Chapter 9
Beads of sweat ran down his forehead, trickling all the way down to his neck where they than began to soak his shirt collar. He looked up towards the sky – the moon shone brightly, illuminating what lay before him. Thomas stared in horror.
Gally lay next to Sonya, his hands caressing her lifeless body.
Lifeless.
Thomas heard the screams of both his friends, and began to run towards them. He took a quick look back towards Minho. He still laid there, his chest rising and falling.
He could only hope that he would be safe for now.
He traced his steps as he ran towards the screaming, leaving marks in different trees with his dagger that he had close to him, ready to defend himself against anything.
The screams became louder and louder the further east he went, so he began to head quickly in that direction, constantly leaving a mark on trees as he went past so he could find his way back to Minho.
Eventually, he came to a clearing similar to where Brenda had been found. It was a small patch of grass where no trees grew. Trees around the clearing however, hang above them, allowing only the moonlight through. The patch was big enough for a few people to lie across head to toe, but nothing more.
A Griever stood in the middle, wielding its weapons as Sonya and Gally cowered in one corner.
Gally spotted Thomas out of the corner of his eye, but said nothing. The Griever had its back turned to Thomas. If there were any chance of success, his presence would have to remain secret.
Thomas crept slowly towards the Griever; his dagger held so tightly in his right hand that his knuckles had begun to turn white. Gally continued to watch his approach, sensing his plan.
"Oi, Griever!" Gally shrieked, waving his arms frantically.
The Griever barely moved a step towards Gally before Thomas had launched himself onto its back, digging his dagger deep into its sickening flesh. The dagger sunk in, but seemed to take no affect. The Griever simply used one of its arms to swat towards Thomas – throwing him off.
Thomas landed with a thump, his ribs causing him pain yet again.
He pulled himself upwards, only to be met with another swat of a Grievers arm. This time a deep wound had appeared across Thomas' shoulder, blood began to slowly change the colour of his shirt. Gally was on top now, ripping the dagger out of the flesh of its back, and driving it into its head instead.
These things were tough.
This time, the Griever shrieked, the dagger sticking out of the top of its head. The blade was out of sight – only the handle could be seen. The 6" blade had gone all the way in.
The Griever flung Gally into the darkness of the forest; the snapping of branches could be heard as his body flew like a ragdoll. The strength of this thing was unreal.
Thomas had stood now.
He picked up a jagged rock, and slammed it into the monsters face. The Griever shrieked again. The piercing sound thundered through Thomas' ears and brain, all he could hear was ringing now.
Sonya appeared, driving her spear into the side of the Grievers head. It appeared to growl as green, acidic liquid began to spill towards the floor.
It was weakened.
Suddenly, the Griever began to move quickly. It pulled the spear out which had been buried inside its head, and shoved it towards Sonya who hadn't yet moved.
"NO!" Thomas screamed.
But it was too late.
Thomas ignored Sonya's body falling to the ground, and instead leapt back onto the Griever. He twisted the dagger that was still buried inside its head – ignoring the wailing screams.
The adrenaline drowned them out.
He pulled the dagger out, and in a swift motion, dug it in again a few centimeters upwards, the Griever again, shrieking.
Then, it began to wobble.
Green liquid spilled out in a continuous flow, soaking the grass below.
The Griever fell, and Thomas quickly jumped off, taking his dagger with him.
He faced the Griever.
He pushed his soaked dagger in between the Grievers eyes.
The screams died out, as did the monster.
"She's dead Thomas, she's dead for shuck's sake!" Gally wailed.
Sonya's body lay in his arms. The spear had gone straight through her neck, soaking her body in her own blood – ending her life instantly.
"We tried our be-"
"Slim-it Thomas! Our best wasn't good enough was it! I don't wanna hear your bullshit"
Thomas fell silent, forcing himself to look away from their fallen friend.
He suddenly remembered something.
Minho
"Why would you leave him on his own!" Gally shouted in Thomas' left ear. They were walking as fast as they could – following the marks that Thomas had left earlier. Between them, they carried Sonya's body, her blood sticking to both of them.
They struggled to keep the sick down.
After an eternity, they reached the place where Thomas had left Minho.
"He's right there" Thomas pointed, towards an empty space.
He blinked twice, rubbing his eyes before opening them again.
Minho wasn't where he had left him.
"I don't understand Gally…I left him right here sleeping, I figured he'd be fine!"
Thomas scanned the right side, whilst Gally scanned the left.
Jorge's body still lay towards the left side of the clearing, the grass around him soaked in his blood and covered with parts of his brain.
"Shucking hell Thomas…remind me never to piss you off that much at least"
Thomas ignored him.
"Gally, we have two dead council members, a dead Griever, and a missing leader. Quit your jokes"
A faint crackling sound came from behind them, and Thomas quickly span around to see what it was. A walkie-talkie lay on the floor, buried amongst some leaves, the sound coming from it.
How had he not noticed that before?
Thomas and Gally carefully lowered Sonya down the floor, followed by Thomas quickly picking it up and holding it to his mouth.
"Hello?"
No reply.
"Try changing the channel Thomas, you're on one there's five in total" Gally instructed.
Thomas changed the channel to two.
"Hello?"
No reply.
Thomas hesitated, but changed the channel to three.
"Hello?"
No reply.
He was getting annoyed now, changing the channel to four in haste.
"Helllooo?"
No reply.
"Gally this is ridiculous there is no-"
"Thomas?" A voice interrupted.
Their eyes widened at the voice.
"Who is this?" Thomas shouted down the microphone.
"It's me Thomas, they saved me and they healed me"
Thomas couldn't believe what he was hearing.
He knew full well whose voice that was.
Teresa.
"I don't understand Teresa how were you healed? Who healed you? How did a walkie-talkie find itself in the middle of a forest for me to talk to you?"
"Calm down Thomas" Teresa said.
She sounded different, almost, artificial.
"All your questions will be answered. All you need to know is that I wasn't killed. Badly injured yes. I had many bones broken…some organ failure. But bones can be healed and organs can be transferred. Someone saved me Thomas by doing all that. Someone stopped me from dying…I'm alive, Thomas"
Thomas paused, lost for words.
Gally decided to ask what he must have been thinking.
"Who carried out this shucking miracle then?" he spat.
"WICKED of course, WICKED is good, you see."
The radio died out.