Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 124341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 497(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 497(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
She brought his abraded knuckles to her lips and kissed them, murmuring his name. “I love you,” she said. “I love you, Sam.”
“Autumn,” he said, his voice filled with gravel. He brought his hand to the back of her neck and laid his forehead against hers. “I love you too. I’ve loved you all my life. I’m sorry—”
Before he could finish that sentence, the sound of sliding gravel met their ears, the brush shaking at the very top of the incline directly above where they hid. Oh God. They’d found them. Sam yanked her to her feet as she let out a tiny gasp. He craned his neck, looking up, and she followed his gaze, seeing that foliage shook in each direction. They’d spread out and were moving downward simultaneously.
They jumped to the rock-covered ground, now fully exposed, Sam’s head whipping in both directions. “Fuck,” he swore under his breath. The slope where the monsters descended was behind them, the choppy river in front. There was one outlet that appeared to have access to another bluff, but it was far away, across the slippery rocks.
“You have to run,” Sam said.
“Run? Without you? No!”
“Yes. Go while you still can. I’ll hold them off as long as possible. Run. Get help.”
“Sam, no, I—”
“Run!” he hissed, baring his teeth and startling her.
On a small, choked sob, she backed up, their eyes holding. A goodbye. His were fierce, but within the fierceness, she saw the love. And the grief. She reached out, and he reached back, their fingers brushing, just as the first man broke through the brush and began heading toward them. Oh God. Oh no. Sam, Sam, Sam.
Autumn turned and began making her way as fast as she dared across the slippery rocks toward the exit beyond while, behind her, Sam faced down an army of monsters.
Chapter Forty-Four
The beasts appeared through the mist, approaching from all sides. Sam turned slowly, watching them draw closer. Five, there are five. And only one of him. His feet were wet. The tide had risen in the last few minutes, and it washed over the rocks and onto the shore. Hurry, Autumn. Move quickly. Thank God she’d gone when she had. The rocks were only getting more slippery and harder to cross. He had to hope that even when they made it past him, the conditions would slow them down. He’d hold them off as long as he could, though he had no illusions that he could overcome so many. Eventually one or more would get past him, and they would go after her. Please let her head start be enough. He knew what their order was. They weren’t failures, not like him. They’d carry it out unflinchingly, spurred not only by their training but by pack mentality. They were always most dangerous together, a need to outdo each other in their brutality.
He heard their growls, smelled the bloodlust swirling in the vapor rising from the ground. He crouched, his muscles primed. Autumn. Autumn. He would not make this easy for them. He’d make them work to take his life. He would not go quietly. Too much had been stolen from him already. And though they might take his life, here today, they would not take away his fight. That belonged to him and only him. Until the final moment.
They moved closer. He knew them, these monsters. They’d been children together, had trained and studied side by side. In another life, they might have been called brothers. But not in this one.
The man on the right was Corbyn, and he was the first to withdraw his weapon. A knife, long and curved.
Sam had expected to take a bullet and wondered why they hadn’t yet gone for a shot. Now it was clear. They planned to cut him. His heart gave a thump. He’d been cut so many times before, he didn’t relish it. But for Autumn, to give her the extra minutes she needed to escape with her life, he’d let them slice him limb from limb. Take your time, devils. Give her all she needs to get away.
Corbyn took three steps forward, and the others did too, withdrawing various knives. Sam pivoted toward one, then another, anticipating which of them he’d take on first. Corbyn’s jaw clenched, and he let out a yell, rushing forward, and Sam leaned his shoulder in the man’s direction, adrenaline pumping, preparing for impact.
But suddenly, Corbyn came up short, his twisted face registering surprise as he looked at his wrist. One by one, the rest of them did the same, checking the device, responding to the small vibration only detectable to the wearer. An emergency had just been called. Stop. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing. Halt. Sam was familiar. He’d received messages similarly as well, though generally not in the middle of a mission. They all stopped, looking around at each other, appearing surprised, then angry, then resigned. One by one, they turned and walked back toward the rocks, ascending the cliff through the brush in the direction of their vehicles.