Chapter 5

The vice-like grip Ally had on Eoin's hand pulled him along at a speed he'd never have managed himself. With her leading, it gave him the chance to look back.

The raiders raced along the track almost parallel to them. Ally growled in her throat and shot him a quick look, her eyes dilated and dark, hunter instincts fully in control.

'Which way?' The gravelly voice was nothing like her normal contralto tones.

'Up! Away from the track!'

They turned, heading sharply up. Ally aimed for the thickest forest she could find. Eoin was grateful that with his long legs he could at least keep up with her speed, though it pushed his natural abilities to the limit. He could feel the firing sensations among his limbs as the nano-virus released stimulants into his bloodstream, triggering everything within his system to switch to extreme survival. Running became easier, his lungs expanding, absorbing more oxygen and his heart thumped steady. His eyes dilated like Ally's making the colours of the jungle sharp and vivid, scents and sounds enhanced beyond his normal capabilities.

Behind the sound of crashing slowed.

Ally glanced back. 'They're stopping!'

Eoin shook his head, a drop of sweat beading down his forehead, along his nose. 'No. They didn't come this far to lose us.' As he finished the sentence a heavy metallic roar made them pause for a second.

The raiders had switched from their buggies to two wheeled bikes created from a variety of hacked up machines. The bikes roared with the sound of ancient oil engines. Dirty, noisy, and messy, but fast.

'GO!' Eoin shouted to Ally.

Ally dragged him on at what felt like breakneck speed. Eoin focused on the immediate while his ears measured the sound behind them. The heavy whine of the engines inched closer.

A proper sweat broke out on his forehead.

'Plans?' Ally leapt on top of a fallen tree, Eoin dragged up with her. They jumped off together, feet sinking in the soft leaf litter. A flash of colour on the left made them flinch.

Disturbed from the sound a leopard dashed away, leaving its fresh kill, a white tailed deer staring with dead eyes their way.

'Find a tree, get high!' Eoin shouted as they ran on, swatting away vines. It was a long shot, but the only chance they had. The bikes were gaining on them.

Ally gritted her teeth, body humming from the huge surge of stimulants, muscles pulsing. It felt like flying, the forest flicking past. She glimpsed a motion ahead, a sleek body gliding through the leaves. With an easy grab she snatched the snake, twisted, and hurled it at the bike closest. The human riding it shrieked, batting in panic and the bike smashed headlong into a tree. Those on the bikes behind shouted and roared their anger but their threats fell on deaf ears, Ally completely focused on the task.

A tree. A big tree. Something with vines that would offer an easy fast climb.

'Ally!' Eoin sounded short of breath. 'Look!'

Twenty meters ahead sat a massive banyan tree with wide spread branches and an enormous canopy. The sloping branches would be easy enough for Ally to run straight up. Then she could move them into the thick canopy, find another tree top and move.

That brief plan in place, Ally gripped Eoin's hand tighter and pushed her body harder, stretching into a longer, faster stride.

She got within ten meters of the tree, those bikes screaming closer and closer, when her foot plunged through the soft leaf cover. Her mind and body screamed as the two of them fell, dirt and leaves pouring into the massive yawning hole that opened around them.

Eoin flailed his limbs, heart seized in horror — where was Ally? Movement as he tried to turn himself, still falling into darkness, allowed him to spot her.

Body posed cat-like, twisting neatly in the air, Ally stared down into the darkness they plummeted toward. Her head snapped up, dark eyes meeting his with an expression of fear.

'Eoin! TURN!'

The floor of the massive drop came rushing up as he tried to twist.

CRACK!

The sound of his thigh bone snapping drowned out the sound of his landing. The breath whooshed from his lungs, from the fall or the pain he couldn't tell. Stunned, body shrieking in agony, Eoin stared up as leaf matter floated down.

Some twenty meters above them glared the angry faces of six humans.

Ally's face came into view a moment later, eyes anxious as she swiftly cleared the dirt and leaves away from his body.

'We're going to bleed you dry!'

'Bastard Prometheans!'

'Enjoy your grave!'

The humans screamed down at them for long minutes before gathering themselves and crashing off into the jungle. Eoin sighed in relief then gasped as the motion moved his leg.

'Hang on,' Ally muttered as she examined it. As gentle as she was, each tiny touch hurt, his body so amped from the stimulants.

'Hun, it's crooked. I'm going to have to straighten it.'

Eoin grimaced, opening his eyes to Ally's, now violet in the dim light. He gave a brief nod and accepted the piece of stick she offered. He put it between his teeth and screwed his hands in fists.

'Ready?'

Eoin grunted.

Blinding white pain screamed through his body, teeth cracking the stick in two.

As fast as it hit, the pain passed. Eoin panted in relief, his leg feeling better already.

'Lie back. Let your body do its job,' Ally said, her voice croaky. Eoin squinted at her and saw the tears streaming down her face.

'Lie down with me, love. Keep me warm.'

She snuggled against him, avoiding his leg. Her hair smelled warm like sunshine and he turned his head, pressing a kiss to it. 'You did good. We're still alive.'

Ally gave a choked laugh. 'Pretty shitty landing.'

'Can't do everything perfect.'

Silence descended and the two of them relaxed, listening as the sounds of the forest returned to normal. Bird song rang out and the occasional monkey shrieks and cackles followed. Eoin began to feel drowsy, the nano-virus alerting his brain to ignore the pain receptor reactions as it set to work at repairing his leg. It didn't hurt but felt strange, an intense deliberate tickle as the pieces of bone knitted back together. Mind beginning to drift, he recalled the lyrics on some sheet music he'd found on a trip long ago. Humming the tune at first, he started to sing and felt Ally's chuckle before she joined in. 'Bye, bye, Miss American Pie. Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.'

Ally knew it from listening to him sing but her adaption of certain words left him laughing. She giggled then thumped his chest gently. 'Don't mock!'

Eoin tucked his arm around her a little tighter, still chuckling to himself. They fell silent again.

'What'll we do?' Ally asked quietly.

Eoin snorted. 'No escape plan yet?'

'I'm working on it. But they might not stop hunting us. This could ruin the trip.'

'It'll definitely ruin the trip if they catch us,' Eoin said wryly. 'Let my leg heal. Let's go from there.'

Ally nodded. He could feel her body twitching with impatience, already recovered from the massive rush of stimulants. It made him envious.

'Go have a look around,' he said, releasing his hold on her. 'There has to be a reason the ground collapsed like this. I wasn't aware of caves in this area.'

She was on her feet in a flash. He could hear her movements, the soft slide of stones and the cracks of sticks as she moved around the hole. Eoin closed his eyes, dozing off as his body worked at its repairs.

It seemed like moments later she shook him awake.

'Uck! Ally, what?'

'Eoin!' Her eyes were bright with excitement. 'I found a tunnel!'