TRINITY STOOD FROZEN IN PLACE, the Tracker towering over
her. It was at least ten foot tall,
standing on its back legs. Her breath
came in short gasps, hands trembling at her sides. She should have picked up another stick. It wouldn’t have been much but it would have
been something. The Guards hollered in
the distance, closer now. A minute ago
they were her enemy; now, they were her only chance to survive. One of the Tracker’s ears tipped back toward
the sound, but its yellow eyes never left her.
All of a sudden, her lungs expanded and she opened her
mouth to scream. The Tracker flew
forward. Its large paw capturing her
around the throat, stopping all sound as the long claws scraped her neck. It spun her around, yanking her back flush
against its furry front.
“Shhhh,” it whispered in her ear.
It loosened its grip and she gasped for air. The Tracker flung her over its shoulder as it
raced parallel to the rock wall. After
several moments it stopped and flipped her as if she weighed less than a twig. She ended up resting on its back with her
face near its neck. The creature shifted
under her, dropping to all fours and crouching, muscles tensed.
“Hold on,” it ordered as it leapt upward, climbing the
rock wall.
Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around its neck to
keep from falling. It had retracted its
claws and used its fingers to find small imperfections in the stone. If she let go, she’d fall to her death. If she held on, she’d be eaten alive when
they reached their destination. The
ground dropped farther and farther away.
Her stomach flipped. She
tightened her grip on the creature and squeezed her eyes shut. She’d worry about being dinner later. Right now, she’d concentrate on not falling.
They stopped moving.
The Tracker, once again, stood on its back legs. She kept her arms tight around the creature,
refusing to open her eyes or move. It
couldn’t kill her if she were attached to its back, right? It was a stupid plan but for the moment it
was the only one she had. It rolled its shoulders,
trying to dislodge her. She readjusted
her grip. The Tracker yanked her off its
back. She cringed, keeping her eyes
shut. This was it, the end. Maybe, she should have dropped to the
ground. It might have been less painful
than being torn apart.
YA Fantasy, horror
Date Published: December 26 2014
FREE For a Limited Time
Only the best are chosen to breed.
The rest are loaded onto carts and taken away from the encampment. Never to be seen again.
Trinity has one week to escape into the forest and discover the fate of her kind.
Dive into the Lake of Sins and discover a world filled with human-animal hybrids where predators are friends and monsters aren't nearly as scary as those who create them.
The YA, dark fantasy series people are calling dark, gritty and too disturbing to put down.
About the Author
L. S. O’Dea grew up the youngest of seven in a family that uses teasing and tricks as an indication of love (or at least that’s what she tells herself). Being five years younger than her closest sibling often made her the unwilling entertainment for her brothers and sisters.
Before she started kindergarten her brothers taught her how to spell her first and middle name—Linda Sue. She was so proud she ran into the kitchen to tell her mother. She stood tall and recited the letters of her name: L-E-M-O-N H-E-A-D.
Perhaps, she has her siblings to thank for the demons that whisper through her mind and help to create these dark and demented stories.
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