12. Claws and Flesh
They raced along the path, rocketing back up the way they had come. The yelling and screaming was suddenly joined by a roar, which echoed through the trees, sending the birds panicking from their nests.
They stopped up dead. Ahead of them, the break in the trees was only ten yards away from the source of the commotion. They crept forward to the very edge and peered through the leaves.
Charlie's breath caught in his throat. He froze, not even blinking. It might be distracted for now, but any sudden movement could alarm it.
A huge bear, towering at least three metres tall on its hind legs, was bellowing at Isaac, who lay on the rocky surface, yelling and making a hell of a lot of noise.
To the side, Zack Morse and the three other boys from their dormitory cowered in the bushes, making no move to rescue Isaac.
The bear growled at Isaac, its brown coat partially matted with mud. Isaac stopped howling and tried to shuffle up into a crouch position, but he had barely gotten his balance when the bear sent a heavy swipe at him, sending him flying. Isaac's jumpsuit was torn, red blood seeping out and soaking onto the rock, staining it red.
The bear bellowed again, advancing on the injured form of Isaac, who had lost all his usual pretence of coolness and sneering derision. Tears of pain and terror rolled down his face, which was twisted in his terror.
Without waiting any longer, or making any plan of action, Charlie sprang from the bushes, yelling and waving for its attention. Its paw stopped mid swing, and it turned its great head, with the long snout and bared teeth, to face Charlie.
It was then that he majorly regretted what he had done. What did he do now?
The bear was loping towards him at a relaxed pace, as if it knew he had nowhere to go. Charlie could swear it was even baring its teeth in a little smile.
In his moment of panic Spanish bullfighters popped into his head. He wondered if it would work on a bear. Well, he had no choice. There was no time for any other brainwaves. He waited until the last moment. He could smell the musk of the bear’s scent. He jumped.
Surprisingly enough, it worked to an extent. Charlie was partly squished against a tree, but he had avoided the worse of the attack. The bear was just slowing down, realising what had happened and turning around.
Charlie snatched his chance and sprinted as fast as he could (which wasn't very fast) toward where Isaac lay. He was weak and losing blood fast, but somehow still had enough energy to give Charlie the evils as he rushed over.
Gordon chose this opportunity to come out from where he was hiding with the rest of his dormitory. He ran out, right in front of the bear screaming at it, and yelling at Charlie to take Isaac and run. Unfortunately, Gordon was no match for the bear and it swept him aside like a matchstick. His brave act was wasted as he fell limply to the ground.
The bear was coming back. Charlie needed to move fast. The others had all come out, desperately trying to distract the bear, but it ignored all the attempts to side track it. Its black eyes were set on its target. It did not blink as it pounded towards Charlie. It was like it had been possessed, so intent was it to catch him, who was rather like an annoying fly getting in its way.
“Why are you here?” gasped Isaac unceremoniously.
“To save your neck.” Charlie said sharply.
The bear was too close for comfort now. Charlie grabbed Isaac and hauled him behind a small boulder.
“Don't move.” Charlie looked Isaac straight in the eye.
