Lost

Chapter 26: Hiding

Post your reactions as you read ;). Unedited x

Zayn's P.O.V.

"Zayn!"

Salma's trembling voice was just a whisper. Too frightened to move, she was no longer struggling against his hold to make a run for it. Instead, staring at the approaching man as if her death was about to hit her in the face, she held on to Zayn's arm, her vice like grip tightening with every step that the man took towards them. Frank was only about twenty yards away, and Zayn was still unsure if staying rooted behind the trees was the best option.

"Frankie!" the man in the ditch called.

"Aye, Tom!'

"He's knocked out!"

Zayn looked ahead of him. Would Tom notice if they move towards the ditch, with the trees obscuring their backs from Frank's view?  

Salma had been stunned to a silence, and from the look in her eyes, Zayn feared she was about to faint. Frank was now close enough for Zayn to hear his hurried footsteps. As a stronger beam reached them through the trees, Zayn made up his mind.

"Come on!" he whispered.

Keeping a secure arm around her shoulders, Zayn cowered to stay hidden behind the shadows and lead her in a direction away from Frank. It was risky to walk right into the ditch, where one brute was headed, and the other already waiting for them, but Frank had the gun, and Zayn was hoping that the other guy would be too busy inspecting Chris's beauty wounds to notice them attempting to walk past him behind the cover of the trees.

Weaving their way through the trees, they reached the edge of the ditch. Salma almost screamed at the sight of her attacker, and another man who had his back to them. Zayn's hand shot to cover her mouth, only to find her own palm pressed against her lips. He took a quick step back and hastily pulled Salma down behind a thicket in a desperate attempt to stay undiscovered. He could hear Frank catching up to them, fast!

Oh God! Zayn close his eyes. Maybe running towards the ditch wasn't the best idea. However, it was too late to think about that now.

Scared that Franks might end up walking right over them, Zayn started edging towards a stout tree in the vicinity. He and Salma managed to scurry around its wide trunk, just in time for Frank to step over the bush. He missed Salma's foot by mere inches. Zayn feared that Frank would have gotten a glimpse of them, but it was the man in the ditch that caught a movement in his periphery, as he was turning around when his friend approached him.

"What happened to him?" Frank asked, jumping into the ditch.

Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Zayn and Salma edged closer behind the tree.

"What're you looking at, Tom?"

"Nothing," Tom replied. Zayn heard shuffling, like he had stood up to get a better view. "I thought I saw a movement there."

A freezing cold crept through Zayn's bones. Salma's fingers curled around his shirt tightly. He flatten against the tree, bringing Salma closer to make sure they remained out of sight. Zayn  contemplated on breaking into a run, but he resisted the urge. The slightest sounds would confirm their presence and there is no way they could outrun a bullet.

"I better check it out," Tom said, and with that, the glaring light flashed in their direction.

God! Dear God, no!

Zayn inched away, not sure which side Tom would approach them from. He pressed his back against the trunk. To his shock, his arm caved in. Glancing over his shoulder, Zayn was surprised to find the tree was hollow. The trunk was cleaved longitudinally, the gap just wide enough for him to squeeze through into the space in between.