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“I’m afraid I can’t allow that, Elsbeth.”
In a moment of either complete grandeur or stupidity, I’m not sure which, I stand my ground. “If you want my hand in marriage, you will free them.”
Kragen stands, staring at me. I can’t tell from the look on his face what’s about to happen. I refuse to lethim see how terrified I am. I mask my energy the best I can, hoping to hide the terror I feel inside. “Are you refusing your hand in marriage if I don’t allow them to go?”
“Aye,” I answer.
He moves toward the door, opening it wide. “Very well, you may go.”
I stare at the creature in front of me. “Nothing will happen to them?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing will happen to them.”
“I have your word that they’ll leave the ship without harm?”
“You seem so untrusting of me, my dear.” His words send chills down my spine.
“It’s okay,” I whisper to the group. David is the first one out. The look on his face mirrors my own.
“Welcome, child.” Kragen moves away from the door, giving him space. The girls who were unconscious earlier have awoken and are crawling behind him. I rush to their sides, offering help.
The small group works its way to the railing of the ship. “How are they going to get down?” I ask, looking over the water.
“There’s a ladder,” Kragen answers, pointing at the flimsy rope ladder attached to the side of the ship.
“They’re too weak. They’ll never make it.”
Kragen shrugs. “That is not my concern.”
“You promised,” I argue.
“No, my dear. I gave my word they would leave theship without harm. What happens on the way down wasn’t part of the deal.”
“Semantics.”
He raises his eyebrows. “Quite possibly.”
I wrap the three weakest girls in my arms and jump from the main deck to the inlet, bypassing the water altogether.
“How did you do that?” a weak voice says as I lay them on the sand.
“Rest. I’ll be back.” I jump back to the ship, landing in front of David and the girl who walked into the quarters.
“You impress me, my dear,” Kragen says from the deck.
I ignore his words, picking up the two remaining humans and copying my movements from before, I jump them close to the others. “What do we do now?” David asks, looking into the seemingly endless forest.
“You live.” The SUV that brought me here is sitting in the same spot as before. Climbing inside, I’m grateful for Jimmy’s stupidity and the keys still being in the ignition. I hand them to David. “Get them out of here.”
“Wait!” a voice yells across the inlet. “Don’t leave me here!” I turn, finding Maddie, working her way across the dense forest toward us. Behind her lurks something from nightmares. Kragen. His humanness has transformed into the creature from my memories.
“No!” I scream seconds before Kragen bites into her neck, draining the remaining blood from her weakbody. I watch in horror as her lifeless body falls to the ground in silence.
“Did he just…” David begins.
“He did. Go, now!”
“I don’t know how to drive,” he answers.
