I push my legs harder, asking the impossible of my tiring body.

Gasping, I reach down and grip her upper arm. She pushes herself to her feet as I help by tugging her up. We run again, my body aching from the burst of exertion. I dodge trees, plating my feet as carefully as I can around roots and fallen branches.

We get closer. I reach my hand out, but the next thing I know, I’m slammed into the floor. My face hits dirt, moss, and twigs.

“No!” I scream.

“Shh,” Evan hisses.

We’re too close. Hazel and Priya run ahead.

Hazel turns around, her eyes wide as she spots me on the ground with Evan. Caleb stands above us.

“Go,” I yell at her. “Go!”

She mouths sorry and turns and runs with Priya.

I watch them cut through the trees, and then they’ve made it. I can’t see anything now. They’re too far away and the fire is raging. But they’ve made it!

“Up we go,” Evan calls.

I roll over as he gets off me. The first thing I notice is Caleb holding the gun down by his side, pointing to the ground.

“They’re getting away!” Caleb snaps.

“We’ll catch them, stop stressing!” Evan shouts. He’s losing his cool with Caleb, eyes wild and pinning his equally sick friend down.

They’re distracted.

This is my chance.

With my heart beating so hard it’s all I can hear, I push myself onto my feet and leap up. The gun is loose in Caleb’s hand, his fingers not even curled all the way around it. I snatch the gun and yank.

I have it. I have a gun!

Taking a step back, I aim. “I will do it,” I growl. “Back up.”

Evan’s eyes widen. He holds his hands up. “Piper, give me the gun.”

I walk toward the sirens, and they take steps back, keeping a distance from me. “No chance. You are going to walk back there with me right now, or I will shoot you both.”

“Do you think that will stop us?” Evan asks.

“I’m done listening to you.”

Caleb clears his throat. “We can’t go there, Evan.”

“Shut up, Caleb!”

I point the gun over their head and shoot. They both flinch, almost falling to their knees.

“Let’s follow the lady, Caleb,” Evan says with a goofy grin.

What’s he doing? He wants to be caught?

Don’t overthink it.

I don’t need to get them to do anything because all of a sudden, there are cops running toward us. They got here quick.

Probably due to the fire department finding four dead bodies.

They storm in and grab Evan and Caleb. One stops beside me. “It’s okay now. Can you hand me the gun?”

Gladly!