Page 44 of The Devil's Hunt

I pushed off from the tree, sprinting deeper into the woods. I could hear him following me, but I kept running. He was so close, I could hear him panting as he ran. I pushed farther into the trees, and just as I was about to hide, a strong hand latched onto my wrist and yanked me backward as I slammed into his hard body. I kicked and screamed and used every ounce of strength I had to get him off of me.The glint of a knife caught my attention, and I knew he was going to kill me.

He was strong, but I was not ready to die.

I slammed my head back, and pain shot through my skull amidst a loud cracking noise. He let go of me, cursing loudly, as he dropped the knife to the ground. He cried out as blood poured out of his mask holes, covering his hands. I leaned down to grab the knife and took off running.

This time, he didn’t follow.

I kept running, adrenaline pumping through my veins, until I heard a bloodcurdling scream. I slowed down and tried to silence my steps as I carefully headed toward the scream.

What I saw made my blood run cold.

About 20 feet away, I saw two girls on the ground.

The one with the chipmunk mask was on her back, and the one with the fox mask was straddling her. In her hands was a knife covered in blood. I watched as she buried the knife repeatedly into the chipmunk's chest, a loud squelch breaking the eerie silence around us. Chipmunk girl stopped fighting, and her hands fell limp to her sides. The moon made her dark blood shine in the night. I watched as the fox stood up, wiping the blade across her dress as she looked around her to see if anyone saw her kill Chipmunk.

I ducked behind the rock before her eyes found me and pressed my hands across my mouth to stifle my breathing. I could hear her laughing to herself, so I crawled under the fallen tree to stay out of the open area in case she decided to make her way to me.

I was unsure how much time had passed, but the moon had moved higher in the sky, casting eerie shadows across the forest floor. The other girls were nowhere in sight, and I was beginning to worry.Did the others find the apples? Did they make it out alive?

I listened for what seemed like an eternity before I crawled out from under the tree. I paused and knelt next to the girl in the chipmunk mask, her tiny body covered in blood. I gently lifted her mask off her head to put a face to her and saw that she was a brunette I recognized from my literature class. I didn’t remember her name, butshe sat in the front of the classroom, closest to the door. Her once blue eyes were now a pale gray, and her skin was cold and hard. Rigor mortis had begun to set it. I gently closed her eyelids with my fingers, and said a little prayer for peace.

There was nothing more I could do for her.

I cursed myself for not remembering her name but vowed tolivefor her. She didn't deserve to die at the hands of another captive, and I wouldn't become the fox's next victim.

17

SEVENTEEN

ARCHER

Hours dragged by, and I glided through the trees like a vengeful spirit. Kai and Theo weren't far from me, but we had separated to stalk our prey more efficiently. The forest was alive with panicked screams, a symphony of fear that sang to my soul. As leaders of The Brotherhood, Kai, Theo, and I commanded our robed minions to spread terror among The Chosen, herding them toward our ultimate destination.

The Sanctuary.

The ancient grove was shrouded in darkness, the moss-covered trees concealing three coveted apples and enveloping any sound in its eerie silence. There, we would gather the remaining captives—the two girls we each had chosen from St. Mary's.

But only one of each pair would survive.

The others would disappear without a trace into the forbidden forest corner owned by The Brotherhood, guarded and protected. A place where secrets went to die, where death lurked around every corner and whispered its promises on the wind.

As I watched my brothers revel in our twisted game, I couldn't help but feel a thrill at the thought of what horrors awaited ourChosen. That cursed forest was our home, our domain, and here we were gods.

Mila consumed every thought in my mind, her survival becoming my sole purpose. I knew I couldn't interfere with The Hunt, but it didn't mean I wouldn't follow closely and do what I had to. No one else was worthy enough to stand by my side, but I worried that maybe I was wrong. Perhaps the darkness I thought I saw inside her was a figment of my imagination. A hallucination built off desire and hope that she would be the one to save me.

Mydark angel.

I followed her trail, stumbling upon one of my men with a broken nose from trying to restrain her. She had escaped.

A small smirk crossed my lips—that's my girl.

I could smell her in the wind, so I followed her tracks. I was smiling as I saw her footprints evading through the trees. I could smell her on the leaves and the rocks and could tell where she had spent the most time.

When I came across the dead girl, the chipmunk, and one of Theo's girls, I clenched my fists. This could have been my rabbit. I thought it was for a moment.

Blood covered her once beautiful face, now distorted in death. Her dark hair was splayed across the ground, and someone had taken the time to close her eyes, a small gesture that made my heart ache even more. She had died violently—her eyes wide open until my rabbit showed her mercy.

But every time I thought I was getting closer to Mila, she slipped right through my fingers. We weren't far from The Sanctuary, but they would have to navigate across a river before reaching safety. A river whose current would pull you under if you weren't careful. If you survived the current, avoiding freezing to death from the frigid waters was the next hurdle.

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