Page 44 of Primal Hunger
I have to take the gamble.
If Syros comes back, he’s probably going to wonder if I’ve lost every one of my marbles because I’m screaming at an old radio, but I don’t care.
“Tyler, can you hear me?” I’ve never heard of a radio like this being used as a two-way communication device but what do I really know? Does the connection work both ways?
Things are kind of upended right now.
I have to be dreaming. There’s no way this is actually happening. In a desperate attempt to find out, I bite the inside of my lip hard enough to make my eyes sting.Definitely awake.
This is incredible—almost as unbelievable as being dragged through a magic portal by an eight-foot-tall, skull-faced monster.
Yet, it’s happening.
“Tyler, if you can hear me, talk to me. Please. I need your help,” I yell.
Hearing Tyler’s voice coming through the speakers might be shocking, but it hardly compares to what happens next. As if the whole thing isn’t hard enough to believe, he answers.
“Erin?” He chokes on the word, sounding skeptical, and I scream into my hand again. “Is that you?”
I’m not sure what the chances of this happening are, but they’re small. Miniscule, and I’m worried that if I change the channel again or move the radio, that I’ll lose whatever connection we’ve formed.
I keep my hands at my side, my fingers clenching.
“It’s me, Tyler! Can you really hear me?” I ask, staring desperately at the radio face, hardly daring to breathe.
“Yeah, I can hear you,” he says, his voice breaking with static. “Are you okay? Where are you? Oh my god, I thought you were dead!”
“I’m alive,” I rush, trying not to ramble, even though the urge to gush and tell him everything that’s happened so far is overwhelming. There isn’t time for that. “We went through the portal. The Grim dragged me through it and I passed out.”
I should be quick to get the point across. There’s no way to know how long the connection will last. Tyler needs to know exactly what happened.
“The portal?” he asks. His voice is distant and tinny, fluttering in and out of clarity. “You mean the one we saw?”
“Yes. Take the memory card out of the camera and upload the pictures, if you haven’t looked at them already,” I urge, heart racing in my chest. “Post them to the website. Tell everyone what happened. The world needs to know.”
“What about you?” His voice is strained now.
“I’m fine! The pictures are more important than me.”
Is it too dangerous to urge him to come look for me? How would he even do such a thing with the portal gone until the next solstice?
My head is spinning, and I’m lightheaded.
He laughs, a strange noise through the white noise of the radio. “Now I definitely know you’re okay. Kidnapped by a monster and still worried about your blog. Is there a way for you to get back?”
“No.” I have no idea if it’s possible to get back between the solstices. Surely, the Grims would go through the portals more often if that were the case. “At least, I don’t think so. It’s too dangerous for you to come looking for me. I don’t know what to do, but I’m going to figure it out. How are you listening to me right now?”
“I’m in your car,” he answers, making me scowl. Of course he is—I’d left it in his possession when I took off. “I was trying to find our radio show and my dad called.”
“Okay, well just keep it safe for now and don’t wreck it.” I can’t believe I’m worried about such a thing right now, but I’ve seen Tyler’s driving, and it’s not great.
Besides, clinging to something so dull and realistic helps to shave off some of the anxiety mounting inside me. It’s just the distraction I need.
“The Grim left me here so I don’t think I have much time, but maybe we can find a way to open a portal if the veil is weak enough to transmit voices. Will you help me?”
“Of course,” he says. “Whatever you need me to do, just—”
Something outside the door rustles, making me jump, and instinctively I slam the off button on the radio. The connection severs and a horrible silence fills the room.
