by Gary Paulsen
“I heard parts of your message on my CB radio and came as soon as I could.” Nikki looked them over. “Are you both all right?”
“Molly fell off the cliff and hurt her foot. I don’t know how bad it is, but it’s all red and swollen. That’s how we found that ledge down there.” The boy pointed below him.
Nikki peered over the edge. Jutting out from the face of the cliff was a small rock overhang. Far below it the rapids churned violently.
The wind was picking up. Nikki looked behind her. If she had been alone, she would have tried for the canoe, but if she had to carry the girl, it would be next to impossible. The fire had almost made it to the river. The flames were as tall as the trees. They arched, casting a threatening light through the dark, billowing smoke.
Nikki stepped back, gave her pack to the boy, and picked up the little girl. “We’ve got to hurry now. James, I’m going to carry Molly on my back. You’ve got to stay up with me no matter what—understand?”
The boy’s dirt-streaked face was serious. He nodded.
Nikki shifted Molly to her back and set out at the quickest pace she could manage and still carry her precious cargo. James stayed right on her heels.
The fire was close, too close. Nikki’s eyes were blurred by smoke and sweat. The trees crackled and the wind carried red-hot splinters that singed holes in the children’s clothes and stung their skin. Where they stood would soon be nothing but blackened stalks and burned earth. There was only one hope of escape.
Nikki’s plan was to get as far away from the fire as possible and then try to go around it. If they managed it, they could rest somewhere for the night and head out for the lodge in the morning—that is, if the wind cooperated and didn’t send the fire chasing after them.
As if it could read her thoughts, a sudden gust of wind blew hot cinders in their direction. A deafening crack split the air and a large tree limb hit the ground in front of them.
Nikki jumped backward, but a tall orange flame licked out and caught her pants leg on fire. She dumped Molly to the side, dropped to the ground, and rolled to put it out.
Slowly Nikki sat up and examined herself. There didn’t seem to be any real damage. Her leg was black but not burned and her jeans and sock were only singed.
Molly looked like she was about ready to start crying again. Nikki scooped her up and motioned for James, who was staring wide-eyed, to follow.
“We’ll have to be more careful from here on,” Nikki said. “But don’t worry, guys. There’s no way I’m gonna let this old fire get the best of us.”
CHAPTER 6
Nikki led her charges down a forest trail away from the fire. “Listen.” She searched the tops of the trees. As she did, she stumbled over a tree root and nearly fell. Molly clung to her neck, choking her.
It was getting close to dusk. She put the curly-headed little girl down under a tree, shaded her eyes, and scanned the patches of hazy sky.
The sound drew closer. It was a sort of vibration.
A helicopter.
It came in fast. The rotors whipped and beat the air in a heavy pulse. It was so loud she knew it had to be flying low. Possibly it was a search and rescue team looking for them.
Nikki waved and yelled, hoping to attract the pilot’s attention. She grabbed the walkie-talkie from James’s hand. “Emergency, repeat, this is an emergency—can you copy?”
The helicopter closed quickly and sounded as if it were coming straight at them. For less than a second she caught a glimpse of its bright navigation lights as it passed directly overhead. Then it disappeared.
Nikki continued to wave and call out, hoping the chopper would circle back and see her. She stared at the gap in the trees, wanting desperately to see the helicopter return. But she knew it wouldn’t come back. It was gone.
“Why din’t he stop for us?” A big tear rolled down Molly’s cheek and plopped on her checked shirt.
Nikki sat under the big tree beside her. “It wasn’t his fault, Molly. He just couldn’t see us.” She took the little girl’s hand. “But I don’t want you to worry. We’re going to be safe.”
James knelt beside them. “But we’re way up in these mountains. How are we ever going to find our way out?”
“Hey, didn’t I tell you not to worry? It may take a while, but I promise—I’ll get you out of this.”
Molly sniffled and made an attempt to wipe her nose. “I’m hungry.”
“I can fix that.” Nikki rummaged through her backpack and came up with some trail mix and elk jerky. “Try some of Nikki’s special homemade jerky. Actually it’s my dad’s recipe, but I made it.”
While the children ate, Nikki rolled her shoulders and stretched. She hadn’t realized until now how tired she was. Molly was small, but after a couple of miles of being carried up and down these hills, she got heavy.
“I’m sleepy.” Molly rubbed her eyes with a dirty hand.
“I know you are, but we can’t stop here. We have to get as far from the fire as possible before dark.”
She handed the toy walkie-talkie back to James. “Is this what you used to call for help earlier?”
James nodded. “I brought it with us when we left on our trip this morning. I think it’s broke now.”
“Your trip?”
“Me and Molly got up early before anybody else and took a trip in Grandpa’s canoe. We were only going to be gone for a little while. But the river dragged us for miles and miles, and then we crashed on some rocks—”
“It was scary,” Molly interrupted. “We almost din’t make it out of the water.”
“We walked for a real long time,” James continued. “Then we saw the fire and started running. That’s when Molly fell down on that ledge.”
Nikki thought about how lucky the children were. About how Molly could have fallen all the way to the bottom of Deadman’s Drop or how they might have been caught on that ledge in a raging inferno. She touched the little girl’s ankle. “The swelling seems to be going down. It doesn’t look broken. Just badly bruised and maybe sprained.”
Even though they were well away from the fire, Nikki was still concerned. The air smelled of smoke, and the wind could change direction at any minute and catch them off guard.
She stood and lifted Molly up in her arms. “We’d better get going. We’ll make camp later, when I’m positive we’re out of danger.”
CHAPTER 7
When it was too dark to see any longer, Nikki pulled a flashlight from her bag, laid Molly down, and covered her up to her chin with dry leaves and grass. The little girl had gone to sleep while hanging on Nikki’s back.
It seemed ridiculous to make a fire after what they had just been through, but Nikki knew it had to be done. Temperatures in the mountains dropped suddenly at night, and they had no coats or blankets.
While James collected wood, Nikki cleared a spot for the fire and dug a small hole with her hands. Using pine needles for tinder and matches from her pack, she quickly had a blaze going.
“Move those rocks James and make yourself a bed—like I did for Molly. You’ll sleep snug as a bug.”
A high-pitched scream ripped through the night.
James jumped. He shivered and moved closer to Nikki. “What was that?”
“I’d say it was a mountain lion.” Nikki tossed a rock out of her way, sat down, and pulled dry leaves over her feet. “They sound a lot like people sometimes.”
“Do they eat you?”
For the first time Nikki noticed just how scared the boy was. Still, he was trying his best to be brave. She reached over and tousled his hair. “I said I wouldn’t let anything happen to you, didn’t I? Try to get some sleep. We’ve got a lot of walking to do tomorrow.”
James sat back down. “Do you know where we are?”
Nikki hesitated. “Not exactly. I haven’t ever been to this part of the mountains before, but I do have a general idea how far away from my house we are. I figure if we start out early in the morning, we should be home by nightf
all. Then we’ll call your grandparents and let them know where you are.”
“My dad’s gonna be awful mad at me. He and my mom were coming to pick us up today.”
Nikki shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe he’ll just be glad you’re safe.”
James shook his head. “He told me to take extra good care of Molly while they were gone and not let anything happen to her.”
“Then he can’t be too mad.” Nikki looked at the sleeping little girl. Her chubby cheeks were shiny and pink in the firelight. “I’d say Molly’s doing just fine.”
James lay back on the ground. “Nikki?”
“Yes?”
“I’m glad you came to help us.”
CHAPTER 8
Bright sunlight woke Nikki from a restless sleep. By the position of the sun she could tell that she had slept later than she wanted to. It was midmorning. She rose quickly and poured dirt on the campfire until it was completely out. Then she shook James and Molly awake.
The exhausted group started across the mountain in the direction of the lodge. The trail was rugged. Thick tree roots and fallen branches made every step treacherous. After several hours Nikki pulled the children up a steep rise and called for a rest.
From the top of the high mountain peak they looked down on the blackened forest, still smoking in places. In the center of this once solid green paradise was now a hideously charred scar that stretched for miles. The fire had destroyed the entire face of one hillside and a valley and had then burned itself out at the river.
Nikki knew enough about the mountains and fire not to trust appearances. All it would take was a strong wind, and those smoldering embers could be whipped into another huge blaze.
“Break’s over.” Nikki stood. Her back and the calves of her legs were beginning to ache. They hurt when she reached down to pick up Molly. “Come on, Little Red Riding Hood, let’s hurry up and get through these woods.”
Molly giggled. “Are we going to Grandma’s house?”
Nikki shook her head. “Nope. We’re going to my house. There’s no big bad wolf there.” James got to his feet and picked up the backpack. “How much longer till we get there? Seems like we’ve been walking forever.”
Nikki thought about it. If they continued to cut straight across the mountain, they could be there in a couple more hours. On the other hand, that way would take them dangerously close to the edge of the burn. She studied their faces. They were so tired. Nikki didn’t know how much longer they could hold out.
Before she could make the decision, they heard the sound of a small engine. Nikki’s face brightened. Firefighters.
“Come on, guys, maybe they can help us.”
They ran toward the noise, slipping and weaving through the trees. At the bottom of the hill was a small clearing completely surrounded by forest and hidden from the fire and the world. Tents were set up, and two men were standing in front of them, talking.
“Hello!” Nikki shouted, and waved from the fringe of the trees.
The man with his back to them turned. Nikki stopped in her tracks. It was Red Beard, the poacher. She glanced around the camp. There were rifles leaning against a tree and a beautiful ram’s head lying on a piece of plastic on the ground. Two camouflage-colored four-wheelers were parked near the tents.
Nikki swallowed and kept walking. She tried to act as if nothing were wrong. “Excuse me, sir. We’re lost, and we were just wondering if-”
Red Beard strode over to them. “What are you doing here?”
Molly peeked over Nikki’s shoulder. “We crashed in the water and nearly got burned up. Then Nikki found us, and now we’re going to her house to be safe.”
The man’s piercing blue eyes glowered at the little girl. “And just where exactly is Nikki’s house?”
Molly hid her face in Nikki’s shoulder. “We’re not sure exactly.” Nikki moved Molly around to the front and held her close. “Like I said, we’re lost.”
James touched the curled horn on the ram’s head. “Are you guys hunters?”
The other man, the one Nikki remembered as Frank, moved in behind them. He picked up one of the rifles and stood with his feet apart, pointing it threateningly. “Get inside that tent. All of you—now!”
Nikki held Molly with one arm and took James’s hand. “Come on, kids. Do what the man says.”
There was barely room for all of them to sit down inside the tent. Nikki put Molly on the sleeping bag. Her mind raced. What had she gotten them into? All along she had promised to take care of them, and then, like an idiot, she’d walked right into danger.
She rubbed her forehead and tried to think. These were cruel men—criminals. They had guns and probably wouldn’t hesitate to use them.
Molly pulled on her sleeve. “Those men are bad.”
“Yes, they are. Very bad.” “What are we going to do, Nikki?” James asked worriedly.
She didn’t have an answer for him. They could hear the two men arguing outside the tent. Frank was angry. “I say we get rid of them now, Strecker. No one will know. They’ll think the fire got ’em.”
“We’ll wait. People are probably looking for those kids.”
Frank snarled. “All the more reason to take what we have and get out of here before they find us.”
“Maybe you’re right.” Strecker moved away, and they had to strain to hear his voice. “We’ll pack everything and leave in the morning.”
“What about the kids?” “We’ll take care of them early, before we go.”
The tent flap flung open, causing Nikki to fall back with a start. Frank jerked the sleeping bag out from under Molly.
“Sweet dreams, kids.” He sneered evilly at them.
“What are they gonna do to us?” James whispered when Frank had gone.
“Nothing.” Nikki bit her lip. She felt in her pocket for her knife. “They’re not going to get the chance. You and Molly try to get some sleep now. When I wake you, don’t ask questions. Just be ready to go.”
CHAPTER 9
Frank had laid the sleeping bag just outside the tent’s opening. His sleeping body blocked any escape through the door.
Nikki could hear him snoring. James and Molly were huddled in one corner, using each other for pillows. She pulled out her pocketknife and scooted to the back wall of the tent. Quietly she slit the canvas all the way down, then stepped out and moved around to the front. The moon gave her enough light to see where she was going.
To the four-wheelers.
They were so sure of themselves the men hadn’t thought to remove the keys. She unfolded her knife and punctured the tires of one of the vehicles. Then she threw that set of keys into the woods.
Frank made a choking, sputtering noise and sat up. Nikki crouched behind one of the four-wheelers. The big man looked around a moment and then lay back down facing her. In the darkness she couldn’t tell if his eyes were open or closed.
She waited for what seemed like hours until she heard his even snoring.
Then she moved to the guns.
One was a high-powered rifle with a bolt. Her dad had one just like it, and she’d seen him use it many times. She slid the bolt out and put it in her pocket. The other gun had a lever action. Nikki felt on the ground for rocks the size of the barrel. With a stick she forced three of them down into it.
Time was running out. Nikki made her way back to the slit in the tent and gently awakened James. “Time to go.”
James didn’t say a word. He helped her pick up Molly, grabbed the pack, and followed her out of the tent.
They sat Molly on the seat of the four-wheeler, put it in neutral, and pushed it down the valley. They hadn’t gone far when Nikki heard yelling. The men were awake and had obviously discovered the empty tent.
“Get on, James!” Nikki put Molly on her lap, turned the key, and pushed the start button.
Nothing.
It wouldn’t start. “Come on …” She pushed the button again. The machine made a grinding noise and then slowly worked its
way into motion.
Nikki kicked it in gear, found the headlight switch, and roared into the forest. She had to pick her way carefully. Even though she had driven her uncle Joe’s four-wheeler many times, there wasn’t much room to maneuver, and she didn’t want to make any mistakes.
Behind them they heard the two men bellowing and cursing over the other disabled four-wheeler. Nikki smiled. Wait until they checked out their guns.
On through the dark night she drove without stopping. After a while James tapped her on the shoulder. “How can you tell which way we’re going?”
She pointed at the sky. “Up there. See the Big Dipper?”
“I think so.”
“Line up the two stars at the top of the dipper. See that shiny star off to the right? That’s called the North Star. You can find your way around at night if you know which direction to travel. Right now we’re heading south. And if I don’t wreck us, we should run into my house in about a half hour.”
CHAPTER 10
The four-wheeler trembled. Then it sputtered and jerked to a complete stop.
Nikki sighed. “Well, that’s it. We must be out of gas. Looks like we walk from here.”
James was too tired to say anything. He just climbed off and fell in step beside her.
Nikki was stiff from carrying Molly. She shook out her arms one at a time. Awake Molly was heavy, but asleep she was like a lead weight. Every muscle in Nikki’s body screamed at her to stop and rest. She held the flashlight in the crook of her arm and kept walking. All the trees and landmarks looked alike in the dark. Undoubtedly they were moving in the right direction, but that didn’t guarantee they were heading straight for the lodge. Unless she saw something familiar soon, they would have to turn around and search behind them.
The moon had gone behind some clouds, and it was difficult to see where they were going. Forty-five minutes or more had passed, and Nikki was sure she had somehow missed the lodge in the darkness. It was possible that she had walked right past the house without even knowing it.