No matter the fact that Duran was beginning to almost threaten Matt's life at this point, the stubborn teen absolutely refused to disband the L.E.R.
"They won't expect us to be in the middle of the forest," he insisted as he ran with the others. "We'll find someplace to hide there until..."
"Until what, the Guardians find us?" Duran asked sarcastically.
Garvit pointed at Matt's glowing coat pocket. "Give me that! Let me see the Indicator. My jacket's darker, and I want to see why it's lighting up like that." Matt thrust it into his arms, not really caring about him having it at the moment.
"It's trying to get me killed!" Angelia whispered in horror as she narrowly avoided a tree.
"I think the Fearlings see us," Garvit said at an equal volume, pointing into the black sky.
"Then put the Indicator away!" Matt said back, nearly smacking him. The object's white needle was so very close to being exactly between the two sections, even closer than before. Garvit stashed it in his jacket. "We need to find a place to hide. Somewhere we can seal off from the outside."
"Like where?" Duran asked. Matt didn't have an answer. As much as he hated to admit it, Duran had a good point. He couldn't spot anywhere suitable.
"Just disband, Matt!" Angelia begged. "Please!"
"Only if they come close to killing you."
*/*/*/*
Haven was back to sprinting through the harsh night, unsure of what sort of energy reserve she was running on now. She felt like her body was breaking down, dying even, but her legs were numb, moving in some sort of exhausting rhythm with the rest of her. She hurried into Matt's grandpa's house, gasping for breath.
"They ran into the forest," the old man informed her, looking rather grave, and so she flew out the back door. They had to be heading for the cave. There was nowhere else she knew of that they'd be going.
The Fearlings were far ahead of her, though, and that worried her. How could she make it in time? And what could she possibly do to help? She had no weapons. But perhaps she could think of a way out of the situation.
The only thing she could come up with, however, was to pretend to disband and then come back together later, and the Fearlings would probably just threaten someone again once they resumed meeting. Also, it would require her to reach the others before the Fearlings did, and those shadowy creatures were going much faster than she.
*/*/*/*
"We should've gone for the cave," Garvit said. "Then we'd at least have something at our backs."
Matt shot him a glare. "Keep quiet!"
"They already know where we are!" Garvit's usual confident air wavered with a note of fear.
"They're really close, Matt!" Angelia said, barely audible. The Fearlings were gaining ground, now only about ten feet from directly above them.
"If they attack us, I will physically hurt you," Duran threatened Matt.
"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea, getting at me instead of them."
Garvit suddenly pointed at what appeared to be a small cave in the low hill ahead of them. "Look over there!"
"I'm not sure I can fit through that hole..." Angelia said.
"But you can try," Matt said.
*/*/*/*
YOU ARE READING
To Survive without the Guardians
FanfictionHaven Avery and Matt Sloan have gone many years of their lives being haunted by Fearlings, or, as they know them as, "shadow ghost people" or "demons." They don't know why they're targeted, but they don't really care. They're much more concerned wit...
