Fated Triad: Shadows of the Forbidden Moon

Ariel's POV

Lucas moved forward in an attempt to wrest the weapon from the man's hand. Their faces contorted in concentration, they battled, both of them grunts of exertion. Though my feet stayed on the ground and I wanted to help, do anything, I was immobilized with fear.

A deafening crack suddenly erupted, and both men staggered back as blood spilled on Lucas's shirt. My heart stopped; holding his side, Lucas dropped to the ground and a scream caught in my mouth.

Not! I yelled out, running ahead, but the man pushed me aside and sent me tumbling into the ground.

"You should have stayed out of this," the man snarled, coldly hateful eyes shining.

Lucas, though blood was gushing from his wound, lashed out with a strong kick, knocking the weapon from the man's hand before he could act otherwise. Lucas was faster than the man cursed, searching for it. His hands shaking but his aim constant, he snatched the rifle and pointed it at the man.

"Get out of here," Lucas said, his voice strained and painful. Right now.

The man hesitated, his gaze flickering between Lucas and myself. It appeared as though he might be trying to fight back, then he retreated, his face contorted with rage.

"This isn't over," he snarled, then turned and ran into the night.

With hands shaking, I hurried to Lucas's side and pressed down on the incision in an attempt to halt the bleeding. "Lucas, stay with me," I said, my voice choking with terror. Kindly accompany me.

He gasped, his face pallid and sticky with perspiration, yet he mustered a feeble smile. His palm enveloping mine, he murmured, "I'm not going anywhere."

But I realized the truth-he was dying rapidly-as I gazed into his eyes. And we were still in the middle of nowhere, with no assistance visible.

"Lucas," I said, tears running down my face. Would you dare die on me? We must locate Alan. We must: "

"Listen to me," Lucas said, his voice frail but forceful. "You must continue. Location Alan. Get him cleaned out of this mess.

"No," I said, tears blurring my view. "I'm not leaving you."

"Ariel, please," he gasped, his hold on my hand getting tighter. "That's the sole path. You have to finish.

I sat there clutching Lucas in my arms, his blood warm against my shaking palms, not sure how long I stayed. Everything seemed surreal, as though I was caught in a dream from which I cannot wake-up. But Lucas's faint breathing and the agony in his eyes brought me back to reality: all too real.

Again, my voice cracking, I begged Lucas to stay with me. Deep down, though, I knew he was sliding away; no amount of pleading could hold him here.

Lucas managed to whisper, his voice so weak I had to lean down to hear him move. "They'll resurface."

His words struck me with a shock of terror. He was correct. The assailant of ours would not give up so readily. Here we were sitting ducks; if we stayed in this state, morning would see our deaths.

Lucas, though, was too frail to be on his own, and I carry him far in the state he was in. My head whirled in search of a fix.

"There's a car," I replied abruptly, recalling the one we had stashed underbrush close to the lodge. "We can make it to the car and head toward safety."

Trying to get Lucas to his feet, I gritted my teeth and slid his arm around my shoulders. Though he moaned in agony, he stood and leaned mostly on me.

"Come on," I said, attempting to project calmness beyond what I felt. "We are qualified to do this."

We staggered through the night, Lucas's weight making every stride difficult. I insisted on not giving up though. I had to bring him to where it counted.

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At last, we could see the automobile far away, its outline only discernible in the moonlight. Seeking to get Lucas moving faster, I pushed him in that direction. "Almost there," I said, my legs shaking with tiredness.

When we got to the car, I worked to get Lucas into the passenger side seat. I slammed the door closed behind him and bolted to the driver's side.

Lucas's eyelids flicked open as I fired the engine. He said, "Ariel," his voice hardly audible.

"I'm here," I said, attempting to maintain a consistent tone. "I have you."

But I watched the terror in his eyes as I turned to face him. He understood he had little time left.

Prayerful we would make it to safety before it was too late; I put the car in motion and drove off into the night. But the sensation that we were being watched that the man who assaulted us was still out there, waiting for his moment to strike once more-kept me from relaxing as we traveled.

Then, just when I was beginning to believe we could survive, I caught a pair of headlights closing rapidly in the rearview mirror.

My pulse dropped. As yet, we were not safe. Not nearly certainly.

"Take down!" I roared and shucked Lucas's head beneath the dashboard.

The headlights got more brilliant, like a spotlight lighting the gloomy woods. I ground it, the tires screaming as we turned sharply.

"Who is it?" asked Lucas moaned, his voice barely strong yet forceful.

"I'm not sure but I'm not going to wait to learn!" I answered, staring rearward into the mirror.

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The headlights were getting on us, and behind us I could see the outline of a car. Pushing the pedal to the floor, my heart surged.

The automobile behind us suddenly veered to try to pass us on the left. I swirled right to block their path.

"Damn!" I cursed, knuckling white on the driving wheel.

Lucas looked at the automobile behind us as he battled to sit up. He said, "It's them," in whispers. "Their stop will come only when they kill us."

I wasn't in need of him telling me that. From a distance, too, I could see the driver's eyes reflecting determination.

We turned still more sharply, the tires protesting. Though I could feel the car fishtailing, I stayed under control.

Knowing the automobile behind us was still advancing, I had to act quickly. It was then that I noticed it: a little dirt lane leading left.

"Hold onto!" I yelled, then turned without slowing down.

The car jolted and rumbled, but I stayed still praying we would survive.

I watched the car behind us stop at the corner as we rushed down the gravel road. Though we had a few seconds, I knew it wouldn't last.

With eyes fixated on the road ahead, "Lucas, I need you to hold on," I urged. "We're going to sprint for it."

Lucas nodded with closed painful eyes. Knowing he was swiftly fading, I had to bring him to safety right now.

As we rushed down the gravel road, I pushed the automobile to its limits and the engine screamed. I understood we were running out of time. I refused to quit though.