“We have to get out of the woods!” David shouted over the increasing noise of the blaze.
Charlie enthusiastically agreed as she hunched over Dylan to keep him protected from the branches breaking off the trees. The flames consuming the limbs sputtered and danced as they rode the limbs to the ground.
“This way!” David shouted as he headed toward the cliffs on the right.
As much as she did not want to end up in the ocean, Charlie far preferred the sea to roasting alive. Soon they would reach a section of the island where the forest didn’t meet the cliffs. If they could get through until one of those spots, they would still be close to the fire, but at least they wouldn’t beinit anymore.
Charlie remained folded over Dylan as the smoke grew thicker. She glanced behind her, searching for Jack, but the fire had moved in behind them.Jack. His name was a whimper of need and terror in her head. Where was he?
Yes, he was still alive, but something had happened. Was he injured? Had the fire trapped him somewhere? Had the Savages found him? She tried to shut out the questions and apprehension swirling through her, but she couldn’t bury them.
Something had happened to delay him.
So caught up in her worry about Jack, she didn’t see the falling branch until it hit her in the shoulder and knocked her forward a step. She bit back a cry when the flaming tip caught her cheek before falling away.
“Mom!” Dylan cried.
“It’s okay,” she shouted over the growing crescendo of the fire and breaking branches.
Aiden sheltered Maggie, and Ian huddled over Paige as David led the way toward what Charlie assumed was the cliffs. When Mike fell back to jog beside her, he held his arms protectively over her and Dylan. She gave him a small, thankful smile.
A limb broke off and plummeted down to embed in the ground only two feet in front of them. Flames shot into the air from the top of it as it blocked their way.
“This way!” Kirha shouted and waved her arm at them.
A break in the flames revealed they’d reached a clearing that created a gap between the forest and the cliffs—if they could just get to it. She must not have been the only one who saw it as their group moved quickly to the right.
An ominous creaking sound filled the air as a tree to their left tilted toward the ground. “Look out!” Mal shouted, but it was already too late as the tree gave way beneath the destruction of the ravenous flames. It plummeted to the ground.
Charlie threw her hand over Dylan’s eyes and yanked him back, but some of the others weren’t fast enough to get out of the way. The tree fell onto Sheila, Valerie, and Chase, pinning them beneath its massive weight. Someone screamed, but she couldn’t see who through the blaze leaping higher into the air.
Ian, Aiden, and Mal ran toward the tree, only to be pushed back by the fire. Even if they could get through the flames to lift the tree off the others, it was already too late as the screaming died away.
No!
The sorrow clogging Charlie’s throat made it difficult to breathe. They were her friends, they’d become herfamilyon this island, and now they were gone. Trying not to cry, she held Dylan tighter when he shook against her, but he didn’t try to remove her hand from his eyes.
Over the top of the tree and through the smoke and flames, Charlie found herself gazing across the tree at the others. She glanced at Mike standing beside her; his jaw was set firmly as the fire reflected in his eyes.
The tree had effectively cut them off from the others, and a wall of flames now spread out to either side of the tree. There had to be a way out of the blaze, but it wasn’t here.
“Go!” Mike shouted at the others. “We’ll find a way out and meet you at the boats!”
David turned to the others and spoke with them before waving his hands at them. When they all hesitated, he gave Aiden a nudge in the back and pointed at Maggie. Whatever he said got them all moving again as Aiden and Ian ushered everyone away from the tree.
David turned to face them again. “I’ll find a way around to you guys!”
“No! Go!” Mike shouted. “There’s no guarantee that if you found your way through the fire, we would meet up again. We’ll meet you at the boats. Go!”
David hesitated before being pushed back by another falling branch. “I’ll stay running parallel to the woods to wait for you.”
“David, go!” Mike shouted. “Savages are still crawling all over this place. Justgo!We’re wasting time.”
David’s jaw set, and then his shoulders slumped. “Take care of yourself and get out of there!”
Mike didn’t get a chance to reply before David turned and disappeared.
“We’re going to have to move fast,” Mike said to Charlie as more fire rained down around them.
