Page 107 of Malachi
We each sprang into action, things coming together in a flurry of movement. I helped Talia to her feet, guiding her to the backdoor and grabbing the small rucksack Malachi had helped me pack just the night before.
“You got her bag?” I called out behind me as I opened the back door, leading Talia through it.
“Got it!” Delilah called. With that, we were off. My eyes darted across the yard from left to right and back again, carefully watching for anything out of place. If the men were sending us to the bunker without them, shit had hit the fan. It wasn’t safe. All I could think of was keeping my sisters safe, getting them to the bunker, and then praying with more power and passion than ever before to bring our boys home safely.
“Stay quiet. Eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary,” I whispered loud enough for the girls behind us to hear.
Through the treeline.
To the opening in the treetops.
Take a right.
To the hollow tree.
On past the clearing.
Around the totem.
Then to the left.
Feel your way.
Malachi’s directions played over in my head on an endless loop. It was up to me, only me, to get these women to safety.
Every breath, every step felt sharp as we moved across the yard and in through the treeline. While the cover the trees provided should have made me feel safer, or at least marginally more calm, it had the opposite effect.
All of my senses felt heightened. The sound of my breathing rang through my ears. The feel of the grass and underbrush crunching beneath my feet felt like it echoed through the woods. My heart thundered in my chest as I kept my focus on just putting one foot in front of the other and getting my sisters to safety.
“How far is it?” Talia asked, her breath already coming in quick pants of exertion. It couldn’t be easy to walk over the uneven ground as we headed up into the mountains while pregnant.
“It’s not a short trip, I’m afraid. Just keep going. Don’t look back,” I pressed, feeling my heart beat violently against my ribcage.
“One step, then another. Before you know it, we’ll be at the bunker,” Ruth added, helping to bolster our spirits, as we all feared for what was to come.
I looked around as we passed through the denser tree cover, looking up for the next landmark Malachi had shown me.
The opening in the treetops.
The thundering of my heart beating against my ribcage made each step, each second, passing by felt like hours. Or maybe time was moving at double speed. I didn’t know. All I knew was we had to keep moving, keep pushing towards the bunker. Towards Malachi’s phone.
“I’m so worried about the boys,” Delilah muttered as we passed under the opening in the treetops and onward. It was rare to see her abandon her usual sassy demeanor, but there was nothing but fear and worry laced in her voice as we trekked on.
“We can’t worry about that right now,” Ruth said, and she was completely right. “We need to focus on getting to the —”
“Oh, God!” Talia groaned, stopping dead in her tracks with a wince and bending over, her arms wrapping tightly around her middle.
“Talia, are you okay?” I exclaimed with worry, turning and crouching down by her. Ruth stood to the other side of her, quickly glancing around in case we were being followed. I cursed myself for not having a watch or something with me. I had no idea if five minutes had passed or if it had been thirty. Time felt surreal and incomprehensible.
“Something’s not right,” she gasped out sharply.
“Did something happen?” I asked, my eyes moving down from her head to her toes, looking for anything out of place.
“I don’t know. It just hurts,” she rasped out.
“Can you keep going?” I asked, worry giving way to downright fear. “We need to keep moving.”
She nodded, audibly gulping as she dug down and found the strength to continue.
