Page 16 of Rebel
Was it a good thing that we couldn’t see them? Long minutes passed, and the world began to dim.
“Shit, shit,” Xavier cursed.
“The lamps aren’t going to last,” Lore said.
He was right, the star lamps were dimming, but instead of my vision being compromised, it seemed to be sharpening. Strange.
We had minutes of light, and then the world would be plunged into complete darkness, and we’d be helpless.
“Faster,” Tide instructed.
But it didn’t matter how fast we went; we wouldn’t reach the station in time. We were still almost a half hour away. We needed a new plan, and we needed it fast.
“Stop.” I pulled Tide to a halt.
Tide tugged at my arm. “Now isn’t the time to stop.”
“We’re not going to make it, and when the lights go out, we’ll be blind. We could get separated. We need to pair up. Who has a compass?”
“Lore, Xavier, and I have compasses,” Tide said.
“Fine, so I’ll stick with you. Vex, stick with Xavier. Do not get separated.” I grabbed Tide’s hand. “Link hands if you need to.”
Tide tensed and then relaxed and curled his long fingers around mine. His grip was firm and secure.
“Use the lanterns as weapons if needed. If those things attack you, run. If you can’t run, you fight.”
There was nothing else for it.
And then the lights went out.
7
The world went black, and then the strangest thing happened. My vision bloomed red and gray. Shapes moved around us—huge, hulking figures. Fucking hell, I could see in the dark. My vision snapped, and then I was seeing gray outlines against black.
There were three hulking shapes several meters away, and they were stationed one behind us and two on either side of our group. No one moved. Not us. Not them.
Tide squeezed my hand.
My voice was a whisper. “There are three of them.”
“How can you know that?” Lore asked.
“You can see them, can’t you?” Vex asked. “Shit, how can you see in this?”
“Yes, and I have no idea. Probably another side-effect of the drug.”
“Why aren’t they attacking?” Xavier said softly.
As if prompted by the questions, the monsters lunged.
“Watch out.” I shoved Xavier away and tugged Tide toward me as one of the beasts ran straight between us.
“Run!”
Boots pounded earth as we ran through the darkness. The beasts followed, snapping at our heels.
They were fast, but we were slightly faster. However, their stamina was probably better, and if we didn’t act soon, we’d flag and go down. They were a pack, and we were a pack, and predators picked off the weak, the stragglers. There was only one thing for it.
