As the figure neared Victor’s tree, it dropped on all fours. Even from thirty feet up, Victor could hear it sniffing around in the dirt. What the…? Suddenly, a growl came out of its throat. Standing, the creature looked up into the tree. Victor froze, his heart hammering against his chest. Could it see him?
Just as Victor was about to consider how to defend himself, he heard a loud noise a short distance away. It seemed to come from the direction of the trail Antoine was on.
The creature’s head swiveled in that direction. After emitting another growl, it left the path and charged in the direction of the noise. Once it disappeared, Victor pulled out his radio and pressed the button. “Antoine, are you there?”
He released the button and listened, but only a crackle came through the speaker. His hand trembling, he pressed it again. “Antoine, pick up.”
“I’m here.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I took a fall but—”
“Look, you need to hide. Get off the trail and climb a tree.”
“What? Why?”
“Something is headed your way.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I saw it,” Victor said.
“You saw what?”
“I’m not sure what it is,” Victor answered. “It was over here, then when you fell down, it went running in your direction.”
Antoine said nothing.
Victor pressed the button again. “You there?”
“Hold on,” he whispered on the other end. “I smell something.”
“Listen to me! You have to take cover fast.”
“Hold on…”
Victor could tell that Antoine was holding the talk button down to prevent any noise from coming through the speaker. It was the right thing to do.
Soon Victor heard a rustling sound from the speaker, followed by Antoine’s voice. “I see them,” he whispered so softly that he could hardly be heard. “There are two. They’re like animals, sniffing the ground.”
For the next few seconds, Victor heard only the sound of Antoine breathing.
“I think they—”
Antoine’s voice was cut off, which probably meant he had taken his finger off the button.
Victor waited for a full minute. Worried, he tried to reach his friend. “Antoine? Antoine, are you there?”
As he waited for a response, he heard a scream about a hundred yards away. Antoine. The screams continued for a few seconds then stopped.
Victor shook uncontrollably. Should he try to help? No. As difficult as it was to acknowledge, he knew his friend was dead. There was no way he could’ve survived such a vicious attack. At this point, Victor needed to stay alive and get to the boat.
But which way? After considering his options, he decided to continue in the same direction he’d been traveling in before, even if it led away from the beach. The key was to put as much distance as possible between himself and the creatures.
Moving quickly, Victor climbed down the tree and dropped to the ground. He listened for a moment then started down the path. The trail twisted and turned, and large roots snaked across the path, but with the help of the moonlight, he maintained a fairly good speed. Occasionally, he thought he heard something behind him but wrote it off to his imagination. As gruesome as the thought was, he knew that Antoine’s body should keep the two creatures occupied for quite some time.
Five minutes later, he saw a clearing ahead and felt a surge of excitement. Maybe I’ve reached the beach. He sprinted out into the open then stopped. A frown spread slowly over his face. He wasn’t at the beach. He was on a ridge overlooking the center of the island.
He walked slowly over to the rocky ledge and looked into the valley below. As he studied the scene, details began to emerge. It wasn’t what he had expected to see.
What the…?
He could scarcely believe the sight that met his eyes. The island wasn’t deserted after all.
Just as he was about to look for a way down, Victor smelled something carried in by the wind. A chill ran down his spine. It was the same scent he’d smelled before.
Turning, he saw a figure crouched at the forest edge.
After emitting a low growl, the creature rose and charged.
CHAPTER FOUR
A SMALL PIECE of luggage in one hand, the tall blond woman climbed the stairs of Paris’s largest train station. When she arrived at the top, she set the case down and pulled out the telescoping handle.
As she pulled the wheeled case across the platform, a sleek silver train hissed into the station and came to a stop — the L1. The woman looked at the time on her phone. It was a quarter till two. Both she and the train were on time.
In approximately five minutes, the L1’s doors would open, allowing one group of travelers to disembark. Once they were off, the next group of travelers would queue up to board. The whole process would take about a half hour. The woman knew the routine well, having traveled across Europe for most of her life.
Walking briskly, she approached the large throng of people gathered on the platform. Unlike most platforms in Paris stations, this one had very few single and business travelers. The L series of trains wasn’t created to get people from one destination to another. They were built for luxury travel, the rail version of a river cruise. The rooms were spacious and comfortable, and there were suites for large families. The top train in the fleet, the L1, had two restaurants and three bars as well as a hair-styling salon, massage center, and exercise facility. One travel blogger from Brussels had joked that the only thing the L1 was missing was an indoor pool.
As expected, the blond woman didn’t see the people she was there to observe. They were people who didn’t like to be seen, which meant they would probably arrive and get on at the last minute. But the woman was fine with that. She had hoped to see them, but it wasn’t necessary. The real surveillance would take place later that night.
After fifteen minutes, an announcement blared through the platform’s speakers. The disembarkation was officially complete, and travelers waiting to board were encouraged to form a line at the entrance to their cars. Grasping the handle of her luggage, the woman walked to her car and got in line.
When it was her turn to board, she turned the screen of her phone toward the attendant. He raised a wand and scanned the bar code.
“Merci, Mademoiselle Lind.” The man handed her an envelope and motioned her through. “Bon voyage.”
Once on board, the woman tucked the envelope into her jacket and went directly to her room. She would have time to explore the train later. Her journey had been a long one, and she needed some rest.
After arriving at Cabin 24, she removed the envelope the attendant had given her. The name Victoria Lind was printed on the exterior. Two key cards were inside, as well as a welcome letter and several coupons that could be used to purchase additional amenities.
She used one of the two cards to swipe the pad next to the door then entered. The interior’s fit and finish were excellent. A queen-sized bed was set into the wall on one side, and a full dresser sat on the other. A comfortable leather chair was positioned next to the window — perfect for sitting with a book and a glass of wine. As she shut the door behind her, the woman felt a tinge of regret. There wouldn’t be time for reading or wine on this trip.
After setting her bag next to the bed, she entered the bathroom. She stepped closer to the mirror and examined her features. She looked tired but hoped a two-hour nap would change that.