No Mercy

Chapter 6

My feet can't move fast enough as I flee through the forest.

No no no no. I chant to myself, trying to force my legs faster.

Turn around! Najee demands, desperate to look at him again.

My hand temporarily braces itself on a near tree trunk as I barely catch myself from falling. I push off of it and start running again, trying to make it back to the residential part of town. There will be people there. He won't follow me there.

There is an intruder on the Southern border! I yell to Units 9 and 11. Shit I mean the Northern one. Fuck why the hell aren't you covering all the borders anyway?

They are probably equal distance from me at this point. I don't care who gets here first as long as they get here fast. Take him to the-

My sentence is cut off as the trample of footsteps behind me draws my attention. The sound of footsteps nearly matches mine. 

He's running. 

He's following me.

He's following us! Najee squeals like a teenager girl that was just asked to prom.

We have to get away! I screech frantically back at her, trying not to trip over the tree roots as I make my escape.

"Please come back!" I hear his voice call out from behind us.

We're at the Northern border. No sign of anyone. The Lead of Unit 11 reports.

Alpha we are in the clearing for the Southern border now. There is no one here. The Lead of Unit 9 reports. Where is the intruder?

He's following me! I yell at them, ducking so I don't crash into a low hanging branch.

Almost there. Come on, almost there.

Where are you? Someone asks but I can't answer. I can only focus on putting one foot in front of the other.

Stop! Najee yells, trying to force my feet to stop moving.

"Please stop running!" He pants. I slow down instinctively at the sound of his pleading voice. The distance closes between us.

My eyes widen when I realize what I'm doing. "No!" I yell, picking up my pace again.

Where the hell are those units? Can't they get here any quicker?

Rylan just stop and calm down. You are acting absolutely ridiculous. Najee huffs at my frantic dash back to town. He's your mate not the Grim Reaper!

Fingertips graze the back of my neck as I finally see a break in the trees.

Get him away from me! I screech to the whole pack, the panic clear in my voice.

I just need somebody to stop him. Anybody.

Too many voices echo back to my panicked distress call.

Alpha!

Get who away?

Where are you?

What's happening?

I'm coming Alpha!

Who?

What's happening? Where...

His fingers touch me again, pressing harder against my skin this time.

Fire shoots down my spine, a warm sensation of tingles remaining as I push myself just out of reach.

I should stop running. I think about the children that were in the front yard. We'll run right past them. I should turn around and fight him, forcing him to stop following me. I shouldn't let him get into town.