Kayla was pacing in the yellow lit tunnel. She had thought about continuing the other way, without Damian, but she didn't know how to escape this terrible place of death. In some sick way, she knew Damian was her only chance, yet at the same time, she was cynical about how much she could actually trust him. He hadn't come back yet. What if he was working with Kevin?
She suddenly heard him running toward her, and she braced herself, ready to demand answers from him. But the questions caught in her throat, when she saw the red haired child. The toddler clung onto him for dear life, burying his fiery head into the heir's shoulder.
"Is that a dragonian baby?" She gasped.
He didn't respond to her, he just continued to run in the opposite direction, and she followed him, quickly falling behind. Walking with poise in heels was easy, but running in them, on uneven muddy ground, was an entirely different story.
"Wait!" She urged, nearly spraining her ankle for the second time. He was ten feet ahead of her by now.
He paused for a moment. "Take your shoes off!" He commanded angrily.
"And be barefoot in this!? Are you crazy? There could be nails!"
He snarled. "I am not going to let this kid be in their hands again, all because of you!"
She was taken aback, and stumbled after him helplessly. "They don't even know we've escaped, what's the rush?"
As she said it, the echo of the alarmed hounds barking reached their ears. They both understood what they were shouting to each other.
Prey!
Prey!
Prey!
The child fearfully lifted his head, looking at the walls in an attempt to follow the sound. His hazel eyes were full of pure fright. He whimpered in terror, and hid his face in Damian again. Kayla's heart sank.
"You were saying?" He growled.
She didn't argue with him. She tore the silver stiletto heels off of her feet and abandoned them in the middle of the tunnel. They ran as fast as their legs could carry them, the dogs racing after them. They didn't even stop when the tunnel split into two, they just ran for the side that was closer, the left side. It brought them face to face with a rusty gate.
Damian passed the child into Kayla's arms, and with a half shifted snout, and two inch long claws he began tearing at the gate mercilessly. Kayla's nurturing instincts kicked in, and she began to hum a soothing song the young boy, swinging him around the dark tunnel in a gentle dance. The walls echoed the hunters shouts and the woofing hounds, it sounded like they were coming from all directions. She felt trapped all over again, only it was somehow made worse by the terrified child in her arms, holding her tightly, and begging for safety. If they took him, she would never be able to forgive herself.
The gate finally cracked open under the force of Damian's fangs. Kayla sprinted through it, he was right behind her throwing everything he could onto the tracks to slow them down. He knocked down wooden pillars with a slice, turned railcars onto their sides, arranged old shovels and picks in an inconvenient way as quickly as possible, until they reached a dead end. A rickety wooden ladder that lead to some unknown top was their only hope. Kayla secured the boy under one arm, and frantically began to climb. It wobbled dangerously, and left splinters in the soles of her feet. At the top was some kind of door, she balanced herself and punched at it as hard as she could.
Damian stayed at the bottom, he had found the jackpot. Dynamite. He could only hope it still worked the way it should. The hunters and dogs were rushing down the tunnel at alarming speed. The fuse looked like it would give him about a minute and a half. He hurriedly set it up, and used friction between two stones to create a spark. After three tries, a tiny spark, big enough to stir the fuse made it smoke. He flapped his hands, praying that it wouldn't die. The fuse burst to life, and the little sizzling flame began its journey to the gunpowder inside. He jumped onto the unstable ladder, beginning the steep climb up.
"Climb!" He yelled when he saw Kayla still on the ladder.
"I can't get the door open!" She cried in desperation.
The toddler clenched his little hands into fists, and began to cry. The dogs were already at the bottom of the ladder, foaming over yellow teeth, and snapping at Damian's feet. Their chaotic behavior made the ladder shake and crack even more. Soon it would crumble beneath them. With one final slam, the trap door loosened. She scrambled out, holding the child close to her breast, panting desperately. She was met with dirt and desert plants. Damian clawed out of the ladder shortly after, he grabbed her arm and dragged her to her feet. They high tailed it down the hill, Kayla being dragged with the child in her arms. They couldn't stop now, they had to keep running, at least until they found a faster way to travel.
A little over 30 seconds later, there was an explosion within the earth. The tunnel they'd been inside of moments ago caved in, burying whoever it could. It loosened water within the rocks, so other tunnels began to flood rapidly. All those still alive began to evacuate the mines rapidly. Kevin howled his frustration and it carried itself to Damian's ears, much to his disappointment (and sickening relief), Kevin had survived, along with an unknown amount of hunters, but their hunting dogs were gone. Tracking anyone now would be difficult.
They didn't stop running, there had to be a place they could go. The hot sand was burning Kayla's feet, she winced in suffering with each step. They were Lobains, so their endurance was much higher than anybody else, but the events of the last two days kept them exhausted. The sun weighed them down heavily, they panted desperately, following the tangy trail of gasoline. It lead them as they hoped it would, to a congregation of the hunters' cars and trucks. They rushed into the nearest one, Damian tore through the wires until he got it to start, then they screeched out of there.
The tires grabbed the sand and drove with chaotic clouds through the desert. They ran over plants, too tired, too hurt, and to panicked to care about the destructive trail they were leaving behind. Until finally, an abandoned road cut through the dirt, and the truck began to move more smoothly and with more speed. Kayla relaxed and talked to the boy with gentle voice.
"What's your name?" She asked softly, "Can you tell me your name?"
He sniffed and used a small hand to wipe his face. "Scott."
"How old are you, Scott?" She brushed his hair with her thin fingers out of his face.
"Tree." His hand displayed four confidently. She smiled and hugged him close, the poor child.
Scott, twisted his head to look at Damian. The Serius heir didn't take his eyes away from the road, the crimes he'd watched his brother commit replayed in front of him. No matter how much he tried to focus on the road ahead, he always saw Kevin standing over Scott's father, he smelled the burning flesh, and heard the drowning gurgles.
When all seemed quiet, Scott's fatigue won out, and he fell asleep against Kaylas chest. She watched him with a small smile, he was adorable.
"We're going to have to ditch this truck soon." Damian informed quietly.
"And do what?" She demanded. "Walk again, I don't even have shoes."
"We have to." He pointed at the GPS. "They'll track us through this. We're not too far from the next city. Once we get there we'll figure something else out."
"What city is it?"
"San Francisco." He said glancing at the GPS to double check. They were far from home, very far, but he was thankful that San Francisco was so large. It'd be easy for him and Kayla to confuse the trail, and start making their way back to Pensylvania. A twitch from Scott suddenly caught his eye. "We also need to find a safe place for the kid."
They both took a moment to look at the young dragonian, he was breathing steadily. His face was full of grit from the mine, but he seemed unharmed.
"Where are his parents?" Kayla suddenly asked.
Damian relived the terrors he had witnessed. His eyebrows edged together, his hold on the wheel tightened.
"He doesn't have them anymore."
YOU ARE READING
Shifters
Werewolf"Love me or hate me, both are in my favor..." Kayla was 9 days old when her father promised her to Damian, who was 18 months old when his father promised he'd be a suitable husband. The problem with this engagement: The natural right to find a mate...
