Georgie and Ethan laid out flat, their stomachs pressed as deep into the musty ground as possible. Kate still hadn't moved.
The sky was lit up by the flames. A dozen soldiers came running around the Hive, their rifles at the ready. They came to a halt when they found the trooper Georgie had thrown unconscious under a tree. Angry and suspicious, their leader barked out orders and the soldiers began searching the area. A couple disappeared inside the opening to the Hive. Smoke billowed over the top of the building. It wouldn't be long before the Hive was engulfed in flames.
Ethan pulled on Georgie's sleeve. He pointed deeper into the jungle. Georgie shook his head furiously, pointing in the opposite direction, toward the path where Rudy and the others had disappeared. Calmly, Ethan pointed again into the jungle, he mouthed the word. "Safer."
Georgie was just about to argue when a pair of boots stomped over, stopping not a foot away from his hand. Georgie slowly pulled his fingers back. Only a thick fern and a picky bramble bush separated the soldier from him.
Kate began to move, Ethan laid his hand gently over her mouth. When she opened her eyes, ready to struggle, he leaned in close so she could see it was him . "Shhh."
Kate gave a weak nod, the small movement sending shards of pain through her left cheek and temple. She remembered leaving the Hive and a quick movement to her left. She had just turned her head when the blow to her face turned everything black. Kate suspected from the degree of pain that she had been hit with the stock of a rifle.
Ethan removed his hand and looked at Georgie. Georgie's eyes were wide, the whites glowing in the dark. He looked ready to panic. Finally the military boots moved away.
Ethan leaned in, his voice barely above a breath and said. "Be cool, friend."
Georgie took a deep breath. Ethan patted him on the back.
After the clearing had been searched and turned up no one, the leader came to a decision. The troopers were ordered to leave their unconscious comrade leaning against the tree, only one of the soldiers stayed back as sentry, his rifle at the ready should anyone try and return to the Hive, the rest headed down the path trampled through the jungle
Rudy was worried. He had moved everybody off the trail into the dense underbrush.
Kate, Ethan and Georgie had been missing for almost half an hour when he heard heavy boots pounding on the path they had just left. He held a hand up, signaling the others to be silence. Lucy held Shadow by his collar.
Rudy leaned into Griffin and whispered. "Would you mind taking a look?"
Griffen nodded and disappeared.
The soldiers passed within inches of the thick foliage where the group hid. Lucy furiously stroked Shadow's head and neck trying to calm him. He had picked up on her fear, the fur on his back stood straight up. A deep rumble rolled around the wolf's chest.
One of the soldiers spun around. "Pantera!" He yelled to the other soldiers. One by one, walking backwards, never taking their eyes off the bush where the animal rumble had come from, they began back down the trail to the Hive.
Griffen reappeared beside Rudy. Anne covered her mouth to stifle a weak squeal. "I'll never get used to that."
Griffen quietly told the others what he had found back at the Hive. "It seems that a soldier is injured. But, there isn't any sign of Kate or the others."
"Do you think they were captured?" Rudy tried to keep his voice level. "Anne, can you try?"
"Of course." She opened her mind only a crack. The others waited. "I can't tell when this is happening, but I can see Ethan." She didn't bother to hide her relief. "He is covered in soot, maybe black dirt? I don't see anyone else...but, wait, he's talking to someone. That's it. That's all I can find."
"Did he seem scared, intimidated?"
"No, he seemed almost..calm."
Rudy patted her upper arm. "Thanks, that's great."
"What do we do now?" Rufus hovered protectively over Lucy, ignoring the fact she had a killer wolf to protect her. Lucy smiled sweetly up at him.
There was total silence while Rudy thought over their options. Even the forest seemed to go still.
The soldiers looked like they were settling in for a prolonged stay. All sense of urgency had left them. Some smoked, others shared a joke. A few pulled put flasks from their pockets and began to drink. Georgie looked at Ethan and shrugged his shoulders.
Ethan leaned in until his lips touched Georgie's ear. "Can you make a distraction over there?" He pointed at the tree where Georgie had originally thrown the soldier. Georgie nodded. Ethan held a hand up, signaling him to wait. Ethan knew they all wouldn't leave their post guarding the Hive door, so he and Georgie had to help Kate and move out of the area as quickly and quietly as possible. They would only get one chance to get away.
Ethan wrapped one arm around Kate's waist and signaled for her to sling her arm across his shoulder. He slung Kate's backpack, plus his own, over the opposite shoulder. On his knees, ready to spring, he gave Georgie a nod to go ahead.
Georgie thought for a moment. How was he going to simultaneously disable a dozen, armed military soldiers? Then he smirked.
Branches rose from the ground. Others fell from the trees. All of them started smacking at the soldiers. Hard.
The soldiers let their weapons droop and huddled crouched on the ground, howling, while the sticks beat them on their shoulders, backs, heads.
Ethan and Georgie used the noisy distraction to move Kate deeper into the bush. They walked until they could no longer hear anything but jungle noises. The light from the fire was now a distant glow.
Stopping, they carefully laid Kate on the ground. They all looked at each other and started laughing, their hands over their mouths to muffler the sound. Kate winced because laughing hurt her head.
"Georgie, you are a freaking genius!" Ethan finally got enough control to talk.
Georgie bowed elaborately. "Thanks folks, I'll be appearing here all week."
"Okay, we can't go back." Rudy waited for the others to accept his decision. One by one they nodded. Anne, was last to hesitantly agree. "So, we will continue on to the rendezvous point and wait for Kate and Ethan and Georgie to meet us there." He sounded more confident than he felt. "Kate has the same map I have. And a compass." He didn't mention she also carried the same pistol he did.
"How far is it to the river?" Rufus asked.
"Three days, if the weather and the jungle cooperate."
"Three days!"
"Shh. Keep your voice down!" Rudy hissed at them.