Page 25 of Marc
“Colb—”
“Shush.” She wadded the fabric against my wound and pushed.
I grunted at the pain. It throbbed through my gut, and I felt it along every nerve ending.
“We need to stop the bleeding,” she said.
I needed nano-meds, and we both knew it.
Suddenly, a loud roar echoed through the trees.
Colbie’s head jerked up.
Loud crashing noises rumbled from not far away.
Close. Too close.
She let out a sound. “For once, can the monsters just fuck off?”
She was being cute again, and despite the pain, I wanted to laugh.
“Shit.” She looked around. “We can’t stay here.”
I pressed my fingers to her pointy, stubborn chin and tipped it up. “You need to move. I can’t move fast enough.” I heaved in air. “I’ll keep it distracted as long as I can so you can put some distance between you and it.”
Her green eyes widened. “Hell, no. I’mnotleaving you.”
“Colbie, there’s no point in both of us dying.”
She gripped my arms. “No oneis dying.” She made a frustrated sound and shot to her feet. “Maybe we can climb a tree.”
Another bone-rattling roar.
“It can smell my blood.”
She spun. “Marc…”
“Go. I need to know you’re safe.” Suddenly, that was the most important thing to me right now.
“No.” She angrily kicked the bushes beside me, then turned and punched her tiny hand into the tree trunk. She kicked the bushes again.
Thunk.
We both froze at the metallic sound.
Dropping to her knees, Colbie pushed the bushes aside.
A round, rusted manhole cover was set into the ground.
I pushed back my pain. “I think it’s an auxiliary entrance.”
“To what?”
“Blue Mountain Base.”
There was another roar. The creature was even closer.
“Well, it’s better than staying here.” She wrenched on the handle.
