Page 51 of Explorer’s Revenge

FORTY-FOUR

MAEVE

P anic grips my chest and tears fill my eyes as I stare down at Logan. His face is pale and covered in sweat, and his eyes are too wide, showing too much white. He’s still screaming, the horrible noise filled with terror and agony.

“My leg, my leg!” he finally shouts. “Is it gone? Is it gone? I can’t—I can’t feel it!”

“Carter, keep him calm!” Way orders. “The more he panics, the faster his heart pumps.”

I feel tears drip down my cheeks as I pull my hands away from the stump where the bottom half of his leg used to be. I’m covered in blood, and Way swears as he tries to stop the bleeding, but Logan is moving so much, it’s hard.

Gripping his face, I force him to look at me. “It’s going to be okay. It’s going to be okay,” I insist, but tears won’t stop falling from my eyes. “You’re my hero, do you know that?”

“Maeve,” he cries. “My leg . . . Is my leg gone?”

I glance at Way, who shakes his head, and I force a smile. “You’re okay. You’ll be okay,” I repeat.

“I can’t . . . I can’t be an explorer without my leg. Is it gone? Please tell me!” he yells as Way does something and swears.

“Pin him down!” he shouts.

I force my full weight across him even as I cry, guilt and horror winding through me. I can still hear the bone crunching when the croc bit off his leg. My stomach churns as I shake my head, trying to focus on Logan and nothing else.

If it wasn’t for him, that would have been me.

He saved me, but at what cost?

Logan eventually passes out, which is a relief. He won’t be in pain this way, but it also gives us the chance we need to stop the bleeding.

“Here,” Wilder says, but I’m so focused on Logan, I don’t react. “Carter! I need you!”

I jerk my head up to see him holding the gun. “You’re the best shot. I’m the best with medicine. Swap!”

Nodding, I grab the rifle with shaking, bloody hands and get to my feet, protecting them as I cry.

My grip slips on the barrel, and I glance from the jungle to Logan. Rick is on his knees, panting and pale, with Aiyaret helping him as Wilder and Way work on him, using my bag and supplies.

No matter what they do, he lost a limb—for me.

The atmosphere is tense and quiet as they work, and eventually, Logan wakes up, screaming once more, before he passes out again, and Wilder sits back.

“That’s all we can do for now. We need to get to the beach immediately!

” He climbs to his feet. “Way, help me carry him. Carter, stay behind us with the gun. Aiyaret, help Rick. We need to run.”

“I can keep up. Focus on Logan,” Rick argues.

Wilder nods and turns to me.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” I chant. “It’s my fault. He tried to protect me.”

“Carter!” I startle as Wilder grips my cheeks. “I need you to focus. We have to get him out of here before we lose him. I can’t do that without you, okay? We can cry later, but for now, we need you.”

Nodding jerkily, I wipe my face, smearing Logan’s blood across it. “I’m good. Let’s move.” I force myself to be okay. He needs me.

Logan saved my life, and now we need to save his.

We move fast. Logan wakes from the jostling, and his weak, pained moans are worse than anything. He lost a lot of blood, and his wound is life-threatening. I’m just praying Ajax will be there when we get to the beach.

Please, please be on your way.

Everything went from happy to shit in seconds, and I blame myself.

I can’t lose him.

That thing doesn’t come back, but we move fast. Sweat dries on me as I run, my stained hands flaking with Logan’s blood. We don’t stop to rest, and he tries to bite back his screams.

“Is Carter okay?” he rasps.

“I’m fine,” I tell him, my voice tight. I’m scarcely able to believe he’s worried about me right now.

“Rick?” he asks.

“He’s fine, stop worrying,” Way barks as he helps carry Logan. “Just focus on yourself, okay?”

“It was pretty badass, right?” he says through gritted teeth. “All heroic and shit. What do you think, Maeve?”

I force back the tears that want to fall. “So badass.” My voice sounds weird, but I know he needs a distraction right now. “My hero. I’ll have to find a way to thank you.”

“I can think of a few ways,” he jokes, but it falls flat when he screams in pain, and a shudder of horror passes through me.

We move faster after that, and we finally break out onto the beach, only to find it empty. Wilder looks at me, his eyes wide. “Where are they?”

“I don’t know.” I yank my bag open and grab the GPS and phone, searching for a signal. “They should be here.”

They lay Rick and Logan down side by side, and I have to close my eyes for a second as they hold each other’s hands. Rick turns to watch Logan as Wilder paces, and Way comforts Aiyaret, who is crying.

“Fuck!” Wilder roars at the ocean before he turns to me and drops to his knees. “Carter, please, where are they?”

Tears well in his eyes as he stares at me, looking so hopeless and lost. “Carter, please, I can’t lose him.”

My hands shake as I stare at him until the phone finally connects, and I hit speaker. “Maeve, is that you?” Ajax asks.

“It’s me! It’s me!” I rush out. “Where are you? We need you. Logan is hurt badly, really badly.”

“We are on our way. Fifteen minutes out. The others?”

“Alive,” I reply. “Rick is hurt, and so is Wilder, but Logan—please, Ajax, hurry.”

“We’ll be there. We have your position. I have two medics with me, just don’t move, do you hear me? Do not move! Now, let me talk to Wilder.” I hand the phone over. “Okay, Wilder, talk me through his condition. They are listening, and we might be able to help while you wait.”

Wilder hurries to his brother’s side, and I step back, watching them.

A hiss behind me has me turning, and I see the creature in the jungle, ready to attack again. They are all oblivious as they work on their brother, trying to keep him alive. Gripping the gun tighter, I spare them a look.

They won’t be safe while that thing is here.

They saved my life, and now it’s my turn to save theirs.

I’ll buy them the time until Ajax gets here.

I allow myself one last look at them before I turn away, wishing I could tell them how much they mean to me, but they are focused on Logan, and if they realized what I planned to do, they would stop me.

No. I need to save them and give the rescue team time.

Silently, I head toward the jungle and dive into the brush. Grabbing a rock, I toss it at the creature. It hisses but moves farther away, so I grab another one and slice the palm of my hand so I’m bleeding, then I toss it again.

It turns as I keep throwing more, and I walk backwards into the jungle as it advances on me. I need to lead it away. I’m also running out of ammo, so I need my shots to be true.

“Come on, you ugly motherfucker!” I growl as it snaps and shuffles after me. “You can’t have them, you understand me? They are mine!”

Smacking the gun into my side, I make as much noise as I can as I back up. “Come on, you prehistoric bitch. Are you hungry? I’m right here! Finish what you started!”

Glancing back, I see a huge rock on my right, and an idea comes to mind.

It’s a truly terrible one, but it’s all I have.

I back toward it as the croc snaps and hisses, lunging at me as I taunt it.

I don’t care how long this creature has been here or that we stumbled into its home and it’s defending itself—I won’t let it hurt any more of the guys.

I’ll keep them safe no matter what.

“Come on!” I yell as I back up close to the rock, feeling it behind me just as it lunges.

My back hits the massive boulder hard, and I curl into it, screaming as the croc charges me, opening its mouth. It snaps into the rock, missing me, and moves back, shaking its head, and I see a tooth come loose.

It’s working. The way the rock is slanted means it can’t get to the curve in the middle. It’s the only chance I have. I need to be close to kill this motherfucker. Raising the gun with steady hands, I feel everything in me go cold as I blow out a breath and extend my arms.

One of us will die here, and it won’t be me.

I have too much to live for.

“Come on!” I shout. “I’m right here. You want to kill me? Go ahead. I’m taking you with me.” It hisses again, and I snarl, “I’m right here! Come on!”

It finally lunges toward me.

I fire into its open mouth as its jaws close over me, hitting the rock above and the ground below. It struggles, trying to snap its mouth closed, but it’s caught, and I keep firing, my arms and sides being torn by those vicious teeth as it tries its best to eat me.

I keep firing until the gun clicks empty, and it’s only then I realize it isn’t moving.

Blood drips down my body, and I blink, breathing heavily as I look around.

It’s dead—it has to be. I slide up higher on the rock, freezing as a hiss escapes its mouth, and I swear its jaw clamps down before it suddenly snaps again.

Screaming, I scramble for anything to help me as it shakes and struggles.

My hand connects with something, so I lift it and stab.

I keep stabbing as its mouth snaps again.

Reaching through its sharp teeth, I swing over and over at its head with a bellow.

I’m wild with my need to kill until my body gives into exhaustion.

Heavy and done, I drop my arm and see the blood-covered tooth of the beast in my grip.

It’s frozen, and I worry for a moment it’s a trap until it collapses, seeming to deflate.

It’s . . . It’s dead.

Panting, I struggle to slide out from under it. I have to crawl, and I feel my back shred against its teeth before I crumple on the wet ground, bleeding and exhausted.

The creature is dead and unmoving.

“Eat that, motherfucker,” I rasp.

“Maeve! Please, Maeve!” I hear them yell, and I know I need to go back to the beach before they come after me.

They have to focus on Logan. That thought gets me going, even as my body wants to give in to the agony coursing through me.

Stumbling to my feet, I use their worried shouts as a beacon.

My leg aches and wants to give out, my body deciding now would be a good time to pack it in.

Adrenaline is the only thing that keeps me going until I stumble out onto the beach to find a panicking Aiy right in front of me.

“Maeve!” He yanks me into his arms. “What happened?”

I lean into him as Wilder and Way look at me. “It’s dead,” I say. “I killed it.” Pulling away from Aiy, I sit in the sand next to Logan. “How is he?”

“He’s going to be okay. They are almost there.” I glance at Wilder as he sets off a flare. “You’re fucking crazy, Carter.”

“Don’t forget it.” I smile as I pant and lie back in the sand, exhausted and bloody.

Finally, I hear the sound of the rescue helicopter over the lap of the ocean waves. “I guess the calvary is here,” I joke, and a trembling hand grips mine. I glance over to see Logan looking at me, holding my hand. Someone else takes my other one, and I turn to find Wilder there.

“We’ll be okay.” He nods. “Just hold on. Everyone, just hold on.”

When the helicopter is above us, I struggle to my feet, and we help Logan and Rick in first. Wilder shoves me in next, and once I’m in a seat, I watch as they work on Logan, quiet and numb.

“Maeve, are you okay?” Ajax yells over the helicopter engine as he leans in. “Maeve!”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” I say as they get the rest of the guys into the helicopter, and then we are on the move. Wilder crowds his brothers as Way holds Aiy and drags me under his other arm. I watch them from the shelter of his embrace.

“We are okay. We made it,” he whispers. “We are going to be okay.”

Everything catches up to me before I know it.

My last vision is of Logan bleeding all over the helicopter’s floor as Wilder cries his name, and the monitor he’s connected to alerts, his heart giving out.