Don't Get Eaten

Chapter Ten

"You guys, could you please get your asses over this fucking gate!" Mateo panics and with good reason.

I let Zared help me up and together we quickly get over the gate. But I was hurt now, and it proved more difficult this time around of climbing the damn thing. But adrenaline was coursing through my blood, which it pushed me past my limit to get the hell away from here.

As soon as I hit the ground on the other side, I couldn't help but look back to where the creature had been as both Rissa and Vi clutch me in hugs. It was now nowhere in sight, but there, not three feet from where I had been lying, was that thick worm looking thing. It was just lying there severed from its owner with an axe lying next to it.

A dark yellow liquid was pouring out of it, and it was slowly burning away, in this strange ash of red embers, into the air.

"You people choose the worst place to stop at."

I was still being clutched by people as we all turn to see who had spoken. A tall young woman stood there a couple of feet away. She held a long-bladed sword and was covered from head to toe in thick garbs. They were well worn and looked very unattractive. Her hair was a bit messy, and her skin looked like it had seen too much sun. She held a large, filled pack on her shoulder.

"W-Who are you? And what the fuck was that thing?!" Seth's voice trembles as he stalks up in front of the group, looking right at her and pointing in the direction that the creature had just been moments before.

"More new stock I see." She mumbles.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Leo asks with a growl.

"I found him all by himself," She nods her head at Zared, who had taken me from the girls' embrace and was holding me against his side tightly. "Luckily, I did find him. He would have been a goner if I wasn't there to save his ass."

She steps up to us and we flinch away from her, then we proceed to get out of her way as she walks up to the gate and looks through the bars. She sighs regrettably. "Damn it, it's going to be a risk getting that back." She mumbles to herself.

"I didn't mean to drop it, I was just..." Zared starts out, but then stops talking as he looks back down at me.

"You guys can follow me. It's getting dark and trust me, once that sun is down and we're out in the open like this, we're all sitting ducks." She starts moving away back to where she had come from.

"Wait, you're saying there's more of these things?" Leo asks as we all start to follow her.

"A lot more, all kinds of different species, and a lot stronger too." She answers.

Just the thought of that sent a shiver of fear down my spine. The thing we were just facing was pretty damn strong and she was saying there are worse ones than that? I feel a hand softly go through my hair. I look over to see Rissa looking at me with tears in her eyes and her body slightly shaking.

"Hey, I'm okay now." I whisper to her, but all she just does is shake her head at me and clutch my arm in a hug.

The wind blew a cold gust of air making my hair hit my face. Realization slams me in the pit of my gut, and I abruptly stop and turn back around. Lifting my hand to my head I cry out, "My hat!"

I don't hesitate to head back. I couldn't leave that hat! It had belonged to my dad and there was no way I was just going to leave it behind. Rushing back, I hear a few people calling after me, but they didn't understand the crisis here.