Targeted Competition Entry

By Russell T. Banties

Taylor's POV:

My feet slapped against the hard, cold ground and dry leaves crunched with every running step. I looked over my shoulder to see Phil, Dan and Cassie sprinting fearfully, but luckily I couldn't see anything pursuing us anymore. That meant we'd lost them. For now. I turned my head back around and headed forward, right behind Chris and PJ. We were headed aimlessly deeper and deeper into this wood, further into darkness with each step. Who knows what awaited us.

"I- don't know- how much farther- I can go!" I rasped in between panting breaths. Sure, adrenaline had us moving fast, but it had our energy draining just as quickly. For a few seconds no one responded, until finally Chris spoke up.

"Yeah- we need to stop- and rest!" He agreed.

Several grunts of approval sounded around me as the group of us slowed down to a walk. Many of us were panting hoarsely, almost doubled over by our labored breathing. Phil was constantly checking over his shoulder to ensure that we weren't still in immediate danger.

I scanned the area until I spotted some fallen logs in a tiny clearing up ahead. I pointed at them, "Over there! We can take a break over there."

"Woohoo!" Dan cried weakly as we slowly made our way over. As soon as I got close to a log, I flopped down and took long, deep gulps of air, not enjoying the burning ache in my chest.

The chilly, dry air blew very gently, but it was still enough to make me shiver. Cassie sat down next to me on my log and the boys rolled a couple other logs around us so that we were all sitting in a circle.

For a few minutes, we were all silent, trying to catch our breath enough to speak. I looked around the circle. Chris, Cassie and Dan were still red-faced, Phil was still staring behind us in a panic, and PJ was breathing heavily but looked mostly recovered by now.

"I think we dodged them." I finally said, breaking the silence. Cassie nodded but Phil's forehead creased, unsure. Everyone started looking around and shushing each other to listen for our pursuers.

"Yeah, they must have dropped back or lost track of us." PJ confirmed. There was a collective sigh of relief from the lot of us.

"Thank God! I can't go one more step!" Cassie exclaimed and I laughed, pushing her off the log which forced her to take a few steps forward to balance herself. Everyone started laughing except Cassie who huffed at me with mock fury. "Well clearly I stand corrected." She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. This brought a new round of laughter through us, and even Cassie cracked a smile.

It had been a while since any of us had anything to laugh about, and it felt good, even if it wasn't really that funny.

We all sat there making idle chit chat until we all felt as refreshed as we possibly could at the moment. Then there was an uncomfortable silence which Phil used to look for attackers, but everyone else just used to stare at each other.

After a few minutes, Cassie cracked. "I'm borrrrrrredddd!" She dragged out like a diva. We all groaned in agreement but clearly nobody had any solutions. I drooped off the log and just laid on the floor, sighing.

"Well what are we supposed to do exactly? I mean, we're in the middle of an unknown forest for God's sake!" Dan had a point. We barely had any supplies either.

PJ huffed, "How is it that you girls always get us into these huge messes?" He joked.

I put my hand on my chest dramatically, feigning indignation, "Actually, I believe it is YOU that get US in trouble all the time!" My arm flailed and then pointed at his chest. He gasped jestingly.

"Either way, poor Phil and I are just along for the ride." Chris chuckled.

"Yeah, really, thanks guys." Said Phil.

"No problem!" Dan replied cheekily.

After that, we all settled into carefree jokes and banter, talking for a while until slowly we ran out of things to say altogether.

The silence was tangible, and we had no solution to offer. But we didn't have very long to dwell on it. I heard a faint crackling and out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a slight orange glow somewhere in the distance. My eyebrows creased together in confusion and I squinted at it, wondering what it was.

The glow was getting bigger, almost like it was coming closer. Then I noticed the sky was getting darker. It was like a giant black storm cloud was charging in our direction. And then I realized what it was.

I grabbed Cassie's arm harshly, startling her, and pointed behind us at the deadly inferno steadily making its way toward us. Her eyes grew huge and she screamed.

The boys all turned around to witness it, rapidly getting closer.

"Time to go!" I yelled and started to run, my hand still wrapped around Cassie's arm. I dragged her for a few steps, then realized and let go.

We all dashed into the forest, trying to outrun this massive fire. This was no accident, I was sure of it!

The flames grew closer, pretty soon their roar was deafening and the air around us heated uncomfortably. Then embers from burning trees singed our jumpers. The smoke hurt my eyes and made them water profusely.

Suddenly, a flaming tree fell, blocking off the path in front of us. Everything else was on fire. Some of us had made it past, but I could not see who. I felt helpless and I had no time to think about a plan of action because the flames loomed, completely surrounding me.

I screamed but couldn't even hear it over the raging fire. I tried to go forward, but my foot caught someone else's and we both fell.

I went to lift my head, but my nose bumped into Dan's. Electricity coursed through me and I gazed into his chocolate brown eyes, lit up by the glow of the inferno and I was inspired. This boy will not die today.

I got up and yanked him up with me. Keeping our hands intertwined tightly, I made up my mind. We could burn to death or we could burn and survive, those were our options now.

I charged forward, straight through what appeared to be the thinnest patch of flames.

Blood curdling screams tore through my throat as I was scalded alive. All the pain I'd ever felt in my life did not add up to this. The only thing I could focus on to keep moving was Dan's hand in mine.

It was hard to run while enduring such torture. I was becoming woozy and weak from the pain and smoke. I kept running until we had gotten far enough away to stop for a second. Then I dropped and rolled. The fire had stayed on some of my hair and my clothes. As soon as the flames were out, I got back up, grabbed Dan's hand again, and fled from the wall of fire relentlessly following us.

You could see where the tongues of flames had licked me, leaving huge red marks from my left cheek all the way down my arm and side, over my back, and many other blistering areas. Large sections of my clothing had seared off, but I had no shame right now.

Black smoke darkened the sky and tainted the air. It was poison to breathe in and our bodies were rejecting it, forcing Dan and I to occasionally stop and throw up. It was agony to keep going but I pushed myself harder and harder, only motivated by the red glow of a fiery death attempting to catch up to us. I had to save Dan. I wasn't sure if everyone made it out of there alive, but we would. Dan would live.