Page 40 of Explorer's Revenge
Blood drips down his forehead, so I lift him slowly and feel his head. His hair is a bloody, matted mess, but he releases a groan that lets me know he’s alive. Loathing the fact that I have to touch him since I know he hates it, I glide my hands down and check for injuries. He has a few cuts on his legs where he was obviously carried, but nothing major except for his head.
He is very lucky.
I know the moment he wakes up—his heart starts to pound under my hand and he jerks. Covering his mouth, I lean closer so he can see me.
“Quiet,” I hiss as he struggles against me.
“Maeve,” he murmurs, and I press my hand tighter against his mouth, cutting off his words.
“Shh.” I glance at the water, but nothing moves, so I relax a little, and he nods with a wince.
He reaches for his head and seems to remember, then he sits up, his eyes wide and panicked. Aiyaret tries to stand, so I hold him down with as much strength as I can muster, but he’s still panicking. His breathing picks up, and it’s too loud. It echoes around the chamber, and my terror increases at the idea of the creature hearing and coming back to finish off what it started.
“Breathe,” I command, holding his hand to my chest so he can copy my breaths, forgetting his aversion to touch, but if he keeps panicking, then we are both dead.
His wide eyes lock on me, and he nods, wincing as he slows his breathing. I let go of his hand, and his touch lingers for a moment before he snatches it back. I move a little farther away now that he’s more awake so he doesn’t get upset because I’m touching him.
“What happened?” I whisper.
“I came down looking for you. The others are going to follow, I think. I was in a cavern below the opening when something . . .” He frowns, his eyes far away. “Something hit me. That’s all I remember.”
“You have a wound on your head where you met the ground,” I murmur.
“Why are we whispering?” he asks.
“That thing that hit you? It’s down here with us,” I tell him. “I don’t know if it’s gone or waiting, but we can’t risk it. We are both injured, and we wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“What was it?” he asks. “I only saw a shape. How can something even live down here?”
“I don’t know, but I’m guessing this is where all the villagers went.” It’s a thought I keep having, but I don’t know for sure. “As for what it was . . .” I glance at the water again. “It looked like a crocodile, but it was bigger than any I have ever seen. It was massive.”
“Fuck.” He rubs his head with a wince, and I tear off a strip of my shirt and dress his wound, trying to staunch the bleeding. “Thanks.”
“It’s about as good as we are going to get down here. Hey, your bag! You still have it.” His eyes widen, and he swings it around from his back and digs inside. When he hands over a water bottle, I take a sip, even though I want to guzzle it down.We need to reserve it. He pulls out some bars, and we each take one. Neither of us really want to eat, but we force the food down, knowing we need the energy and sugar.
“I don’t have a first-aid kit,” he says as he rifles around in his bag.
“It’s okay. We just need to get away from here,” I murmur softly as I wipe my mouth. I keep stealing glances at the water, knowing before long, that thing will return, and we shouldn’t be here when it does.
“The others will look for us. We need to stop them,” he hisses as if remembering again, and I worry how badly his head is injured, but there is nothing I can do for him right now.
“I know.” I glance at my leg, and he follows my gaze.
“Shit, Carter.” He reaches for me before stopping himself. “Are you okay?”
“Just peachy. I never liked that leg anyway,” I tease before turning serious at his worried look. “I’ll live, but I’ll need medical help as soon as possible.”
“Why are we alive?” he whispers as he glances around.
“From what I remember, crocodiles like to keep their prey for weeks, usually dead. It must have thought I was. I think this is its nest and feeding area. It was interrupted with you by voices. We are lucky, but it won’t last long. We need to get out of here and to the others and back up for help.” Sliding back, I glance around once more. “It pulled you in here from there, so there has to be a way through. We’ll go that way.”
“Your leg,” he reminds me.
“I’ll be fine. I’m Maeve Carter, remember?” I joke, but it falls flat. We are both too scared to appreciate humor right now. “Hey, it will be fine,” I promise as I reach for his hand before remembering. “They will be okay.”
I help him up, ignoring the agony it sends through my injured body, then take a look at the water. I use the rock behindme to climb unsteadily to my feet, then I take one step forward, then another. Each time I put my foot down, fire flares up my injured leg, but at least I can walk, so that’s something. Aiyaret keeps a close eye on me, though, and I move closer, turning my flashlight on. We need the light or we could fall and injure ourselves more. “It came from that direction. That has to be a way out.”
Nodding, he lets me take the lead, his eyes on the water as we slowly make our way through the rocky room. I trip once, almost going down, and he catches me. As soon as I’m up, I move away, knowing his aversion to touch.
