The Alphas Prize

Chapter 31: Choices - Part 2/3

We continued walking, deepening ourselves into this seemingly abandoned wasteland. Gunnar's body was rigid and tense as he cautiously continued forward. The ground ahead of us seemed soft, almost appearing to be a swamp. Gunnar and I stopped just before reaching the sinister-looking muck, looking at each other with questioning expressions. A gust of wind stirred around us, bringing with it the stomach-churning stench from the swamp.

I gagged and turned my head away. "Omg, that smells fucking horrible, like rotting, death," I said, trying not to throw up.

Gunnar's brows furrowed, and he wrinkled his nose. "Yea, no shit! But we have to find a way across, and from what I can see, the only way is to go through this shit." He said distastefully.

I stepped closer, peering down at the black goo; it bubbled, and puffs of green smoke emerged. "We can't fucking walk through this shit; it will either eat us or turn us into some unknown creature from hell."

Gunnar groaned. "You are right, but what other choice do we have? We either walk through this or go back home." He said, and for me, that wasn't an option.

I looked all around and noticed a large, fallen-down tree. I rushed over to it, inspecting the damage. The log appeared to be sturdy and long enough to carry us across. I looked to Gunnar. "Come help me with this; we can use it as a bridge to get across that shit," I said, hopefulness in my tone.

He walked over and kicked the log, causing pieces of bark to crumble onto the ground upon impact. Gunnar raised a brow and looked at me with an unsettling expression. "This thing is going to snap into a thousand pieces. Especially with my weight."

I threw my hands in the air. "Do you have another suggestion?" I asked him, irritation in my tone.

He sighed before bending down to grab the log and then drug it back to the swamp. Gunnar stood the log up straight in the air and pushed it forward; it landed on the other side with a bang, damn near evaporating as it hit the ground. I cringed, hoping that this would work.

Gunnar looked at me, his jaw tense. "You should go first; if I do, it will only weaken the log more, putting you at higher risk of falling into the swamp." He said, hesitantly and I knew he didn't want to do this, as he didn't trust the makeshift bridge.

I stepped forward and lifted my foot onto the log, but Gunnar stopped me. "Crawl across it for better balance." He said quickly.

I nodded my head, agreeing that was a good choice, as it would lessen the chances of the decaying wood snapping beneath me. I got down on my hands and knees, trying to balance myself on the log. My wolf began to pace, anxious to get across and away from this unknown substance. I sucked in a deep breath and started to crawl, slowly making my way to the other side.

The swamp goo continued to bubble and gurgle beneath me, causing my heart rate to pick up. I was almost across, mere inches away from safety when the wood began to crack and make unsettling sounds. I froze, not moving an inch, fearing it would split at any moment, plunging me into the dark abyss beneath me.

"Freja, don't move!" Gunnar Shouted.

I peered over my shoulder at him. "What the fuck do you think I'm doing?" The wood groaned beneath my hands, causing my heart to pound in my chest.

I closed my eyes and prayed to the moon goddess to help me get across safely, not to let me fall. I laid down on my belly, hoping that would relieve some of the pressure on the wood, but the wood continued to splinter and creak, ready to give way. Then, suddenly, a log came crashing down beside me, and I could hear a pair of boots stomping along the wood. I turned my head to see who it was, and Gunnar was standing there, reaching his arm out to me.

Gunnar knelt to get closer. "Come on, grab my hand. That thing isn't going to hold you much longer." He said in a rush.

I let go of the log and gripped his hand tightly in mine, then slowly sat up. With Gunnar's help, I stood to my feet and stepped onto the other log, very hesitantly, afraid it wouldn't hold both of our weight. Before I knew it, Gunnar flung me into the air, and I landed with a thud onto dry ground.

I quickly got back on my feet, standing up straight and turned to face Gunnar. He was standing there, still as could be, and then jumped, landing right next to me. Both of the logs crumbled into pieces, and the swamp consumed them.

I looked up at Gunnar and pursed my lips. "Well, that was fun," I said jokingly.

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, so much. Now, let's keep going; the sooner we get out of this death trap, the better." Gunnar was irritated, and his tone made that evident.

Nodding my head in agreement, I pulled the map out of my bag, looking over it. The map showed the swamp, and just past the swamp was the willow tree.

Tearing my eyes from the map, I looked around to see if the tree was visible from here, but no such luck. "The map says the tree should be just up ahead," I told Gunnar, and we started walking, being extra cautious.

As we continued walking, things were still quiet as ever, no animals, no bugs, no nothing. There were also no signs of life around us, no carcasses, no droppings, not even the trees had life. This place gave me the creeps, and I wanted more than anything just to get the cure and get the fuck out of here.

I abruptly stopped as I gazed into the distance and could swear green leaves were growing on a tree. My head whipped to Gunnar, and his gaze met mine, looking at me curiously. "Do you think it's the tree?" He asked me.

I shrugged. "I don't know, but I'm going to take a wild guess that it is. Since everything else around us is dead." I said quietly, not wanting us to be heard. I sucked in a sharp breath as my nerves skyrocketed through me, and I began to doubt myself, unsure if I could do this.

Gunnar placed a heavy hand onto my shoulder, squeezing gently, "You can do this, Freja, and no matter what happens, I am here, by your side, till the very end." He said wholeheartedly, easing the turmoil in the pit of my stomach.

I turned to face him, giving him a small smile, before hugging him tightly. "Thank you; I truly couldn't have asked for a better brother and friend," I said, expressing my feelings and all that mushy crap.