Page 9 of Outcast’s Vow

Antoni collapses to the ground.

Oh.

There’s a groan. Antoni’s not dead, but he’ll definitely feel it when he wakes up.

And now Baptiste is the last man standing. He’s different from other men I’ve grown up with. He’s not sloppy, not careless, and not drunk on himself. He’s quiet, patient, and, as I’ve witnessed the hard way, terrifyingly competent.

There’s a tense pause between us. There’s no sound in the clearing other than the relentless droning of insects in the trees. And then Baptiste drops the gun.

He doesn’t say a word for a long time. I don’t say a thing.

What the hell happens next?

“Found you,” Baptiste announces coldly. Almost like a vow.

And I finally let out all the air in my lungs in one big sigh.

“Shit.”

5

SYLVIE

It’s sunset, it’s the end of the day, and it’s the end of the Chase. Baptiste and I are on the island’s beach, along with the rest of the contestants, and I am in a pit of despair.

Crap. Crap. Crap.

After the confrontation in the clearing, Baptiste marched me back to the water in silence. What else could I do? I couldn’t fight the man who had just floored Antoni. My captor simply nodded in the direction of the beach, and I followed.

As we made our way through the rainforest, I attempted to hold my head high in an act of defiance, determined to show the man who hunted me that I’m not defeated, even in my darkest moment.

But it was all a charade.

On the beach, the other women and the Castaway men are all hooting and cheering at the nice little party setup arranged for them.

I should be celebrating too, if I hadn’t stopped to catch my breath. If only I had kept running. If only I hadn’t allowed Baptiste Tremblay to reach me in the dying moments of the sunlight.

I almost fucking made it.

It turns out Antoni wasn’t seriously hurt at all. I saw staff quickly carrying him into a waiting private jet as Baptiste and I passed the airfield. The man will probably do the Chase again next year, but undoubtedly a little less proudly and a hell of a lot more ashamed.

Once we reach the beach and the final light of the day seeps over the blue ocean, the party shifts. Tables and drinks are taken away. Staff remove chairs.

The end of the Chase ceremony begins.

Elder Beckett appears and gathers us all together. We line up, couple by couple, preparing to say the ancient words to each other, led by the Elder. Each couple speaks the words in turn. Baptiste and I take our positions at the end of the line, as I was the last to be found.

This is the first time my chaser has said a word to me since the incident in the clearing.

The men – “We have found you.”

The women – “We have been found.”

The men – “We claim you as our own.”

The women – “We surrender ourselves to you.”

The men – “We will guide you to our future together.”