Run

Chapter Two

RUN

By Elissa Evenson

Chapter Two: STACY

I quickly aroused Stella.

"Stella! Wake up Stella! Quickly! Hurry up! COME ON!"

Lucky for me Stella wasn't a very heavy sleeper.

Stella bolted up. "What's going on?"

"There's a forest fire!" I yelled. "We've got to go!"

Stella quickly hoped up, grabbed her backpack and ran.

"It's a good thing we keep our backpacks packed just in case." I thought.

I grabbed Stella's hand and together we ran through the woods. While we were running, I tripped over a fallen log.

"Ooph!" A tree near by was on fire. One of it's branches was hanging over me. The fire quickly crawled up the trunk and spread to the branch hanging over me. I watched in horror, helpless, as the branch fell down towards me in slow motion. It fell onto my legs. I screamed and reached out towards Stella.

"STELLA!! HELP ME!" Stella was ahead of me, and when she turned around her mouthed formed a perfect "O" shape.

"STELLA! HELP!" She quickly ran towards me. The fire was slowly spreading onto my leg.

When Stella was almost to me, she grabbed a long, thick stick.

"Hold still!" She cried.

"Like I have a choice." I tried to mutter, but ended up screaming it.

She poked the stick between the branch and my leg. She pushed really hard and I felt the log start to move.

"It's working! Keep trying!" By now the branch was burning my leg. "Hurry!" I yelled.

After what seemed like forever, Stella got the branch off my leg. My leg tingled and burned with pain. There was a hole in my pants and my skin was black and burned.

"Come on Stacy! We've go to keep moving!"

"It hurts!" I yelled. "I can't do it. I just can't." My voice got weaker as I lost hope. "Stella, listen to me. You've got to run. I can't make it. You have to go." I cried as a tear rolled down my cheek. I saw tears in Stella's eyes too.

"No. I'm taking you with me no matter what." Stella said with a determined look on her face. She helped me up. "I love you. I won't leave you behind." Stella was crying now, but I knew she wouldn't give up on me. She always was a stubborn baby. I smiled at the thought.

We walked as fast as we could out of the forest. Stella walked with her arm around me for support.

After what like hours upon hours, we finally reached the edge of the burning forest.

My throat was on fire, my eyes burned, and my leg hurt like hell. As soon as we were a safe distance from forest, we collapsed in someone's backyard.