Chapter 92 –A Sudden Attack

"We should go, guys," Blake calls to the others once they come into view. Probably knowing he was going to say that before he actually did, Kurtis and George are already packing up supplies.

"To the coast!" George yells, fist pumping the air in a silly burst of enthusiasm. I roll my eyes as I pick up Blake's backpack.

"What are you doing?" He asks, but I wave him off with my hand.

"Grab Danae's bag. I haven't been carrying anything for a while." The truth is, I have gotten so tired of watching other people deal with their own stuff. 

Kurtis and I were the only ones without bags, so we've had to mooch off everyone else without being much help to anyone. 

Without looking at the others, I start moving quickly, trusting that the others will follow. And they do, their footsteps pounding behind mine.

It's probably going to be a long run, but I'm pretty sure we can reach the ocean by nightfall.

When I see a vast expanse appear on the horizon, I nearly have a heart attack. Which may seem weird, but after a couple hours of travel, seeing anything at all besides moving Shifters and dead foliage is a big surprise. At the sight, my stomach starts rumbling furiously, probably more ready than I am to reach the ocean.

We continue to travel, our footsteps pounding in unison. But now that we can see the end, it seems like we are running at a slower and slower speed. I find myself impatient, and I speed up, the rest of the group keeping up easily. The ocean grows larger and larger, along with my excitement.

It finally creeps upon us, and we can finally slow down to a steady walk. The others cheer beside me. George seems especially excited, jumping up and down with his backpack in his hands.

Blake looks at me, and we make eye contact. His face is twisted into a tentative smile, and it is easy to notice that he may have a few misgivings about the whole thing. 

"What is it?" I ask softly, not noticing that my arm is swinging towards his until it brushes against his side. After the contact I jump half a mile into the air, edging away from his body. 

"S-sorry."

"Elena," he laughs, "no big deal. I'm just pretty tired."

His expression is strained, doing nothing to alleviate my concerns.

"Yeah right. Don't think you can get away with not telling me," I warn, wagging my finger at his face. This time his features crinkle into a genuine smile.

"It's really nothing. I'm relieved that we finally made it." He starts walking into the wind, spreading his arms wide. I narrow my eyes after him, unconvinced.

The sand is like pure crystals, each grain soft and illuminated by an unearthly glow. The trees have shifted into ones with skinny trunks and long, generous branches. 

They are similar to those that appear at a normal beach, and it leaves me with the same sense of awe that I experienced years ago. And on either side, it seems to last forever, the white expanse continuing as far as I can see. 

The only thing is that there is something so empty about this atmosphere. Maybe it is just the lack of color, or the chilly air, but the beach doesn't seem as inviting as I remember.

There are small plants by the edge of the beaches. Immediately Danae rushes over to it, fingering the leaves with avid fascination. I leave her to it, putting Blake's backpack by the base of a tree. 

Just as before, I place my toes in the sand, hoping to immerse myself in the beauty of the moment. My feet disappear, sinking in to my ankles.

It feels nice, and I'm not unwilling to admit it to myself. Pretty much exhausted, I sink to my knees, and then to a sitting position. Watching the others' reactions with interest, it surprises me how happy they are behaving. 

Kurtis is walking towards the water, and George is lying on his back. Danae is holding several ripe fruits in her arm, heading towards the outskirts to probably set up some sort of camp.

"We shouldn't stay here long," Blake says, looking in my direction. I return the look, baffled at his words, yet receiving the same ominous feeling about these ghostly beaches. He's probably right, but I need a minute to myself... to rest.

"Don't be a party pooper!" George laughs, jumping immediately in the water. Once he hits the water, his face immediately turns stark white. He freezes in place, startling both me and Kurtis, who was about to jump in.

"What's wrong?" He asks, taking a step back. George says nothing, his face now a scary shade of blue.

"George!" I stand up, and run over to the shore. The water rises and falls, but he doesn't move an inch.

I inwardly groan and take a step into the water to grab his arm. As soon as I make contact with the ocean, I immediately understand George's reaction. This water is something else.

"Wow, it's like stepping into liquid ice," I complain while wrapping my arm around his. "It's probably not healthy to stay in here for too long." Tugging him out of the water, I practically have to drag him at this point. "Good grief," I mutter quietly, bogged down by his weight.

Blake is waiting at the edge, and he hurriedly rips George away from me. "Always getting into trouble, huh?" He asks, slapping George heartily in the back. The action seems to shake George back to life, and he awkwardly jumps away.

"It's pretty cold out there. I advise not jumping in." He uncomfortably shivers, and I run to grab him a dry shirt.

"I'm thirsty," Kurtis says out of the silence, "does anyone have some water?"

"I don't think so," I reply while shuffling through the bag. "We ran out early today. You could drink from the ocean, but..."

Oh no.

Everyone's face darkens as they have the same revelation I am experiencing. I don't really know why it hit me just now when it hadn't on the whole journey up here but it hurts like a ton of bricks.

Kurtis sticks a single finger in the water, swirling it around and then flicking his tongue at it. "It's about as salty as the Dead Sea," he comments, smiling dryly.

"What the crap," I mutter in a scathing tone to myself. "What was I thinking? And I thought we were getting closer to a water source..."

And we were, I corrected myself mentally. Except it's a salty mess that everyone can look at and not drink while we are dying of dehydration.

I put my head in my hands, slumping against the base of the tree. Elena, you should be better than this.

"Elena." George walks up to me and takes the shirt from my hands. "It's okay. We'll just keep going after this."

"But... what if we don't find anything?" I ask him, nervously clenching my fists.

"Well, that's pretty pessimistic." He grins. "Although I guess it suits the rather anticlimactic situation we got going on here."

"Yeah, unfortunately we need to leave before long," Blake says, repeating the same worry that I know has been haunting him since we reached the beach. He starts to gather up our belongings from their locations on the sand.

"We can gather our energy for a minute," I say weakly, "It might be a few hours before we reach another water source."

"We can... but just remember that every minute we spend here is a minute we have to continue without any water." Blake scans the area, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Blake, what's wrong?!" I ask him, frustrated by his unexplainable behavior. "You never act like this."

He whirls around to face me. "Do you not feel that?"

I just sit, staring at him open mouthed, while at the same time trying to feel exactly what he's feeling. I concentrate for a minute, focusing on the wind and the waves as they roll towards the beaches.

"Nope. I got nothing."

Blake crouches down and covers my ears with tender hands. "Don't think. Just feel. And smell."

"What the crap..." I close my eyes, draining myself of thoughts and feelings. As I do so, a slight wrinkling of the nose reveals a strange, familiar scent that has the hint of some odious flavor I can't identify. 

"What... is that?"

"I don't advise staying here to find out," He replies, edging towards the outskirts. "The scent is much stronger than it was a few minutes ago."

"Doesn't that smell like... human? Or even werewolves?" George asks, standing by my side. His eyes are closed, his face bent in concentration.

Blake's eyes widen. 

"You're right, George. What the..."

Kurtis is staring out into the distance, as if searching for something. 

"Look!" 

He calls, and then immediately starts running. Terror enters my heart, and I start shaking nervously. What could be out there?

The cold takes over my body, and even as Blake tugs on my hand, the fear only increases. This is something unlike anything I have ever felt in this world. But, like most things, there is some nostalgia associated with the emotion that unsettles me.

"Hey!" 

I can hear loud shouting in the distance, and immediately I start to run towards them. Blake looks at me as he starts running as well, and I can see his concerned face in the corner of my eye. 

But I disregard it, speeding as fast as I possibly can towards the others. They are all stopped in a strange semicircle, piquing my curiosity in the worst of ways.

"What's going on?" I ask breathlessly as I approach them. 

My knees are heavy, so I lean down and put my hands against them. With my head down and a heavily beating heart, I feel the apprehension building beyond control.

Finally, I cast my gaze upwards, and nearly jump a hundred feet in the air. 

"What the... no..."

A blonde man is lying before us, covered in blood, and drenched in sweat. He looks to be barely conscious, his eyelashes fluttering in a struggle to stay awake. 

With his clothing ripped down the back and side, strange indentations had been made in his body that could have never been made with human hands. Newfound chills ripple down my spine.

"Jim?" I ask, the name flowing as easily from my lips as it did with the others in my group. 

Yes, I know him. I could never forget that golden hair, tumbling past his ears and glittering in the sunlight. In this current state, the brightness has been dulled, tainted with both red and brown.

Blake is ahead of everyone else, walking towards him and trying to lift his body without touching his wounds. 

"What... happened?" He asks with concern. Jim's eyelashes flutter, and eventually his eyes flicker open. As soon as his consciousness is fully gained, he immediately starts kicking and thrashing, attacking Blake weakly. 

"Jim? Jim! It's me!" Blake yells, trying to pacify him.

"B-Blake," He whispers, and then gradually gives up on all resistance.

"Hurry... can't stay..."

We all turn to look around, anxious for what else could be on the coast. The markings on Jim's back indicate that we could be facing a real enemy, and in a world with no rules, who knows who or what could be the threat. 

And there's no ignoring that our group is weapon less, with the exception being my spirit spears.

Another head appears from the forest, glistening with iridescence. We all turn to look at him as he barrels onto the coastline. 

In a similar state to Jim, with his clothing in tatters, he casts a glance at the ocean and curses beneath his breath. Turning to look at Jim, he sees the rest of us and his mouth opens wide.

"Blake? Elena?" James asks, clearly surprised to see us. But the surprise quickly dissipates on his rugged features, leaving only resignation. 

"We're probably cornered by now. Do you guys have any weapons?"

Blake narrows his eyes. "What's going on?" He questions James, who rolls his eyes in response.

"No time to talk. Just run," he speaks in a clipped tone, and immediately starts off again. 

He's heading north, supposedly in the direction of the castle. I can hear him loudly shouting expletives as he approaches the outskirts.