The Death Race

The Climb

I woke up to Jasper's steady breathing on my neck. The warm sensation was calming, a feeling I hadn't felt for a long time. I tilted my head upwards and was met with a pair of sleeping eyes. Jasper had fallen asleep on top of me. Cute. Movement catches the corner of my eye. Some ones awake? I carefully lift Jasper's slumping form off me and silently stand up. The person is kneeling down... pawing through a backpack.....Wait pawing? I take in a deep breathe and strain my eyes. What is see is inhuman. The fury silhouette of a bear comes into view. F*ck. I tiptoe back over to Jasper and desperately shake him. Please wake up Jasper!  He groans, I cover his mouth with my hand. He claws at it. Only then do I realize I'm choking him, Oops. I release my grip on his mouth. I put one finger over my mouth, signalling a 'shush signal.' The horror on my face must have given something away as he kept quiet. Several minutes passed, or so it felt like it, then Jasper's face paled and his eyes widened in fear. I let my hand slip off his mouth and we crept over to the others sleeping bodies. I woke Alex and Annabeth and jasper woke up Lilly and Ashton. Jasper gestured to follow him. We sneak away from our campsite and the bear, leaving all our supplies there. I'm not sure where Jasper's leading us, but hopefully someplace safe. Crack!  I look down at my feet, so does everyone else. A lump in my throat forms when I see half a stick under my foot. Sh*t. With a guilty look on my face I look at the others. Their white, fear in their eyes. I whip my face around to the bear, or to where it was anyway. The silhouette was gone........simply gone. Jasper gapes at us 'Run.' We take off, running in a random direction....running for our lives. Suddenly, out of the blue, the bear jumps out, cutting off our path. That's one smart bear. "The other way!" Jasper whisper/shouts. We run the opposite, the bear hot on our trail. "Quick up there!" Someone yells from in front of me. A massive oak tree looms above us. We reach the trunk of the thick tree trunk and start climbing. First up to safety was Aston. He climbed like a monkey. I start climbing but I'm lurched back. I look down at my foot and it's stuck between a root. Sh*t. I tug and my foot but it doesn't move. "Help" Luckily Lilly comes to my rescue and unhooks my foot. We scamper up the tree until where out of reach. Jasper's right behind us, then Alex. Annabeth's the only one left on the ground. She started climbing too late. "Hurry Annabeth!!" I scream. The bears nearly at the trunk, only a minute or so left. She's frantically climbing. "I'm going as fast as I can! Help me" I frantically start to climb down, but am stopped by a firm grip. I struggle in the grip. The bears reached the trunk of the tree, back hind tense, ready to pounce. As if it knew what I was thinking it's back paws left the ground. "Annabeth!!!" But it was too late. Her bloodcurdling screams rips through the forest as she dragged down with the bear. We all stare, hopelessly, as she pulled into the depths of the jungle. The screams continue for minutes until silence. My lower lip trembles and I yank myself from Lilly's grip. I glare at her and say "I could've helped her!" 'No you couldn't, she was already a goner, better one then two." Fuming, I stalk away....well climb away, up the tree. I didn't stop till I could see over the tops of the leaves. The glow of the pinky, orangey sunset was disappearing down over the mountains. The stars were waking in the night sky. I looked down at the others, they were huddled in a group, staying silent. *Sigh* I wish I was back home...safe....In my own bed. I am safe here .......I am safe here ....... I am safe here. For a moment I actually believed this. I kept the thought in my mind until the moon met with the stars in the night sky.