Hunted

Fifty-Five: A Shot from the Shadows

Charlotte emerged on the western side of the forest just as the first tendrils of light began to creep back into the world. The sky was now a pale blue colour, the deep mauve of night clinging only to the western horizon. It was towards that horizon she now needed to head, but she doubted greatly that she would be able to manoeuvre through the minefields without detection. If she couldn't reach the cliffs by land, she knew her only other option would be to head back through the school and follow the tunnel she had once travelled with James. It was a longer path, not free of dangers, but walking across the minefield now seemed too reckless, even for her.

She ground her teeth, her leg throbbing as if not willing to allow her focus on the task at hand. She didn't want to run into James by backtracking on herself, fearing he would insist on accompanying her or ensuring she stayed away from Elmhirst and away from danger. She didn't trust him to leave her finish this alone.

Charlotte navigated the boundary of the forest, each step carefully placed, unsure of what or who she was about to meet. The twisted wall of trees James had created to keep the others away from Matt still held strong, each branch and trunk interwoven with expert care, leaving not even the smallest space for somebody to get through. The fighting itself seemed to have moved away from the edge of the forest, back towards the academy. The explosions too seemed to have stilled and the smoke had been largely dispersed by the slight morning breeze.

Bodies lay strewn here and there, some injured, some unconscious. Others, she feared, had suffered a worse fate. To her relief she did not notice anybody who resembled James, Iseult or Ian amongst those left behind. Charlotte walked among them, picking up an abandoned dart-gun from among the debris, which still contained half its round of pellets.

The walk back towards the school, though on high alert, was thankfully less eventful than the journey to the forest. She could hear yelling and shouting in the distance but, it seemed to have moved around to the front of the school. She wondered briefly where the others were. She wondered if they were safe or if it would not be better is she was there beside them, helping them, but she knew her task if completed would help them too. The fighting would end if Elmhirst was finished. Or at least she hoped it would.

She clung to the thought that Matt had brought help and that there would be more help arriving soon. She didn't know what that would mean for them, how the world would accept them, what it would mean to be reunited with her family, if her family would want her when they knew what Elmhirst had made her into...

She frowned and shook her head. She was getting ahead of herself. She needed to focus on Elmhirst and Elmhirst alone. She needed to finish him.

Charlotte hesitated as she passed into the walled gardens at the back of the school, trying to focus her thoughts on Elmhirst and Elmhirst alone. She gripped the gun tighter, tensing her muscles for a moment and then forcing herself to relax as she scanned the area between the outer garden walls and the Eastern Entrance. Her alteration moved quickly and silently, prowling for any hidden, living dangers that may be trying to conceal themselves amongst the dying roses and once-manicured flower-beds.

Nothing seemed to catch her attention at first, but then two well-known fears stood out to her, just beyond the gardens outside the Food Hall. Iseult and Ian were just beyond her sight, but they weren't alone.

A sickening, gut-wrenching feeling caught in her stomach as she recognised Bennett was creeping closer to them.

Charlotte began sprinting towards the Food Hall, her alteration searching desperately for Bennett's fear, digging quickly, but not quick enough. She rounded the corner into the yard, her scream of warning echoing through the morning air, catching their attention. But as Iseult and Ian turned towards her, catching sight of her panic, it was already too late.