Chapter 31
Nathan's POV
I tried to keep my eyes open. The cave had gone quiet.
Only the distant sound of crickets and dripping water remained.
Kieran had been gone for a while now.
My leg hurt like hell. Every small movement sent sharp pain shooting through it. My left arm felt worse.
Broken. It had to be broken.
I swallowed hard and forced myself to move.
A painful grunt escaped my lips as I dragged myself against the cave wall, trying to sit up properly.
Pain exploded through my body instantly.
I breathed heavily through clenched teeth.
God…It hurts so much.
The cave was dark now. Only faint moonlight spilled through the entrance, barely lighting the rocky floor.
I rested my head weakly against the stone behind me.
Then—a snap. A branch breaking. My eyes lifted immediately.
"Kieran?" I called weakly.
Silence.
"Kieran, is that you?"
Something moved outside the cave.
Then slowly—a figure stepped into the moonlight.
My blood ran cold. A coyote.
Its eyes glowed faintly in the darkness. It stared directly at me. My breathing stopped.
No… The animal growled lowly before taking another slow step toward me.
I could barely move. I looked around frantically.
There was nothing. No weapon. No way to run.
My fingers brushed against a small broken stick lying beside me.
I grabbed it quickly with shaking hands and pointed it toward the animal.
"Go away…" I whispered hoarsely.
The coyote bared its teeth. The growl deepened.
Fear crawled up my spine.
I waved the stick desperately. But instead of backing away— it suddenly lunged.
"KIERAN!"
I shut my eyes tightly. Then—
BANG!
A gunshot echoed through the woods.
The coyote yelped and bolted away immediately.
My eyes snapped open. Footsteps rushed toward me.
"Nathan!"
Zane.
I saw him running into the cave, panic written all over his face.
His breathing was uneven.
"Nathan—"
His voice sounded distant.
Relief hit me so suddenly it almost hurt.
My vision blurred heavily.
And the last thing I saw—
was Zane reaching me before everything went dark.
----
Kieran's POV
I pushed forward through the forest.
I needed to find help.
Fast.
Nathan had looked terrible when I left him. Like he was barely holding on.
My head throbbed violently as I walked, but I ignored it.
I just needed to get back with help.
The rain had stopped, but the ground was still slippery beneath my boots.
Branches scratched against my arms as I moved deeper through the woods, searching for higher ground.
If I could just get to the hill— maybe I'd see the horse club. Maybe someone would see me.
I grabbed onto a tree and started climbing up the muddy slope carefully.
Then suddenly—
a hiss.
I froze instantly.
A snake was coiled around the branch inches from my hand.
Its body tightened.
Tongue flicking.
I slowly pulled my hand back.
The snake stared at me for a second before slithering away into the darkness. I exhaled shakily.
"Fuck…" I looked around the forest.
This place was supposed to be animal-free.
I continued climbing. The mud made it difficult. Guess years at the surviving camp finally paid.
Twice I nearly slipped back down.
My head hurt worse now.
A sharp pounding pain at the back of my skull.
Like something was stabbing into it repeatedly.
But finally— I pulled myself onto the top of the hill.
And then I heard it.
The sound of blades cutting through the air. A helicopter.
Relief hit me instantly.
"HEY!" I shouted hoarsely. I waved both arms.
"DOWN HERE!"
A bright searchlight suddenly swept across the hill before landing directly on me.
I shielded my eyes. The helicopter slowly descended nearby.
Wind blasted violently around me as it landed.
I raised an arm over my face. The door opened.
Uncle Patrick jumped out first.
"Kieran!" he shouted, rushing toward me.
I staggered slightly.
He grabbed my shoulders immediately.
His eyes dropped to my bloodstained singlet.
I had given my shirt to Nathan.
The blood covering me was Nathan's.
Then I saw Dad climbing down from the helicopter too.
Patrick looked at me carefully.
"Are you okay?" he asked loudly over the noise.
The helicopter blades slowly began to stop spinning.
"I'm fine," I said quickly. "It's not mine."
I looked back toward the woods desperately.
Then— faintly— I heard it.
"Kieran!" Nathan.
My heart clenched.
"That's Nathan," I said immediately, grabbing Uncle Patrick's arm. "We need to go back—he's injured badly."
"Where is he?" Patrick asked seriously.
But before I could answer—
pain exploded through my head.
My vision blurred violently.
"Kieran?"
Uncle Patrick's voice sounded distant.
I lifted a shaky hand to the back of my head. Wet. I pulled my hand away slowly. Blood.
For a second— I just stared at it.
Then my knees suddenly gave out beneath me.
"Kieran!" Dad shouted. Voices erupted around me.
"Get the stretcher!"
Everything spun. I could barely hear anymore.
Then— a gunshot echoed through the forest.
Nathan.
"Nathan…" I whispered weakly.
Darkness pressed against the edges of my vision.
"You'll be fine," Uncle Patrick's voice said somewhere nearby.
But the last thing on my mind—
was whether Nathan was safe.