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  Most everyone dispersed, going through the two tents and the other random stuff left behind by the previous inhabitants.

  "Why do you think they left without their stuff?" Macy asked.

  Trent poked the fox again. "Could be anything, but I've learned not to question a good thing."

  "You don't think we need to worry?" Macy asked.

  He shook his head. "If they were coming back, they would have already. Could have been a storm or wildlife that chased them off. Who knows?"

  "Too bad they didn't leave us a car," Luke said.

  Trent laughed. "That would've been helpful."

  "I don't even see any tire tracks," Macy said.

  "That's not surprising," Luke said. "It's been so windy. We were lucky to find the tents still standing."

  Macy stood closer to the fire to warm up while Trent and Luke discussed the best options for getting out of the woods. She half-listened to them while letting her mind wander back to her family.

  She'd been gone at least a couple months. Did they still hold hope for finding her alive? Had Chester sent them any more messages? He had posted her fake status saying she ran away and then he left her bloody clothes. Did they even think she was trying to get to them?

  Tears filled her eyes. If they could just get back to civilization, she wouldn't have to wait much longer to find out. She thought about them for a little while longer until everyone else gathered back around the campfire.

  Trent looked at the fox again. "Looks good enough to eat. Let's dig in. Anyone find a knife?"

  Allie held up a rusty pocket knife. "It's kind of gross though."

  Luke took it. "Thanks, Allie." He opened it up and held the blade into the flame. "This will kill any germs."

  Before long, they were all cutting off pieces. Macy was surprised that everyone was so generous—making sure that others had some before digging in. They all had to be as hungry as her, but they probably weren't used it. Between Chester starving her and her self-starvation before that, she could handle the hunger—not that she was going to turn down the food.

  Her mouth watered as she held the warm meat in her hands. Macy looked at it for a moment, holding onto the smell before finally digging in.

  After everyone had some, Trent and Luke handed out seconds. The portions weren't as big, but the animal was down to the bones after that. Allie and Tina brought some berries they had collected and everyone passed those around.

  Macy pulled closer to the fire as she finished the berries. It felt good to have food in her stomach again. That coupled with the sleep, she felt that she could go on until they got out of the woods.

  "Should we stay another night or get going?" Trent asked.

  "As much as I'd like to stay where we have a camp," Luke said, "I don't like staying in one place. Jonah isn't one to give up easily. We need to move on."

  Trent looked disappointed, but nodded. "You're right."

  "Why don't you take a nap?" Macy asked. "You guys were gone hunting for a long time. Get some rest."

  "I think I will." Trent got up and went into the tent the guys had slept in.

  Luke wrapped his arm around Macy. "Are you cold?"

  "It feels like it's going to snow."

  He sniffed. "Smells like it too."

  Macy giggled. "You can smell snow coming?"

  "You can't? It always has that smell right before."

  Macy sniffed. "Yeah, I guess I can smell something different in the air."

  "That's snow." Luke pulled her closer. "You know what I think?"

  "What?"

  "There's going to be—"

  Loud rustling noises sounded not far away. Luke jumped up, grabbing the pocket knife from the side of the fire.

  "What's that?" Macy whispered.

  Luke put a finger to his mouth.

  Macy stood up. Everyone looked around, wide-eyed and silent.

  Another rustling sound.

  Blood drained from Macy's face. She didn't know if she was more scared of a wild animal or Chester. Either way she could end up dead, but Chester knew how to torture. She scooted closer to Luke.

  Trent came out of the tent. He grabbed a large stick and held it up.

  More rustling noises. This time they were closer.

  "Found them! Over here!"

  Jonah.

  The sounds of hooves and more rustling noises came from the same direction.

  Kids around the camp screamed.

  "Run!" yelled Trent.

  They went in different directions. Luke grabbed Macy's hand and pulled her in the opposite direction as Jonah's voice. She fought to keep up. Her heart pounded in her ears and she had a hard time getting her feet to do what she wanted.

  Luke led her through thick bushes where the leaves scratched her face as they ran. There was no path and they kept running into trees and other plants blocking their way.

  Macy heard a high-pitched scream followed by Allie's voice screaming no.

  A strange sound escaped from Macy's throat.

  "We have to keep going," Luke said.

  "What are they going to do to Allie?"

  Luke held a pricker bush out of the way. "Hopefully just a public shaming. Come on."

  "Shouldn't we try to help her?"

  "I promised to get you back to your family. Let's go."

  Macy moved around the pricker bush. "But she's so young."

  Luke pulled on her hand and they ran through a tight path. "I know, but from the sounds of those hooves, there's too many of them. We wouldn't be able to fight off the prophets. Jonah probably has half the men from the community."

  "I feel horrible about leaving them."

  "Chester is undoubtedly after you. If anything, they're using the others as bait to draw you in. You don't want to fall into his trap, do you?"

  Images of being locked under Chester's barn flooded her mind. "No. We have to go."

  Luke squeezed her hand. "There's nothing we can do to help the ones the prophets catch, but I can protect you and get you back home."

  Macy's throat closed up. All of this was her fault. If she hadn't gotten into Chester's truck in the first place, none of this would have ever happened. She wouldn't have been taken, he wouldn't have tortured her. Now all these other people were going to be hurt. She couldn't get Allie's face out of her mind. "I hope Allie's going to be okay."

  "Her parents are assistant prophets. I'm sure she will." Luke's tone didn't sound as sure as his words.

  "I hope so."

  They ran in silence for a few minutes and then more screams could be heard from the direction of the camp site. Macy couldn't tell who it was, but it sounded like at least three. Were she and Luke the only ones to escape?

  Luke turned and gave her a sympathetic look, but didn't slow down. They kept running, passing through tight paths, getting scratched along the way. Not that it was anything compared to whatever the other kids were going to go through.

  He squeezed her hand. "Hurry up, Macy."

  Before long she was gasping for air.

  "Do you need to slow down?" asked Luke.

  "I don't think we can, can we?"

  "If you need to, we can stop."

  Her lungs burned and her mouth was parched.

  "Maybe just for a minute."

  Luke stopped, also taking deep breaths. "We're probably okay for a few minutes, but we'd better run again as soon as we can."

  In between gasps, Macy said, "It's getting dark."

  Luke looked up. "We should have another hour of light."

  "Then what?"

  "We should keep going as long as we can."

  Macy's stomach twisted in a tight knot. She felt like she was going to throw up, but she was determined to keep the food down. Who knew when she would be able to eat that much again?

  "Are you ready?" Luke asked.

  Tears filled her eyes.

  Luke's expression softened. "Don't cry."

  Her lips wavered. "I can't help it. I'm so tired of everything.
I don't want to keep running."

  He pulled her close. "You have to. We're close. I can feel it. It's always darkest before the dawn. Just keep going a little farther. Can you do that?"

  Macy blinked and the tears fell to her face. "I have to. I can't go back to Chester."

  Luke kissed her cheek. "Don't think of that. Think about getting back home. You probably have your own room. What do you have in there?"

  "All my stuff. Everything."

  "Think about that. Come on." He caressed her palm and then slid his fingers through hers. "Ready?"

  Macy took a deep breath. "Guess I'm gonna have to be."

  Luke looked into her eyes. "You are." He tugged on her hand and they were off and running again.

  Tears flew through the air behind her. Macy couldn't help it. She was tired and didn't know if she had the energy to keep going until they hit civilization.

  Found

  "We should take a break," Luke said.

  It felt like they had been running for days, but it had only gotten dark a short while before. "Okay." The moon shone bright, helping them to see as they ran.

  Luke smiled, slowing down. "Not going to argue?"

  Macy shook her head. Her legs burned. "Is your leg okay? You hurt it in the corn field, and we haven't stopped except for last night."

  "It hurts a bit, but I'm fine."

  She squeezed his hand and then pulled away from his grip. Macy rubbed her hand. It ached from being in the same position the entire time they ran. "Are we going to sleep here?" She looked around, not seeing anything that looked appealing. Rocks and thorn bushes mostly.

  "Do you have a better idea?"

  "Not really. I wish we had a place to hide."

  "If we sit by that rock we'll be somewhat hidden by the bush."

  Macy squinted. "Probably."

  Luke sat against the rock and held out his arm. She sat next to him and he wrapped his arm around her. "At least we can keep each other warm. That's not so bad is it?"

  A smile tugged at Macy's mouth. "No. I can't complain about that."

  "We should take turns staying awake. You get some sleep first."

  "But I slept while you were hunting that fox."

  "You're not going to sway me, pretty thing. Close your eyes and get some rest. You're going to need it."

  "So are you."

  "I'll wake you, and then it'll be my turn. Close those eyes."

  "Yes, sir," Macy teased. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against his chest. She pushed her face against it, noticing his muscles.

  She listened to his heartbeat as he told her a boring story in a soft, soothing tone. Before long, her eyes grew heavy, and she gave into sleep.

  "Macy."

  "Mph."

  "Macy, wake up."

  She sat up. "Is everything okay? Did they find us?"

  "No," Luke said. "You mind sitting up while I sleep?"

  "Of course. You need your sleep." She yawned.

  "Here, take this." Luke handed her a thick stick. "I've been sharpening it with the knife. We can use it as a weapon if we have to."

  "Okay. Do you want me to work on one while you sleep?"

  "If you want. We can't have too much protection." Luke handed her the knife. "We can use that, too." He leaned his head against her shoulder.

  She kissed his hair. "Get some rest."

  He snored.

  "I'll take that as a yes." She held up the knife and looked for another stick. There was one just out of reach. She used her feet to pull it to her, not wanting to disturb Luke's rest. She grabbed it and slid the knife along the edge, pointing away from her.

  She worked on the stick until it had a sharp point. After finishing, she slid the three weapons in between her and the tree they sat against.

  Macy listened to Luke's heavy breathing and felt sleepy herself. She couldn't allow herself to sleep.

  Her eyelids grew heavier. She sang a song in her head, trying to distract herself. She had to stay awake.

  A branch snapped nearby. Macy sat up, holding her breath. Her heart pounded in her ears, making it hard to hear. She tried to calm herself. If she wanted to survive, she needed to stay alert.

  Another branch snapped. Macy looked around. A fat raccoon darted in front of her. She let out a sigh of relief.

  Everything was quiet for a while, and to keep herself from falling back asleep she thought about what she would do when she got back home. First she would hug everyone and apologize profusely. She would swear never to sneak out again—and she would keep the promise. Then she would let Alex tease her all he wanted, and then when he ran out of things to say she would run down to Zoey's house and find out what she'd missed.

  She found that she couldn't even think about her parents, beyond apologizing to them. She'd been gone so long. What must they be going through? She shook her head, a lump forming in her throat. No. She'd cried enough already. More than enough. Macy needed to be strong to get back home.

  If they wanted to ground her for life, Macy would have no qualms. She just needed to get out of the woods.

  The thought of that was enough to wake her and get rid of the sleepiness. She'd never have to be locked away under the barn again or stuck in a crazy cult, locked inside there too. Being grounded at home with people who loved her would be freedom compared to everything she'd been through recently.

  A noise caught Macy's attention. It sounded pretty far away, and she couldn't tell what it might be. She sat a little taller, slowly sliding her hand behind her where she'd put the weapons. Her fingers wrapped around one of the sticks.

  She heard another noise, this time closer. It sounded like rustling leaves. Could it be a breeze? She didn't feel anything, but there could be a wind somewhere else.

  Another branch snapped. Could it be a raccoon again? Her skin crawled, starting from her back and moving down to her legs. She sat up taller, ready to wake Luke if she needed to. She didn't want to wake him over a forest animal.

  More leaves rustled, this time closer and louder. It sounded larger than a critter. They needed to move on.

  Macy couldn't find her voice, so she elbowed Luke. He moved his head, but didn't wake. She nudged him again, this time harder. He didn't respond.

  She scanned the area, still not seeing anything. Her pulse was on fire. She'd have to find her voice if they were to get away. She heard another rustle.

  "Luke," she whispered. "Wake up. Something's headed our way."

  He sat up, looking around. "What? Where?"

  "That way." Macy pointed. A branch snapped loudly as if to prove her point.

  "Where's the knife?" Luke asked.

  Macy pulled the knife and other stick out from behind her.

  Luke took the knife, leaving her with both sticks. He stood up, pressing his back against the tree. Macy did the same.

  "We need to go the direction we came," whispered Luke. "Follow me."

  Macy nodded. Luke headed toward the tiny path they had taken, and she hurried to keep up. They made it a few yards before Macy stepped on a branch. It snapped with a loud crack. She cringed. "Sorry."

  "We have to hurry." Luke grabbed her hand and pulled her though the path.

  They darted between bushes, trees, and thorns. Macy's hair kept getting caught in the thorns.

  "There you two are."

  Macy's heart stopped.

  Chester.

  Luke pulled Macy. "Keep going."

  She forced her feet to move faster, but she was all too aware of Chester behind them. She couldn't let him catch them. Macy held the two sticks in her hand tighter.

  Macy felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and screamed, regretting it immediately. If the prophets were out there searching near Chester, she had just informed them of their location.

  Luke tugged her arm again. Though Chester had touched her shoulder, he hadn't managed to grab her.

  It wasn't over…it was just beginning. They were going to get away from him.

  They had
managed to lose him in the corn field, and they could do it out here. It would be easier, because they had wide open spaces. They weren't locked inside the community.

  Macy tried to kick dirt behind her as she ran. It probably wouldn't do anything to slow down Chester, but she had to do something.

  "Where are you going?" Chester called. "We need to talk, Heather."

  "Her name's not Heather," Luke yelled without looking back.

  Macy picked up her speed and got right behind Luke. She could feel the material of his shirt on her face.

  "You're headed for a nest of mountain lions," Chester warned. "Turn around and live, Heather."

  "What?" Macy exclaimed.

  "He's lying," Luke said. "Keep going."

  "No, I'm not," Chester said, sounding closer. "There's a whole group of them. Turn around."

  "You turn around," Macy said. "We'll take care of ourselves. Go back to Rebekah."

  "Not without you. We're a family."

  Macy let go of Luke's hand. She stopped and turned around and stopped. "We aren't a family. We've never been a family. I'm not Heather, and you know it. You ripped me away from my real family."

  Luke grabbed her hand and pulled her away. "Don't let him get to you."

  Rage built up in the pit of Macy's stomach. "I can't help it. I've never been able to tell him how I feel."

  "Write him a letter when he's in jail."

  Macy felt Chester's hand on her shoulder again. This time, he squeezed and pulled her toward him.

  Done

  Chester held Macy, his glasses gleaming in the moonlight.

  "How did you fix your glasses?" she asked.

  "Fix them?" He laughed. "I keep a spare set because I need them so desperately. Now come with me, Heather. We have some matters to discuss."

  Her blood ran cold. She wanted to look back at Luke, but didn't dare take her eyes off Chester. She tried pulling away from him. His hand slipped, and she ran in the opposite direction, feeling thorns scraping her on all sides.

  She heard Chester muttering over the sounds of her and Luke's running. Each time she brushed against foliage, it made noise. Her senses were overwhelmed and she didn't even have time to process anything.

  Chester wasn't far behind and he was yelling at her to slow down and give up, still calling her Heather. When would he give up that delusion?