Seventh Mark (Part 1 +2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

“Bathroom break. Where are they?”
    “Up the hill.
Over there.” He pointed in the direction. “Do you see the line of
trees? Just follow them and where the one big tree is, they’re just
behind there. See a few people heading back? I can take you.”
    “No!” I’d
rather die. “Uh, no thanks, I’m pretty sure I can find my way.” I
stood and made a beeline for the trees. Glancing back, Grace stood
by Simon, blocking my view of him. Quickly sneaking into the
forest, I figured I had about four minutes before Simon came
looking for me.
    Simon was nice
but a little overbearing. He seemed the long-term kind of guy. I
planned on bolting after graduation. Now, Michael, he might be an
interesting short-term thing. I scoffed. Who was I kidding?
    The thick grass
and leaves muffled the music and noise from the beach, making it
peaceful. I walked farther into the trees. Enjoying the moment, I
leaned back against a large oak tree, closing my eyes.
    The cicadas,
crickets and every other insect around me abruptly went quiet. A
strange, hushed silence. The hairs on the nape of my neck rose.
Holding my breath, I strained to hear something, anything, around
me. Opening my eyes, I stared into the forest. Eyes not adjusted to
the dark, I couldn’t make anything out but trees and shadows.
    My heart
hammered over-adrenalized and fight or flight screamed. Stumbling,
I suddenly couldn’t remember the way back to the beach. Muffled
music seemed to come from all around. Placing the sound grew
impossible. The blood rushing in my ears made it even harder to
concentrate.
    Swallowing
hard, I took a tentative step forward and froze. In front of me, a
pair of large amber-yellow eyes with obscenely black pupils shone
crystal-clear in the dark. A low, guttural growl escaped from the
darkness. Hot putrid breath slid across my face. I nearly
gagged.
    Whatever the
freakin’ thing was, it was mammoth. I couldn’t find an outline of
its body, just a shadow. Terrified, I was positive if I screamed
the thing would jump out and attack me before I could get the sound
out.
    “Crap, crap,
crap…” Body still frozen, I looked left to right and tried not to
move my head. Hadn’t Grace said she could take care of both of
us ? “Grace…Michael?” I whispered. Shuffling slightly around
the tree, my eyes never left the spot where the wicked monster
stood. Tears of fear ran down my cheeks when I bumped into the
rough bark of the tree behind me.
    This is
it. There was nothing I could do. I’d walked straight into this
den of death. Realizing the certainty, I exhaled a slow breath,
willing my heart to calm. I began to hear and think more clearly.
Someone called my name. The monster’s eyes shifted slightly, as if
it too listened.
    I managed a
hoarse whisper, “Over here.”
    A snarl filled
the air and the yellow-eyed beast disappeared too fast for anything
that size. Suddenly, Michael appeared, lifting me like a feather
and cradling me tight against him. His hot chest, cool breath and
husky scent distracted me from the terror behind us. In seconds, we
were out of the forest, in the lightened area by the bathrooms.
Grace came rushing over.
    “What the heck
happened?” Her brows crushed together and chest rose with fell in
quick bursts.
    Too soon,
Michael set me down on the grass carefully, like a flower that
might break.
    The horrible
eyes wouldn’t clear from my memory. “I, um, I, damn it! Sorry. Just
give me a sec.” I pressed my hands on my knees, bending over and
trying to fill my lungs with the air I’d forgotten to breathe. “I
stepped into the edge of the trees to give myself a break…from
Simon. Everything went all voodoo quiet, a-and this huge thing with funky eyes showed up!” I shivered, looking behind them
to the trees and darkness. It had happened, right?
    “Stay here. I’m
going to have a look.” Michael disappeared into the forest.
    I reached out.
“You can’t –” I sputtered, but Grace held me back. “He can’t go