Chapter 10

Mason stood frozen, staring wide-eyed at the bear as it bared its teeth and let out a deep, guttural growl. The force of it sent his hair flying in all directions, completely ruining his carefully styled look.

“God has abandoned me,” he whispered, still in shock. Then, wrinkling his nose, he muttered, “And so has this bear’s dental hygiene. Ever heard of a toothbrush, buddy? A mint? Your last victim probably didn’t even need to be eaten—just one breath from you and poof, instant death.”

The bear growled again, even louder this time, clearly unimpressed with Mason’s insult.

"Alright, Mason. When I count to three—run,” Zariyah said, her voice steady as she slowly stepped back, calculating their best chance of escape.

“What?! But the bear—”

“One.”

“Wait, wait, I’m not ready—”

“Two.”

“Zariyah, I swear if you start running without me—”

“Three.”

“RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, ZARIYAH!!” Mason shrieked as they both bolted into the dense forest, the bear charging after them.

Branches snapped beneath their feet, and the heavy thudding of the bear’s paws only made Mason scream louder.

"Find the nearest tree and climb!" Zariyah yelled over the chaos.

"WHAT?!"

"CLIMB A TREE, YOU IDIOT!"

Mason didn't need to be told twice. He lunged for the nearest tree, scrambling up the trunk like his life depended on it—because, well, it did.

Now, perched high up on separate branches of different trees, Mason and Zariyah stared down at the bear circling below, waiting.

“So…” Mason panted, glancing across at her. “Do we decide who’s going to sacrifice themselves?”

Zariyah shot him a glare so sharp he almost lost his grip on the branch.

“No one is sacrificing anything, Mason. Just shut up and stay still. Maybe it’ll lose interest and leave.”

Mason gulped, gripping his branch tighter. “Yeah, right. Because wild animals are known for their patience.”

The bear growled again.

“Well,” Mason sighed, “guess we live in these trees now."

Fifteen minutes passed in absolute silence, yet the bear remained where it was—unmoving, unwavering.

"Is it… dead?" Mason whispered, as if afraid the creature would hear him.

Zariyah didn’t take her eyes off the beast. "No. It's waiting—for us to come down so it can eat."

Mason scoffed, crossing his arms like a petulant child. "Of course, I knew that!"

Zariyah let out a tired sigh. "We can’t just sit here all night. We need to get out of here."

"How?!" Mason’s eyes widened. "Wait—are you seriously considering sacrificing yourself?!"

Zariyah shot him a look. "No, obviously not. I have a plan."

Mason relaxed slightly, but his skepticism remained. "Alright, let’s hear it."

"We need a large, sturdy branch—one big enough to knock the bear out." She glanced around, then suddenly locked eyes on something.

Mason followed her gaze. His expression fell.

"Oh, hell no." He started shaking his head furiously. "I knew you were serious when you said you’d throw me to the bear! I’m not doing this!"

Zariyah ignored him. "Mason, listen. The bear is right under your branch. If you jump hard enough, it’ll snap, and the branch will fall right on top of it."

Mason blinked. "You do realize I’m also on this branch, right?!"

"Exactly. So start jumping!"

"What?! NO—"

"NOW, MASON!"

With no time to argue, Mason let out a high-pitched yelp and began stomping wildly. "I swear, if this goes wrong, I’m—AAAAAAHHH!"

Before he could finish, the branch gave way with a loud crack, sending Mason plummeting straight onto the bear’s back—along with the massive chunk of wood.

The bear let out a low grunt before collapsing. Mason groaned, lying face down in the thick fur.

"Mason!" Zariyah quickly climbed down, her heart racing. "Are you okay?!"

There was a moment of silence. Then, muffled from where he lay, Mason finally spoke.

"This bear… has really soft fur."

Zariyah groaned. "Oh my god."

Mason sat up, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Not that you cared while launching me into battle."

Zariyah rolled her eyes but offered him a hand. "Come on, let’s grab our firewood and get back to camp before another bear shows up."

Mason didn’t hesitate—he clasped her hand immediately. "You won’t ever let me live this down, will you?"

Zariyah smirked. "Oh, absolutely not."

As they neared the camp, an unexpected sight stopped them in their tracks. Alicia was curled up in Tyler’s lap, the two completely lost in a heated make-out session.

Mason scoffed, adjusting the bundle of sticks in his arms. “Unbelievable. We were out there fighting for our lives, and they’re over here… living their best ones.” He muttered something else under his breath before a mischievous smirk crept onto his face. He turned to Zariyah. “Wanna crash their little moment?”

Zariyah’s lips curled into a smirk of her own. “Absolutely.”

Without another word, they crept toward the unsuspecting couple, ready to cause some chaos.

T. B. C.

What do you think are they planning to do?

Happy Reading!