hands shot out as the world fell away. It took her a moment to realize she was in a hole left by the uprooted tree. The hole disappeared into the forest floor, hidden by the overhanging, broken roots. “Sara, Amanda. In here.”
They hopped in next to her. Jaci pulled dead leaves and debris into the hole, covering themselves with the foliage.
Sara stopped her. “Shh. Listen.”
They froze. The sound of feet crashed through underbrush nearby.
“Faster,” Jaci said. They piled up leaves quickly, stopping when the footsteps got closer.
Jaci sunk into the leaves, huddling close to her friends. If anyone looks inside the hole, they’ll see us. Jaci breathed her little prayer, her lips moving soundlessly. She could feel Amanda’s heart pounding under her elbow. Sara’s knees crushed against her ribcage.
Footsteps rustled the leaves near their hiding place. Jaci tensed, her muscles preparing to catapult her from the root-hole and fly down the mountainside. Amanda gripped her forearm, pinching. A spider crept across the leaves under nose. She stared at it.
Amanda spotted it too. Her eyes widened as she drew her head back. A soft gasp escaped her lips.
“Hey!” The man’s voice came from right above them.
Jaci squeezed her eyes shut and lowered her shoulders, trying to slide further into the leaves.
“Find anything?” The second voice was further away, but coming closer.
Jaci’s heart pounded. She knew they could not outrun these men.
“No.” Dirt kicked into their hole as a large boot walked by. “Nothing over here.”
Jaci didn’t breathe. She listened to his footsteps jog away. The running feet turned into shouting voices that faded as they traveled down the hill. It took several minutes before Jaci found the courage to open her eyes.
They were safe. She felt Amanda’s grip on her arm relax.
The girls didn’t move for about an hour. Every time Amanda checked her watch, her tangled red hair brushed Jaci’s cheek. Jaci’s legs were starting to cramp and the adrenaline was wearing off, making her tired and irritated.
“What now?” Sara said.
“We wait,” Jaci said back. “At least ’til nightfall. Maybe even ’til tomorrow. They’ll be looking everywhere for us.”
Amanda shook her head. “No, we can’t wait that long. I say we wait until nightfall, then make a run for it. The forest is big; they can’t be everywhere. We have to trust our luck or risk being trapped in here forever.”
Jaci glanced at Sara, who watched her with brooding eyes. “All right. We wait until dark. We don’t run. We watch each other. If one person stops, we all stop. And not one word. Got it?”
She met each girl’s eyes in turn, and they nodded. Jaci opened and closed her fists uneasily, then leaned her head against the rotten wood.
It was the longest hour ever. Jaci memorized every leaf in front of her. She listened to the birds cooing. She watched an insect crawl around the debris. She wondered how many small, white termites crawled in her hair.
Someone’s stomach gave a furious growl, and Jaci began to huddle tighter and rock a bit. “I never got to go to the bathroom,” she said.
Amanda gave her a tight smile. “Just don’t do it now, okay?”
“I need to go again, too,” Sara said.
The sun began to set, and she could feel everyone tensing in anticipation. There had been no further sign of the men. The occasional squirrel scampering by had set Jaci’s heart into a staccato break dance, but the men appeared to have moved on.
When it was too dark to clearly see the trees in front of them, they pushed away the leaf barrier and crawled out. Jaci crouched over the damp leaves, shaking and trembling as she tried to keep herself up. She exhaled, relieved to empty her bladder.
It was a dark night, with a sliver of moonlight poking through the branches. They could barely see each other as they moved through the forest.
It took several hours before they reached flat ground. The trees cleared a
They hopped in next to her. Jaci pulled dead leaves and debris into the hole, covering themselves with the foliage.
Sara stopped her. “Shh. Listen.”
They froze. The sound of feet crashed through underbrush nearby.
“Faster,” Jaci said. They piled up leaves quickly, stopping when the footsteps got closer.
Jaci sunk into the leaves, huddling close to her friends. If anyone looks inside the hole, they’ll see us. Jaci breathed her little prayer, her lips moving soundlessly. She could feel Amanda’s heart pounding under her elbow. Sara’s knees crushed against her ribcage.
Footsteps rustled the leaves near their hiding place. Jaci tensed, her muscles preparing to catapult her from the root-hole and fly down the mountainside. Amanda gripped her forearm, pinching. A spider crept across the leaves under nose. She stared at it.
Amanda spotted it too. Her eyes widened as she drew her head back. A soft gasp escaped her lips.
“Hey!” The man’s voice came from right above them.
Jaci squeezed her eyes shut and lowered her shoulders, trying to slide further into the leaves.
“Find anything?” The second voice was further away, but coming closer.
Jaci’s heart pounded. She knew they could not outrun these men.
“No.” Dirt kicked into their hole as a large boot walked by. “Nothing over here.”
Jaci didn’t breathe. She listened to his footsteps jog away. The running feet turned into shouting voices that faded as they traveled down the hill. It took several minutes before Jaci found the courage to open her eyes.
They were safe. She felt Amanda’s grip on her arm relax.
The girls didn’t move for about an hour. Every time Amanda checked her watch, her tangled red hair brushed Jaci’s cheek. Jaci’s legs were starting to cramp and the adrenaline was wearing off, making her tired and irritated.
“What now?” Sara said.
“We wait,” Jaci said back. “At least ’til nightfall. Maybe even ’til tomorrow. They’ll be looking everywhere for us.”
Amanda shook her head. “No, we can’t wait that long. I say we wait until nightfall, then make a run for it. The forest is big; they can’t be everywhere. We have to trust our luck or risk being trapped in here forever.”
Jaci glanced at Sara, who watched her with brooding eyes. “All right. We wait until dark. We don’t run. We watch each other. If one person stops, we all stop. And not one word. Got it?”
She met each girl’s eyes in turn, and they nodded. Jaci opened and closed her fists uneasily, then leaned her head against the rotten wood.
It was the longest hour ever. Jaci memorized every leaf in front of her. She listened to the birds cooing. She watched an insect crawl around the debris. She wondered how many small, white termites crawled in her hair.
Someone’s stomach gave a furious growl, and Jaci began to huddle tighter and rock a bit. “I never got to go to the bathroom,” she said.
Amanda gave her a tight smile. “Just don’t do it now, okay?”
“I need to go again, too,” Sara said.
The sun began to set, and she could feel everyone tensing in anticipation. There had been no further sign of the men. The occasional squirrel scampering by had set Jaci’s heart into a staccato break dance, but the men appeared to have moved on.
When it was too dark to clearly see the trees in front of them, they pushed away the leaf barrier and crawled out. Jaci crouched over the damp leaves, shaking and trembling as she tried to keep herself up. She exhaled, relieved to empty her bladder.
It was a dark night, with a sliver of moonlight poking through the branches. They could barely see each other as they moved through the forest.
It took several hours before they reached flat ground. The trees cleared a
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