Huntress: The Beginning by LT Reynolds (sci fi books to read txt) 📖

were trying to hide something, conceal it from human eyes. Unseen birds fluttered in the trees above them and bugs chirped below them.

“I’m not being a wuss,” Derek said suddenly beside her. Oh, we’re still on this are we? “Didn’t you hear about two girls who spotted, like, a wolf around these parts a couple days ago?” Savannah did hear about it but didn’t believe a word of it and glanced at Derek sceptically. He missed it, his eyes fixed to the space before them. “It’s not that I don’t want to go on an adventure with you or anything it’s just…” He paused and licked his lips with a slight shake of his head. “It’s just that I don’t get along with dogs.”

Savannah’s brows pinched and they came to a deep dip in the landscape. The ground was almost wet and they used a tree for support, walking on the roots and using the branches as support. Or atleast that was what she was doing. Derek, who had been doing the same behind her, must’ve snagged a root or a hit a branch or something because he fell into her, nearly knocking her over.

“Watch it, Derek!” She cried, keeping her self up with the branch in front of her. “I already broke one nose this week.”

“Oh yeah,” He said and she swung around, unprepared for what she witnessed. “I heard about that.” Through the fog, it all seemed a bit hazy but she was sure she saw him rub his shoulder against the tree bark. He didn’t notice her face as he turned around. “My sister keeps telling me about Janice’s nose and that I shouldn’t be trying so hard to be your friend.”

“Take her advice, Derek and what the hell did you just do to that tree?”

If she had to guess, Derek looked like a lobster just thrown in boiling water; he was just looking for a way out.

“I was just…uh… uh…” He rubbed the back of his neck again while his eyes darted around the area and finally rested over her shoulder. His hand went limp and dropped from his neck. Derek’s face had suddenly become so pale, that he could’ve blended right in with the gray fog at that point.

The smell that had gotten steadily worse and worse as they ventured closer had peaked at heinous. Savannah guessed what ever behind her wasn’t moving or else Derek would be running back the way they had come with his tail tucked between his legs. A large lump of saliva collected in her throat as she twist around, heat rising up in sync with vomit as her eyes settled on a bloodied, maggot filled…

Corpse.

Savannah stumbled around the tree, her shoulder smashing against the rough redwood bark. She covered her mouth, forcing herself to keep the stick, gross bile down. Well… today just got a whole lot more complicated. The dead man laid a few paces from Savannah’s position, a pool of red stick blood around it. With a pool like that, it was very clear that he didn’t die from exhaustion or eating the wrong berry.

“Is it… dead?” Derek asked, standing in the same place he had when he spotted the body. Savannah’s knees wobbled but she forced herself to stand and twist to look at him.

“Why don’t you get a long stick and poke it if you’re not satisfied by the blood outlining the body?” Savannah hissed and wiped the sweat from under her nose, thrusting her open hand towards it. “It’s obviously dead, Derek.”

Derek seemed almost embarrassed and frowned, fishing in his pockets for something. No human could be that shade of blue and be alive or have half their neck missing like this guy was. Savannah had to look away, afraid she was going to be sick and watched Derek tinker around with his black cellphone.

“I don’t get any service here…” Derek muttered, staring down at his phone.

“Well, maybe you should go back and find some.” Savannah tried to soften her voice. He was shaking like a leaf in strong wind with a pale tone to sick usually reserved for hermits and those literally afraid to go outside. She would’ve gone herself but she didn’t think she had any better chance of making it herself.

“Yeah…” He looked up at her and only her. His eyes didn’t dare look over her shoulder. “You stay here and make sure it doesn’t go anywhere.”

Fat chance of that, she thought as he stumbled away, moving his phone around and around. Savannah looked up at the thick canopy and wondered if he’d have to go all the way back to school before he picked up a signal. Hell, she was more worried about him fainting before he even got to the chain link.

Savannah stood a deep breath and slid down the tree and sat at it’s base. She pulled her legs tight to her chest and closed her eyes, bringing her arms around her head and cut off the light. The darkness helped slow her pulsing heart and she listened for pleasant sounds like the bugs she’d heard before and the birds that fluttered above…

But after a long, agonizing moment of strained listening…

Nothing. The bugs had stopped chirping and the birds had stopped flying around. Savannah had a hard time believing either were there at all. It was that quiet. It was like all animal life had boycotted the area and she was alone.

Then the darkness didn’t help any longer. Her stomach twisted and her thoughts swirled wickedly. If the bugs and the birds didn’t want to there, and they knew the area better than she did, then shouldn’t she follow their lead and leave?

KA-SNAP!

Savannah’s body jerked upright in surprise as a loud, crisp twig snapped to her right, around the tree. Her eyes snapped opened and she felt her heart begin to flutter again in her chest.

She assumed it was Derek.

“Jesus Christ, Derek! I thought you’d still be…” Savannah dropped onto her hands in the grainy dirty, crawling around the side of the tree towards the sound. She drew in her breath and swallowed her words.

Savannah had assumed wrong.

She stared at her reflection in the wolf’s faded blue eyes. It stood face to face with her. Savannah’s fingers trembled in the soil and she bit her lip, her heart plummeting in her chest. The wolf was mangy to say the very least about it with oily fur and mud that covered much of it’s legs and underbelly. Blood stained it’s mouth and paws. Savannah figured that this wolf had killed the man and had come for seconds.

Savannah took a deep breath to clear her mind and scanned the area behind the wolf. She wondered where the rest of the pack was hiding and when they were going to jump out at her. Could she get to a weapon before that happened?

Savannah wanted to yell but the words wouldn’t come. She was as mute as could be. Slowly, Savannah began to scuffle back inch by inch. The wolf followed her, scanning over her almost as thoroughly as she had it. It chased her slowly around the tree, making her infringe on the body’s pool of blood. Her runners, knees and hands were drenched in the blood when she saw it.

A quick half-a-handspan away, a rock the side of her fist sat in the red pool. Savannah knew she could reach it… A low growl escaped from the wolf’s throat, bringing her back into reality.

The brown bristles that followed the spine stood on end and the animal’s lips drew back, it’s white teeth stained with blood and tissues. The muscles in the beast’s body contracted and tensed, the tail sticking straight as the animal bowed down, its claws dug into the dirt.

A wave of poorly timed dizziness splashed over her. The wolf was getting ready to strike! She couldn’t faint right now!

Savannah pushed it away and swallowed the lump in her throat. The only sound she heard was the thumping of her own heart in her ears. Savannah slowly sidestepped and kept her eyes on the wolf. It halted its spring and opened its jaws, running it’s tongue over the edges of its pointed teeth, still snarling.

Savannah patted the wet ground…

The wolf’s eyes darted to her hand and narrow, looking back at her face… at her neck… It knows.

Savannah still patted the ground, afraid to take her eyes off the animal. She couldn’t find it! It was going to spring this time and she didn’t have time to scream and panic. Savannah didn’t have the rock and pulled herself back, kicking the animal back with as much force as she could muster.

It skidded, kicking up dust in its wake. It wasn’t finished. She knew it wasn’t done. Its bright blue eyes snapped open and it dug its nails into the ground, sprinting out of its defensive curl in the dirt.

Savannah struggled to her feet, her breath erratic and her wolf coming, looking for something to fight with. Her eyes strained to find something until she saw the perfect tool and ran to the old oak. A half snapped, small limb was her salvation. It started to tear, tiny dust particles fly, using all her strength to snap it off.

It was the impact from the wolf that finally made the branch give way.

Savannah hit the forest floor, hitting her head hard against the ground. Heat and pain tingled in her body, momentary paralysis resulting from the spots that crowded her vision. the limb flying from her hand.

The wolf had landed beside her and must’ve taken a blow to the head like her. It shook its head and Savannah closed her fist, finding that the limb had disappeared from it, landing a foot away. She could’ve grabbed it but the wolf was up and it came, grabbed it in its mouth and pitched it far into the trees.

Savannah cursed and rolled herself onto her stomach and tried to sprint but she made it only to the spot where the assault had begun. The wolf’s canines bit into the heel of her shoe and yanked her and the shoe back, throwing it too into the woods. It bit into her calf through her shoe, drawing blood and made her yelp, made her find her voice again. Savannah fell on her hand and propelled her self over onto her back kicking at it with her shoed foot.

It didn’t do anything but make it angrier.

It charged now for her more vital areas and climbed over her. It’s claws shredded her sweater, scratching her skin. Savannah yelled and covered her face with her arms, writhing and kept fighting frantically to get it off.

She even resorted to calling for Derek in desperation. Where was the honour of never asking for help if you died because of it? It balanced on her chest, scratching at her sweater, at the skin beneath while it snapped her arms, trying to break her defence and get at her neck. It did bite her forehead, rivers of blood sliding down her skin in long streams.

“Derek!” She screamed, her throat aching. Savannah managed to slide her knees under the beast and fling it back, then kicked its shoulder hard. It was stunned long enough for her to crawl back and find the illusive