Read Online Survival Instinct by Rachelle McCalla - Free Book Online
Authors: Rachelle McCalla
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stumbled forward, her stiff fingers no help as they grasped at seaweed, her shins and legs knocking against the rocks, falling, bruising, rising again. And always,Scott’s voice in her ear, “Keep going, Abby, you can do it, we’re getting there, up you go, keep moving.”
Then the water reached only to her waist and she moved more freely without the bashing waves to push her down. She stumbled onward, desperate to get out of the lake and away from the sneaky boulders that tripped her up and bruised her frozen muscles.
Soon the waves slammed in impotent fury against their feet, and then they were free of the sea. Abby’s hiking boots were deadweights, her feet leaden blocks, as she scrambled forward up the jagged coast toward the woods.
“Keep running, keep moving,” Scott urged her on. “Which way is it to the Ranger’s house?”
Abby looked up and down, her mind slowly processing their position. “East,” her voice slurred as her tongue froze in her mouth. She pointed, watching her hand as though it belonged to someone else, unable to feel anything more than the prickles of pain her movement prompted. “That way. We’ll come to a road, it’s at the end of the road. East. No, north.” She moved her hand. “That way.”
“Okay, let’s keep going. You’ve got to keep moving.”
Abby tried. The twenty-third Psalm was stuck in her head, running on constant replay, and her heart yearned for the still waters, the green pastures, anything but these deeply shadowed woods and these winds, which whipped through the dying autumn trees, flinging the last flaming leaves to the ground with fury and sending them scrambling across the forest floor.
She moved forward, willing her body to run, straining against the bile that rose in her throat and burned her lungs. Rocks and branches leaped up from nowhere in the pathless woods, tripping her, slamming against her withjarring force. Only Scott’s strong arm around her kept her from falling face-first into the mud.
“Come on, Abby. Can you move faster? We’ve got to keep going.” His voice echoed in her ears, caught in her head, tangled with the Psalm and the pain. Wasn’t she moving? She told her body to move but she couldn’t feel it anymore, couldn’t feel anything but the cold and the heaviness of her sodden clothes that hung from her body and dragged her down.
“Abby?” Scott’s hands were on her face, his eyes peering into hers with concern. She wanted to smile, to tell him she was okay. She opened her mouth. No words came out.
Scott snapped his fingers near her face. She was vaguely aware of the motion, the sound, but she didn’t flinch. She couldn’t.
“Abby!” His voice grow more insistent. “Can you hear me? Come on, Abby!”
She looked at him, begging him with her eyes, wanting to cry out for help. He seemed to be so far away, as though she was stuck at the bottom of a deep pit looking up at him.
And then his lips were on hers, warm lips, stealing the cold breath away and melting the frozenness that gripped her. When he pulled away, she smiled drowsily and his face came into focus.
“Can you go on?”
Her head felt heavy as she nodded, and she scrambled forward, leaning most of her weight on him, unsure how much she actually propelled herself forward and how much he simply carried her.
After tripping and stumbling so many times, she hardly noticed falling over a large branch until her face planted hard against the cold earth. The air whooshed from herlungs and she lay still for one long moment before she gathered the strength to inhale.
Scott lifted her again. His breath felt warm against her cheek. “I’m going to carry you,” he explained as he hoisted her into his arms. Abby didn’t protest, but held on as tightly as her frozen hands could manage. They lurched together as he moved across the uneven ground, and she burrowed her face against his strong shoulder, thrilling at the feel of his warmth against her cheek. Her last
Then the water reached only to her waist and she moved more freely without the bashing waves to push her down. She stumbled onward, desperate to get out of the lake and away from the sneaky boulders that tripped her up and bruised her frozen muscles.
Soon the waves slammed in impotent fury against their feet, and then they were free of the sea. Abby’s hiking boots were deadweights, her feet leaden blocks, as she scrambled forward up the jagged coast toward the woods.
“Keep running, keep moving,” Scott urged her on. “Which way is it to the Ranger’s house?”
Abby looked up and down, her mind slowly processing their position. “East,” her voice slurred as her tongue froze in her mouth. She pointed, watching her hand as though it belonged to someone else, unable to feel anything more than the prickles of pain her movement prompted. “That way. We’ll come to a road, it’s at the end of the road. East. No, north.” She moved her hand. “That way.”
“Okay, let’s keep going. You’ve got to keep moving.”
Abby tried. The twenty-third Psalm was stuck in her head, running on constant replay, and her heart yearned for the still waters, the green pastures, anything but these deeply shadowed woods and these winds, which whipped through the dying autumn trees, flinging the last flaming leaves to the ground with fury and sending them scrambling across the forest floor.
She moved forward, willing her body to run, straining against the bile that rose in her throat and burned her lungs. Rocks and branches leaped up from nowhere in the pathless woods, tripping her, slamming against her withjarring force. Only Scott’s strong arm around her kept her from falling face-first into the mud.
“Come on, Abby. Can you move faster? We’ve got to keep going.” His voice echoed in her ears, caught in her head, tangled with the Psalm and the pain. Wasn’t she moving? She told her body to move but she couldn’t feel it anymore, couldn’t feel anything but the cold and the heaviness of her sodden clothes that hung from her body and dragged her down.
“Abby?” Scott’s hands were on her face, his eyes peering into hers with concern. She wanted to smile, to tell him she was okay. She opened her mouth. No words came out.
Scott snapped his fingers near her face. She was vaguely aware of the motion, the sound, but she didn’t flinch. She couldn’t.
“Abby!” His voice grow more insistent. “Can you hear me? Come on, Abby!”
She looked at him, begging him with her eyes, wanting to cry out for help. He seemed to be so far away, as though she was stuck at the bottom of a deep pit looking up at him.
And then his lips were on hers, warm lips, stealing the cold breath away and melting the frozenness that gripped her. When he pulled away, she smiled drowsily and his face came into focus.
“Can you go on?”
Her head felt heavy as she nodded, and she scrambled forward, leaning most of her weight on him, unsure how much she actually propelled herself forward and how much he simply carried her.
After tripping and stumbling so many times, she hardly noticed falling over a large branch until her face planted hard against the cold earth. The air whooshed from herlungs and she lay still for one long moment before she gathered the strength to inhale.
Scott lifted her again. His breath felt warm against her cheek. “I’m going to carry you,” he explained as he hoisted her into his arms. Abby didn’t protest, but held on as tightly as her frozen hands could manage. They lurched together as he moved across the uneven ground, and she burrowed her face against his strong shoulder, thrilling at the feel of his warmth against her cheek. Her last
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