Page 17 of Austin's Answer
He placed the syringe and vial back in the container and picked up his rifle, turning back to me with a smirk. “I’ll leave you to think about what’s coming. As a vet, I’m sure you know what to expect. When I get back, I might put you out of your misery, if you ask nicely.”
He crossed over to the door, slamming it behind him. Tears pricked at my eyes, and a sob rose in my throat. I had maybe a few hours before the symptoms started. A few hours to escape, find my vet kit, and administer the antitoxin.
I let out a ragged breath and closed my eyes, trying to calm my thudding heart. I took a minute to steady myself, to push aside the terror that threatened to flood me. But it wasn’t easy. Bits of my life kept flashing through my brain. There was a lot of Austin.
My heart clenched with regret. Regret for the years we missed out on. Regret for holding back after he explained what happened. And regret for the years to come that we might not get a chance to have. I let it wash over me before shoving it aside. I wouldn’t give up that easily.
Then I got to work.
The rope scraped against my skin as I twisted and flexed my wrists. It took a few minutes and some rope burn, but soon I freed one of my hands, which I used to loosen the rest of the ropes. I stumbled toward the door and turned the knob, but it wouldn’t open. I twisted it again, leaning my weight against the door, but something outside was preventing it from moving.
I checked the closest window, which was boarded up, leaving only a sliver of light visible. Peering through it, I tried to see the outside of the door. A padlock held it shut.
I slapped my hand against the wall and leaned my forehead against the board over the window. I wasn’t getting through that door, but I also didn’t have time to fall apart. The clock was ticking as the toxin made its way through my bloodstream.
I surveyed the room I was in. It was mostly bare, other than the table and chairs. All the windows were securely boarded up. If I found something to pry the boards off a window, I could use a chair to break the glass.
I quickly realized there was nothing helpful in the main area, so I entered the second room, which held a bed and dresser. The window in here was also boarded up. I opened the drawers frantically, searching for something, anything, to help. One drawer held some old newspapers, another had a half-filled bottle of whiskey and matches, and the last drawer had a first aid kit.
My hands trembled as I pulled the kit out and opened it. I sorted through the contents quickly. Most of it was useless, but I found an auto-injector of epinephrine. It was expired, but the viewing window still showed a clear, colorless solution. It was risky, but it might slow the spread of the toxin, so I prepped the injector and blew out a breath before jabbing it into my thigh and massaging the area.
I may have bought myself some time, but I still needed a way out of the cabin and the antitoxin. With nothing to pry the boards, that wasn’t an option.
“Think, Emily. Think.” I paced the small bedroom, searching my brain for options. There had to be a way. I refused to let my story end here, before I told Austin the truth about how I felt. I just needed to get creative. I stilled as a thought rose. I almost dismissed it immediately as too risky, but it hung on, nudging me over and over. Poking at me until I accepted it was my only chance.
I wouldn’t let Ray dictate what happened here today.
NINE
Austin
A door slammed, and my head lifted, peering over the hill. Vince’s foreman, Ray, was walking out of the cabin with a rifle. He stopped to fiddle with the door, then ambled to the ATV.
Good. If he left, I could check the cabin.
He pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and leaned against the ATV. I hunkered down to wait for an opportunity to get closer. But whenever my tiger checked on him, he was in the same position. I couldn’t wait forever.
The next time I crawled to the top of the hill, Ray dropped his cigarette to the ground and put it out with his boot. He swung his leg over the ATV, pausing as his gaze swung our way. I ducked down, but my bright-orange fur wasn’t great for hiding in this terrain, and I heard him curse from here. My tiger sprang forward, his powerful legs vaulting us over the hilltop.
A gun fired, the bullet grazing my front leg. I scrambled back over the hill, catching sight of Ray tucked behind the ATV with a rifle. I licked my wound, but it wasn’t deep. Certainly not enough to stop me. If I got shot again, though, it could all be over. Adrenaline might allow me to still reach him if he missed myhead or heart, but at this range, even a bullet to a non-vital area might be lethal.
But if Emily was in that cabin, I needed to get to her.
It was time to let my tiger hunt.
I crouched low, moving around the hill instead of over and listening for any sounds. The scrabble of Ray’s feet against the dirt. The harshness of his breathing. When I reached the edge of the hill, I prepared to cross the open area that led to another hill. I should be right alongside the ATV now, and much closer than before.
Keeping near the ground, I poked my head out and saw Ray crouched behind the ATV, rifle up as he used the scope to look for me. I waited for him to pan to his left, then sprinted for the next hill. I circled until I was behind the cabin and darted over the hill’s peak, not stopping until I reached the rear of the building.
Ray shouted, cursing at something. The sound was moving away, toward the front of the cabin. I took the opportunity to move up to the front corner of the building. Smoke wafted on the breeze, accompanied by the crackle of a fire.
I jumped forward, took the corner at a run, and in a few leaps was on Ray, knocking him over. I roared, swiping my paw at his arm which reached for the rifle he had dropped. He screamed as claw marks in his skin welled with blood.
Heat radiated into my side. A quick glance showed the front door engulfed in flames, which were spreading to the rest of the cabin. I clenched my teeth around Ray’s arm and dragged him away from the cabin and the gun. I shifted back to my human form and hissed as the wound in my side reopened.
Ray stumbled to his feet, clutching his arm to his side. He kicked out, the movement more of a stagger, and stumbled forward. I punched him, fist connecting with his jaw, and hearda crack. He fell backward, and I turned to the cabin to look for Emily.
Ray launched himself at me, digging his fingers into the gash in my side. I hissed, fur flashing over my arms as my tiger fought to shift and deal with the threat. Instead, I threw an elbow backwards, catching him on the side of the head. I spun around, following the hit up with another punch to the face, putting all my shifter strength behind it. He went down.
