Part 17 (2/2)

”Kayla.” Maci's hand slips into mine. ”We can't get out. The rock's in the way.”

Sylas' feet slip from under him and he flops to the ground, his eyes rolling into the back of his head.

”Stay with him,” I tell Maci. I weave through the smoke, searching for the exit. When I reach it, Aiden, Cedrix, and Greyson are there, pus.h.i.+ng with all their strength. Greyson carries a long silver-bladed sword with a razor-sharp tip. I briefly think of the damage I could have caused to Gabrielle, if I was the fighter I used to be. I squeeze between Cedrix and Aiden, who fears I'll never forgive him for this.

”It's not your fault,” I tell him. ”Now quit worrying about whether or not I'm mad at you and push.”

It relieves some of the pressure he's feeling, and that's exactly what we needa”it will make him stronger.

”On the count of three,” Greyson hollers. He turns his head to his shoulder and coughs. ”One, two, three!”

We shove, but the ma.s.sive rock doesn't dislodge, sc.r.a.pping our hands bare.

”He was really trying to keep us in here,” Greyson remarks, with a nervous laugh as he peeks back at the fire and smoke. ”I don't think this rock's going anywhere.”

I glance over my shoulder. The flames are scorching almost every inch of the cave. I rub my eyes from the sting of the smoke.

”Push again,” I order, refusing to give up.

They press their hands against the rock, with a heavy amount of hopelessness pumping through their bodies. We shove hard, faces growing red, joints popping, and Cedrix slips to the floor. He turns over and leans against the rock.

”Sometimes you have to accept the inevitable,” he says to no one in particular.

”Like h.e.l.l I will.” I crash my shoulder into the rock repeatedly. My skin bruises and welts. ”d.a.m.n it!”

Aiden touches my arm, trying to turn me to him. ”Kayla, stop. You're only hurting yourself.”

I shuck him off and ram my body into the rock. I slip in the dirt and give the rock a hard kick. I want to cry, but I won't. It's not my time to go yet. I still have to save the world.

A hand extends above me. ”Need help?” Sylas asks with hilarity, which is completely unfitting for the situation.

I take his hand and let him pull me up. He's weak, but refuses to let it get the best of him.

”On the count of three?” he asks with a c.o.c.k of his eyebrow.

I nod and rest my hands against the rock.

”One, two, three,” he says and gives it everything he has left in him.

My feet lose traction against the dirt as I push on the boulder with more strength than I own. Cedrix, Greyson, and Aiden join in. Even Maci throws her best effort into it. The whole cave is about to erupt in flames when the rock finally glides, jarring our bodies forward. It builds us with enough hope that it reboots our adrenaline and we thrust it the rest of the way. It crashes down the hill. Rocks shoot in the air and a cloud of dust and smoke flares behind. We barrel out, hacking, coughing, and falling to the rocky ground.

I sink to my knees, inhaling the fresh air. My skin is charred with ash and chains dangle from my wrists. But relaxation mellows my body. We made it. We all survived.

My eyes sting when I look up, but not because of the smoke. Because darkness has fell and vampires have taken over the night.

Chapter 18.

Maci screams. The noise shockwaves through the night and instigates mayhem amongst the vampires. Their eyes dart to the hill and their mouths salivate. With Sylas hurt and the rest of us spent, we are easy prey.

”Well, if they didn't know we were here before,” Sylas says, dropping to the side of me, ”they sure as h.e.l.l do now.”

Maci's fear blasts me brutally and I falter to the rocks, splitting my palm open. Cupping the blood in my hand, I glance at the cave engulfed in flames. My eyes rise to the top of the cliff, the only way to go.

”We have to climb up!” I shout. My feet blunder against the rocks as I take Maci's hand.

She coughs and clutches on as we head to the top. Sylas lags behind us, desperately trying to break the silver cuffs from his wrists. Cedrix struggles to brace his weight at the hill's sharp incline, which slopes even steeper at the top.

I pause, taking in the severity of the situation. Then I let go of Maci's hand. ”Keep going,” I tell her. ”Follow Sylas to the top.”

Sylas freezes, sucking on his burnt finger ”What are you going to do?”

”Just keep going,” I say and face the bottom.

Aiden and Greyson are just to my left. Greyson grasps the sword as he fights to walk up the rocks. Aiden starts for me, but I shake my head. He needs to stop trying to save me, whether it be from the decisions I make or from the vampires.

I point my finger to the top of the cliffs, my eyes pressing. ”Keep going.”

He slows down, shaking his head. ”Don't even think about it. You've got blood all over you.”

”I'll be fine,” I say. ”I'm immune. Remember?”

His eyes plead for me to stay, but when he realizes this isn't going to happen, he steals the sword from Greyson. Hesitating briefly, he tosses it to me. I extend my arm out and catch it. But I lose my balance, step on the chains, and trip. I tumble down the hill, hit mid-center and flip forward, summersaulting toward the bottom. Rocks stab at my knees. I stick my feet out, digging my boots into the dirt. I skid to a rough stop and let out a groan.

Blood oozes from my knees and hands, but when I look back at the hill, I feel satisfied in a strange way. Everyone is still climbing up and that's what I want.

An eerie feeling consumes me as I take in how many there are.

”This isn't going to end well, is it?” I say to myself, twirling the blade awkwardly in my hands.

The vampires half-circle me. They inhale my scent and it drives them mad. Their heads shake frenetically as they determine whether to run, or eat me. Then their eyes bleed and I have my answer. They stalk inward, some roaming to the back. I turn in a circle, towing the chains, and holding the blade out. An average height vampire, with thin lips and large beady eyes, leans forward to get a whiff of me. I bring the knife down on him, but his arm shoots up and blocks it effortlessly. It tips its scabbed chin back and howls at the smoky sky. The others follow, spitting blood and saliva all over my boots.

Then they charge. I switch the sword around, my movements lethargic and sloppy. I keep faltering over the chains. The blade nicks a chunk of skin off a vampire without a nose. I'm about to internally celebrate when one sinks its teeth into my neck. My hand shoots to the bite and I hunch over, grunting from the burn. It spits my blood back out like it's potent. But vampires are not bright creatures and it bores its fangs into my neck again and again. I'm taken down in a sea of fleshless beasts that reek of death. I grip my sword tightly, attempting to stab anything that moves as bite marks cover my skin. Their weight becomes too much and I feel my bones breaking.

Dizziness incapacitates me. So this is how I die? Smashed and bitten to death by vampires? It's not how I pictured it. Through a small gap, I see the sky and wish I could have seen the stars just once. Perhaps, in one of my memories I do.

Suddenly, the vampires are jerked off me, one by one, and a hand snakes its way inside the mob. I grab on, not caring who it is, and they heave me out.

The vampires immediately encase us, the blood in their eyes drizzling like a rainstorm.

”What the h.e.l.l are you doing!” I yell at Sylas, positioning the sword at the vamps.

We huddle back to back, moving in a circle.

<script>