In Hiding (Published!)

Chapter 23

Darkness engulfed the woods, unable to see, our little runaway group walked slow, holding onto one another for support, and touching trees to find our way through. 

   "Casey, do you think we'll get out of these woods before morning?" Cheyanne wondered aloud. 

  I sighed, "I hope so, maybe we can hitch a ride. Does anyone know where we are? I mean, who knows where Avrey took us, we could be pretty close to Cali by now." I said.

   "I don't think we're too close, it's freezing outside. Cali is hot, remember?" Cam chuckled, a shiver following.

  He was probably right, but I didn't say anything, I was noticing the cold now, and my lips started to feel it. I don't think I could speak again until we were somewhere warm. Fall was ending quickly, and winter was approaching, indefinitely. 

  "Am I the only one seeing that light?" Daniel said, his teeth chattering. With that, I felt all eyes moving ahead, and looking around. 

  He was right, ahead of us lay a light, getting brighter and brighter. I inhaled, were we dead? I feared to deeply to ask. Of course we wern't dead. Unless it was painless, quick. I wanted to walk to it, as did the others, as my body brought me ahead, unintentionally, and they followed.

  Something blared, getting louder and louder, then it stopped, and started again, and stopped, started again, off, on, off, on. I shook my head, it was getting too loud. The sound of squealing tires brought me back to life. I gasped aloud, and the headlights disappeared from my eyes, turning sideways.

  I think that was when we started screaming. I knew I wasn't the only one. Something hard hit me, knocking me down. I groaned as I hit the ground, pain shooting up my left arm, but circling around my wrist.

  I tried to move around, but the heavy object was still holding me down. I wanted to get up, the pavement was cold.

  Pavement? When did we get out of the woods? I opened my eyes, not realizing I had them closed, and stared around me. Cheyanne and Daniel were huddled on the ground as well, about 5 feet from us, and Jess and Cam were the heavy objects on top of me. They had both shoved me, no wonder I had more pain than nessasary.

  "Casey, are you alright?" Cam and Jess both said, then looked at each other, chuckling. I rolled my eyes at them, and motioned for them to get off. They immedietly obeyed, and Cam let Jess help me up to my feet.

   "What happened? Why did you guys shove me so hard?" I snapped, holding my wrist to my stomach, thinking maybe that would stop the pain still shooting every now and then up my arm.

  "Yeah, that light I saw, just happened to be a truck, an 18-wheeler to be exact. It was coming right for us, it honked, and that's when I realized what it was. I shoved Cheyanne away, tripping with her. I didn't have time to get up. Thank God you guys realized, too. Casey, they both shoved you out of the way, if even one of them waiting a second, they would have been flattened." He explained, then pointed to the truck, its headlights turning on and off.

  "Oh dear, I hope the drivers okay!" I shrugged out of Cam's hold, and jogged over to the truck, still standing right side up, but no movement showing me where the driver was. 

  Jess' POV:

   She walked out of Cam, and ran to the driver. I jogged to keep up with her, since when does she deny Cam? Probably ever since someone else's life was at stake. If she continues to be so... caring, she's not going to be able to deal with Avrey...

   She reached the drivers side, followed by us, and swung the door open, where a driver sat. He wasn't dead, and he wasn't unconscious. I think he was just in shock, as he was just staring ahead, not noticing the group of lost teenagers at his door.