Eden's Gate

Chapter 29: Alarm

All morning they ran through the forest, until they were so exhausted they could only walk by the afternoon. They followed that beacon, their only guide left. It seemed so far away, but they were getting closer. By the time the sun began to set over the trees, it was four kilometers or so away, and they were just done. Kaitlyn quickly pulled some stray leaves and sticks together with her telekinesis to build their fire pit, which Taylor then lit. Kaitlyn hadn't had time to go and forage for some food, so they had to rely on the snacks they brought.

Kaitlyn was absolutely in love with the warmth of the fire that night. After a day's worth of gruelling marching through the cold, the dark, and the fear, they had a source of light and warmth. Maybe it was just the joy of finally getting to relax, but the bag of potato chips she ate that night was especially delicious.

The only good thing about the cold was that it kept the milk they brought chilled too, as long as they kept it away from the fire.

"Man, that was...that was exhilarating," Taylor said. "I know we're running for our lives, but don't you feel proud we made it this far?"

Kaitlyn nodded, a smile on her face. "These crisps taste like I earned them."

Taylor grinned, "there yah go, sis! Food always taste better after a work out!"

Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow, "is that why you always have a snack after a game?"

Taylor nodded, taking a handful of pretzels from their bag and stuffing their face with them.

"Do you think we put enough space between us and them?" She asked.

Taylor looked up at the sky and swallowed their mouthful, using the delay of the act to cover for them thinking.

"I think we did. We got far today. We didn't leave a lot of tracks, and Mrs. LaBeaux is right there. We'll be a lot safer once we're there."

"And a lot warmer." Kaitlyn said.

Taylor nodded, lifting their hands towards the crackling fire to better feel its warmth.

Kaitlyn fell straight to sleep that night, content to finally rest.

Something stirred Taylor from their sleep.Something large and hard to ignore. They groggily rubbed their eyes, trying to clear their head of the fog of sleep, focusing on what it was that was tripping their senses.

It was Eliza's Signature. How in the hell had she found them?! How had she caught up to them so fast? How had she followed them to this specific location so quickly? She was also moving terrifyingly fast. It was like magic.

Taylor realized that may not be too far from the actual answer. They got up and ran over to Kaitlyn, who was holding Mr. Lepus tight in her arms, and shook her rather violently. "Kaitlyn, Kaitlyn! Wake up!"

Kaitlyn's eyes bolted open, their whites entirely visible as she store directly at them. Taylor pointed in the direction he sensed Eliza coming from.

"She's found us, and she's coming, fast. We have to go!"

Kaitlyn looked around her, like she was expecting something else to be there, but got up, her eyes narrowing in determination as she prepared.

"What do we take?" They suddenly realized, reaching for their pack..

"Leave all of it," Kaitlyn warned, "they will when they find it. We can maybe go back and get it later. It'll weigh us down."

Taylor couldn't argue with that logic. They both started to run towards the beacon. Their breath blew behind them in cold spirals, Taylor could feel the adrenaline punching through their body. It was just another soccer game, they told themself. Just another soccer game.

They reached a fork in the path, splitting in two different directions.

"What do we do? Which way?" Kaitlyn asked.

Taylor focused their sense, seeing what would happen. They could see both paths eventually lead to the LaBeaux's. They could use that.

"Okay, they both go to the same place. Let's split up. They need all five of us for their ritual, right? If one of us gets caught, the other can still maybe make it."

Kaitlyn frowned, "It's...a good idea."

They could tell she was not eager to leave the last of her friends and maybe lose them, too. Taylor wasn't either, but they had come too far now. All of it would be for nothing if they let themselves get caught.

They both took separate paths, Taylor the right and Kaitlyn the left, as they sprinted on the way. They had already made it a kilometer. Taylor was starting to get exhausted. They were a sprinter, not a marathon runner. He could only imagine how much harder it must be for Kaitlyn, too. She wasn't exactly the most physical fit of the group.

The cold wasn't helping either. The cold burned their mouth as they heaved it in and out, the sweat they dripped made it even worse, crystalizing on their face. They kept running, and running, and running. They could sense Eliza - she had just reached the division a while back. She was billowing down it after them.

Of course they had chosen their path. If they didn't pick up the pace, they'd get caught. But they just couldn't, this was as fast as they could go. How was Eliza moving so fast?! She was like a rocket.

They kept running, until they felt their leg freeze in place. They tripped, landing face first on the ground, scooting a bit. Their chin was bloodied, and they were sure their arm and knee had been skinned in the fall. They turned around, seeing Eliza, her feet burning with her black smoke glow, She raised her hand, and their whole body was encompassed by her glow as it snapped flight.

She was levitating them. Her telekinetic power was great enough that no matter how hard they struggled, they couldn't move at all. Her eyes were wide.

"Where is she?" Eliza demanded.

Taylor furrowed their brows in confusion for a moment before it clicked.

Even though to them Kaitlyn's signature was as bright as the fire they had warmed themselves beside, Eliza couldn't sense it. They knew Eliza was powerful enough to pick up on it from this distance, it wasn't all that far.

The LaBeauxs were protecting Kaitlyn. They had hidden her Signature from Eliza. That was the only explanation, that sort of thing took experienced precision. Taylor's only regret was that they couldn't save them too.

Tears started to stream down their face.