Beautiful Chaos
Page 114
“Ethan! We’re going the wrong way.”
Lena was right. We should have been running toward Ravenwood, instead of through the tangled cotton fields that used to be part of Blackwell, the plantation that once stood on the other side of Greenbrier. But there was nowhere else to go. Abraham was standing between Ravenwood and us, his sadistic smile revealing the truth. This was a game, and he was enjoying it.
“We don’t have a choice. We have to—”
Lena cut me off before I could finish. “Something’s wrong. I can feel it.”
The sky darkened above us, and I heard a low rumbling sound. But it wasn’t thunder or the unmistakable screams of Vexes.
“What is that?” I was dragging Lena up the hill that used to lead from the road to Blackwell Plantation.
Before she could answer, the ground started moving beneath us. It felt like it was rolling under my feet, and I struggled to keep my balance. The rumbling sound was getting louder, and there were other noises—trees splitting and falling, the strangled symphony of thousands of lubbers, and a faint cracking coming from behind us.
Or below us.
Lena saw it first. “Oh my God!”
The earth was cracking down the middle of the dirt road, the split heading right for us. As the crack spread, the ground opened up, and dirt poured into the fissure like quicksand being sucked into a hole.
It was an earthquake.
It seemed impossible because quakes didn’t happen in the South. They happened in places out west, like California. But I’d seen enough movies to recognize one.
The sound was as terrifying as the sight of the ground consuming itself. The black streak of Vexes above us reared back, heading straight for us.
The ground behind us was splitting faster, tearing like a seam.
“We can’t outrun it! Or them!” Lena’s voice was ragged. “We’re trapped!”
“Maybe not.” I looked over the side of the hill and saw the Beater skidding across the road below us. Link was driving like his mom had just caught him drinking in church. There was something in front of the Beater, moving even faster than the car.
It was Boo. Not the lazy black dog that slept at the foot of Lena’s bed. This was a Caster dog that looked like a wolf, and ran faster than one.
Lena looked back. “We’ll never make it!”
Abraham was still standing in the distance, untouched by the winds swirling around him. He turned to look over the side of the hill, where the Beater was racing along the road below.
I looked down, too. Link was hanging out the window shouting at me. I couldn’t hear him, but whatever he was urging us to do—jump, run, I didn’t even know—there was no time.
I shook my head silently, glancing back at Abraham one last time. Link’s eyes followed mine.
Then he was gone.
The Beater was still moving, but the driver’s seat was empty. Boo jumped out of the way as the car sped past him, ignoring the curve in the road. The Beater flipped, crashing down onto the road over and over.
I saw the roof cave in at the same time I heard the rip—
A hand fumbled for my arm. I was pitched into the black void that transported Incubuses from one place to another, but I didn’t need to see to know it was Link’s hand digging into my skin.
I was still spiraling through the void when I felt his fingers slipping. Then I was falling, and the world came back into view. Slices of the dark sky and flashes of brown—
My back hit something hard, more than once.
I watched the sky pull farther and farther away as I got closer to the ground. But my body slammed against something solid, and suddenly I wasn’t falling anymore.
Ethan!
My arm was caught, and the pain tore up my shoulder. I blinked. I was trapped in a sea of long, brown… branches?
“Dude, are you okay?” I turned slowly toward the sound of his voice. Link was standing at the base of the tree, staring up at me. Lena was beside him, completely panicked.
“I’m trapped in a tree. What do you think?”
Relief spread across Lena’s face.
“I think I just saved your ass with my superpowers.” Link was grinning.
“Ethan, can you get down?” Lena asked.
“Yeah. I don’t think anything’s broken.” I untangled my legs from the branches carefully.
“I can rip you down,” Link offered.
“No, thanks. I got it.” I was afraid of where I might end up if he gave it another shot.
It hurt every time I moved, so it took me a few minutes to climb down. As soon as I hit the ground, Lena threw her arms around me. “You’re okay!”
I didn’t want to mention that if she squeezed me any tighter, I wouldn’t be. I could already feel what little energy I had left draining out of me. “I think so.”
“Hey, you two are heavier than you look. And it was my first time. Cut me some slack.” Link was still grinning. “I did save your lives.”
I held out my fist. “You did, man. We’d be dead if it wasn’t for you.”
He tapped his knuckles against mine. “I guess that makes me a hero.”
“Great. Now your head’s gonna be even bigger, if that’s possible.” He knew what I was really saying—thanks for saving my ass and the girl I love.
Lena hugged him. “Well, you’re my hero.”
“I did sacrifice the Beater.” Link looked over at me. “How bad was it?”
“Bad.”
Lena was right. We should have been running toward Ravenwood, instead of through the tangled cotton fields that used to be part of Blackwell, the plantation that once stood on the other side of Greenbrier. But there was nowhere else to go. Abraham was standing between Ravenwood and us, his sadistic smile revealing the truth. This was a game, and he was enjoying it.
“We don’t have a choice. We have to—”
Lena cut me off before I could finish. “Something’s wrong. I can feel it.”
The sky darkened above us, and I heard a low rumbling sound. But it wasn’t thunder or the unmistakable screams of Vexes.
“What is that?” I was dragging Lena up the hill that used to lead from the road to Blackwell Plantation.
Before she could answer, the ground started moving beneath us. It felt like it was rolling under my feet, and I struggled to keep my balance. The rumbling sound was getting louder, and there were other noises—trees splitting and falling, the strangled symphony of thousands of lubbers, and a faint cracking coming from behind us.
Or below us.
Lena saw it first. “Oh my God!”
The earth was cracking down the middle of the dirt road, the split heading right for us. As the crack spread, the ground opened up, and dirt poured into the fissure like quicksand being sucked into a hole.
It was an earthquake.
It seemed impossible because quakes didn’t happen in the South. They happened in places out west, like California. But I’d seen enough movies to recognize one.
The sound was as terrifying as the sight of the ground consuming itself. The black streak of Vexes above us reared back, heading straight for us.
The ground behind us was splitting faster, tearing like a seam.
“We can’t outrun it! Or them!” Lena’s voice was ragged. “We’re trapped!”
“Maybe not.” I looked over the side of the hill and saw the Beater skidding across the road below us. Link was driving like his mom had just caught him drinking in church. There was something in front of the Beater, moving even faster than the car.
It was Boo. Not the lazy black dog that slept at the foot of Lena’s bed. This was a Caster dog that looked like a wolf, and ran faster than one.
Lena looked back. “We’ll never make it!”
Abraham was still standing in the distance, untouched by the winds swirling around him. He turned to look over the side of the hill, where the Beater was racing along the road below.
I looked down, too. Link was hanging out the window shouting at me. I couldn’t hear him, but whatever he was urging us to do—jump, run, I didn’t even know—there was no time.
I shook my head silently, glancing back at Abraham one last time. Link’s eyes followed mine.
Then he was gone.
The Beater was still moving, but the driver’s seat was empty. Boo jumped out of the way as the car sped past him, ignoring the curve in the road. The Beater flipped, crashing down onto the road over and over.
I saw the roof cave in at the same time I heard the rip—
A hand fumbled for my arm. I was pitched into the black void that transported Incubuses from one place to another, but I didn’t need to see to know it was Link’s hand digging into my skin.
I was still spiraling through the void when I felt his fingers slipping. Then I was falling, and the world came back into view. Slices of the dark sky and flashes of brown—
My back hit something hard, more than once.
I watched the sky pull farther and farther away as I got closer to the ground. But my body slammed against something solid, and suddenly I wasn’t falling anymore.
Ethan!
My arm was caught, and the pain tore up my shoulder. I blinked. I was trapped in a sea of long, brown… branches?
“Dude, are you okay?” I turned slowly toward the sound of his voice. Link was standing at the base of the tree, staring up at me. Lena was beside him, completely panicked.
“I’m trapped in a tree. What do you think?”
Relief spread across Lena’s face.
“I think I just saved your ass with my superpowers.” Link was grinning.
“Ethan, can you get down?” Lena asked.
“Yeah. I don’t think anything’s broken.” I untangled my legs from the branches carefully.
“I can rip you down,” Link offered.
“No, thanks. I got it.” I was afraid of where I might end up if he gave it another shot.
It hurt every time I moved, so it took me a few minutes to climb down. As soon as I hit the ground, Lena threw her arms around me. “You’re okay!”
I didn’t want to mention that if she squeezed me any tighter, I wouldn’t be. I could already feel what little energy I had left draining out of me. “I think so.”
“Hey, you two are heavier than you look. And it was my first time. Cut me some slack.” Link was still grinning. “I did save your lives.”
I held out my fist. “You did, man. We’d be dead if it wasn’t for you.”
He tapped his knuckles against mine. “I guess that makes me a hero.”
“Great. Now your head’s gonna be even bigger, if that’s possible.” He knew what I was really saying—thanks for saving my ass and the girl I love.
Lena hugged him. “Well, you’re my hero.”
“I did sacrifice the Beater.” Link looked over at me. “How bad was it?”
“Bad.”
