I grab a dry branch off the ground and smash it against the chimera’s back. The animal roars, turning toward me and biting at the branch. I let go, sprinting toward Samantha. As the chimera furiously shakes its head to break the branch, I grab hold of Samantha’s arms, yanking her up.
“Run!” I yell.
We both sprint away, jumping over fallen deadwood and rocks. The snarling beast is right behind us. I notice another small cavern in the ground just ahead.
“There! Hide!” I shout.
We both crawl into the space, gasping and coughing. There’s almost no room inside. The chimera pushes through the entrance before getting stuck and growling. It claws at Samantha’s leg and she screams out in pain. I kick the beast in the head. The animal growls, snapping its teeth and trying to push in further. I lie on top of Samantha, shielding her and kicking at the chimera as it attempts to bite my feet. Samantha holds onto my shoulders, crying loudly.
“Get away!” I yell at the animal. “Leave us! Go!”
I feel a sharp rock under my hand. The beast inches in closer. I pull my legs up, turning, and jab the rock into the chimera’s eye. With a roar of anguish, the animal backpedals and leaves.
Samantha and I lie motionless a few more moments, catching our breaths. Her leg is bleeding.
“We have to get out of here,” I say. “A smaller one could get in. It would kill us in here.”
“I can’t,” Samantha sobs. “I can’t do it anymore.”
“We have to,” I mutter. “Come on. Let’s go.”
I grip her arm and pull her out of the cavern. Her face is smeared in mud and blood, sweat dripping off her chin. I guess I look about the same. We hear another scream followed by growling. Holding Samantha’s wrist, I lead her toward a fallen tree and we take cover.
Several minutes later, the guards fire off a flare, signaling that the Terror Race is over. Samantha and I cautiously leave our cover, jogging toward the trucks. I can’t stop thinking about Topaz. I can’t help but wonder how many of us died today.
CHAPTER 12
I kneel panting beside the truck, feeling sick. At least I’m still alive, I think. I’ve survived the first of the six Terror Races.
Several chimeras lie spread across the ground, arrows protruding from their bodies. One arrow to the head would likely have been enough, but the masters didn’t aim for their heads. They enjoyed watching the animals suffer, dying slowly. I wish I could take a rifle from one of the guards and finish off these animals. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to use a gun even if I could.
The masters slice off the horns for trophies. They leave the corpses to swell and rot under the hot sun.
Amy stands beside me, breathing hard. Coagulated blood covers her face and sticks to her hair. Her arms and legs are bruised and scratched. Dennis and Sandro sit on the ground in gloomy silence. Martha and Samantha cry, and Trent stares at the fallen chimeras with a distant look in his eye.
Topaz is dead along with five other racers. The masters don’t bother recovering the bodies. They’ll be left back at the caverns for wild animals to later feed on.
After the masters finish collecting the horns, we’re ordered back inside a truck. Back at our quarters, we shower and proceed to the dining room. I don’t believe I can eat anything, but somehow get down a full bowl of stew.
Inside our room, Amy spends a good half hour soothing and calming Martha. I sit on the top of my bed, wrapping myself with my arms, still in some sort of stupor. I wish I could comfort Martha, but I’m no good at soothing others. When somebody cries I never seem to know what to do or say.
Martha finally cries herself to sleep. Amy sits on top of her bed and glances at me.
“We can’t survive five more races like that,” she states.
“Not likely,” I agree.
“Kora,” Amy looks straight into my eyes. “We have to get out of here.”
I realize that what she says is true, but part of me still hesitates.
“Where would we go?” I ask.
“I don’t know… Perhaps to Bastion. We can’t return to our villages because that’s the first place they would look.” Amy pauses, thinking. Then adds, “Or maybe we could try to find Jingfay.”
“Jingfay?” I frown, recalling an old story I once heard. “I thought she was just a legend.”
Amy shrugs. “Who knows? I heard she was a servant in Central Settlement many years ago. She killed her master, initiated a riot amongst the slaves, and led them far away from here. I’m sure she’d let us join her outfit.”
We spend a few minutes in silence. I think about Jingfay, wondering whether she’s real or not.
“So are you in?” Amy asks.
I’m still having doubts. I dreamt about living in Central Settlement for so long. I held so much hope of finding a better life here. Then I envision the chimera ripping Topaz’s body apart.
“I’m in,” I nod. “But how will we survive in the wilderness?”
“I can fish,” Amy says. “And Dennis can hunt. We’ll try to persuade Dennis and Sandro to escape with us. And we can’t leave Martha here.”
