The Ruds

Chapter 9

It had been almost two months since we got to the cave. We were so bored, I thought we were really going to die. Marty came by a couple more times and Navvy and I have been passing letters back and forth. It was April 10th and we have had about enough peanut butter and jelly, and deer. One day when Mason, Dylan and I were walking along the railroad tracks blue, red and white lights flashed behind us and I froze. Someone got out of the car and walked towards us.

"Have you three seen any lost kids?" The policeman asked. I turned around to look at him and it was the same police man that had come in the cave two months ago and that had pulled us over. "No sir," Dylan said. "What lost kids?" I asked. "About five little kids wandered away from their camp sight and we haven't been able to find them." Officer Michaels explained. "We haven't seen them, but we will tell you if we do." Mason told the police man. "Thank you, young man," Officer Michaels walked to his car and drove off.

"That scared me to death," I said as we walked back to the cave. "I know you were as white as a ghost," Mason joked. "Ha-ha very funny," I joked back. Over the past months Mason and I have become more than friends, boyfriend, girlfriend, as kids now say. "How much longer do you think the fuzz will be looking for us?" Dylan randomly asked. "No idea," I answered slowly. "Hey Faith, Dylan and I will go hunting in the morning, this time," Mason told me. "Sounds good to me, more sleep for me," I smiled. Mason just shook his head and laughed. "Well I found a heater at the bottom of the box of stuff and I want to try it out," Mason gloated and smiled.

In the morning I woke up to screaming, a really high pitched scream. I looked around and Mason and Dylan where already gone. "What is that?" I thought aloud, getting up out of bed. As I neared the cave entrance I could hear more and more screaming coming from the top of the mountain. I walked out of the cave and looked up and realized it was the little kids that where lost. I started to run up the mountain to see what they were screaming about.

"Do you hear that?" Dylan asked. They were both still for a minute and then Mason heard it. "Is that screaming?" Mason asked. They looked at each other then back at the mountain. Dylan dropped his bow on the ground so he could run faster. They both sprinted as fast as they could back to the cave.

I ran up the mountain as quick as I could, and was so tired I had to stop at the top to catch my breath. When I got up to where the kids where I saw what they were screaming about. It was the figure I saw that night at the river and heard a couple times since, a grizzly bear. I got closer, but it was hard the whole mountain was just a bunch of bigger and some smaller rocks. I had to do something, I couldn't let the bear get them, so I did the first thing that came to mind. I picked up some rocks and chucked them at the bear, I did that about four or five times before it noticed me, then turned around and started to come toward me instead. "Oh didn't think about that," I said to myself "Go up the mountain!" I yelled to the kids. I turned around and started to jog down the rocks, since it was really rocky I tripped and fell. The bear was right behind me, there was a tree behind me I used to stand up right, but the bear kept getting closer and closer.

They both ran as fast as they could to the mountain. When they got there they looked around. The screaming had stopped. "FAITH!" Mason yelled, they went to go look in the cave, but I wasn't there. "FAITH!" Mason yelled again. "They heard another scream from the top of them mountain. They backed up a little so they could see the top of the mountain. They saw me, pinned against a tree, with a grizzly bear right up next to me.

The bear was right up in my face, I had to turn my head to the side just so it's nose wouldn't touch me. Suddenly it roared, so loud that I jumped and closed my eyes, I could feel myself shaking because I was so scared, and I couldn't stop. When I opened them and looked up I saw that the bear was on its hind legs standing up right. On its legs it was more than ten feet tall. My eyes widened when I saw how big the bear was. It came down and scratched me on the face with all four of its claws.

Then I heard a, bang, and then another and another. On the last shot I saw that the bear was on the ground, dead. I touched it with my foot to see if it was really dead, it was so I walked around it to look up at the kids, they were safe still climbing up the mountain. "Faith, come down!" Mason yelled. "What!?" I yelled back. "Come down," Dylan repeated for Mason. I looked around for a minute then stood up. I walked away from the edge of the cliff, far enough away that Mason and Dylan couldn't see me. "What is she doing?" Dylan asked Mason. "I don't know," Mason replied waiting a while.

I looked around some more, the ground was shaking and the rocks under me where moving. I looked up and saw a ton of rocks coming down from way up the mountain, the kids must have triggered a rock slide. I couldn't do or say anything for a long while. I could only stare, I couldn't move away I was too scared of what was coming and even if I did move there wasn't a place I could go fast enough where I wouldn't get caught in the rock slide. Then I got a burst of realization and I screamed, then I ducked down and covered my head.

"FAITH!" Dylan yelled. "FAITH, WHATS WRONG!" Mason yelled. Then they felt the ground start to shake and they looked up at the mountain to see the rocks coming down. Some spilling over the cliff edge and some going straight down. "FAITH!" Mason yelled and started running toward the mountain to start the hike up, Dylan following him.

By the time they got to the top the rockslide was over and they started looking for me. Pushing rocks around, and shoving things over. "FAITH!" They kept yelling over and over. Dylan was walking over and moved the rock I was under and saw me. "Mason!" Dylan exclaimed. Mason ran over to me, "Take all the rocks off her," He said, already pushing the rocks out of the way. They uncovered me all the way and saw that I was pretty beat'n by the rocks and had some deep cuts from the bear. "Dylan go run into town and get some help." Mason told Dylan. Dylan ran down the mountain and disappeared.

I could hear things that were going on, but I couldn't wake up. I was really confused, not really understanding what is going on. "Mason," I grumbled, barely able to talk. "I'm right here, don't move alright," Mason said calmly. "Who had the gun?" I asked barely able to talk. "Um... I did... why?" Mason hesitated. I didn't say anything just moved my hand from the side of my chest. Mason looked over and saw that my shirt was stained red and my hand was all red. "You got shot!" He exclaimed. I didn't say anything just winced and put my hand back.

Around ten minutes later I heard sirens in the distance, they were getting closer and closer. "Mason," I mumbled, a little worried that the fuzz had found us. I was so confused, I didn't know what was going on, and I really couldn't move or even open my eyes, it was even hard to breath. "Don't worry Dylan went to go get help, those are just ambulances." He assured me.

A little while later the sirens were right under the side of the cliff. I could hear people climbing up the rocks, and moving them around to where Mason and I where. They started to pick me up and put me on a gurney, but one that they had to carry so it took a little while longer than usual. I could hear Mason explaining to a paramedic what happened, as we went down the mountain.

I felt rumbling under me and I couldn't wake up. I wanted to do something or say something, but I couldn't do it. I heard sirens and I thought that I was in a police car. I was still really confused about what was going on. My side hurt, but I couldn't remember why, and for some reason my head was throbbing like crazy.