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He sighs. “You two are lucky you’re cute.”
We grin and go back to creating rock art and taking pictures of it.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
We look up to find Maxwell coming out of the forested area. His eyes are dark and shadowed, like he hasn’t slept in days.
“What’s up?” Patrick asks.
In a flash, Maxwell points a silenced pistol at Patrick. “These two brats are coming with me.”
“What the fuck are you doing?” Patrick yells.
“What I have to. Don’t get in the way or I’ll kill you,” Maxwell says. “All of you, give me your phones.”
My heart pounds so hard in my chest it’s difficult to breathe.
“Maxwell,whatare you doing?” Cali asks with a trembling voice.
“Give me your fucking phones before I shoot you right here,” he growls, pointing his gun at Cali. “Throw them on the ground. Now.”
With shaking hands, I pull my phone from my back pocket and drop it on the ground. Cali does the same. Maxwell picks up Patrick’s phone and kicks the other two away. One lands in the creek with a splash.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see movement and make the mistake of looking in that direction. Patrick pulls his gun but before he can aim, Maxwell fires two shots. Patrick’s gun flies from his hand. He stumbles back. Blood trickles from his shoulder. We have to do something.
I glance at Cali. She hasn’t taken her gaze off Maxwell. When I brush my hand against hers, she nods and we leap into action.
“Run, girls!” Patrick shouts.
We don’t. Instead, I jump onto Maxwell’s back while Cali jabs him in the eyes with her fingers. He howls in pain and drops his gun. She swoops down and grabs it, turning it on him.
“You won’t get away,” he shouts, holding his hand over one of his eyes. “The Russians know you’re here and they’re on their way. You’ll be dead by nightfall. They’re going to torture and kill you both.”
She shakes her head and backs toward Patrick. I kick Maxwell in the balls so hard he drops to the ground, cupping himself as he screams in pain.
Patrick is bleeding. Badly. He holds a hand to his wounds, swaying on his feet.
“Put your arm around my shoulder and lean on me,” I say.
Cali keeps the gun trained on Maxwell. He’s on his hands and knees now.
“You two run and hide. Now.” Patrick says.
“No. We’re not leaving you,” I snap.
He scowls at me. “Goddammit, Scarlet. Fucking listen to me. You two get the fuck out of here.”
I shake my head. “No. We’re not leaving you just like you wouldn’t leave us. Wrap your arm around my shoulder and let’s go.”
When he finally does what I ask, the weight of him nearly causes me to lose my balance. Cali moves to his other side and wraps her arm around his waist. Together, the three of us run as fast as Patrick can move.
“You fucking bitches,” Maxwell shouts.
We hear shuffling, then the pounding of his feet as he runs toward us. Cali stops and spins around. She fires. The shot pierces his shoulder. His mouth opens in a silento,and he staggers back. The color drains from his face. His feet tangle, and he falls into a heap.
“Let’s go! We gotta get out of here,” I cry.
Cali nods and helps me lead Patrick into the woods. The farther we walk, the heavier he gets. His words start to slur together and I’m getting more and more worried about him with each step.
