But Elias gave me no choice, pulling me in until icy water lapped at my waist. The shock stole my breath.
Elias cupped his hands, dipped them in the stream, and began pouring water over my arms and shoulders, silent.
I winced as the water touched broken skin, then realized he was washing away the blood and bites.
I did the same for him, rinsing away dirt and blood. His arms were as wounded as mine, but he stayed focused on me.
Once we were as clean as we could get under the circumstances, we stepped out of the water and kept moving. We had no idea if those things would come back. Or if more were waiting.
We pushed through dense trees until we came across a narrower, more overgrown path and started down it, eyes constantly scanning for anything unusual.
By now, fear had soaked into my
