The half an hour we're given passes slowly and with each minute I grow tenser.
Hestia clings to me and I grip her hand tightly, unwilling to let her go. I'm sure she's going to need to hold onto something to stay calm.
Mia and Eric both stand close by, scanning the woods around us with wariness and fear.
And it's a good thing that we have, because it doesn't take much longer for a howl to rise in the forest.
The aliens are nowhere in sight. I'm sure that's on purpose, but the noise of that howl makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
Hestia flinches, and grips my hand harder.
I look at her. Her face is pale, and she looks absolutely terrified. Her mouth is hanging slightly open. She's not moving. I can't see her chest moving. I think she's not breathing.
The howling is still going.
Hestia looks up at me, tears brimming at her eyes, and then she buries her face in my chest, clinging tightly to me with both hands. I put one hand on her back, trying to soothe her, and look over at Eric.
He's looking out toward the woods, a serious look on his face. He seems to be watching something. His gaze flicks back and forth, from one side of the field to another, as if he can't quite figure out what he's seeing or how to interpret it.
"Nobody run!" He shouts suddenly, and his voice carries.
"What...? Why?" One of the other guys in the group asks. He looks nervous too, but he doesn't seem as afraid as Hestia or even Mia does.
Eric points at one of the trees at the edge of the forest.
I don't see it, not immediately, but then the shadows move, and I spot a massive black shape. It looks almost like a giant dog or wolf. The fur on its body is short and dark. The creature has long fangs and claws.
It growls at us, baring its teeth, and begins prowling back and forth in the treeline, stalking its prey. Its eyes glow red, and its fur ripples in the light of the sun as it moves.
"Predators are drawn to fleeing prey. If we just stay together and slowly move, we can buy time and get further away before they try to hunt."
The guy blinks at Eric and then looks over at the rest of us. "...Seriously?" He asks, sounding doubtful. He doesn't seem to believe him.
"Seriously. Just trust me." Eric's voice is calm, even, confident. His words don't leave room for argument. He turns to look at Mia and me. "...Stay calm."
I swallow.
Didn't the leader of the resistance tell us to run, though...? That if we run we might live?
I look back over the forest and swallow.
Maybe I didn't hear him right. Or maybe he didn't mean now, but later on.
But I do trust Eric. He's been right so far about these woods and the idea of there being predators. He knows what he's doing, right?
I hope he does.
Hestia clings to my side. She looks absolutely petrified, but I don't know how to help her right now.
"Okay." I nod and squeeze Hestia's shoulder. She doesn't respond.
Eric looks around the clearing again, then back toward the others.
"...Alright, then. Everyone, follow my lead. Slowly. Calmly. Stick together. Predators pick off stragglers and can smell fear." His voice is calm and collected, despite his own nervousness.
He turns to face the forest again, watching it warily, as if waiting for something to appear. His eyes are wide and he's breathing hard. His body language is tense.
He's speaking calmly, but he's petrified.
He's so good at bluffing I don't think I'd notice if I didn't know him as well as I do.
But that's a good thing right now, isn't it? Because if he can fool everyone into believing he knows what he's talking about...
The other guy looks over at the woods again. He's obviously trying not to be scared, but he's failing. "...Alright." He says. "...Okay. I trust you."
"Good." Eric says. He takes a deep breath and looks at Mia. "...Let's move."
The group starts walking slowly, cautiously. There's a nervous energy about them. Everyone seems uncertain of their steps.
We're all walking together. Slowly. Carefully.
We can't afford to make noise, or draw attention to ourselves. Not while those things are still out there.
I keep my hand on Hestia, and she keeps holding mine.
I'm worried for her, but I'm also worried for the others.
Eric said we should stay calm, but that's not possible.
The predators are pacing around us, circling the group, snarling. It's not even clear to me if they're going to attack or not. They might just be trying to scare us.
Or maybe they're trying to separate us from the herd, so they can pick us off one at a time.
What if they're just getting closer? Making it easier when they charge so that we can't escape?
My hands are shaking. My heart pounds in my chest. I can feel sweat on my forehead, and I'm not sure if I should be feeling cold or hot right now.
I want to run. To flee. But I know that's not what we should do, even though every instinct is telling me otherwise. If I ran, I might get away, but it's more likely I'd get myself and possibly even Hestia killed.
"Stay calm." Eric says it again, louder. "We just have to get out of this forest."
He's talking to himself as much as the rest of us, and I can tell he doesn't fully believe his own words either.
I hope he does know what he's doing, because I really don't think I could make myself calm down enough to think rationally right now.
The other guy who was skeptical before swallows. "...You're sure about that?"
Eric is quiet a moment longer than makes me comfortable, before he says, "They brought us here, not the wilderness. It means those things only hunt in here."
That.
Is.
A fucking guess!
But.
I-
I guess it makes sense. I guess he has a point.
I just.
Wish it wasn't a guess. I wish it was something certain.
Something I could count on.
Because right now...
Right now it feels like my life depends entirely on whether or not Eric is right. Whether or not his theory holds true.
I can't breathe.
The creatures are still prowling. I can see their eyes glowing in the darkness, their fangs bared and dripping with drool.
They're big. They look powerful. If they were to charge us right now...
Someone screams-
A girl, tripping over something, crashes to the ground.
The monsters leap out of the trees.
And.
It happens fast.
I don't know if the other people ran before or if they were too scared, or if the sound just startled them or what. But they're running. Everyone's running, all at once.
Eric's voice shouts out over the din.
"Sarah! Run!" He yells, and I can hear his feet hitting the dirt. "Go!"
My legs are shaking too much to do that.
I can't.
I can't just run.
I've never been a runner.
Hestia screams and clings to me.
I --
"Hestia."
I grab her arm with my other hand, will strength into my legs, and...
"Run!" My voice cracks.
But my legs move. They carry me.
Hestia is moving, too, her hand still tightly gripped in mine. We're both stumbling, but it doesn't matter.
We have to go.
I won't look behind us.
I can't look.
I just.
Have to run, because if I stop running, Hestia stops.
If I look, Hestia will see the fear on my face and freeze up. I have to look calm. Even though I'm anything but.
And so, despite my body feeling like lead and the fact my legs are shaking so bad they might just fall off, I force myself to run.
I force myself to keep moving.
I force myself not to give up and accept death. To fight, even when I don't want to. To keep going, to survive. I can't die. Not here. Not like this.
I'm.
Going to get back home.