The Mountains Rise by Michael G. Manning

he drew one arm back and drove his fist into Kate’s stomach. She crumpled
     to the ground in front of him, gagging and choking. Laughing now, Ronnie pulled her
     up by her long red hair, forcing her face toward his groin , even as he fumbled with his trousers with the other hand.
    Daniel flew across the river as if it didn’t exist . He was running so hard it felt as if his feet never sank into the water. Dashing
     up the trail he ran as though his life depended upon it. His own life was worthless,
     though, he wouldn’t have run for it. He ran for the last thing that mattered to him,
     he ran for the only part of his soul that still held any value, the part that remained
     with her.
    Ronnie yelled, shoving her back now. Daniel could only assume she had bitten him.
    Good for her. I hope she bit it off. Kate was no shrinking violet, she wouldn’t surrender easily.
    Then Ronnie kicked her, driving the heel of his boot into the side of her head. She
     hit the ground hard and while her arms were struggling to lift her again, she couldn’t
     seem to find the ground. Disoriented and bleeding she fell repeatedly as her hands
     clawed at the earth.
    Ronnie’s knife was out now, and he began cutting her dress away. He wasn’t laughing
     anymore.
    Daniel wouldn’t make it in time. The steep incline had forced him to slow down , and his breath was coming in great heaving gasps. Blue paced him, waiting for his
     master to catch up.
    “Go Blue! Go! Help Kate!” he shouted at his only remaining friend.
    Blue was uncommonly smart, even for a sheep dog, and he responded immediately, running
     up the trail as though gravity had no hold on him. Daniel followed as fast as he
     could , but the dog outpaced him with ease.
    By now Ronnie had cut most of Kate’s dress away, leaving her naked before them. Aston
     was leaning over Seth’s still form while Billy watched what Ronnie was doing, one
     hand rubbing at his own crotch.
    Pulling her by the ankles across the rough ground, Ronnie started to lift Kate’s legs.
     Still weak she fought him, twisting and jerking, but she was losing. Her assailant
     was drawing them apart, steadily working to get his hips between her knees. He never
     heard the sound of soft paws behind him.
    A bolt of furred lightning struck him hard, sending him tumbling sideways. Before
     he could recover , Blue was on him again , savaging his arm and then releasing him. The dog leapt in and out, trying to get
     at the young man’s throat. Terrified , Ronnie hid behind his arms, preventing the furious dog from reaching his vitals.
    Aston jumped in then, kicking at Blue to force him back. Even so, they had no hope
     of getting to Kate, not while her four-legged guardian was there. Billy solved the problem with the heavy tree limb he had used
     o n Seth, though. He clubbed Blue hard as the valiant dog dodged away from another of Aston’s kicks. A second swing sent the shaky canine flying from the stony outcropping, to tumble down the steep incline.
    Daniel was a blind mass of rage by now, but his mind still worked. Before the three
     young men had recovered from their battle with the dog, he was among them. They saw
     him coming , but with only seconds to spare they weren’t ready. He went for Billy first, marking
     him as the most dangerous with his wooden club. Dodging the boy’s first tentative
     swipe , he closed and drove his fist into Billy’s midsection. A second blow sent his opponent
     reeling back , and then he turned to face Ronnie.
    Movement from his right forced him to turn . Aston wasn’t staying out of the fight. He caught the blonde’s shirt as he struck
     him with an ineffective punch and dragged him forward, bringing his knee up in a brutal
     strike to the other boy’s more sensitive region. Using his elbow , he sent Aston hard into the ground, but he was too slow to avoid Ronnie’s attack.
    The oldest of Kate’s assailants had used the time to grab up Billy’s weapon , and with a mighty