Page 76 of Abducted

“Where’d you put the flashlights?” Shawn asked from the open driver’s door.

Lana curled her toes. She shifted her weight to her hip on the seat. Grace huffed. “They’re under the back seat—”

She snapped her foot out with rapid speed. The top of her foot caught Grace’s hand. The weapon careened through the air.

“You little bitch!” Grace barked into the wind. “Shawn, get the flashlight over here, I can’t see.”

Lana flung herself out of the vehicle. The balls of her feet landed on the gravel. Grace shot her hand out. Her fingers locked around her wrist. Lana twisted until her hold broke. She tore through the night, as if she was running on hot coals.

“Shawn, get her!”

Lana took flight. Her feet pounded through the stones. Dirt flung around her. She charged for the trees. Rain pelted her forehead and hair. Hurried feet crunched the ground behind her. Her breath came out in sharp pants. Her shoulders screamed for release. She tore through the bushes. The trees welcomed her into the shelter of their arms. The smell of rain and rotting vegetation settled in the air.

Grace yelled something at Shawn behind her.

Her hair whipped in front of her face. She shook it free. The dirt was moist and slick from the rain earlier that evening. A tree root caught her toe. Her breath sucked in on a cry. She caught herself in a lunge and leapt back to her feet. Branches clawed at her face, nicking her skin. The thin soles of her flats caught a sharp rock. She bit her lip as pain shot through her toes.

God, please don’t let them find me.

The violent beating of her heart pulsated through her body. Her lungs burned in her chest. She surged on. She threw a hasty glance over her shoulder. A bright yellow globe bobbed in the air…then another. They had flashlights.

No, no, no!

They were going to catch her.

She needed somewhere to hide. Needed to call for help. Tears stung her eyes. She fought them back. She wouldn’t die out here. She ducked low, blending into the darkness. Thank God for her dark clothing and hair. The lights cut through the leaves to her right, but the beam was unsteady. She weaved deeper between the thick tree trunks. Cold, wet mud sucked her feet into its hold. She tore her foot out and her shoe remained glued to the sludge. She took a wide step out of the muck, and lost her footing. A cry caught in her throat, but she silenced it as she went down. Her knees sank deep.

She squeezed her eyes shut. The bouncing yellow circles grew to the size of tennis balls. They were getting closer. She squinted through the darkness. All she needed was cover. Her eyes zeroed in on the darkness. A few feet in front of her, the land dropped off.

A ravine.

Hope soared through her. She kept her head low and crawled out of the mud on her knees. She inched her way to the edge of the ravine. The flashlights whipped around the trees, but not in her direction. Their hushed voices carried through the wind. If they reached the deeper mud of the trail, they would see her footprints.

This was her only shot. She scooted on her butt down the slippery slope of the ravine. Without the use of her hands, she struggled to stay upright. She made it down the leaf-covered slide. Six inches of ice-cold water covered her ankles and her one bare foot slipped along the stones at the bottom. Her teeth chattered. The moon shone through the canopy of trees, illuminating her way. About a hundred feet away, the ravine twisted around a bend. If she could make it that far, she could try to get the phone out and alert Cal.

She lifted her feet gingerly, one after the other, being careful not to splash. The sound would carry. She took long strides. Something slimy crawled into her pant leg.

Her teeth pierced her tongue to stifle the scream. She shook her leg wildly.

It’s okay. It’s just a bug. Keep moving.

Her teeth chattered in her face. The small pinch of tiny legs was gone. She took a deep breath. She craned her neck back to see the top of the ravine where she’d come down. No dancing orbs yet.

She just might make it.

Crack! Crack!

Gunshots rang through the night. The sound of critters scattering through the bushes followed. Birds squawked, torn from their slumber. She rounded the edge of the bend and dropped to her knees.

Her breath rasped out through her teeth.

A beam of light hit her in the face. Her heart slammed against her breastbone. Terror ripped through her. She threw herself to the ground, shielded by the curve in the ravine.

They had found her.

Bullets split the night. Their deadly shapes whizzed past her. She searched the darkness for another way out. She wouldn’t be able to climb the ravine—not without the use of her hands. She was a sitting duck.

Tears leaked out of her eyes and ran down her cheeks. The taste of mud and salt ran over her lips. Bugs buzzed around her. They weren’t far now. The crunch of branches reached her ears.

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