella shouted, springing to her feet.

Lucinda's eyes narrowed. "Well, sorry, little one, but sometimes deals change."

With a shout, Michelle roughly flung Lucinda aside, and she landed on her side with her palms slapping the dirt. Directing an arrow in-between Lucinda's eyes, Michelle spat, "Then you'll die alongside him."

"I never said I wouldn't heal him!" Lucinda argued, calmly. "I just made a few changes to our deal."

"What do you want?" Michelle said, hurriedly.

Lucinda's gaze drifted from the leader to Joey, and Joey felt her heart flutter. "Five minutes alone with her."