Don't Tell Anyone by Peg Kehret Page B

be next!”
    The front of the car angled toward the other side of thepath as it approached her. Megan held her breath, hoping he would keep it aimed that way. Just as the car reached her, it swerved back toward her side, and for an instant the lights pointed straight at the tree she was behind.
    But the car slowly passed her. Then the brake lights came on.
    The car backed up. It stopped when the lights reached the place where Megan had left the path.
    Megan held her breath. She heard the car door open. She heard him crash toward her through the bushes.
    I’ll have to run for it, she thought. If I stay where I am, he’ll find me for sure.
    She stood up, staying behind the tree. She heard him charging closer. The woods were thick behind her; there was no point trying to run that way.
    Her only hope was to somehow get past him and run back to the car. If she could make it to the car and get inside, she could lock him out. Maybe she could even drive the car away.
    â€œI know you’re here!” he shouted. “I can see where you walked.”
    In a moment, Megan knew, he would come around the side of the tree. There was no way to be certain which side of the tree he would appear on.
    She had gone to her left as she approached the clump of trees. Since he seemed to be following her trail, she hoped he would go to his left, too. She prepared to run around the other side.
    He would be only a foot or two away when he sawher. Could she possibly get by him before he grabbed her?
    The headlights shining behind him caused his shadow to precede him as he approached the tree. Megan saw it coming, first the head, then the body. He was almost there.
    She waited until all of the shadow was visible.
    Just as Shane stepped around the side of the tree, she slipped around the other side and took off.
    â€œWhat the . . . ?” He stopped, momentarily stunned by her unexpected appearance so nearby.
    He recovered quickly and ran after her.
    Megan raced through the underbrush, fearing she would trip and fall but not daring to go slowly.
    Behind her, Shane shouted, “I’ve got you now, you little thief! You’ll never get away!”
    Megan dashed toward the car. She saw that he had left the driver’s door open. She ran to it, got in, and slammed the door shut, quickly locking it behind her. She leaned across the seat and locked the door on the passenger’s side. The back doors, thank goodness, were already locked.
    Shane reached the car and began pounding on the door. He pressed his face against the window and yelled at Megan. He began to kick the door, over and over.
    His face contorted with anger. He hardly looked like the same man Megan had talked to about rescuing the cats.
    He picked up a rock the size of a softball and bashed it against the window next to Megan.
    He’s going to break the window, Megan thought. The glass will shatter, and he’ll reach through the opening and unlock the door.
    The keys dangled in the ignition.
    Megan had never driven a car. She had watched Mom drive, but Megan’s only experience behind a steering wheel was in the bumper cars at the county fair.
    I have to try, she told herself. I can’t just sit here and let him smash the window and get to me.
    Bang! Bang! He continued to hit the side window with the rock.
    Megan turned the key. The engine sputtered and then stopped. She turned the key again. This time, the engine started.
    At the sound of the engine, Shane pounded faster on the window. A crack appeared, and then another, and another. The window looked like a spiderweb, but it stayed in place.
    Gas, Megan thought. I have to put my foot on the gas pedal. She pushed her right foot down on a floor pedal. The engine roared but the car stayed where it was.
    Megan saw a short handle sticking out from the steering wheel. She thought she needed to move it to shift the car so it would drive.
    She pulled down on the handle. The car rolled forward.
    Shane