The Royal Commoner

The Lost...

Katie shrieked.

Mark shouted, "Run!"

Glancing behind her, Sarah took Noah's hand and they started running at full speed. 

"Stop! You imbeciles!" she heard the man shout behind him. Hearing this, she pushed herself harder. Still, Noah was faster and was half pulling her by the time they got to the forest. 

They blindly turned around a tree and ran, following Mark and Katie, who looked like they had no idea where they were heading. Heavy footsteps can be heard behind them. They had no time to stop or think, only run.

"Follow a zigzag path... try... to lose... him," Sarah shouted, panting heavily.

Mark and Katie did so. They kept following the two, the sounds of pursuing footsteps finally receding. When they were sure they heard nothing behind them, though Sarah couldn't hear anything other than her own heartbeat, Noah shouted, "Stop!"

Sarah immediately sunk to her knees and panted heavily. The rest of her friends were no better. They each leaned against a tree gasping for very needed air. 

After what felt like forever, Sarah lifted her head and glanced around them. All she could see were trees and shrubs. She tried not to panic as she looked towards Noah and Mark. Noah's eyes were closed and he was leaning against a tree with his eyes closed. Mark was glancing around with a worried expression on his face.

With a herculean effort, Sarah dragged herself to her feet and made her way to Katie. She looked like she was about to pass out at any moment.

"I... told you... we should... work... out more," Katie said, watching Sarah approach on wobbly legs, still breathing hard.

"Let's work out our exercise regime later. Do you have any idea where we are?" She asked, trying not to let her panic show. Noah and Mark made their way over to them, hearing their conversation, their faces grim.

Without a word, Noah pulled out his cell phone and tapped on it a few times. Frowning, he held it up over his head and shook it. "Shit," he muttered. Looking up at them, he said, "No connections here. I can't connect to the internet for maps."

They all pulled out their phones to check if the had any. All of them shook their heads in unison.

"We're fucked," Mark groaned.

"No, wait. We followed the south-west direction from where we left the trail and entered the dense forest. I think if we follow the opposite direction, we may come by the trail again," Noah suggested, though he sounded doubtful himself.

"What if we follow the opposite direction towards the treehouse?" Katie said. "We know the way from there for sure."

"But I don't think we can be sure of any directions. We followed a random path on our escape here. We could be in any direction. And taking a risk right now is very dangerous as evening is going to settle in," Sarah said. She glanced up at the fading sunshine to emphasize her point.

"Shit man! It's 5:30 already!" Mark exclaimed.

"My mum's gonna roast me alive," Katie groaned. "And what if we're lost here forever? What then, huh? There are wild animals here! What if we become their food? And... and... maybe we'll starve out here. No one will be able to trace us! Oh God! We're doomed. Doomed! You under-"

Mark stepped forward and hugged a near-hysterical Katie. Sarah rolled her eyes. So typical for Katie to lose her mind in a situation like this. She turned towards Noah as Mark continued to hush and shush the other girl, who was an iota away from bawling like a baby.