Wish You Were Here

37

Cal gasped and trembled in my arms. I grabbed her hand and tugged her behind me. Will bolted straight for the hill and Grant came up behind me.

"I got you, Ry," he said.

I turned and our eyes locked. We had each other's backs - literally - and I was filled with gratitude that if I had to be stuck on that island, at least he was there with me.

"How many of them are there, Cal?" I asked her.

"I'm not sure. Five?" she whispered.

I shot a quick glance over my shoulder and could see a small group coming up toward the tents. One guy peeked into the tent where Cal had been, called out to another guy, who ran over and also peeked inside.

"She's gone!" one of them shouted.

We rushed along just as a voice yelled out, "They're going up the hill!"

"Move!" Grant ordered and we all went at full speed.

Will would run ahead of us and would then backtrack to lead us to a clear path. We got to the woodsy part and dodged in and out of trees. Cal was panting heavily as I held her hand, pulling her along. My heart pounded in my chest. We ran after Will, weaving in and out without a designated trail to follow. There were still voices coming from somewhere behind us, but I couldn't waste the seconds on turning to look behind me.

"I see them!" a deep voice shouted and rustling trees blew loudly.

"They're right behind us!" Grant shouted up to Will.

I knew we needed to hide. We couldn't continue running. There was no way we could outrun them. Cal glanced over her shoulder and cried out in fear. Her eyes were wide and she gripped my hand so hard I could see her knuckles turn white.

"It's okay," I assured her, even though I shared the same fear.

She nodded and tried to keep up with my pace, but I was going too fast. Will motioned for us to follow him around a bend and as I tugged at Cal's hand, she stumbled and fell forward. I yanked her arm up, hoping to somehow catch her, but she tumbled to the ground. She instantly hopped up, not paying any attention to her knees that were now bloody and covered in dirt, and winced in pain. I reached out for her and she hobbled to me, tears running down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry!" she cried. "Just leave me. I'll only slow you down. You guys go!"

"What? No way! We just found you. I won't leave you, Cal! Not ever again!" I said as I hooked my arm around her.

Grant ran up to us. "We can't stop!"

"She's hurt. There's no way-" I started to say, but then stopped as we heard voices approaching.

Cal was visibly trembling.

"I'm not leaving her," I told him before the suggestion was even mentioned.

"I know. Of course not," Grant whispered gently.

Will had ran ahead of us and was now trotting back.

"I have an idea," Grant said, watching Will run closer to us. "Take Cal and go down that way. The first spot you can hide, stay there! Will and I can lead them away from here."

Grant had pointed off to the opposite direction. I shook my head.

"No! We should all stay together!" I cried.

"Trust me," Grant insisted. "I need to keep you both safe. I'll come back, I promise."

Before I could protest, Grant was rushing to Will. The group that was following us was too close for us to stay put any longer. I stared at Cal and together we took off in the other direction. We were both crying, both of us sniffling as we tried to find a decent hiding spot.