Beasts and Savages (The Beastly Series Book 1) (25 page)

I set the satchel on the bed, careful not to let its contents spill. The little brown box had enough tampons to get me through one month.

“Thanks Nana,” I whispered. I pulled one out and looked up. “Privacy please.”

Locke started to the door. “Hurry up. I need you to take care of another one when you’re done.”

“What other one?” In the commotion I had forgotten that Locke had woken me up for some sort of emergency.

“Another girl in another house. Bleeding like you.” Locke shrugged. “Except a lot more and she won’t wake up.”

I froze, too in terror to move. Another girl?  My heart raced as I thought of Beth and Rally.  I had asked to see the other girls several times. I was told that they belonged to other elders, and they wouldn’t allow me to visit. Locke promised me he was working on a place for all the girls, me included, but I suspected he never told anyone I was here.

“What’s her name? How long has she been bleeding?”

“I don’t know. Just hurry up. It’s a long walk.”  Locke held open the door long for Tanner to duck through. Once he closed it, I heard the familiar sound of the key clicking in the lock.

In a frenzy, I wrung my hands, trying to decide what to do first. I slipped out of my shirt and tossed it onto the sheet before kneeling down to the water in the bowl.

Once I was dressed I dumped my satchel on the bed. The knife was still in its leather sheath, completely unharmed. I slid it under the mattress. I put my compass and the rest of the jerky back into my satchel and hung it at the end of the bed. If Locke wanted to inspect it, he wouldn’t find much. The file went in the pocket of my trousers.  If there were other girls, surely one of them would need it. My leather band that had been wrapped around my hair was the only thing left on the bed. I picked it up and decided to try wrapping my hair in a ponytail.

“Lea?” It was Tanner. “Locke sent me up to see if you are ready.”

“Almost.” I stood on my toes in the doorway of the closet, trying to use the mirror to navigate my pony tail. Every time I would get to the end of the band, it would slip and I would have to start over.

“Here, let me help you.” He stood behind me, and I felt a tug before he let go. “Done.”

It was messy, but it was better than I had managed. “Thanks.”

Tanner handed me a jacket as he opened the door. Before I stepped out, he put his hand on my shoulder. He whispered, “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Leave this room? Absolutely.” I pulled the jacket on and followed him down the stairs.  The house was narrow and simple. The walls were empty and looked even more so with no lights or switches of any kind.  The living room had a few wooden chairs and some blankets and pillows strewn about.  I guessed that at least six boys slept there. Tanner led me to a back door in the kitchen.

Before I left the house, I looked around. The counters seemed almost modern, though there was no sink.  There was an old wood burning stove that still had a fire going inside.  I didn’t see any type of refrigerator.  It was amazing that they were able to feed their family at all.

The morning sun blinded me momentarily when we stepped outside.  It had been my first time outside since the night of the hunt.  I looked up into the light sky and took in a breath of the crisp autumn air.  The sun felt warm despite the late October temperature.  For a second, I forgot where I was or why I was there. 

I lifted my face to the sky and soaked in the energy of the day. When my eyes adjusted, I saw a path that led from the house into the woods before turning east.  I wanted to ask if this was the same wood I was captured in, but thought better of it. There was no need to cause any problems today.

“Don’t try anything stupid,” Locke warned.

I shrugged. “I have two bodyguards.  What trouble could I possibly get into?”  

Tanner snorted and Locke and I both turned to him with the same glare.

“Wow.” Tanner looked from Locke to me and back to Locke. “You cannot deny that she’s your daughter.”

The path in the woods was well covered with leaves.  A few remaining ones still clung to their trees, leaving patches of darkness along the colorful display of foliage on the ground.  The methodic crunch under our feet lulled us into an easy pace.  I let my eyes wander as we went on.  There were no houses or buildings along the path, nor were there other people.  Trees stretched on for miles.  Birds chirped as small rodents scurried and chattered along the branches.  This was not my outside; this was wilder than anything I could imagine.

Our journey through the forest was a quiet one.  None of us spoke, but we were content to keep to our own minds as we went.  Every few minutes, I would think of the girl we were going to, and my pulse would race. To calm myself down, I thought of home and the parks where I spent endless summer hours playing.  They were well maintained and had swings, slides, and countless other sturdy constructions for us to play in.  There was a strip of trees with paths for nature hikes, but it was so thin I could stand on one side and see the playground on the other in the middle of summer.

I had been watching a red bird flutter from tree to tree when I noticed the huge boulder ahead.  It reminded me of the boulder I had seen the night I was captured.  As we got closer, I stopped to take a break.  I had been winded for some time and needed a place to rest.

“You’re still weak.” Locke inspected me.

“I’ve not had proper exercise in three weeks,” I gasped.

“You can have a few minutes to rest, and then we continue.” Locke wandered away through the trees.

“Tanner? Is this the boulder that I saw that night?”  

Tanner set down next to me and bounced a stick on the rocks. “No.  This is just a marker.  That rock is a couple miles out there.”  He waved his hand toward deeper in the woods.

“You carried me two miles?” The stick took a wayward bounce and jabbed me in the ankle. I yanked the stick from him and tossed it across the path.

“Hey!” He shot me a look. “More like three.  We’re almost a mile from the house.”

***

We reached what I guessed was the edge of the village around mid-morning.  The smell of campfires hung in the air.  Up ahead was a clearing and I could see houses much like the one I had been staying in.  Boys of all ages were going to and fro, calling out to each other.  A group of small boys were playing tag in a ring of trees.  Older boys were working in gardens, on houses, and other projects.

We stopped behind another boulder at the edge of the trees.

Locke crouched down and gave us our instructions. “Tanner, we’re going to Anderson’s.  That’s where the sick girl is.  I need you to lead the way.”

He turned to me. “Lea, I need you to follow closely to Tanner.  I’ll be right behind you.” I nodded and he continued. “These boys have never seen a girl, and most have been brought up to hate you. They’re dangerous and may have weapons.”  

Cold sweat drenched my body and I struggled to breath. My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. I leaned against the boulder and gasped for air. I wasn’t going to make it; these boys were going to kill me before I had the chance to help her.

Locke put his hand on my shoulder. “Take a deep breath. If you stay close and keep your eyes on Tanner, you’ll be fine.  We will protect you.”

Tanner’s gaze fell cool and he strode forward in a businesslike manner. I followed right behind, and kept my eyes on his boots. Though I couldn’t see him, I could feel Locke’s presence behind me. The activity in the clearing had stopped. No one moved and not a word was spoken. I waited for yelling or for someone to attack. Nothing happened.  After a few moments, I took a risk and glanced around.  All of the boys stood completely still. Every set of eyes stared directly at me.

As I followed Tanner up a dirt path next to a house, one of the boys muttered, “She looks just like Locke.”

Tanner swung open the door to the house and reached back to pull me inside. Once I stepped through the threshold, Locke pushed me further in the room and slammed the door behind him. We all let out a breath. I looked around the room. The kitchen was similar to Locke’s. It didn’t seem that anyone was there.

“Tanner, take her downstairs to the girl. Do your best to get her what supplies she needs. Flynn was here yesterday and she fought him, so he left, but he might be around if you need him. I’m going up to meet with Anderson.” Locke ducked through a doorway and was gone.

I looked at Tanner. “The girl is still in the basement?”

He didn’t answer, just nodded and looked away. Red crept up him neck to his ears. He walked over to a door and pulled it open. A stench of urine, vomit, and body odor wafted out. I gaged and took a step back.

“You can’t seriously mean she’s alive down there?” I asked.

“Anderson is … not like us. It took Locke a lot of convincing for him to let us in his house, let alone you. If you want to help her, you have to go downstairs.” He jerked his head toward the doorway.

I cringed, but descended the stairs.  Tanner followed close behind.

The room was dimly lit with the same small windows as the basement in Tanner’s house. There were six girls sitting along the wall. All of them had some sort of metal cuff around an ankle, and a chain tied them to a cinder brick in the wall. They were still wearing their hunting furs. A seventh lay on the floor. She had been dragged to the center of the room and covered with a blanket.

At that moment, my heart broke. These girls didn’t have a father here to look after them. Their mothers hadn’t rescued them yet. They’d been chained up like animals since our capture and no one seemed to care. I had to help them, every single one.

I rushed to the girl on the floor and checked her forehead. It was hot and clammy. I talked to her in a soothing voice and tried to open her eyes. She moaned and turned away. Her pulse was slow and shallow.

“She’s still bleeding.” Tanner interrupted my concentration. He motioned his head toward her midsection and I lifted the blanket. Blood oozed onto the floor.

I checked her. “I think she is having a miscarriage, but I’m not sure and I don’t know what I can do to help her. I need towels. Lots of them and some warm soapy water. Hurry!”

Tanner left me alone with the girls. I could feel eyes on me, and I wanted to stop and talk to each of them, look for Rally or Beth, someone I knew. I went back to the girl’s head and stroked her hair. She looked familiar. I studied her closely as I murmured to her. She may have been from the class that hunted with mine.

“Anyone know her name?” I called out. Sad, sallow faces looked back at me. Some girls didn’t even move or open their eyes. I recognized one of the twins. She was leaning against the wall, her knees pulled up to her chin. Dried blood flaked off the edge of her forehead. Her gray furs looked black under the moisture that clung to them. Though she was weak and shaky, her eyes were still vibrant.