HUNTED - Chapter 221

[ Sariah ]

The look on Finn’s face kept flashed through Sariah’s mind as she kept hidden in the shadows of the log cabin. It must be awful to hear his friend going through such an ordeal. Sariah has witnessed the disgusting acts of what some of the hunters’ put creatures through, and she knew Clint would take advantage of what happened at the compound.

When Sariah was first called to his cabin, she didn’t know what to expect. But she did manage to get a glimpse at the she-wolf Clint carried back with him. Aila had not been seen since. Sariah only knew of her whereabouts from observing Clint from afar, watching him as he exited and locked the basement door.

Sariah crept across the hallway, her footsteps light, avoiding the creaky floorboards she scouted out previously. She felt a shiver ripple through her body as she approached the bedroom Clint was occupying. The hunter was a highly intelligent man, that much she knew, and if he locked Aila in the basement, he would keep the key with him at all times. Even if the she-wolf was unconscious, he would be prepared for anything.

She wrapped her hand around the doorknob to his room, slowly twisting it down and opening the door just enough for her to peek through. The lights were off, but that didn’t mean he was asleep. Sariah didn’t trust anything about Clint, he could be pretending to be asleep, or he might already know she was there. But she forced down her trepidation and focused on the task at hand; she would not let fear control her.

She almost scoffed out loud. If her parents knew what she was doing right now.. she shook her head. It did not matter; she was already the ‘black sheep’ of the family. Sariah was the best in her class for sneak attacks and hiding. She knew how to fight, shoot a gun and crossbow, but much to her parent’s disdain, she did not think like them and most of her classmates. She had the skills but not the intent to kill anyone unless it was absolutely necessary.

Sariah slipped through the door and crept down to hide against the foot of the double bed. The only light in the room was from the window behind his bed. Though the curtains were drawn, the light crept through along the ceiling. Sariah kept herself in a crouching position as she slowly rounded the bed.

She did not want to be so close to him, but there was no choice about it. Clint lay on his back, his arms by his side like he was a corpse. She could smell the soap he used in the shower, and his hair was unnaturally unkempt; his chest was bare, revealing the key on a chain around his neck. This was the key they needed, and of course, it was still on him.

Sariah glanced at his face. It was cruel to see his face relaxed and peaceful after the disturbing and disgusting things he has done in his life. Nevertheless, Sariah hoped this would be the last she saw of him. She slowly straightened up and leaned over him, careful with her movements as she held her breath and reached for his neck.

Sariah worked quietly and quickly, pulling the necklace away and around his head without him so much as moving. The last of the chain slid past his hair, and she looked at the key in the palm of her hand. Brilliant! She turned on her heel and started to sneak away, unaware of the man in the bed reaching for the knife he kept hidden under his pillow.

Sariah made it to the door and paused after hearing a slight creak in the floorboards. She instantly turned around and blocked the hand swinging towards her. Her eyes widened at the knife that sliced the side of her arm and the smug smile on Clint’s face.

“Hmmm… What do we have here?” He drawled before pulling his knife back. “Give me the key, and this will all be forgotten about..”

Sariah scoffed, “Yeah, right.” She instantly twisted from his reach, elbowed him in the ribs before jumping out of the way from his knife.

Finn’s footsteps thundered through the cabin, distracting Clint momentarily, giving Sariah enough time to lunge forward and tackle him to the ground. She landed on top of him and used her weight to keep him on the floor. The blade flung from his hand and landed on the floorboard by the side of his face.

Both of their heads whipped to the side, eying the dagger that still wobbled in the ground. As Clint reached for it, Sariah socked him in the nose before smacking the side of his neck where a pressure point was. His body instantly relaxed, and his eyes shut with the blood pooling out of his nose.

“Sariah!” Finn called out to her, pulling her off of Clint easily, as though she weighed nothing more than a doll.

“I’m fine. Come on, let’s go before he wakes up.” Sariah knelt down and grabbed the key again.

“You’re injured.” Finn reached for her arm, but she smoothly stepped out of his reach.

“It’s just a scratch. I know Aila is in worse condition,” Sariah replied, hastily walking back towards the basement. Finn didn’t respond, but he didn’t need to; she could feel the anger and despair radiating off him. She was a little surprised that the werewolf didn’t attack Clint. She glanced behind her, quickly assessing his annoyingly attractive features; he didn’t seem the kind of man to kill someone when they were down.

A gentle smile crept up her face, not that he would see with her mask on. But she couldn’t help it; Finn was really.. something. Sariah blinked in shock again at her sudden feelings. This was not the time!

They arrived in front of the basement door. Just as Sariah unlocked it, she looked back at Finn. “She won’t be in a good state. But it won’t be long until you are both safe,” She said quietly and gently touched his arm, providing some form of comfort hopefully.

Sariah opened the door and searched for the light. Once she found the switch, she heard Finn gasp and rush to the center of the basement. In the middle was a metal table with the girl Sariah saw Clint bring back to the cabin. Her beautiful white hair was swept back behind her ears, her face was pale, and she had a sheen of sweat covering her forehead. But what made them both look on in horror at the stunning yet ill-looking she-wolf were the numerous cuts covering her body.

Aila lay there in her bra and knickers, a blanket over her feet. The latest cuts looked to be on her inner thighs. Sariah shut her mouth after hearing Finn curse and pull his hands away from the table. She grabbed his wrist and saw the burn marks forming on his hands. The table was made from silver!

That poor girl!

“I’ll unstrap her,” Sariah murmured, glancing at his face warily after seeing his body shake. Was this from anger? Or was it a mix of rage and his werewolf genes? His amber eyes started to glow as she removed the collar gingerly; she placed it on the side after seeing the thick collar mark of burnt skin. She was quick to unhook Aila’s hands and legs; the she-wolf must have passed out from the pain; she did not even stir.

Finn came forwards after Sariah helped sit Aila up, her head flopped back, her hair falling back in waves to cover her mutilated back. Sariah used the blanket to cover her up as much as possible; even with her body burning up, she wanted her dignity in place along with not catching a cold. Finn then lifted her up, one arm under her knees and the other holding her torso against his, her head resting on his chest.

Sariah placed Aila’s hands in her lap and looked at her face, blinking away the tears. Aila had cuts on her face and bruises, but one cut on her lips stood out the most; it was cut precisely in a slant from her bottom lip to the top lip. Even with her body covered in cuts and bruises, Sariah could see she was a stunning girl.

“Will they scar?” Sariah’s whisper was filled with anguish. She did not know this girl, but nobody deserved this treatment. She looked at Finn’s face and pursed her lips from watching the muscle in his jaw tick.

Finn began walking away, but Sariah jumped in front of him, speaking over her shoulder, “I should go first.” She needed to protect them, and their time was most likely running out.

Sariah led the way out of the log cabin; there were no signs of Clint or the other hunters, making her wonder if they had truly gotten away. But she refused to let herself become excited; they weren’t in the clear yet. They snuck around the cabin and raced towards the barn.

Sariah had set up the car, but she couldn’t move it far from the others without it looking suspicious. She wanted to move it to the woods or next to the cabin, but Clint would notice and immediately be suspicious. Sariah skidded towards the ground and picked up the small bag she left behind the car’s front wheel.

She pulled out the keys, eying her guns and her surroundings. Hopefully, she wouldn’t need to use them. She opened the back door for Finn, who climbed inside with Aila sprawling out across the seats and his lap. Sariah bit her tongue from the tightness forming in her chest at how protective he seemed for his friend.

The huntress shook her head and climbed into the driver’s seat, throwing her bag onto the passenger seat. She knew what the feeling was and did not wish to confront it. She did not know the pair well enough to make any judgments.

Sariah turned the car on and instantly put it in gear, placing her hand on the passenger seat headrest and looking out the back window, reversing the vehicle swiftly to the point it made a screeching noise while spinning it around before speeding off down the dirt track.

“Shouldn’t we be quiet?!” Finn looked outside the windows with widened eyes.

“Clint has sensors up ahead. Everyone will know something is wrong once we pass them. I’m making sure we have a good head start before they do.” Sariah glanced in the rear-view mirror as she spoke before paying attention to the road.

She left her headlights off on purpose, though it was still hard to see. The bumps in the road rocked their bodies from side to side, and Sariah whipped her head back to look at Aila after hearing her whimper and sob out a name.

“Damon!”