evergreens there is nothing peaceful about it. And yet, to an objective observer, it is the picture of calm and serenity. Trees stretch out far below him and, in the distance, he is sure he sees the edge of the fence catching the light. Other than the odd bird drifting from canopy to canopy, nothing else moves.
Reid turns and approaches the gap. This close he realizes it’s not just a crack in the rocks, but an opening to something more. He hoped for the tiny shelter the rocks he envisioned would provide. The idea of a full-blown cave stirs his excitement.
A sliver of fear surfaces. If he goes in, if he chooses to rest there, he might be trapped. Panic raises his blood pressure, pounds his heart. He glances around, suddenly sure the hunters lie in wait for just such an opportunity to trap a stupid kid. But he is as alone as before and so desperately tired he considers the cave mouth again.
Maybe there is a second exit. If so, he would consider it. Trouble is, there is only one way to find out. He has to go in.
Reid steps up to the entrance, noticing a small pile of broken branches draped over part of it. He hesitates. It looks like a trap all right. Those breaks are deliberate, not an accident or caused by the weather, and the pile is artful, as though carefully arranged. So it can’t be the hunters. They are too careful, too meticulous. Which means kids, maybe. Like him. Could it be someone sheltered here before him? Or even, was it possible, could still be here?
Reid rolls his shoulders forward as he shrugs to himself. If the cave is empty, but useful, he’s in luck. And if there are others, well… maybe they have answers he doesn’t. Either way, it’s worth the risk, no matter his fears.
Reid draws a steadying breath and ducks inside.
***
Chapter Fourteen
“Don’t come any further.”
It’s a girl’s voice, quavering and low. Reid can feel the fear radiating toward him, almost smell it in the cool and damp of the cave. It is so dark inside, his eyes still tuned to the sunny morning, he is forced to wait out the adjustment, all the while hating how vulnerable it makes him and refusing to back off at the same time.
There is a whisper of cloth, the sound of a shoe grinding over dirt and rock. A thin channel of light penetrates the darkness and someone glides into it. Not a girl, so she isn’t alone. This boy is small, scrawny even, his skin so dark he almost blends into the gloom around him. Reid guesses he’s about thirteen or so. His vision slowly adapts, enough he spots two more figures hiding in the cave.
“I’m Reid.” He figures it’s the best place to start. The least threatening. But the boy before him doesn’t look all that reassured. He has the same tension in him Reid saw in Monica, though less desperate and more sane.
“What do you want?” The kid’s voice shakes. Reid knows the feeling well.
“Nothing.” That much is true. Not from him or his friends. “I just saw the cave and thought I’d check it out.”
He whispers, his voice drifting in the dark. Reid isn’t sure he’ll ever speak above a whisper again. Just in case.
“Milo.” The boy says, grudging and with a scowl on his face. “This is our cave.”
Reid shrugs like he doesn’t care, even though it hurts him, this rejection from his own kind. “Nice of you to share.” He can’t help that parting shot and a part of him hopes it cuts deep.
He eases backward, ready to leave, when the girl comes into the thread of light. “It’s all right,” she whispers back. “You can come in. If you want.”
Reid hesitates. He does want to, very much. Just seeing the three of them together in that sheltered place gives him a feeling of safety. He knows it isn’t smart to let that feeling in, but he can’t help himself. He’s been running for so long.
Still, Milo’s initial rejection makes Reid pause. Pride reaches out and slaps him so hard he flinches.
“I know when I’m not welcome.”
He holds his
Reid turns and approaches the gap. This close he realizes it’s not just a crack in the rocks, but an opening to something more. He hoped for the tiny shelter the rocks he envisioned would provide. The idea of a full-blown cave stirs his excitement.
A sliver of fear surfaces. If he goes in, if he chooses to rest there, he might be trapped. Panic raises his blood pressure, pounds his heart. He glances around, suddenly sure the hunters lie in wait for just such an opportunity to trap a stupid kid. But he is as alone as before and so desperately tired he considers the cave mouth again.
Maybe there is a second exit. If so, he would consider it. Trouble is, there is only one way to find out. He has to go in.
Reid steps up to the entrance, noticing a small pile of broken branches draped over part of it. He hesitates. It looks like a trap all right. Those breaks are deliberate, not an accident or caused by the weather, and the pile is artful, as though carefully arranged. So it can’t be the hunters. They are too careful, too meticulous. Which means kids, maybe. Like him. Could it be someone sheltered here before him? Or even, was it possible, could still be here?
Reid rolls his shoulders forward as he shrugs to himself. If the cave is empty, but useful, he’s in luck. And if there are others, well… maybe they have answers he doesn’t. Either way, it’s worth the risk, no matter his fears.
Reid draws a steadying breath and ducks inside.
***
Chapter Fourteen
“Don’t come any further.”
It’s a girl’s voice, quavering and low. Reid can feel the fear radiating toward him, almost smell it in the cool and damp of the cave. It is so dark inside, his eyes still tuned to the sunny morning, he is forced to wait out the adjustment, all the while hating how vulnerable it makes him and refusing to back off at the same time.
There is a whisper of cloth, the sound of a shoe grinding over dirt and rock. A thin channel of light penetrates the darkness and someone glides into it. Not a girl, so she isn’t alone. This boy is small, scrawny even, his skin so dark he almost blends into the gloom around him. Reid guesses he’s about thirteen or so. His vision slowly adapts, enough he spots two more figures hiding in the cave.
“I’m Reid.” He figures it’s the best place to start. The least threatening. But the boy before him doesn’t look all that reassured. He has the same tension in him Reid saw in Monica, though less desperate and more sane.
“What do you want?” The kid’s voice shakes. Reid knows the feeling well.
“Nothing.” That much is true. Not from him or his friends. “I just saw the cave and thought I’d check it out.”
He whispers, his voice drifting in the dark. Reid isn’t sure he’ll ever speak above a whisper again. Just in case.
“Milo.” The boy says, grudging and with a scowl on his face. “This is our cave.”
Reid shrugs like he doesn’t care, even though it hurts him, this rejection from his own kind. “Nice of you to share.” He can’t help that parting shot and a part of him hopes it cuts deep.
He eases backward, ready to leave, when the girl comes into the thread of light. “It’s all right,” she whispers back. “You can come in. If you want.”
Reid hesitates. He does want to, very much. Just seeing the three of them together in that sheltered place gives him a feeling of safety. He knows it isn’t smart to let that feeling in, but he can’t help himself. He’s been running for so long.
Still, Milo’s initial rejection makes Reid pause. Pride reaches out and slaps him so hard he flinches.
“I know when I’m not welcome.”
He holds his
Similar Books
