Partners in crime

Prologue

A gunshot is the loudest sound in the universe. Especially when it's coming right at you.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The power of the shot rippled my blood and shook my spine. I was filled with extreme anxiety and petrified vulnerability. I scampered through the woods as the darkness thickened around me, I couldn't see Newt but I could hear her running behind me. At least I thought it was her.
Please, please, PLEASE let it be Newt running behind me.
I couldn't turn around to check unless I wanted to be captured by the police. Now please, don't get any ideas that I'm some rouge criminal on the run, wanted the MI6 or anything crazy like that, because I'm not. Well, I am being chased by armed federal officers right now but I swear I'm innocent. It's all a big misunderstanding, not even I understand what is really going on, all I know is-
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The sound punctured the pressure in my ears as I fled deeper into the dark, sinister forest. I couldn't think right now, all I could do was run.
Wind propelled into my face making me squint, it dived into my open mouth making my throat dry and tight. I ran faster than I had ever run in my life. My legs ached with numbness as my muscles contracted and expanded, contracted and expanded. I panted, sucking in air aggressively, yearning to pause for a breath.
But I couldn't.
I swerved off the forest track, hoping it would throw the police off course as I bounded in the different direction. My foot scuffed of a bulging tree root and I went tumbling down my hands grazing on the chilled, hard ground. For moments I just lay there, dizziness throbbing in my head. A sharp pain swelling in my shin. I managed to subdue the reflexive instinct to cry out in pain. That's when I heard her voice.
"Keela! Keela!" A familiar voice shout-whispered from somewhere I couldn't see. I didn't know who it was as first but the sound of a well known voice brought some sort of relief and comfort in the dark, eerie expanse of the forest.
"It's Newt! Look up! UP HERE!" I glanced upwards it took me a moment to focus on everything because the air was heavy with mist and my vision was glazed with the shadow of the night. When my eyes adjusted to the murky gloom, I saw Newt sitting on a high tree branch. I gave a sigh of relief, her closeness dispelling my frightful anxiety. I scrambled up after her, without a second thought. Even though I was being chased by the police, my childish fears of monsters leaping out of the dark and dragging me away were enough to assist my break-neck tree climbing attempt. I groped for some sort of indentation or branch to yank myself up with then Newt offered her hand and heaved me to her stable position. My free hand felt around the bark frantically, found a slender branch and pulled upwards till I was sitting next to Newt.
There was silence for a while the only sound was our panting and the muffled police sirens getting ever quieter. When we had both caught our breath and the sirens had faded to absence we both sat, trying to contemplate everything that had just happened.
"Why did we run?" I whispered breathlessly. Although the police were probably far away by now I still kept my voice to a minimum.
"What would you think if you saw two people in the middle of the nowhere, at night with a shovel and human bones?" It wasn't really a question.
"We could have just told them the truth." I protested weakly. Newt's laugh was bitter and grim. "Like they would believe us. I mean we haven't even got any supervision!" She pointed out. "We could just tell them we got lost." I don't know why I was arguing against the obvious point. She snorted even though the situation was far from funny. "Yeah, they're really gonna buy the fact that our family ran off and left us alone in the wilderness."
There was a long silence. Neither of us said anything. There was a complete absence of sound and I was sure the police were gone.
"What do we do now?" Newt was usually firm, tough and unafraid but her voice was creased with fret. Unfortunately I was no braver or surer than she.
"Let's wait till morning, then try and find our way back to civilisation, then ..." I hesitated wondering to myself what the next step should be. "I guess we can cross that bridge when we come to it." I lay back on the gnarled trunk wishing I could myself feel as sure and brave as the words I said. A tear escaped by eye and trickled down my cheek at the thought of my mum and my sister and home, and how they are lying embraced by their duvets while I am out here, lost, possibly wanted. I picture my mum when she is told I am missing. I see her crying and a sob escapes my mouth. My eyes a closed but I hear the branch creak as Newt turns towards me.
"Hey." She says softly. "Don't cry." She puts her arm around me as I weep into my knees. I want to be stronger and better than this but I feel so tired, weak and helpless. So scared of the forest and the animals and make-believe monsters that may prowl within it's woody depths. "Listen I know this whole thing is crazy, but we will work it out, I promise." Her words drift away as the voice in the back of my head tells me there is no hope.
What if I die out here?!
I picture my mother and sister and family wailing over my tombstone and I cry louder. My gasps and shrill cries are muffled by my thick, tracksuit trousers but audible in the quiet of the night.
"Your not alone, your with me. I'm here, We're together. I know being stuck out here with yours truly probably isn't your most desired way to spend your holiday-" I offered a small laugh through my tears. "But we'll be safe." She reassured me, rubbing my back comfortingly. "We'll head out in the morning to the nearest village and we will find someone to help us. How does that sound?" She tried to make it sound as easy and mundane as possible to blur the craziness of the situation. Although, her words did sooth my nerves and calm me a little. "Okay." I cleared my throat and sniffed when I was finished crying. Even though the darkness sealed most of my vision I could see Newt smile.
"Great now lets get some sleep."
"How?" I questioned wiping my eyes with the cuffs of my sleeve. We couldn't sleep on the floor because of all the animals that stalk the forest bed at night, and if we sleep in the tree we will surely fall out.
"I guess we have no choice but to go Katniss Everdeen style." She pulled out some rope from her back bag and I could hear the excitement in her voice. I tried to stifle a snigger but failed miserably. The optimistic part of my mind pictured me and Newt sitting in a restaurant with our family, boastfully telling our suspense filled story about how we were trapped in the forest that fateful night. I imagined everyones faces lighting up as we hyperbolised the climactic danger of the events. When we and Newt had tied ourselves to a high tree branch, leaning on each other we closed our eyes and tried to sleep. There were so many unanswered questions that the day held, but they were temporarily put aside as we both slipped into the peaceful escape of our slumber.
"Goodnight my best friend." I whispered.
"Goodnight my partner in crime." Newt whispered back to me.