Chapter Fourteen

Escape, Misty

T he firetruck slowly rolled past, the lights blinding them in their hiding spot among the bushes. Even with the bright lights, visibility was nil and Misty didn’t think they’d been seen.

“They’re probably checking on the people who didn’t evacuate,” Paige whispered. “We need to keep moving and it will help us stay warm.”

Misty didn’t think she would ever be warm again. She no longer felt her toes though there was a slight burning sensation when she walked. Completely miserable, she slogged along behind Sarah, who made slight whimpering sounds, but didn’t stop or put her complaints into words. The rain fell harder, adding to their misery, but they didn’t stop.

“That’s the river,” Paige said, pointing ahead. “We follow it and I’ll find us a place to get warm.” For the first time, there was a slight shiver in Paige’s voice.

They lowered their heads and moved forward. Water dripped past Misty’s jacket collar and rolled down her back. She wanted to cry.

“We’ve got this,” Paige encouraged.

They continued on until the sound of the river meeting the ocean was louder than the storm. Misty didn’t see a shelter of any kind. There were houses in the distance, but they were too big and fancy. The first thing the owners would do if they saw them was call the police. Her heart dropped. Had this all been for nothing?

“Look out there,” Paige said, pointing beyond the shoreline.

Misty saw a blinking light in the distance.

“What is it?” asked Sarah.

“It’s where we’ll hide during the storm. The lighthouse will be warm and get us out of the rain.”

Misty looked at the light then back at the growing waves. “How do we get there?”

“That’s easy,” Paige said. “We steal a boat.”

“I don’t want to steal anything from anyone,” Misty said but really, she didn’t want to take a boat onto the water.

“The candy bars, the money I found, what do you think that was?” Paige countered .

Theft. Misty went silent while she tried to control her fear of getting into a boat.

“I’ll help steal a boat if we can get out of the cold,” Sarah said, her voice trembling harder.

She was right, and Misty felt she would die if she didn’t get warm. She looked at the large waves, and wondered if they would die. The main part of the hurricane wasn’t supposed to hit until dawn, but Misty couldn’t believe the waves could get higher. She followed Paige, who seemed to know where she was going. A short distance later, Misty heard a heavy knocking sound. It turned out to be boats hitting the dock.

How Paige knew which boat to choose was something Misty would never figure out. The girl had an unbelievable survival instinct.

“This one will do,” Paige declared.

Misty looked at the decrepit craft and didn’t share Paige’s confidence.

“It looks like it will sink,” Sarah said.

“It’s floating and has the key. It will get us to the island, and from there, it’s only a short distance to the lighthouse,” Paige assured.

Misty was too tired and cold to argue, and Sarah didn’t argue either. Paige seemed to know what she was doing as the other two girls climbed in and Paige untied the rope that held it to the dock. Surprisingly, the boat’s motor started up immediately, and the loud rumble could be heard over the storm .

“Hold on,” Paige yelled as they took off toward the lighthouse.

The boat took a beating from the waves. Cold water pelted the girls, and they were openly shivering now. Paige turned on a side light that lit the water in front of them. Misty’s stomach became queasy as the boat hit wave after wave. Sarah clung to her. Misty slid down so she was on the floor and wrapped her arms around Sarah. If the boat sank, they would be dead. This entire mad scheme was a horrible idea. Misty did what came natural and prayed.

Paige looked straight ahead, her eyes on their destination. It felt like their journey would never end. She slowed the boat, and Misty heard a grinding noise.

“There are jagged rocks that I need to get around. Don’t worry, I have this,” Paige said confidently.

A long grinding noise sounded again, and the boat tilted slightly as Paige navigated toward the rocky shore. There were jagged rocks on the shore too, and it didn’t look inviting. Misty looked upward and saw the lighthouse. Paige said it offered warmth and a place to hide. It was too late to back out now. Misty just wanted to be warm.

“I did it,” Paige yelled.

Misty and Sarah whooped, their fists in the air, for only a moment their freezing situation forgotten. The rocky bottom stopped the boat from going forward and they came to a stop.

“We need to get wet now,” Paige said, which made Misty laugh when she looked down at the foot of water they had to trudge through.

All three looked like drowned rats as they dragged themselves to shore, the icy water lapping at their legs and threatening to pull them out in the swelling tide. They clung to each other during each agonizing step. They finally collapsed on the cold, wet land, the wind beating against them.

“I’m freezing,” Sarah said, shivering.

They wrapped their arms around each other as tightly as they could, but Misty didn’t feel any warmer.

“We need to move. It will be dry inside the lighthouse, I promise. Come on,” Paige said, standing and pulling Sarah up, then extending her hand to Misty. “The trees will keep the wind off us. Let’s go.”

They marched through the sand until they hit the tree line. Paige somehow found a path that made walking easier. The trees did block the wind, and though she was no warmer, Misty felt better. She focused on the lighthouse as her one true beacon in the night.

“What do we have here?” a thick male voice asked, and a large man stepped into their path.

He wore camouflage pants and jacket along with a huge knife on his belt which was all Misty’s eyes focused on at first. Paige shined her light on him. His clothes were as wet as theirs. He was tall with pitted skin on his face. Misty didn’t like the look of him.

“Our boat hit the rocks, and it was all we could do to make it to shore,” Paige beseeched in a melodic tone. “We were hoping someone was here that could help,” she said, her voice carrying an innocence Misty had never heard from her before.

“You ladies look cold,” the man observed, his hand held up against the light, but his gaze traveled over them, and Misty didn’t have a good feeling.

“Can you help us?” Paige asked in that same, unusual tone.

“I have a nice dry room I’m willing to share. Why don’t you come with me?” He held his hand out, but none of the girls moved closer. “I won’t bite, promise,” he said in a tone that caused chills to run up Misty’s spine.

She took Sarah’s hand and squeezed her fingers. They might need to run.

“Hey Dale, what did you find?” another male voice said from the trees before he too stepped onto the path, blocking their way. He was dressed identically to the first man. A little shorter, he carried the same look in his eyes as he examined them.

“These ladies are in distress. I thought we could help them back to our room and make them comfortable. I’m sure they’ll be grateful,” the first man who been called, Dale, said .

“You want to give up on the trophies?” the second man asked.

“Oh, I think we can have it all if we play our cards right. Let’s get these ladies warm, and we’ll go from there,” Dale suggested.

“That’s okay,” Paige said, her voice now hard. “We’ll find someone else to help us.”

Dale took a step toward Paige, and the girls backed up.

“You don’t want to be like that,” Dale said, grinning malevolently. “There are dangerous animals in these woods, and they would love to snack on such lovely treats. I’ll snack too, but I promise I won’t leave marks.”

Paige turned her head slightly. “Stand your ground,” she whispered, but not quietly enough, and the men heard.

The men came at them quickly. Paige turned and kicked out at the one that drew closest first. Misty had Sarah’s hand, and she was ready to run, but a low growl stopped her in her tracks, and she froze.

“Well, look at that,” the second man said. “You were right, we can have it all.” He drew the knife on his belt, and the flashlight glinted against the eight-inch blade.

“The girls make good bait,” said Dale. “I would stay very still if I were you,” he told them.

Misty wanted to run, but she was too afraid. She knew they couldn’t trust these men .

Dale walked around the girls and peered sharply into the darkness. “Here kitty kitty,” he whispered, crouching and waving the knife slowly in front of him. “Watch our flank, Baxter,” he said.

“We should run,” Sarah whispered.

“Something big is out there. The last thing you want to do is run,” Paige whispered back.

Misty had heard of peeing your pants because you were so scared, but she never really understood. Now she did. Her bladder felt heavy, and she was worried she would embarrass herself.

Something large sprang from the bushes, and Dale charged at the same time Sarah produced the most blood-curdling scream Misty had ever heard.

“Run!” shouted Paige.