Chapter 9 - The Freezing Current
The forest plunged into total darkness as the sun finally set.
The temperature dropped sharply, chilling the damp air around them.
Elias moved slowly, using a small red-filtered flashlight to check the ground.
He carried Lily tightly against his chest to keep her warm and safe.
The little girl was completely exhausted and slept fitfully against his shoulder.
Mia followed closely behind him, her breathing heavy and painfully labored.
Every step through the dense underbrush was a tremendous physical struggle.
The heavy silence of the night was broken only by the wind and snapping twigs.
Suddenly, the deep, rhythmic baying of a hound echoed through the trees behind them.
Mia froze in her tracks, sheer panic immediately gripping her chest.
"They have tracking dogs," Elias whispered grimly into the darkness.
"We have to mask our scent right now."
He scanned the immediate area with his dim red light.
The faint sound of rushing water reached his ears from a nearby slope.
"There is a creek at the bottom of this ravine," Elias announced.
"We need to wade through it to throw the dogs off our trail."
He guided Mia down the steep, muddy embankment as carefully as possible.
The water was freezing cold and moved with a swift, aggressive current.
Elias stepped into the icy stream first, securing his footing on the slick river rocks.
He reached back and firmly grabbed Mia's hand to help her cross.
The freezing water soaked through their shoes and instantly numbed their tired feet.
Mia gasped at the shocking cold, but she forced herself not to complain.
They waded downstream for nearly half a mile, fighting the strong, pulling current.
The baying of the hounds grew louder and more frantic from the high ridge above.
Bright flashlight beams pierced through the tree canopy, sweeping across the dark woods.
"Stay low and do not make a single sound," Elias commanded softly.
They crouched under a thick overhang of exposed tree roots on the muddy riverbank.
Elias shielded Mia and Lily with his own body, blending perfectly into the deep shadows.
Above them, heavy boots crunched loudly over the dry leaves and loose gravel.
A bright beam of white light swept directly over the water, missing them by mere inches.
One of Nathan's men shouted an angry order to the frustrated, barking dogs.
The hounds had entirely lost the scent at the edge of the rushing water.
After several terrifying minutes, the heavy footsteps began to slowly fade away into the distance.
Elias waited another full hour in the freezing mud before he finally dared to move.
"They are moving downstream, heading away from our path," he whispered to Mia.
"We have a clear window to make a final run for the airstrip."
Mia nodded, her teeth chattering uncontrollably from the freezing water and adrenaline.
Elias helped her climb up the opposite muddy bank of the dark creek.
The sky above the eastern tree line was just beginning to turn a pale, bruised purple.
Dawn was finally approaching.
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The abandoned crop-duster airstrip was only a few miles away now.
They pushed forward through the breaking light with the very last of their failing strength.
