The Lost And The Wicked

Chapter 10

My eyes open. A red blur moves before me.

"Hey, wake up," says the blur.

"Wha-huh?" Did the behemoth get me? Am I in some kind of Daitengu base?

"C'mon, darling. Are you okay?" Even though I don't know much about the Daitengu, I highly doubt they would call me "darling." Which can only mean I'm still with the masked man.

"Where am I?" The words slur out of my mouth.

"Shhh, you got hurt. Don't worry, I got you." My body jerks up and down. His strong arms wrap around my legs and neck, and his heart beats a thousand times a minute. He's drenched in sweat, which might explain the wet sensation on my cheek.

"Where are you taking me?" I ask. He answers, but all I make out are echoes in my head. A second, later my mind wanders off....

≈≈≈

Where am I? That is the first question that races through my head when I wake up. There is some type of blindfold wrapped around my eyes. The material under me is soft and plush. I must be in some type of bed. I remove the blindfold. At first, all I see are blurs. Slowly, however, my eyesight adjusts.

I'm in a poorly lit room. At least, that's what I think at first, but then I take a better look around. The walls are made of rock and dirt. A few of the rocks shine with the elements of gold and silver embedded in them. I'm not in a room. I'm in a cave.

The sudden, loud banging noise that echoes through the cave makes me jump. I turn and gasp as I notice a shirtless man hunched over a small fire. It's just like the ones Dad and I used to make on our hunting trips.

"Hey, Cole...." I bring my hands over my mouth. What if it's not him? After all, Cole had a mask, and this man does not. What if it's another scarecrow?

 Better play it safe. Slowly, I crawl out of the bed. The cave floor is cold, too cold. I grab a large rock and sneak toward the man. When I am a few feet away from reaching my target, my world spins. I stumble and crash into the cave's wall. My legs buckle. A pair of warm hands catches me and carries me back to bed.

"What do you think you're doing getting up in your condition?" Cole says as he gently sets me down. He no longer wears that ridiculous mask. I gape at him in shock. I had expected someone old, but the man before me looks to be only a bit older than me. His face has a rugged charm to it. He has short stubble, dark wavy hair, blue eyes, and a narrow nose.

I swallow hard as I take a look at his upper body. His strongly chiseled abs and chest are out for the world to see.

He flashes me a grin. "See something you like, darling?"

Shaking my head, I snap to attention. "You wish. Besides, my name is not darling, it's Mandy. M-A-N-D-Y."

"Well, darling, I'm Cole Dalton."

"Yeah, yeah. I already know your name. Why won't you instead tell me what happened?"

"The behemoth knocked the wall down. We got buried in the rubble."

I tilt my head. "How is it that he didn't find us?"

"He found Clyde and dragged him away screaming. So I guess your idea of hiding him with us was a good one."

"That wasn't my idea. I wanted to save him."

"Well, that backfired. I doubt the behemoth had any plans to save him. The fact that he didn't kill him immediately probably means they're going to turn him."

"Into one of those Daitengu things?" I ask slowly.

He nods. "I suppose so."

"I got him killed," I whisper, guilt gnawing at me. "I essentially signed his death warrant."