Chapter 136 The Spread

Chapter 136 The Spread
LYRIANNE

I can hardly believe my eyes as I watch a Bitten zoom right past me and head straight for Electra, who lets out a blood-curdling scream just as the creature goes straight for her neck. 

Horrified, I watch as the creature manages to sink its teeth into her neck and rip out the flesh there just as one of Anselm's friends gets to it and tries to punch it in the face. 

"What the fuck!?" Anselm shouts, forgetting all about me as he stands up and rushes toward the scene. Electra, crying and screaming hysterically, is clutching her bleeding neck. Wendy Plemont backs away, screaming in terror, too, 

I struggle to get on my feet, but only because what's happening in front of me is so terrible that I don't know how to act. I'm paralyzed the same way I was the first time I saw a Bitten. 

No, scratch that. I ran that time, and it didn't come for me. But what guarantees me that this one won't? Things could always change, and I don't want to take any risks. 

What's one of them doing this close to the academy?

Electra is getting paler by the second and she's on the ground now, bleeding to death while Anselm and his friends surround the Bitten and try to scare it off. 

"What the fuck is this?" one of them asks, fear written all over his face. "What is this thing?"

The Bitten hisses at them, and it's an animalistic sound that makes it seem like it was never one of us once upon a time. 

Wendy Plemont makes a run for it, shifting to get away faster, and Anselm yells at his friends. "Help me kill this fuck! Come on! Don't be such fucking pussies!"

Looking at it now, it does seem like his friends want to make a run for it. They exchange looks with each other just as Electra takes her last breath. 

"She's dead, man!" the other one yells. "She's fucking dead!"  

Anselm tries punching the Bitten in the face, but ends up scraping his knuckle on its sharp teeth instead. With a low growl, he sends a kick to the creature's abdomen, then says, "Fuck this. I'm out of here."

He starts to run, and so do his friends, but the Bitten catches one of them before he can shift, and immediately goes for his neck. 

"Help me!" he yells at Anselm and his other friend, who're long gone by now. "Help me!"

Fear and the horrible scene paralyze me, but I know I can't stay here for long. I have to try to get away, too. Slowly, I rise to my feet. My plan is to use the tree as a shield so the thing doesn't see me, but I can't turn my back to it. 

I don't trust this. Any of it. 

What if my new scent changes everything?

It's still feeding on Anselm's friend, so I use its distraction as an opportunity to make a run for it. My heart is in my throat as I run, and I can't help but feel like I'm moving way too slowly. 

In my paranoid mind, it's right behind me, breathing down my neck. Sweat prickles my forehead, but I don't stop, and most importantly, I don't look back. 

Someone tackles me to the ground and I almost let out a blood-curdling scream before I realize that it's Finn. I look into his eyes as my mind tries to make sense of what just happened. 

He presses his index finger to his lips, then helps me get up to my feet. I must've hit my head or something because my vision is blurry. 

What the—?

He starts pulling me toward the trees again, and this time, we're walking down a denser part of the forest. He's ahead of me, holding my hand tightly as he runs. I keep up with his pace as best as I can, and I finally throw a look over my shoulder again.

The coast is clear. 

Once Finn is sure we're as far away from that creature as we can manage—and I know that because he's moving quickly and he doesn't want to make any noise—we finally stop, both of us breathless, and he tells me, "I heard about those things, but I didn't know what to imagine. What the fuck was that?"

"How did you find me?" I ask. It seems like the only logical thing to say at this time. 

"I was looking for you. I saw it when you were cornered, but I was waiting for the right time to attack and then the Bitten showed up," he explains before taking a hand through his hair. "Fuck, I've never seen anything like that in all my life. I heard about them from Dad, but that was crazy. We can't stay here for long. Those things move fast and the disease spreads quickly."

"What do you mean?" I ask, stunned. "Morian knew about these things?"

"A small group of people were aware," he claims. "But it's not like Dad could alarm anyone about it. The Alpha Leader explicitly forbade it."

"I see you and Morian are on better terms now."

"It's not what you think," he says quickly. "We've misunderstood a lot of what he was trying to do, Lyria. I can't talk here, but if you come with me, I'll explain—"

I tear my arm from his grip and back away. Finn stared back at me almost helplessly. "Thank you for trying to look out for me and saving me just now, but I can't go anywhere with you, Finn."

"Delacourt knows the full story now, and he understands. Look, I know you have every reason to be upset, but I'm on your side here. Delacourt and I made an alliance. We have to get you out of Crescent Hollow by tonight. Did you see what happened? Soon, more and more of the Bitten will show up. They're everywhere now. The Alpha Council failed to control them, and that means they come for you. For your blood. It's the only thing remotely close to a cure. So, please. Just listen to me."

I stare back at Finn as I wonder what the hell I should do. It does sound like he’s telling the truth, but should I trust him? What would the smart move be?

Before I can say anything else, though, Lorcan and Wallace both emerge from behind one of the several trees surrounding us, and I run straight toward Lorcan.