Chapter 3

3

I instinctively tried to lick the damp sand, but I couldn't even move my head.

Lyla laughed, a cold, melodic sound that chilled me despite the heat.

"The sun is going to set soon."

"The temperature will drop, sure. But the desert predators come out at night. They're very hungry."

She pulled a small folding knife from her pocket and dragged the blade across my forearm, leaving a deep, jagged gash.

"Don't worry. We'll come back to collect your body in the morning."

The blood began to pool in the sand, bright and hot.

In a final surge of desperation and rage, I lunged upward, slamming my head into Lyla's face and knocking her backward.

The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, giving me just enough moisture to speak.

"Lyla… this is… murder!"

My voice was a horrific, guttural rasp.

Garrett and the others heard the commotion and piled out of the SUV, rushing to pull me away from her.

Lyla scrambled to her feet, pointing a trembling finger at the blood-stained knife on the ground.

"I was just trying to give her some water! She attacked me with a knife!"

"She said she wanted the scent of blood to draw the wolves here so we'd all be killed!"

She was flipping the truth on its head. I wanted to scream, to tear the lies from her throat.

Garrett held Lyla close, then turned and kicked me hard in the ribs.

"Cassia! Are you even human? Just because we didn't let you abuse your power as leader, you tried to kill us?"

"Lyla was actually going to be the bigger person and share the water with you. You don't deserve her kindness!"

I forced a few broken words through my throat.

"She… lied…"

Garrett didn't even let me finish. He looked at me with pure disgust.

"People like you are the ones who deserve to rot in this desert."

His words pierced deeper than any knife ever could.

Another team member spat on me.

"I thought you were just jealous because Garrett was looking after Lyla."

"I didn't think you were evil enough to try and get us all killed."

"What a nightmare, being stuck on a team with a monster like you."

These were people I had treated like family, people I had protected. Now, they wouldn't even look me in the eye.

I let out a weak, pathetic sob, trying to move my bleeding arm so they could see the cut.

I wanted them to see that I was the one who had been attacked.

But they didn't look. They chose not to see.

They were all too busy comforting Lyla.

"Don't be scared, Lyla. We're here."

"Once this mission is over, we're going straight to the board to report her."

"Report her? She belongs in a cage for what she did today!"

Garrett let out a cold, sharp laugh. "Let's see if she even makes it out of this wasteland alive first."

My heart finally went cold under the weight of their cruelty.

The sun touched the horizon, and the shadows grew long. I was losing blood, and the night was coming.

I had no way out.

Lyla looked back at me one last time, her eyes filled with dark, unfiltered malice.

Garrett's voice was like ice.

"If you get on your knees and beg Lyla for forgiveness, maybe we'll take you back in the morning. If you're still breathing, that is."

I stared at Garrett as if he were a complete stranger.

This was my husband. The man who had promised to stand by me through everything.

My world finally went dark.