Page 4 of Revenge of the Blood Pack

I take a step forward and someone yanks me back. Turning around, I see my brother shaking his head. He points to go back the way we came.

I shake my head in response. We can't be trapped in the middle of town. We'll die. We're so close to the woods that it's better to press on here than to go back. I know that. Simon doesn't look happy, but he grabs his girlfriend's hand, and his expression grows determined.

Taking a deep breath, I turn back around and watch as the wolf rushes off to the next street. The road is empty, except for the dancing shadows from the burning houses and the dead bodies. So, I gesture for them to follow me, then start running, trying to reach the next alley as fast as I can.

To run away from the danger behind us, but also the realization that a lot of the people I care about will die today.Havedied today.

It's a tragedy that would normally send me collapsing to my knees, but some terrible part of me knows that this is just the beginning. My mom has told me a lot of stories. Terrible stories about war and the way our people were treated in the real world. And from what I've learned, I know that the loss from today will haunt me for the rest of my life. Because, unfortunately, I know every pack member's name. And none of their deaths will be forgotten.

Lost but never forgotten.I touch my face as I run, finding my cheeks wet with tears. Something inside of me is breaking, but my body is still moving. Moving fast even though I'm shaking. Or maybe I'm in shock. I don't know. I don't know anything except that I've never been this scared in my life.

Our people can fight back. Theywillfight back. But if mom has already seen our destruction, I don't know if it'll matter. Maybe the warning bell sounding is enough to change the tide, but I can't bet on that. All I can do is get my brother to safety.

Ahead of me, I see the edge of the woods and feel a wave of relief. I turn back to my brother to make sure he's seen it too, and the relief I felt a moment before dashes away.

He's gone.

I'm running to safety alone.But, no, he was there, behind me, just a minute ago. I'd seen him. Known he was there. And what the hell reason could he possibly have for splitting off? Simon is smart, smarter than me. He knows better.

I retrace my steps, searching frantically for Simon... and then I see him. He's holding a heart in his hands; blood runs down his hand and arm. His eyes are wide with shock, but his chest is rising and falling as if he was running. At his feet is the body of one of the attackers, a dead wolf. I want to scream at him toignore the chaos and come with me when I see the reason he's stopped to fight.

His girlfriend is lying on the ground, her throat split open. Blood coats her, and her eyes seem to stare at the sky, but really, she's staring at nothing at all.

"Simon!" I shout, my voice shaking.

He looks up slowly, like he doesn't remember who I am or where he is.

I open my mouth to tell him we have to go. That he's in shock. But that if we stay, we’ll die.

Before I can, the building beside me explodes, throwing me to the ground and blurring my vision. Fear rips through me but I pull myself up, blind and terrified, feeling the heat from flames somewhere in front of me, still desperate to reach my brother. To keep him safe. Simon has never been a fighter. He's never done well in bad situations.

He needs me.

My vision slowly returns, and I stumble back as I realize that the house between us has collapsed into the street, covered in fire, a smoking pile of burning rubble. I try to inch around it to get to my brother, but I can't.

Looking over the flames, I see his pale blue eyes staring back at me. The heart is still in his hand, but now his arm hangs at his side. And I hate the lost look in his eyes. Then, I recognize a change in his scent. It reeks of pain. Raw, angry pain. The kind of pain that could blind anyone to the dangerous situation we're currently in. "Go to the End! I'll meet you there!"

He shakes his head.

"Simon!" I'm begging, my voice cracking. "Simon, run!"

Images flash through my mind. More dead bodies. More blood. My mom, my sister, and Simon bleeding and dead, their gazes staring at nothing. Their bodies empty shells. And I don't know if it's happening, or if I'm only imagining it.

But I start screaming. And screaming.

Everything around me is on fire. Red eyes appear in every shadow and growls rise up like a roaring sound that wants to consume me. In every direction, death waits. In every direction, the life I knew is over. Everyone and everything I've ever loved will fade away, leaving nothing but blood and ash in its place.

I realize I'm still screaming. I try to stop. I feel tears flowing down my face, but terrifying images just keep flashing in my mind until I'm on my knees, my own screams ringing through my ears.

Suddenly, I'm in a different place, looking at a different person. There's no fire. No blood. No death. Just a room with light washing over it, from somewhere. I don’t know where.

I'm confused, looking around in a panic. My throat feels parched, achy, and someone is holding me. In a strange room. In a strange place.

Only, as the old memories fade away, as the effect of my nightmare fades, I remember coming to this room. I remember where my duffel bag sits, where I took my shower, and who I'm with. My body's still shaking, and my throat's still sore, but reality is starting to wash away the terror of my nightmare.

Of the night I lost everything.

I shift a little and look up into the face of the person holding me. It's Max Blackwell, and he's rocking me from side to side, trying to calm me like I'm a child. My eyes meet his, and for a second, I feel different. I just stare into those pale brown eyes of his, which seem intelligent and kind all at once. I want to touch him, to see if this man and this moment is really real, because it doesn't feel like it.

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