My heart drops.
Lucky employees.
These girls are dragon hunters and there’s only one reason they could possibly have for coming into the forest. They’re trying to find Fablestone. It wouldn’t be the first time and it certainly won’t be the last time, but my team has been through hell and back again when it comes to these damn scientists and their accompanying predatory team. We don’t need more trouble.
Recently, a bunch of Fablestone dragons were able to overtake a Lucky facility. We rescued a bunch of shifters, only to find they introduced a strange illness to our community. Natalie, one of the humans who lives with us, traveled to find the one man who could help us: a doctor. Now we have a man who knows the cure for the dragon’s illness that Lucky sent us, but we still don’t know where their main headquarters is.
We still don’t know how they’re going to attack us next.
“Just let it go,” Bernie repeats. “We don’t need to worry about her.”
“Wrong,” Nicole says, pulling out a weapon. I leap forward, but it’s too late. She shoots before I can reach them and Bernie slumps to the ground. Nicole sends a nasty glare in my direction before taking off after Julie. “Fuck you, whoever you are,” she yells, and starts running through the woods.
I growl. The painful howl erupts from my throat before I can stop it. I have to get to Julie before Nicole does. I have to get to her before it’s too
late.
Chapter Three
Julie
WITHIN MINUTES OF REACHING my campsite, I’ve packed my things and am running deeper into the forest. So I found the stone tower. Cool. I did it. Good for me. Now I can cross that item off my bucket list and...what? Move on to something else? Yes, that’s it. I’ll move on to something else.
First I have to escape from the crazy lady who’s going to try to murder me.
I’m not dumb.
I knew they were plying me with drinks. It was weird and awkward, and now I think one of them is dead. I heard yelling, but I don’t have any intention of going back to see what they’re doing. Maybe it was a warning shot. Maybe it wasn’t.
All I know is that coming into the forest was a terrible choice that I’m starting to really regret.
“So much for a fun adventure,” I mumble, scurrying into the underbrush. I run, hoping I’m going somewhere far away from Bitchface. Who knows? I could be running right back into trouble, but I don’t have a weapon and I don’t have a plan. I’m not a lucky person. I don’t think I could take whoever is left in a fight. Something tells me it’s Nicole that’s left. She shot Bernie, I think. I’m almost certain of it.
How do I get myself into these situations?
I run, thinking I’m fleeing from one situation, only to get sucked into something else. My breakup with Andrew was nasty. Painful. Losing Samantha hurt more than losing him, though. There’s something terrible about having a friend ripped away, especially a best friend. I thought I could trust her. I thought we’d be buddies forever.
I was wrong.
My heart hurts now, and it’s not just from running or the fact that it’s out of shape. It’s that this week was supposed to be my chance to heal and move forward from everything I’ve been through this year, but it’s turning out to just be another nightmare.
“I know you’re out there,” I hear her voice calling for me, but I can’t tell which direction it’s coming from. It is Nicole. Definitely Nicole.
“Hey, I just want to talk to you!” She calls again.
I pause, not moving, trying to figure out where she is. My heart beats so loudly I’m sure she can hear me.
What does she want with me?
Why is she in the woods?
Fuck.
This is my last time taking a spontaneous vacation. Yep. Never going to try this bullshit again. Nope. Future me is going to be all about planning and following the appropriate order of society. I don’t need to be a free thinker or a free spirit or anything but boring.
Not after this.
I keep running.