All Chapters of The Saga Series: Chapter 11 - Chapter 18

I gasped as I glanced up and saw one of the guys from the party, the guy Julie had been dancing with, the “psycho” Jesse had warned us about. I fought and flailed as Jonathon attempted to restrain me. In a flash, Jesse lunged at Jonathon, knocking him to the ground. The fiend’s grip loosened and I jumped to my feet. “Get inside!” Jesse ordered. I grabbed Julie’s hand and pulled her inside. “Let’s find a weapon to help him.” “The kitchen!” suggested Julie.We bolted inside the cabin. With my heart racing, I glanced around looking for the light switch. My fingers skimmed over it on the wall by the, and lights flickered on. “Is anybody here?” I screamed. “Help us!” Julie shouted. “Is anybody here?”But there was no answer. I glanced around the cabin, it was furnished, so either everyone was asleep or it was a vacant rental. I walked through the living room and into the kitchen with Julie in tow. We frantically began rummaging through the kitchen drawer

He leaned against the wall for support and gasped. “I’ll be fine. We have more important things to worry about.” “Fine my butt!” I said, my voice wavering. “You need a doctor.” He winced in pain and his blue eyes watered. “I promise,” he said with a groan. “I’ll see one in the morning.” Julie looked at him and shook her head. “You mean if you live that long. You’re sweating like a thief in church,” she said, feeling his forehead. “Oh my gosh! You’re burning up.” She gripped my arm. “He must have a fever of 110! We can’t stay here. If we do, the news will be reporting a homicide tonight, one hot young guy with a bullet wound to the chest.” I felt Jesse’s head and realized she was absolutely right. He felt like he was on fire. “It’s not safe in here. That man could easily push through our makeshift barrier. We need to get outta here and lose him in the forest. Then we need to get Jesse to the ER.” “That’s exactly what he wants,” Jesse warned. “Our best be

“No time for mushy goodbyes,” Billy said. “I gotta get Jesse home.” Before I could say another word or even wave goodbye, the blue car had backed out of the driveway and sped down the street. As we walked into Julie’s house, I flung my shoes off. My hands were shaky from the ordeal, and I was suddenly overwhelmed with nausea. I sat down at the kitchen table, staring at the kitchen wall, trying to process everything that had happened last night. Julie handed me a glass of water. “Are you okay?” she asked. “Yeah. Just a little freaked.” “Better freaked, than dead. My head is pounding, but I think we learned a valuable lesson here.” “Oh? What’s that?” “No more parties with crazy, unstoppable party animals—or wild, furry animals either. I’m still trying to process what we went through.” “Yeah. Tell me about it. And we might want to avoid Barney-colored drinks and Long Island iced teas too.” “I’m sorry I took you to that party.” “You didn’t know.” “I ca

He smiled. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. She’s a sweet bird.” “I’m gonna love working here.” “Yeah, I never get tired of it. I love my job. It sure beats flipping burgers.” “Yeah. I can tell you’re passionate about it.” He smiled sheepishly, obviously uncomfortable taking compliments, even though he deserved a million of them. I gazed up at his feathered friends. “These birds are really huge.” “Beauty Queen has a wingspan of about five feet—at least the wing that’s still good.” “She’s a vulture, right? I bet she’s got bad breath after eating all that dead meat.” “Maybe, but she can’t help what she was born to eat. It’s just the way nature works. No one can help the card we’re dealt. Just like us, these birds and all the animals in this zoo and in those woods out there have to live and make do with what their bodies want as a food source. Maybe she despises eating carcasses, but she’s stuck with it. It’s eat or die.” “Yeah, I guess I shouldn