She looks up at the darkening sky with her hand shielded over her eyes, and her face masks with concern. "I don't think we're going to make it back to town before darkness falls."
"How much further is it?" Greyson asks as he wipes some sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. His skin is sweaty and stained with dirt and he looks exhausted.
Nichelle points at the desert land before us. "It's over there."
I step next to her and track where she's pointing. There's a deep basin that stretches out a few miles and I can see a small speck on the other side. It looks different than the land I'm used to; more green.
"How long will it take to get there?" I ask Nichelle, measuring up the distance while knowing if it were just me I could be there in a flash.
"Normally," she looks around at our group, "well, I'd be there already. But we are moving at a much slower pace than I'm used to, so I'm not sure."
I nod, understanding what she means. "Is there somewhere nearby that we can stop for the night?" I ask when, really, what I want to do is take off and let everyone else stay behind for the night.
Nichelle scans the area below us for someplace to hide as I hear the screeching of the very first vampires awakening for the night. Everyone grows uneasy, restless, as they glance around at the shadows on the hills, the desert land, and the caves in the sides of the hills. So many places for vampires to be hiding and they could walk out at any moment.
Maci starts to shake with nerves and leans in close to me. "Kayla, I'm scared."
I pat her head. "Everything will be okay. I promise."
Nichelle twists one of the coils of her hair with her fingers as she deliberates then her eyes light. "I think I may know of a place. If we hurry, we can make it before it gets completely dark."
I nod and then we take off in a line down a small trail that weaves down into the basin, Nichelle taking the front and me taking the back. The trail is narrow and drops off sharply on one side towards jagged rocks and cliffs. I try to keep an eye on everyone as we hike down towards the bottom, having to catch Maci more than a few times.
It's getting darker, the sky a deep grey, making it difficult for them to see. The trail begins to slope further towards the ground and Maci has to brace into the rocky wall beside us to keep her balance.
"Be careful," Nichelle whispers from up ahead, motioning us to keep going. "We're are almost there. Everyone keep moving."
I see the edge of the ledge where Nichelle seems to be heading and relief washes over me because everyone is making me nervous. It's too stressful traveling with the group and I wish I were alone.
Suddenly, Maci stumbles, and when I reach out to grab her, she slips from my grasp, tumbling over the edge of the cliff. She shouts my name as she falls, and I cry back at her. My eyes widen as I rush to the edge and look down.
"Maci!" I shout towards the bottom, lying flat on my stomach as I peer down over the edge. I spot her a ways down, lying at the bottom on the rocks. She's not moving. I feel a flicker of panic, one I'm not used to as the others rush over to the side of me. It hurts, knowing she's down there, helpless and in pain.
I need to get to her. Now.
"What happened?" Nichelle asks, rushing up to me.
"Maci slipped and fell over the edge." I look down at the ground below, panicking more than I ever have before. What if she's not okay? What if she's gone? "I'm going to climb down." I push up and swing my legs around to climb down to the rocks below.
Greyson grabs my arm, stopping me. He's afraid. Scared of what may happen if we don't find somewhere to hide from the vampires soon. "Kayla, that was a long fall--" A vampire lets out a cry and he jumps, more afraid as he glances around with worry. "We need to get to a safe place, quick."
I shrug his hand off and lower my feet over the edge. "Then go. I can get Maci by myself."
Aiden steps up in front of me when I'm halfway over the side. "Wait."
"Why?" Dirt and rocks scratch at my palms, but I barely feel it.
"I'm going with you," he says, crouching down in front of me. "You might need some help."
"I need you to go with Nichelle and Greyson," I say, pushing my way back up over the ledge, holding my weight on my arms, my feet hanging below me. He starts to argue, but I cut him off. "First of all, I'm the only one in this group that is immune from the vampires. It makes no sense for the rest of you to risk yourselves." I lower my voice. "And I need you to help watch the others in case the vampires try to attack them."
He shakes his head, annoyed. Cries echo around us, multiplying as more and more vampires wake up.
"I'll hurry and get Maci then meet up with you guys." I look over at Nichelle. "Can you tell me where the hiding spot is?"
She squats down in front me. "Just stay on the trail and when you get to the bottom there's a large rock to the right. There's a trail hidden behind it that leads to the side of a hill that has several caves in it. I think one of them may be large enough for all of us to climb in until morning." She stands back up and dusts the dirt off her hands.
"Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can," I tell her, unsure how true that really is, especially because I'll be bringing Maci back with me.
She starts to walk away, but stops and reaches into the leather pouch, pulling out a knife. "You may need this." She hands it to me.
I balance my weight on one arm and take it from her, slipping it into my back pocket; ready to go, ready to get to Maci. Help her. She needs my help.
Aiden moves closer to me, still seeming pissed. "I don't like leaving you alone."
He's getting on my nerves and slowing me down from getting to Maci. "I'll be fine, now go."
He reluctantly stands up as the rest of them head off down the trail in a line. I lower my feet, pressing my boots to the side of the hill, then dig my fingers into it and rapidly scale down the side like a lizard.
When I finally plant my feet on the bottom, I rush over to Maci's side and kneel down, feeling sick to my stomach at the sight. She's lying face down in the dirt; her arm is kinked at a weird angle, a bone protruding through the skin. Blood drips down her arm, forming a small pool of blood around her and the rocks below her.
I lean down and listen to see if she's breathing. I hear her take a breath, but it's small and weak. Still, I let out a sigh, relief swelling within me because at least she'
s still breathing; she's alive.
"Maci, can you hear me?"
She lets out a groan, her eyes opening up. "Kayla?"
"It's going to be okay." It feels like I'm lying to myself, though.
She tries to push herself up, but gasps from the pain and drops back down to the ground, her face twisted in pain
"Kayla, is that you?" Her voice is quiet and shaky, her hair is covered in dirt and fragments of rocks and her shirt's stained with blood.
I need to help her. Somehow. Get her out of here and heal her.
As I'm figuring out what to do, I hear what sounds like approaching footsteps coming from behind me. I whirl around and scan the black land and rocks behind me, but I don't see anything. Still, I'm running out of time. Vampires will be here soon, especially when they catch the scent of blood.
"Maci, can you move at all?" I ask, gently trying to help her turn over.
"I think so, but I need some help. It hurts." She's on the verge of tears.
"Hold on, okay... I'm going to roll you over, but you need to try and be quiet. Don't scream." She nods and then I place my hands under her arms and vigilantly roll her to the side.
She bites down on her lip and winces, stopping herself from crying out as the pain gets to her. I can smell the blood and it worries me, especially because she has more wounds than I thought. There's a large gash across her forehead that looks fairly deep, blood is streaming down her cheek. I rip a piece of fabric from the bottom of my shirt and tie it around her head to try and slow the bleeding down. Then I unwrap my jacket from around my waist and gently wrap her broken arm with it. I take the sleeves of the jacket and loop them around her neck then tie them in the back, securing her arm against her chest.
Her eyes start to drift shut. That worries me as well.
"Maci, you need to keep your eyes open," I say. She blinks at me. "We need to find a way to get you out of here..." I look for the best way out. Vampires have emerged and are crossing the land. Everywhere. There's only one option and that's up. Dammit. "Maci, you're going to have to climb onto my back and hold onto me with one arm, so we can get out of here. We're going to have to hurry, okay?" I'm not even sure she can do it, but I have to try.