Page 20 of Those That Are Lost

“No need to brag. You’re seventy something, not centuries old,” Henry retorts. “We’re all still in our youth.”

I see him rub his leg where the prosthetic attaches.

“Is your leg okay?” I ask.

“Yeah,” he says, face scrunched in a mix of pain and relief as he digs his fingers into his muscles. “This is probably the most I’ve ever travelled on it in such a short space of time. It aches a little but it’s not rubbing.”

“Can you manage another hour or so?” Ty’s jesting is replaced with genuine concern.

“Yes. Don’t you start looking all worried. I much prefer your pushy attitude because you’re right, I have let my fitness drop,” Henry tells him plainly.

“Come on then, city boy.” Ty reaches out a hand to pull Henry to his feet. “Let’s move before we lose the light.”

The next while is uneventful, the two males recall more antics of their time in army training. I note they don’t include any anecdotes of their active service and I don’t ask, happy to learn more about Ty’s life before the war changed everything he ever knew.

We’re about halfway across the open space when I step and hear a creaking sound beneath my boot. My stomach drops as I freeze.

“Ty, this is a grass plain, right?” I shuffle another step and hear more creaking.

Without a clear track, we’d been walking in a line; the two males bracketing me but with a few metres space between us. Ty stops, body swinging towards me as he picks up the sound that has me concerned.

“Yes, I’m sure. The map didn’t indicate anything else.” He starts to step towards me.

“No,” I loudly snap, throwing my hands up to stop him. “Don’t come closer.” If this is what I think it is, his added weight on the same section might be enough to plunge us both into what I’m sure is cold as fuck water below.

“Get down.” Henry’s commanding voice comes from behind me. “Get your weight more evenly distributed.”

I gently lower myself to a chorus of more alarming cracking sounds. Taking slow, deep breaths, I manage to ease myself to my hands and knees. Pausing, I gently dig through the snow as I confirm my fears. “It’s ice. This is a lake,” I inform the guys, keeping my voice soft like even a sharp tone will crack the surface completely. I know they can hear me anyway.

“Red.” Ty brings my gaze back to him. “You’re going to be okay. We’re going to get you off this ice.”

I slowly nod at him.

A shadow appears from his feet and glides across to me. Its weightless presence as it comes to rest in the space between my chest and the treacherous ground, soothes some of the fear coursing through my veins.

“Can you ease your pack off?” Henry instructs.

I feel the shadow almost push against my torso as I slowly wiggle the straps off my shoulders. The slight solidness to it allows me to not fully lean on each hand as I get it off my back. Ty remains quiet, but I feel the power pour from him as he focuses completely on holding the shadow in a more corporeal form.

I ease the backpack to the ground beside me and wait for Henry’s next instruction.

“Okay, good. You’re going to have to crawl slowly and listen carefully for any more cracking sounds. Try to come towards one of us.”

“Can’t I just make a run for it? I’m pretty fast,” I argue. Surely our vampire speed will outmatch the ice breaking.

“No. Any speed will add impact to your footfalls. You’re more likely to go through.”

“Fine.” I huff. Moving at a snail's pace, I slowly start crawling. It’s painfully slow as I move several metres,dragging my backpack along, but I breathe a little easier when I don’t pick up any more shifts in the ice below me.

The guys keep level with me as I take a diagonal line towards Ty. I chose him without thinking. And I feel the shadow beneath me gain strength as I close the distance between us. I also notice the sweat on Ty’s face at the exertion of power but he doesn’t falter for a second.

I start to feel confident that I’m away from danger when the ground underneath me gives out.

Ty is there in a second, and strong arms are gripping my elbows as my lower half is submerged into the coldest water I’ve ever felt. I hear yelling, I sense fast movement but only focus on his hands gripping me, the black band I feel around my torso yanking me out of the water. Ice crumbles away under both of us as Ty tries to shoot backwards. I seek solid ground, my feet trying to step up onto the ledge several times but it just keeps breaking more.

“Don’t let go,” I plead. “Please don’t let go.”

“Never, Red. Hold on,” Ty shouts above the noise.