Chapter 3

Sierra wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "Amelia is just a kid, honey. She doesn't know any better. Don't take it to heart."

The moment her skin brushed against mine, a blinding bolt of pain shot down my shoulder. My body spasmed, and I forced her arm off me, keeping my voice low.

"I get it."

When we arrived at Yearnerwood, we stepped out into the wilderness.

The park was famous for its raw, untouched terrain, meaning the ground was littered with fallen branches and jagged rocks, while leaves formed a canopy that blotted out the sky.

Worried about my balance, Sierra insisted on linking her arm through mine to anchor me as we walked.

Since I only had three days left anyway, I didn't fight her. I just let her lead the way.

All of a sudden, a series of sharp, frantic screams cut through the path ahead.

I looked toward the noise and spotted a tall, handsome man sprawled on the ground, surrounded by a cluster of hissing, aggressive king ratsnakes.

The second I heard that distinct voice, I knew it was Riley.

He was the widower of Sierra's late cousin—her cousin-in-law.

Hearing our footsteps, he whipped his head around.

The moment his eyes landed on Sierra, tears streamed down his face, and he let out a raspy cry for help. "Sierra! I'm terrified of snakes!"

Sierra froze in shock before sprinting toward Riley. She ripped herself away from me so violently that the sudden loss of momentum threw me off balance.

"Don't panic! I'm coming!" she yelled.

My body was incredibly frail, and because I had been leaning almost all my weight against her, the abrupt loss of support sent me crashing onto the ground.

A sharp branch tore a deep, jagged gash down my leg. Blood immediately began soaking through my jeans, and the gravel shredded the skin on my arm.

Cold sweat broke out across my forehead, the agonizing sting forcing a sharp groan from my throat.

By the time I managed to drag myself back up, Sierra had already rescued Riley.

"Those things were everywhere. I thought I'd get bitten and die out here without ever seeing you again..." Riley sobbed, his face completely white as he clung to Sierra.

He choked on his next breath, his eyes rolling back as he went totally limp right there in her arms.

Sierra's eyes reddened. Supporting most of his weight, she hauled him toward the car and climbed inside without casting a single glance back at me.

Amelia scrambled into the back seat right behind them, tears welling in her eyes. "Step on it! Get to the hospital now. Mr. Cross must've been bitten!"

The driver glanced at me, standing completely abandoned in the wilderness. "But what about—"

He didn't even get the question out before Sierra shut him down with a roar. "What are you waiting for? Keep sitting there, and you're fired! Get us to the hospital right now!"

The driver swallowed the rest of his question and looked away. He slammed his foot onto the gas pedal, and the car sped off, vanishing in a cloud of exhaust.

I stayed silent throughout the entire ordeal.

Sierra and Amelia didn't care enough to notice I was missing, let alone see the blood dripping from my leg. In the end, the driver was the only person who even remembered my existence.

I stared blankly at the fading taillights as a wave of pain washed over me, threatening to take me under.

I looked down and spotted two familiar emerald charms dangling from a low branch nearby.

They belonged to Sierra and Amelia.

Years ago, a brutal outbreak had swept through the city, and both Sierra and Amelia caught the virus.

Their conditions deteriorated so fast that they ended up in the ICU, their lives teetering on the brink of death with no treatment in sight.

Completely out of options, I took matters into my own hands and made a grueling, hundred-mile pilgrimage on foot to Redstone Hill.

I offered a desperate prayer to the heavens at every single mile marker just to secure those two emerald charms to protect them and turn their luck around.