Part 7 (1/2)

Riley stopped, then. He turned around.

He squinted into the distance.

He couldn't see Kane. He could still hear the creatures groaning, though.

He thought about running back there. Thought about going and checking Kane was alive. He needed to know where that location was. He needed- He felt a smack across his face and he collapsed to the ground.

His head spun. His hearing went echoey. He wasn't sure what'd happened.

Not until he looked up and saw Kane standing over him.

He had the knife to Riley's face again. He didn't look best pleased.

”That's not the way to co-operate with me,” Kane said. ”That's a very, very unappreciative thing to-”

Riley booted Kane, right in his b.a.l.l.s.

He stood up and he kicked Kane down, right into the earth. Behind, he heard the creatures marching closer. He knew it wouldn't be long before they were onto their position.

He pressed his foot down onto Kane's chest. He pushed down, really hard.

”Mattius' camp,” he said.

Kane smiled, blood building between the cracks of his teeth.

Riley pressed down harder on his chest. ”Where is it?”

Kane laughed. He was practically in hysterics. ”Like I'd tell you.”

Riley booted Kane in the chin out of sheer frustration more than anything.

The creatures were just metres away.

”So go on,” Kane said. ”Leave me to the dead. Leave me to die. And watch my secret die with me. I dare you. Go on. I dare you.”

Riley wanted to. He wanted to watch Kane get torn apart. He'd take a kind of sinister pleasure out of it, and in a way he wished he'd killed Kane when he'd first had the chance.

”Go on!”

But now Kane knew something. Or maybe he didn't. Maybe he was just bluffing.

”Go-”

But still, Riley couldn't take the risk.

”Shut up,” Riley said.

He ran into the trees again. He left Kane behind, lying on his a.r.s.e. He'd left Kane's fate to Kane. If he got away, he'd still be here to help Riley find Mattius, and find Kesha-even if he intended to do great harm to Kesha, Riley would find a way of dealing with Kane before he got that opportunity.

Or maybe Kane really would die now. Maybe that secret he claimed he had would die with him.

Riley left it all to fate.

He looked over his shoulder. Again, it was too dark and too full of trees to see whether Kane had made it. He hadn't screamed, so he supposed that counted for something.

Then he looked back in front.

Someone was standing there.

Jordanna.

He collided with her and fell to the ground.

He blinked a few times and realised it wasn't Jordanna at all.

It was a woman. Mousey blonde hair. Green eyes. Skinny.

He'd seen her somewhere before.

Then it clicked...

”I know you,” the woman said.

And Riley knew her too.

He remembered her standing there, alongside Bob, as Mattius killed Chlo and Jordanna.

He remembered her looking on as Mattius' people took Kesha away.

”Riley,” she said. ”You're Riley.”

Riley tried to struggle free.

But the woman pulled out a pistol and pressed it to his head.

”I don't think so,” she said, a wry smile on her face. ”Oh, I don't think so at all. You're a prize find, my friend. And a prize find that Mattius is looking forward to having in his possession. He let you slip once. Won't happen again. Oh no.”

Riley tried to swing at the woman, but his hands were still cuffed. She blocked him and started to squeeze the trigger. Behind, the echoey groans of the creatures got closer.

”No, you're all ours now,” she said. ”You're all ours. And you're coming with me.”

Riley waited for her to stand.

But she didn't.

Her face dropped.