Wrecked

The unexpected man

I would have left Jesse alone to sleep. Sleep peacefully with his mouth hung open, a soft breath filling the air before him.

I would have let go of his hand, which even in sleep was clung fiercely onto mine.

I would have even brushed the hair from his forehead as I would away,

I would have gone and done my lap around camp to make sure everyone was still breathing.

But I didn't get a chance to even move.

Not in the time it took for the makeshift alarm we'd created rang out.

The rocks and metal debris we'd tied to a rope at the height of anyone's ankles rattled into the silent hush that had fallen over the camp, disturbing everyones peace.

I didn't have time to jump up and run to where the noise was coming from, to run to where someone was trying to sneak in.

No, I didn't have time to even jump up before I heard the scream echo out.

But that was all I needed for my limbs to push up and away.

I could feel the panic of everyone calling out to me as I ran past them all on my way to the barrier of the forest. I had to ignore them all, every pair of pleading eyes begging for answers, every frantic question or plea.

I couldn't help them, because I was just as clueless.

The scream had been singular, another one had not yet followed. I didn't want to let myself believe that who ever it belonged too had been permanently silenced.

It didn't take me long to close the distance, to get close enough to see the outlined blur of three people, one more than there should have been.

I made it there before many others had even gotten up from where they slept, but I could feel a small group running up just behind me, as frightened as I was yet. Yet they had it displayed all over their features and the frantic nature in which they tripped and messily made their way.

When I was only ten meters away I could see Mason, Crossbow loaded and up pointed down at the figure beneath him. I couldn't make that person out but I could recognise the brunette curls of Freyja leant up against a few meters away.

My heart leaped in it's place before clenching into a tight ball.

I couldn't see if Freyja was breathing.

I didn't even have a moment to see Mason or the other body because when I made it I was on my knees at the girls side, my fingers reaching desperately for a pulse.

My fingers trembled, fighting to find it and my whole body released a deep breath when they found a strong pulse hidden under her jaw.

"What happened Mason?" My eyes never left the girl, my hands scanning, moving away her clothes to find any hint of a injury. I couldn't find one.

"He came running threw, he didn't even notice us but he ran straight into her and she just went flying. Hit her head and stopped moving. I-I couldn't help her, he was coming straight for me. I had to shoot him. Is she okay?" His voice was full of concern, full of guilt that he couldn't stop and check on her.

"She's fine, alive. For now." Rukma was at my side, speaking for me in the split second my brain took to understand what he'd just said. Someone had just attacked us, and it wasn't anyone that Mason knew.

It wasn't one of us.

It was the person they'd been looking for.

He'd found us.

My eyes snapped over to the figure. He was unconscious on the group at Mason's feet. With three arrows stuck into his legs and chest.

But he was still breathing.

Now he was ours.

I was finally going to get some answers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE END OF BOOK ONE OF THE WRECKED DUOLOGY

Book two coming soon

Love you all,

B