Gaze (✔)

Chapter Two: Caught

Chapter Two: Caught

Clara wasted no time wallowing in self-pity. They were gone, and it was up to her to survive now.

She crouched down, emptying the contents of the bag onto the grass. There wasn’t a lot here; clearly Theo had taken his own share of her things. She was left with a full revolver, a hunting knife and her least favourite weapon: a dagger. Much to her irritation, the other hunter had also taken her crossbow. In her opinion, it was her best weapon. Fast-firing and silent, she was deadly when wielding it.

With a sigh, she secured the dagger and its sheath around her waist, slipping the knife inside her boot and leaving the gun in hand. She hurried on foot to the main road, wishing it wasn’t so deserted. She shivered as she walked; her jeans and jacket doing little to protect her from Maine’s harsh weather.

Fear crept at the edges of her mind. She was alone in werewolf territory, probably being hunted by the Alpha wolf in that very moment. The only thing she could think of was to steal a car from the town and get the hell out of there. She knew how to hotwire – although couldn’t boast that she was good at it.

She focussed on her surroundings, keeping her eyes open. The town was at least a mile away from their make-shift campsite, and the road was surrounded by forest. There was no doubt the wolves would find her before she made it out of here.

Her muscles were sore from the exertions of the night, and she felt the effects of only two hours’ sleep kicking in. There was no way she would survive the night in this state. Suddenly, a noise made her eyes widen with panic. A howl.

She wasn’t sure how far away the wolf was, but it was still too close. Clutching the revolver tight in her hand, she bounded off the road and into the fringe of the forest. Ensuring the road was still in view, she tucked the pistol in the waistband of her jeans and hoisted herself up to a low hanging branch. From there, it was easy for her to climb up. She had trained for this, after all.

Once she was as high as she could safely get, Clara settled on a thick, sturdy branch, leaning back against the trunk and catching her breath. Despite her secure position now, she knew she could possibly fall if she fell asleep. Oh well, she thought, deciding to take the chance.

As soon as she closed her eyes, however, a rustling jolted her to wakefulness. She fumbled with her gun, aiming it at the dark forest floor below and holding her breath.

Something emerged from the undergrowth. Clara put her finger on the trigger – and stopped, sighing audibly in relief. It was a doe. The frail animal crossed the space beneath her quickly, glancing up only once. She chuckled quietly, lowering her gun onto her lap.

Suddenly, the deer bolted in the opposite direction of the road, clearly spooked by something. She heard it a moment later: the roar of an engine.

She craned her neck around the tree to see the road, holding a branch for balance. A large, black car came into view, but instead of continuing to barrel down the road, it came to a stop exactly in line with her. Clara resisted a gasp, pulling her head back to where she was out of sight. She raised the revolver again, hearing the engine cut off.

Slam, the doors were closed. A garble of quiet voices reached her ears, barely recognisable. She stayed absolutely still, silently hoping that they couldn’t hear her pounding heart. The sounds of footsteps were getting closer, but she dared not look behind her again. Futilely, she tried to settle her nerves. From what she could hear, there were two people in the forest beneath her, possibly someone in the car. She had six bullets, and an excellent vantage point. It should be easy, she assured herself.