Taken

Chapter 14

Little by little, the men swam back and forth across the river with girls on their backs. I was astonished at how they didn't get tired. Some of us were adults and had to have weighed down on them as they swam across the swift current.

George came up to me when there were no more injured and lifted his arms. "Your turn." He said with a gentle smile. I shook my head and gestured for another younger girl to be taken but George stepped closer to me. "I can see that you're injured Nibs. Those look like bullet graze wounds." I blinked when I realized he knew that I was actually Nibs.

I continued to shake my head. "I'll go when everyone else is safe. I promised Hope- or Isla, that I would get everyone to safety."

"I appreciate the sentiment but I promised Isla I would make sure you were safe and protected." He sighed and gestured to the girls on the other side of the river, shivering from the cold water. "A lot of those girls are scared without their leader, Nibs. I'm sure the other girl with you can watch over the ones on this side." He reasoned. I thought about it for a moment and nodded, giving into his wise reasoning.

Without a second thought, George picked me up and started to wade into the river. I clung to his neck and shoulders as he pulled me up to rest on his back so he could swim.

The water was cold, freezing even. I could feel the strong current pulling against my body trying to sink us but George's muscles tensed as he continued to stroke through the water, carrying us across the deep and strong river.

When we reached the other side, several girls came to my aide while George went back across the river for another. Hazel and Felicity joined in the group as they limped over to me.

George was right. Those who were able to get up on their own immediately came to my side. They looked terribly anxious till they reached my side and then all their tension seemed to release. Truth be told, I didn't like being separated from them either. The ones who saw me but couldn't stand too well merely smiled and spoke of how happy they were that they were finally getting help and were making it to civilization. I nodded in tense agreement. Something nagged at the bottom of my stomach but I didn't know what to make of it, so I didn't know how to voice my concerns just yet.

I walked through the girls to make sure everyone was alright. The ones on the ground looked sickly and pale. One girl had a large wound from a knife on her side where green puss bubbled from a large scab. Another girl looked red and hot- sweat dripping down her brow even though she just waded through the river. The word fever rested on the edge of my brain, and I wondered if that's what she had.

It was a miracle we made it to George's colony in time. Our injured were much more worse off than I anticipated. Our numbers would most definitely have started to shrink again had we continued for a few more days. The thought sent a cold shiver through my spine.

"The waters freezing, isn't it?" Hazel giggled, hugging me to her cold wet body. Although the water brought cold shivers to my skin, it almost felt like a symbol of a new beginning. A sign of finishing our long terrible journey.

One by one, our group slowly grew on the safety side of the river till the only ones who remained were Beef, one of the strong girls who I didn't know by name, and Dana- who was still being protected by the cougar George called Velcini.

When George tried to come near Dana, Velcini hissed and swiped at him, starting to grow in size by the second. I gasped and walked to the edge of the water as if that would make a difference. Was the cougar- Velcini I suppose, going wild now? Surely it understood Dana's wish to cross like the rest of us. Why was it acting this way?

George backed up and nodded, seeming to be speaking with the cougar. I watched the exchange as Dana cried out wanting to go with George but Velcini stood in front of her and nudged her back with it's head away from the river bank. I strained to hear what he was saying but the roar of the river prevented it.