At least they were waiting out of the heat of the day in this little mud hole. That had to count for something, right?
One day, this would be memory she would share with her grandkids. She would be old with curly gray hair and fuzzy pink slippers. When her grandkids came over, she’d bake chocolate chip cookies and they’d beg to hear the story about the time ants almost ate their grandmother to death while to she waited out a Russian death squad.
The image of herself in fuzzy pink slippers was jarring. No, she’d had to have something more edgy. No pink slippers. Amanda had no idea what it meant to have edgy slippers, but she would figure it out.
She would definitely make chocolate chip cookies. Her mom had the best recipe. Amanda would make sure the recipe lived on in the family. Just like her nearly-eaten-alive story. Both would endure. She would see to it.
How long had they been hiding? An hour? Longer? Too bad she’d never been a girl scout. Those girls probably all knew how to tell time by the angle of the sun and the length of the shadows. Or was that boy scouts?
The whomp-whomp of the chopper blades abruptly filled the air. Amanda was so intent on enduring the ant bites that she jumped and whacked her head on a root that stuck out of the ground just above her.
She looked at her friends. They looked as pensive as she felt. None of them dared to move.
It wasn’t until they heard the helicopter lift into the air and fly away that they finally relaxed.
“You guys okay?” Lena asked. Her voice was raspy from the long period of tense silence.
Amanda shuddered. “I’m being eaten alive by ants.”
“I think we’re sitting on a nest,” Dal said. “They’re in my pants.”
“Me, too,” Lena and Amanda said in unison.
The three of them exchanged relieved, wry grins.
Dal was the first to move. There wasn’t enough room to stand. He rolled forward onto his knees and unzipped his fly.
“Sorry, Amanda,” he said. “They’re in my crotch. Lena, babe, can you help me—?”
The whole thing would have been laughable if Amanda hadn’t felt the first bite of an ant in her own crotch. She turned her back on the pair and busiest herself with her own army of ants.
There wasn’t enough room in their little hideout. She and Lena were bumping butts and Amanda was pretty sure she had half a dozen ants in her armpits. “Guys, we have to get out of here.”
“Can you move the rock?” Lena asked.
“Yeah.” Amanda braced her back against the bluff, placed her feet on the boulder, and pushed. It was easier to move now that it wasn’t half stuck in the mud.
“You might be one of the strongest people I’ve ever met,” Dal said.
They dispersed into the open. Amanda turned her back on the couple and pried herself out of her shirt and jeans, using her shirt to slap at her skin. She jumped up and down and shook out her limbs, trying to dislodge all the bugs.
She was horrified to find a line of them snaking across her stomach. Her skin was covered with dozens and dozens of tiny red bumps—the ant bites.
The situation was so awful that she didn’t even care that she was flapping around in a ditch in nothing but her bra and underwear. She glimpsed Dal in Lena in the same state in her periphery, but she was too distracted with the ants crawling all over her to pay any attention.
“There were a few minutes there when I began to think it would be better to get bitten by a zombie,” Lena said. Dal was smacking her body with his shirt, doing his best to get the ants off.
It took them nearly thirty minutes to rid themselves of the ants. By the time they finished, Amanda was exhausted. She sagged onto a boulder, not caring that she was still in her underwear. She wanted the be sure all the ants were gone before she put her clothes back on. Besides, she suspected there still might be ants in her pants.
She was thirsty. Tired. Scared. And in her underwear with no way home. She picked chunks of mud off her face and neck, flicking them to the ground.
“Amanda, you okay?”
Her gaze flicked in Dal’s direction before she could think better of it. Her mouth sagged open at the sight of him in his boxers. Coughing to cover her shock, she looked away. She was pretty sure no guy was supposed to look that good in his underwear, except for actual underwear models. Would there ever be a guy in her life who’d stand around in his underwear the way Dal stood in front of Lena?
“Amanda? You okay?” Dal asked again.
“Yeah, I’m okay. Guys, what are we going to do?”
“We have to get back to the cabin,” Dal said.
“But the Russians are still out there.” Amanda reflexively looked skyward.
“Like I said, we have to get back to the cabin. It’s the safest place I know of in West County.”
Amanda resolutely picked up her clothes and gave them a big shake. Dal was right. They had to get home. The longer she sat around staring at her clothes and worrying about ants, the longer it would take to get there.
She dressed, pinching the few remaining ants she found. By the time she was dressed, Lena and Dal were back in their clothes. It was much easier to look at Dal when he was dressed.
“You okay?” Lena came over and gave her a quick hug.
Amanda squeezed her back, grateful for the other girl’s friendship. “I’m okay. You?”
“I think I peed a little when that guy’s leg broke through just above us.”
“Me, too.”
The girls exchanged quick grins. Amanda wondered what high school would have been like if Lena had hung out with her, Cassie, and Stephenson.
“Time to move out.” Dal squashed an ant on the side of his neck. “Keep your eyes peeled for water.”
They spent the rest of the day slogging their way through the countryside.
The land was heavily forested, and after their run-in with the helicopter, they didn’t dare head for any of the open grassland they saw in the distance.
Amanda put her head down and threw all her focus into the relentless slog. She was sweaty and thirsty. Her mouth felt like it had been swabbed dry with a cotton ball.
It was late in the the afternoon when they chanced across a small spring-fed pool no more than a foot across.
Six hours ago, Amanda would have debated the pros and cons of drinking water from an open spring. She’d written her junior biology term paper on waterborne bacteria. Amanda could recite the scientific names of more than a dozen different ones, as well as the various diseases they inflicted on those unfortunate enough to consume them.
She fell to her knees and practically shoved her entire face into the cool spring. She scooped up great handfuls of water and sucked it down. Simultaneously, she scrubbed at her face, trying to clean off the sticky bits of dried mud.
Once she had her face clean, she bathed her neck, hands, and wrists. Dal and Lena did the same, the three of them huddled around the small pool of water. When they finished, they sat back on their heels, staring at one another.
“We’re going to have to find a place to sleep.” Lena shaded her eyes, looking at the sun. “We aren’t going to make it home tonight.”
You’d think after a day like today, the idea of sleeping outside wouldn’t have phased her. Not so. Amanda found the idea of sleeping outside, exposed and in the dirt, alarming.
“How far are we from Pole Mountain?” she asked.
“Hard to say for sure,” Lena replied. “I’d say we’ve come, what, five miles? Six? What do you think, Dal?”
Five or six miles? Amanda blinked, momentarily taken aback. Had she really gone that far?
She stared down at her filthy, mud-streaked body. It wasn’t a pretty sight, but damn, she was impressed.
Who would have thought she’d be able to go so far on foot? Up until today, the farthest she’d ever gone was a mile, and that was only because Mrs. Fink had made her. She never dreamed she had so many miles in her body.
“I’d say six miles or so,” Dal said. �
�We should try to get another few under our belts before the sun goes down.”
“Shouldn’t we just keep going?” Amanda liked the idea of hiking in the dark a lot more than she liked the idea of sleeping on the ground.
Dal frowned in thought. “We could try, but it will be hard to see under the trees. We risk rolling an ankle or tripping.”
“Let’s get as far as we can before the sun goes down. Then we stop for the night.” Lena looked down at the small spring. “What I wouldn’t give for a few water bottles.”
“Drink up,” Dal said. “This might be our last chance. This late in the season, there won’t be a lot of water out there. We got lucky with this one.”
They spent another few minutes at the spring. Amanda drank water until her belly ached with it.“I really hope none of us gets sick.”
The other two looked at her. Since there was nothing anyone could do about it, they kept drinking.
When they set out again, Amanda’s stomach sloshed with water. She took comfort from that. It wouldn’t last forever, but she wouldn’t be keeling over from dehydration anytime soon.
They hiked until dusk, daring to travel through a wide expanse of grassland only when the sky dimmed to a murky gray. By the time they reached the trees on the other side, stars were coming out.
It was thick as pitch beneath the trees. Dal had been right. There was no way to keep hiking safely in the dark.
“Have you ever been camping before?” Lena asked her.
Amanda’s one and only experience of being stuck outside was the time her mom lost the house keys at the grocery store. They’d been forced to call a locksmith, which her mom insisted was cheaper than breaking a window. Amanda had been stuck outside with her mom for nearly two hours while they waited for the guy to come.
Before the invasion, that had been on Amanda’s top ten list of crappy days. She’d accidentally stepped in a big puddle in the grocery parking lot and been forced to sit, shivering, in the car the whole time. Her mom hadn’t wanted to “waste gas,” and had refused to turn on the engine to warm her up.
The scenario was laughable now. Especially compared to the prospect of sleeping outside without a tent or a sleeping bag. God, their lives had been so cush. She’d taken it all for granted.
“No, I’ve never been camping before. We weren’t really a camping family.” She was acutely aware of the fact that Dal and Lena were most definitely outdoorsy types, as evidenced by their hunting cabin and their high level of comfort with hunting weapons.
“It’s better when you have a tent,” Dal said, “but it will be okay. It’s just for one night.”
“Okay.” Amanda was determined not to be a wuss. She was an amazon. She had lifted a big ass tree off Lena. Sleeping outside should be a cake walk compared to that. Right?
Wrong. Dal found a small clearing beneath some oak trees. Amanda knew she was in for a hard night when she blundered right into a spider web. Sticky bits of it stuck to her hands and face as she tried to pull it away.
Dal and Lena at least had each other for warmth. They curled up together on the ground, spooning. Amanda felt exposed and alone under the tree.
She tried not to think about all the bugs that might be buzzing around in the night air. It was impossible not to think about all the creepy crawly things on the ground. If she never saw another ant again, it would be too soon.
The forest floor was cold, lumpy, and wet. Sticks poked her. As she struggled to find a comfortable position, she realized she was exhausted. And hungry.
“How far do you think we went today?” she asked.
“I’d say seven miles at least, maybe eight,” Dal replied. “We’ll make it back to the cabin tomorrow.”
“I’m glad you know the way. If I was out here by myself, I’d never make it back. I’d probably spend days walking in circles.” She heard that happened to people when they were lost in the woods. They literally walked in circles.
Dal chuckled softly. “I grew up out here hunting with Leo and Mr. Cecchino. You develop a good sense of direction when you spend a lot of time outside.”
Well, that explained why she had no idea where she was. She didn’t hunt or spend time outside.
As the night deepened, Amanda got colder and colder. The ground got more uncomfortable with every passing second. She looked enviously at Dal and Lena, cocooned together. They dozed in each other’s arms, the perfect couple.
She wished Stephenson or Cassie was with her. Then she’d have someone to spoon with. In that moment, she desperately missed her two best friends.
What were they doing right now? Stephenson and Nonna were no doubt worried sick about them. Were they waiting up for them? If it was up to Nonna, she’d probably have Stephenson working in the kitchen until late at night. She did that even when everyone was home.
Cassie and Leo would probably be at the bridge by now. Amanda imagined the two of them exchanging a kiss before heading off to plant bombs on the Luma Bridge. The thought made her sigh wistfully.
Would she ever have a boyfriend? It seemed impossible. Then again, less than twenty-four hours ago, she hadn’t even been aware of her own strength. If she could move boulders, who was to say she couldn’t get a boyfriend?
It was this thought that finally sent her into a restless sleep.
23
Possibility
Amanda awoke to the sound of engines.
Alarm had her bolting upright, heart pounding in her chest. She was so cold, she half expected to find her body covered with frost. Except West County never had frost this time of year.
Dal and Lena were already awake. Dal was up in a tree, scouting the land around them.
Amanda studied the sound. It wasn’t the helicopter. It wasn’t loud enough to be the helicopter. But it wasn’t a car, either. The engine—engines—weren’t loud enough to be cars. What the heck was it.?
Dal jumped down after a few minutes, an expression of alarm pinching his face. “They sent in another team to search for us. They’re on ATVs. Four of them, two Soviets on each ATV. One’s coming our way. We have to get out of here.”
Amanda tried to remember what it felt like not to be scared shitless. It seemed impossible.
They hustled away from the their sleeping place. At least they left behind no trace. It wasn’t like they had a fire or anything else to disturb the forest. It was the first time Amanda was thankful they didn’t have any gear when they went to sleep last night.
Dal led them at a quick lope through the woods. This part of the forest wasn’t as overgrown as other parts.
Unfortunately, that also meant there was less cover.
The buzz of the ATVs was like a drill in the back of her skull. She focused on keeping up with Dal and Lena, once again thanking Jane Fonda for her crazy workouts.
When she’d first awakened, her face, arms, and feet felt frozen. It wasn’t long before her body warmed up. Soon, she was sweating freely. She dimly noticed leaves and twigs still clinging to her clothes. Good. Maybe that would provide extra camouflage.
The hum of the ATVs were all around, like a swarm of buzzing flies. It was clear to Amanda they had split up to comb the forest for them. Man, the Soviets must be desperate to get their hands on the Snipers.
She did not want to think about what would happen if they got captured. Leo and Jennifer had seen a KGB agent at the Craigs'. Amanda had seen enough movies to know what that meant. If the KGB was in America, it would no doubt spell torture for anyone they captured.
“We have to hide. Everyone up.” Dal stopped beneath a tangle of bay trees.
In the middle of the cluster was a tree that had been felled in a lightning storm. The bark of the fallen tree was black, worn smooth after exposure to the elements for a few years. It was lodged firmly between three of the living trees, giving them access to the upper portion of the boughs.
Lena went up first, leading the way. At Dal’s gesture, Amanda followed her.
She leaned forward, gripping the burne
d bark with both hands. Digging the toes of her sneaker into the wood, she scrambled up the trunk.
Amanda had never tried to climb a tree before. It was easier than it looked. She shimmied easily up the side, climbing into the concealment of the pungent bay leaves. Lena scrambled out onto a limb and found a perch.
Amanda went past her, searching for a place to secure herself. Just ahead was a vee where the side of the fallen tree rested. It was surrounded by dangling bay tree branches. Amanda pushed through the leaves and found a seat in the vee.
She chanced a peek down at the ground, which was a solid thirty feet beneath her. With a start, she realized she wasn’t scared of heights. That was a surprise. She had always avoided heights because she’d assumed they’d be scary.
As Dal scrambled past her into a higher part of the tree, Amanda realized she’d spent her entire life making assumptions about herself that weren’t true.
She’d assumed she wasn’t strong simply because she was a girl, and in her mind girls weren’t strong. That was clearly not true
Because of her body, she’d assumed she wasn’t athletic. Another thing that wasn’t true. Here she was, bushwhacking through wilderness of West County with Dal and Lena. Not once had she had trouble keeping up with them.
And now she was perched in a tree like a bird. And it wasn’t scary at all.
Amanda made a silent promise to herself to stop living her life based on assumptions. She would start living her life based on possibilities.
As she listened to the whine of the circling ATVs, she became aware of her rumbling stomach. It felt like it had been carved out with a spoon.
A bay leaf tickled her cheek. As she brushed it aside, she paused.
She was in a bay tree. Her mother cooked with bay leaves. Granted, she only used them to season soups and stews. She always fished them out whenever the meal finished simmering.
But just because Amanda had never eaten a whole bay leaf didn’t mean it wasn’t possible. Maybe they were sitting on their breakfast. Literally.
Zommunist Invasion Box Set | Books 1-3 Page 62