Lemon Water // Paul Lahote

ninety six

Serena

"What do you mean? Why!" Birkley's voice was clear now, not muffled like it was in my dream. This was real and this was happening. 

She looked panicked, whipping her head side to side, eyes widening as she watched Riley and Luke blur past us in the distance. It was like a game of cat and mouse, but we weren't the cats, we were they prey.

"I don't know, ok! Something is after us and it's not going to turn out good!" I felt the tears well up in my eyes, but I couldn't let them fall. I had to be able to see clearly, it was my best chance at saving her.

A branch snapping from the right made up our minds for us. We took off in the opposite direction, but after the practice we had we weren't going as quick as we needed to. We needed to make it out of the woods before they caught us, but they were hot on their tails. I knew they could catch us if they wanted to, but they wee playing a sick game, one I couldn't let them win.

As one of them crossed directly in front of us, Birkley let out a shriek, slamming on the breaks, but I grabbed her and began to drag her with me. If I let her stop, I let her die. If I let her die, they win. We had to keep going, no matter how much our legs hurt and how much our lungs burned.

"What was that thing!" She gasped, trying to regain her composure but she was terrified. So was I. I was terrified for myself, for Birkley, and for what was about to happen.

I replayed the dream over and over again in my head over the last week. I figured out the best place to turn and they best place to duck to try and avoid the attacks. If it all goes right, Birkley makes it out alive.

If something goes wrong, Birkley makes it out alive and I don't. It's a sacrifice I need to make to save all the people I love. If I can't end this today, I need to end, otherwise the attacks from Luke will continue and more people will get hurt because of me.

If everything goes wrong, we both die, but that won't happen. I won't let it. She will leave these woods unharmed if its the last thing that I do.

"Something that's trying to kill us. I know that for sure." I yelled back at her, pulling her sharply to the left, change one from the dream. It threw them off track, putting more distance between us and them, but I needed more. As I heard them gaining on us, I pulled Birkley down, ducking under a fallen branch that they didn't see in time.

As the two of us kept running, Riley and Luke slammed into the branch, creating an even bigger gap for us. We broke through the clearing from a different side than in the dream, we were so close to freedom I could almost taste it.

Suddenly, one of them appeared in front of us and we fell to the ground, scrambling to move the other way. We were so close to escaping, but now it wouldn't be so easy.

Before I could get moving, a hand ripped me off the ground by my hair, yanking me backwards and away from Birkley. As I struggled to free myself, I watched as Birkley froze, not knowing what to do. Not knowing what and who these terrible people were.

Before I could yell at her to run, I was thrown across the clearing, landing at the others feet. At Riley's feet. My body ached as I was yanked up once again, they showed no remorse.

"SERENA!" Birkley yelled as I struggled. I felt my body losing energy quicker than I anticipated. Struggling was getting more difficult. If I didn't get out now, I don't know if I'd get out ever.

"Well well, look what we have here" Riley seethed. One hand was in my hair, yanking my head back and the other had a tight grip on my neck, restricting my air flow. He wasn't trying to kill me yet, but that could change in a second.

I heard thundering steps in the distance. The pack was on their way to help, I just hope Riley and Luke couldn't hear them coming. "What the hell do you want!" I spat, gasping for air through Riley's grip, but all he did was squeeze my neck a little more.

He turned my head, firing me to look at Birkley. She was struggling in Luke's grasp, in the same way I was. Tears were pouring from her eyes, but she couldn't form any words, paralyzed in intense fear.

"Poor little wolfy, wasn't quick enough to save everyone" Riley spat, but he was wrong. I was quick enough. I bought us more time, enough time for the pack to come to our rescue.

"Say goodbye to your little buddy, Re, you won't be seeing them for a long time" Luke laughed as he began to drag Birkley backwards.

"WAIT!" I screeched, "PLEASE! KILL ME! KILL ME INSTEAD! I'M WHAT YOU WANT, NOT HER! KILL ME, TURN ME, WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO JUST PLEASE DON'T KILL HER!" Tears poured from my eyes as I screamed at Luke, pleading with him to spare my best friend. Offering myself in her place, but he shook his head, continuing to drag her closer to the edge.

"SERENS! PLEASE! HELP ME!" Birkley screamed, finally able to say something. Her attempts at escape were futile, and so were mine. They were too strong for us.

As I continued to lurch against Riley's stone cold grip, I watched as Birkley and Luke fell over the edge, disappearing from my sight. A scream louder than I knew I was capable of producing escaped my lips. I screamed for Birkley to be ok. I screamed to be let go from this iron grip. I screamed for help saving her. I screamed for myself, because I wasn't quick enough and I wasn't smart enough.

My voice cracked as my screams echoed through the air, Riley's laughter from behind me barely able to be heard.