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Chapter 10: Evasion

"What?" I ask.

"Well, we've been hugging and holding hands a lot lately, so I think we should go out" she says.

"I guess we have and it's not like we don't like each other" I say, trying to sound calm, even though I've been waiting to say this for a while now.

"So," she says, looking me right in the eye. "Do you want to go out with me?"

"Well, usually the boy asks the girl," I say, trying to be funny. "But yes".

"Sweet" she says, a smile creeping across her face.

"So...." I say. "What should we do now?"

"Well probably hug, hold hands, the usual".

"I'm cool with that" I say, grasping her hand.

Her hands are cold, probably because it's getting closer to night time and the wind is picking up. Her eyes are blue in the dimming light and the rising moon is reflected in her eyes. We've been driving for nearly forty five minutes before it gets completely dark. We turn on the head lights and so does everybody else in the other cars. We're at the back of the group and see Ed and Brayden who are leading the group pull over to the side of the road. We slow down and also pull over alongside Ally and Rachel.

"Shoot" Ed says, hitting the steering wheel with his fist and then cussing under his breath.

"What's wrong?" Ally said, peering through his window. Ed rolled the window down and pokes his head out at her.

"I think something's wrong with the engine", he said, gesturing to the bonnet of the car. That's when we hear the distant sound of helicopters soaring in the sky.

"Oh crap!" I say, annoyed at the sound of the helicopter. A beam of light shot down from the sky, probably a search light and it began heading our way.

"What are we going to do this time?" Rachel said in a frightened tone.

"Well we can't put out headlights on", she said, "that'll give us away".

The distant noises were drawing closer.

"Okay", I say to the group. "Ed and Brayden, you two go in Ally and Rachel's car".

"What about if they find our car though?" Ed asks me.

"Well, they don't know that it was us or when we got here. For all they know, it might have been left here when they were going all rogue in Melbourne". I say, hoping that they'll think I sound convincing.

"Okay" Ally says to the group. "Brayden, Ed get in me car!" she says in a British accent.

"Okay" they say together and hop in the car.

"Let's get going then" I say.

I hope back in my car and turn the engine on and wait for the others to do the same. After a few minutes, I get out of my car to go check on them, the helicopter only a few kilometres away.

"What's taking I long?" O ask, trying to move them along.

"I don't know!" Ally says, "It just won't start!".

"Well make it start, the helicopter is nearly here!" I say.

"Come on baby, come on!" she says to the car as she turns the keys.

"COME ON!!!" She yelled. As she yelled, the car came to life.

"Hurry!" I say, jumping into my car.

I put it into drive and pressed down on the accelerator. By the time we all get going the helicopter is only one hundred metres away and has spotted us.

"Shit!" I say. "We need to lose them!"

"How?" Ellen says.

"By going off road". I say, as I turn the steering wheel and we drive off the road. we go through lots of shrub and bush while the helicopter searches for us again. We might be able to lose them. We swerve right behind some trees and cut the engine. The helicopter flies over us and moves the spotlight across the trees we hide behind and must not see us, and flies away. Relief fills me and I take a long sigh.

"What about the others" Ellen says to me. "What if they find them?"

"They'll be fine" I say, "They would have been caught, they could've gotten away while the helicopter was chasing us".

"So sure?"

"I'm sure". I say, as the search light turns off and the distant noises of the helicopter slowly disappear.