Chasing His Kickass Luna Back Chapter 105

Abby

My heart’s practically pounding out of my chest as we park the car, hidden behind a veil of trees. The forest feels even more thick and suffocating now than it did on the day that we came here to go mushroom hunting, now that I know what actually lies behind the mist.

Karl takes a moment to study the map I had snatched from him last night, his fingers tracing the uneven, ink-smeared lines.

“Ready?” he asks, his eyes meeting mine.

“As I’ll ever be,” I reply, grabbing my bag from the backseat. Karl locks the car, and we head off, stepping into the dense foliage, guided only by the soft morning light filtering through the trees.

For a few minutes, we walk in complete silence. The stillness is comforting in its own eerie way, but I’m too focused on our mission to let my mind wander too far.

“Okay,” Karl whispers at one point, stopping in his tracks. “We have to be extra careful from here on out. We’re nearing their territory. If you want to stop, now’s your chance.”

I’m suddenly aware of every single sound around us, every whispering leaf, every chirping bird, as though nature itself is warning us to turn back. But I can’t; not now. Not ever. I shake my head, leveling my gaze with Karl’s.

“I want to do this. Let’s continue.”

Karl, after shooting me one last worried look, moves with a stealth I didn’t know he possessed. I follow closely behind, treading lightly, taking care not to snap a twig or rustle leaves too loudly.

“Cameras, at 2 o’clock,” he hisses, gesturing with his chin. I glance in that direction and see the telltale signs: small black domes, almost camouflaged against the greenery. My heart skips a beat.

“We can skirt around them,” he whispers, taking the lead as we adjust our path. “Keep low.”

I lower my body, feeling the damp earth seep into my jeans. We creep forward, the weight of our every move amplified by the silence. I hold my breath as we cross the camera’s line of sight. Once past, I exhale softly, my breath quivering in relief.

We haven’t taken more than ten steps when Karl abruptly halts. I nearly crash into him. He turns, finger pressed against his lips, and points. My eyes follow the line of his arm and I see them—guards, two of them, wearing dark uniforms, patrolling the area. And they have guns.

“Dammit,” I mutter under my breath.

“We can’t turn back now,” Karl whispers, his eyes scanning the woods, calculating. “There’s a cluster of bushes to the right. We can use them as cover.”

“Are you sure?” My voice is filled with doubt. The path Karl is suggesting skirts dangerously close to the guards.

“Do you have a better idea?” His eyes meet mine, a hint of desperation in them.

I shake my head, defeated. “No. Let’s go.”

Like a pair of wolves, we stalk through the underbrush, our eyes never leaving the guards. We’re so close I can hear their footsteps, the soft murmur of their voices as they talk and laugh, blissfully unaware of our presence. With every step, my pulse quickens, my body tensing for a burst of movement, a desperate dash for freedom, if it comes to that.

We reach the bushes Karl pointed out, huddled low, concealed by the thick foliage. I peek through the leaves, watching the guards as they make their way further down their path, finally turning a corner. A shaky sigh escapes my lips.

“That was close,” I whisper.

“Too close,” Karl adds. He glances at me, his eyes softened with a mixture of relief and worry. “You okay?”

“Never better,” I reply, the adrenaline still buzzing beneath my skin. But I can see the toll it’s taking on Karl. His hands tremble as he checks the map again, reorienting us for the next part of our dangerous journey.

We continue, each step taking us deeper into a maze of dangers. More cameras. More guards. My mind becomes wholly fixated on survival, mapping out escape routes, back-up plans, and points of no return.

At last, we reach the edge of a clearing. Through the trees, I see it: a beautiful waterfall cascading down into a ravine, its waters glistening in the morning sun. Build into the wall on the opposite end of the ravine is a building, and its perimeter is practically crawling with armed guards.

It’s disguised well with the greenery, but it’s there. And if we want to get inside, where these truffles may be hidden, we’ll need to get down into that ravine.

I look at Karl, his face pale but determined. “This is it,” he says softly.

“Okay, so where do we even start looking for the truffles?” I ask, my eyes darting from rock to bush to the roots of trees. “Inside the building, right?”

Karl shrugs, almost embarrassed. “Adam only told me it's somewhere near the waterfall. That’s as specific as he got.”

“Great,” I mutter. “A treasure hunt to top it all off. What fun.”

We watch the building for a little while, and the whole time, I find myself fascinated by the security measures.

“What could they be hiding?” I murmur, watching a couple of guards walk across a rope bridge that crosses the massive ravine.

Karl shrugs. “They’re poachers, Abby. Could be anything from fancy truffles to endangered animals. Maybe even humans, for all we know.”

I shoot Karl a sideways glance. “Humans?”

He nods. “You never know. There’s a market for everything. Either way, let’s stick close to the walls, where the vines are the thickest. We can work our way down, keep an eye out for the truffles, maybe look for the entrance if we need to.”

“And if we almost get caught, we can hide behind the vines,” I respond.

The waterfall cascades in front of us, a constant, deafening roar that seems to amplify the absurdity of our situation. We’re risking everything, tiptoeing around guards and surveillance cameras for some expensive fungi, and we don’t even know where to look.

Karl nods. “Let’s get moving.”

Slowly, we begin working our way down the ravine. There’s a clear path with steps built into the side of the rocks, one upside of it all. As we go, we keep low, hiding behind vines when guards turn our way and all the while keeping our eyes peeled for the truffles.

But we don’t find anything. As we get closer and closer to the waterfall, it becomes clearer to me that the truffles, if there even are any, are hidden away somewhere—likely in the HQ building. The realization that we’ll either need to turn back and go home once and for all or risk everything and break into the building washes over me, and I’m not sure which outcome I’d prefer.

We’re close to the waterfall now. The sound of the water rushes through my ears, nearly drowning out everything else.

But then, as we’re crouched in the shadows searching for truffles, the sudden sound of footsteps crunching leaves emanating over the rushing water freezes us both. I peer through the foliage and spot a guard, maybe fifty yards away but getting closer. My heart pounds in my ears. There’s nowhere for us to run, and there’s barely anywhere for us to hide.

“Karl,” I hiss, pulling him down behind a bush. “Guard. Coming this way.”

His eyes widen. “We can’t be caught, Abby. If we get caught—”

“I know, I know. Think of something!”

We both crouch lower, our eyes meeting for a moment. There’s desperation in his eyes, something telling me that he’s going to do something completely and utterly insane to keep me safe. I grip his hand, my eyes widening, urging him to just stay put and not try anything.

That’s when it happens—a strange, magnetic pull that I can’t explain, tugging at the wolf inside of me. It’s coming from the waterfall. I can’t resist; it’s as if some invisible string is pulling me closer.

“What are you doing?” Karl whispers, alarmed, as I start to crawl on all fours toward the waterfall.

“I have to go there,” I say, not even sure why I’m so certain.

“Are you insane?” Karl hisses, reaching for me, only for me to yank my hand away.

“I don’t know... I feel like my wolf is being... pulled. I can’t explain it.”

The footsteps get louder; the guard is so close now that I can hear him humming a tune, probably to break the monotony of his patrol.

“Abby, don’t—”

My eyes lock onto his, and his voice trails off. For a moment, we’re both suspended in that electric air of making a choice that could change everything.

I take a deep breath. “Trust me.”

And then I do it. I break cover, leaping toward the waterfall.