Run. Just Run.

Chapter 28

Ashley watches James as he walks in front of her. She watches how his shoulders move as he swings his arms, how his hips move up and down as he takes steps, how he walks like he knows where he's going, even when he has no idea at all. She is falling for this boy, with his caring nature, his lovable personality, his adorable reactions. It didn't hurt that he was completely gorgeous, his brownish eyes so full of emotion, his brown hair that he frequently ran his fingers through, killing her a little inside each time he did it. And the affect he has on her. Seeing him shirtless makes the butterflies in her stomach go crazy. When he brushes the hair out of her face, it sends shivers down her spine. When he hugs her, she feels completely safe, secure, protected. She is definitely falling. Falling for her best friend. She just doesn't want to tell him, in case he doesn't feel the same way.

"Ash!" James says, interrupting her daydream. "Do you hear that?" He asks tensely.

Ashley listens, and sure enough, she hears the sound of a motor running, and getting closer! This could be someone they can hitch a ride with! Then she remembers. It could also be the people they're trying to get away from. She glances at James and knows he's thinking the same thing.

"Let's climb up in that tree until we see who it is!" She says quietly.

They run over to the tree, James puts his hands around Ashley's waist and helps hoist her up into the tree. He quickly scampers up the tree behind her, and they just barely get out of sight when two four-wheelers come into view. The four wheelers stop, almost directly beneath the tree James and Ashley are in!

"Where should we go now?" A gruff voice asks. Ashley can't help but think that something's familiar about the voice.

"Let's keep going west. The kids came this far, why stop now? They're heading deep into the mountains." The other man replies.

Ashley stiffens, and feels James' body stiffen next to her.

The two men nod, and gun it on the four-wheelers, heading away from them. As the sound of the machines fade into the distance, James and Ashley turn and look at each other.

"I had no idea they were so close!" James gasps, as if he'd been holding his breath. "If you hadn't had he idea to climb this tree, we might've been caught."

Ashley blushes a tiny bit, then turns serious. "We've gotta get out of here." She says with determination in her eyes. "Let's go the opposite direction."

Ashley scampers down the tree, and James follows her. They start running away from the direction the men went. After running for a long time, they slow down and stop, trying to catch their breath.

"Hey Ash!" James calls from a few yards away. "You hungry? I found a blackberry bush!"

Ashley and James start picking the blackberries and eating them, till they can't eat any more. Slowly but surely, the sky starts getting darker.

"The sun is going down...." James says slowly. "We should probably get some sleep."

Ashley looks around. "Where are we gonna sleep?" She asks.

They glance around, and see nothing. They're in the middle of a forest, and the sun is setting. There's no roof to sleep under in sight.