The Search for the Eoz Potion

4. Climbing Trees

They all had a seemingly infinite number of questions, but they sat silently in shock. Zack, who had been helping to tie the arrows to ropes, explained the plan again more slowly and answered their questions. As they listened, Hailey and Claire got the impression that these two had been through plenty of tough spots together before. Josef and Zack's initial surprise at the presence of the HRA had worn off, and now that they had a plan of action, their calm confidence had returned. Josef moved through the carriage calmly as he prepared for their escape. This seemed to reassure Claire, but Hailey was skeptical of the plan.

"This is ridiculous," a boy's voice interrupted. "I'm not going out there. We're safer in here."

"What's your name?" Josef asked while tying more arrows to ropes. It was a forced and uncomfortable question.

"Evan," the boy responded with some attitude.

"The HRA has never been in the forest before, Evan. It's always been outside of the range of their control center. The fact that they can reach this far now is a big deal. I don't know what else they can send in now. They have a lot of powerful weapons, stronger than anything we've got, and I'm not taking any chances."

Most of the passengers gave in, admitting that Josef likely understood the situation better than they did. But Evan seemed unconvinced.

"Won't they just watch us go into the trees and follow us?" he demanded.

Hailey looked around the group to see if she was the only one who shared his concern. While she thought he was being kind of a jerk about it (even more so than she would have been), she also felt that some of his points were valid. She too would have felt safer staying in the carriage.

"Just because we know where they are, doesn't mean they know where we are," Josef said, cracking a smile for the first time. "We have Guides watching throughout the forest for us. But it's only a matter of time before they find this carriage and we need to get out of it quick."

"So they aren't even following us?" Evan asked, looking around as if he would be able to see them. "Why can't we just get out and run? I was doing fine before you picked us up."

Josef looked up at the boy without a trace of frustration on his face, though his eyes were heavy and serious.

"You're welcome to go," Josef said, reaching up and sliding open a door on the roof. The sound of the wind rushing past them ended the conversation abruptly.

With that, he called Zack over and boosted him up through the roof. Then Josef jumped up himself and grabbed onto the sides of the small door, swung his feet up, and hoisted his body through the opening like an acrobat. The kids left in the car frantically unbuckled themselves from their seats and gathered in a mob under the door. They could see nothing except the bottoms of tree branches whizzing past them.

After a few seconds, Josef reached his hands down from the roof and asked for the first person. Everyone looked to Evan, but his face was blank as he took a step back. One of the younger and more nervous of the Searchers reached his hand up. He was afraid to jump into the trees, but he was more afraid of what would happen if he didn't get out of the carriage before it was too late. Some of the other kids helped boost him up through the door, and then he was gone.

Again, the others stood below looking up through the doorway. Hailey and Claire couldn't figure out how these kids were doing this - climbing onto the roof of a moving vehicle, basically lassoing a tree, and then climbing up it. This was not something they had any idea how to do. Yet one by one, the other Searchers disappeared up the doorway.

The girls let all the other kids go first, Claire out of fear and Hailey out of doubt. Finally, the only one left in the carriage with them was Evan. Hailey watched him to see what he was going to do. Would he refuse Josef's help and go out on his own, or would he admit that in this situation he may not have known what was best. He and Hailey shared a brief awkward moment as he seemed to want her to go first. His eyes had turned scared and were begging her for a few more minutes to make up his mind. But Hailey stared him down and refused to let him off the hook. Eventually he rolled his eyes and gave in, grabbing Josef's outstretched hand and climbing up onto the roof leaving Hailey and Claire alone in the carriage.