The Shattered Seam (Seam Stalkers Book 1) by Kathleen Groger

Author:Kathleen Groger [Groger, Kathleen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Leaf & Thorn Press, LLC
Published: 2016-09-13T05:00:00+00:00

17

I ran.

I ran from the grand hall. I ran from the millions of beetles. I ran from thoughts of Novak’s spirit sending bugs to attack me. I ran from the broken clocks. I ran from my future in a padded cell. I ran from the castle and burst outside.

Once Chauncey’s paws hit the grass, he took off. I only stopped when I ran out of island and collapsed on the cold grass at the water’s edge, my chest heaving.

“Wake up. Wake up.” I pinched the skin under my thumb. I had to be dreaming. There was no other explanation. As hard as I tried, nothing changed. I didn’t wake up in the bedroom in the castle. I remained outside on the dew-covered grass. I lay back and stared at the bluish-gray sky. Small puffy clouds floated by, mocking the fear coursing through me.

I had to go back to the castle. Had to wake the others and figure out how to get off the island. I was done. It was time to go home. I needed Kyle to come rescue us.

Shadows covered the carefree clouds, and the sky color changed to the shade of a new bruise. I blinked to refocus. No. I shook my head and jumped up.

The sky filled with hundreds—thousands—God knew how many—black birds. Novak’s guardians. They circled and swooped, their cries breaking the silence.

“Go away. Leave me alone,” I shouted at the creatures. I had to be imagining them. I needed to un-imagine them. I pictured them dead and unable to fly.

They started dropping, one by one. One landed right next to me. My entire body shook. The bird’s neck was broken. “Help.” The word stuck on my tongue and came out almost a whisper.

“Chauncey?” I turned to see if he had come back. He wasn’t there. Where did he go?

Plop.

Another dead bird landed at my feet, and another. I screamed. The ground stacked with dead birds.

None of this was real. I scratched my arm. Tried to cause enough pain to wake up. It didn’t change anything. Birds continued to drop from the sky. I pictured them flying, but it didn’t stop them from dying.

I ran, trying not to step on the creatures. When I hit one, tentacles of nausea wrapped around my stomach. The boathouse. It was the closest structure. If I made it there, I could at least hide from the death bombs exploding around me. I ran as fast as I could, pushing myself harder.

I veered to the left and a falling bird smacked into my arm. “Owww.”

My heart went into hyperdrive, and I almost peed my pants.

Breathing became harder and harder. My chest burned, and my heart pounded. My vision blurred. Dizziness threatened to drop me on top of the birds. Oh, jeez. Was I having a heart attack?

Dead birds fell like rain, and I pushed myself beyond my limits. Pain seared my chest. I reached the door to the boathouse, yanked it open, almost fell inside, and slammed the door shut. I slid down the back of it until my butt hit the wood plank floor.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.