The Descent

Chapter 31 - Crash Landing

"This is not good, this is not good," Sidney said between breaths, his voice frantic. "Those are no ordinary dogs. They breed them to be killers. They're killers. They'll kill us."

Denton grabbed Sidney and shook him. "Snap out of it, man. We'll get you out of here. Leah, we've got to move. Quickly."

Leah nodded, and they took off running through the undergrowth. They continued due south and stopped every so often for Leah to consult her map and listen for the dogs. They were getting closer. Denton doubted that Sidney was right. Encountering dogs out in the woods was not a natural occurrence. It was also highly unlikely that the dogs belonged to a group of benevolent hunters that were out to hunt down food for their dinner table.

They emerged from the forest and onto the field that Leah had been looking for. They paused to allow Leah to get her bearings. The descending darkness made this more difficult, and Denton could tell she was getting frustrated. "Are you alright?"

"Not really. I can't tell if we need to go left or right. I don't have any landmarks to go on. Our extraction zone could be in either direction. I just can't tell."

"So we pick one direction and go. Or, we find a place to hide until the morning."

"There's no hiding, man," Sidney interrupted. "The dogs will find us, I guarantee it."

"Ok, we don't have much of a choice then," Denton said. "We need to pick one direction, left or right. Which one is it going to be?"

"What, so we have a fifty-fifty chance of going the right way?"

"Pretty much."

Sidney laughed nervously and ran his fingers through his hair. "You're kidding, right? You came all this way to find me, to get me out of here and now we're trying to decide which way to go by flipping a coin?"

"Listen, Sidney," Denton started.

"I can't believe this," Sidney interrupted and threw his hands up in the air before he collapsed on the ground. "We're all gonna die. We're gonna die," he exclaimed as he rocked back and forth on his knees, his hands clasped behind his head. Denton and Leah looked at each other, and both shook their heads at the same time.

They were interrupted by a bark about one hundred yards to their left. They both turned at the same time and saw the cone of a flashlight flickering back and forth. Instantly, the ducked down onto the ground. Denton put his hand over Sidney's mouth to keep him quiet. He struggled at first but then saw Denton pointing towards the flashlight and understood. He nodded and lay down on the ground.

Denton knew the next few moments would be critical. It was dark enough that their pursuers wouldn't be able to see them if they were still. If the dogs picked up their scent, it was all over. If they turned towards them, it would be all over. Their best hope was that the group, with their dogs, would continue straight ahead or go the opposite direction.

As they lay still for a few tense minutes, the number of flashlights and leashed dogs increased. Denton couldn't tell how many dogs there were, but he could distinguish at least three different barks and at least ten flashlights. Regardless of how many there were, they seemed to be huddling together, likely trying to decide which way to go. After what seemed like an eternity, the flashlights continued left, away from them.

They waited for several minutes before they quietly got up and walked in the opposite direction, slightly hunched over. "I guess they made the choice for us," Denton whispered as they increased the distance between themselves and their hunters.

"If this way is the wrong direction, it won't matter," Leah whispered back. "We'll find out soon enough I suppose."

They continued in silence for another thirty minutes. The rain had stopped, and a cool breeze cleared the clouds and revealed the bright orb of the moon and a sky filled with stars, twinkling unevenly as the atmosphere filtered their light. It gave them much needed light, but it also put a spotlight on them. Anyone looking for them would easily be able to make them out moving through the fields. As a precaution, they decided to continue forward at the edge of the field, closer to the forest. They were more likely to blend into the shadows and avoid detection there. Leah suddenly stopped and held up a hand. She pointed to the ground and looked over at Denton.