Zommunist Invasion by Picott, Camille (ebook reader ink TXT) 📗

Dal and Lena paused, surveying the open grassland between them and the next stretch of woods.

“Do we risk it?” Amanda would trade her pinky finger for that two hundred yards of open grassland.

Dal and Lena exchanged glances before returning to their study of the clearing.

“Too risky,” Dal said at last. “We don’t know where the Soviets are.”

Amanda wanted to point out they could crawl through grass. It might destroy their knees, but it still would be faster than hiking through the trees.

Then she pictured Soviets crouched on the edge of the clearing with their guns, just waiting for them to blunder into the open like amateurs. That was enough of a horror show for her. Definitely better to stick to the woods.

The trees were spaced more widely apart in this area. They stuck to the thicker area of the woods, staying under cover.

Something rumbled in the distance. The helicopter lifted back into the air. It swooped low over the woods, circling a larger area. A Soviet gunman sat in the open doorway of the chopper, legs dangling over the air. A machine gun was in his hands.

“They're still looking for us,” Amanda hissed.

The helicopter had looped north, but it swung back around in their direction. Her eyes landed on the wide clearing they currently skirted around. It would make an ideal landing pad.

“Um, guys? Do you think they might park the helicopter in that clearing?”

Dal’s eyes were pinched with concentration. “It’s a possibility. We have to keep moving.”

The whomp-whomp of the helicopter blades gained in strength. Minutes later, it flew into view—right over the clearing.

But it didn’t land. Instead, it flew in wide circles overhead. No doubt about it, they were scanning the area.

Amanda wished she had on camouflage gear, like the kind deer and pig hunters wore in town every once in a while. That would be a top priority when she got back to the cabin. Maybe she and Stephenson would go on a mission to the hunting shop in Westville so she could get a proper outdoor outfit. She just might live and breathe and eat in hunting gear for the rest of her life.

They squashed themselves up against a trunk as the helicopter swung directly overhead, waiting in tense silence.

As soon as it flew off, they made a mad dash through the foliage and hit another dry creek bed. The ground was muddy and smelled heavily of decomposing forest detritus.

“Follow the creek,” Dal said. “Stay low.”

It was a good plan. They were able to move more quickly through the streambed than they could through the forest. Amanda alternated between watching the sky and jumping over the large river rocks that lined the bottom of the bed.

The helicopter zipped overhead, once again heading for the clearing. Through the trees, Amanda glimpsed enough of the meadow to see the golden brush flatten.

No doubt about it. The Soviets were landing.

“They know we escaped,” Amanda whispered. It would have been obvious when the Russians got the truck and found no bodies. “They’re trying to find us.” She was so scared she thought she might vomit.

“We have to find a place to hide,” Dal said.

“But where?” Lena never slowed as they rushed down the creek bed.

No one answered. They all scanned the area as they moved.

Amanda came up empty. Short of crawling up a tree, there was no place that provided solid coverage if the Soviets were on foot. None of the foliage was dense enough. They’d make way too much noise if they tried to make a run for it.

The helicopter touched down. Half a dozen Soviets piled out as the chopper blades slowed. The engine clicked off. The Russians obviously planned to sweep the area thoroughly if they were turning off their ride.

Amanda hadn’t thought it was possible to be any more frightened. You’d think having grenades practically dropped on your head would be the worst part of your day. Nope. This was definitely worse. Feeling like a deer with a swarm of Soviets hunting your butt was definitely worse.

Her eyes landed on a tree that had fallen across the creek bed. The tangle of the crown completely blocked their path. The water, when it had been flowing, had cut a steep embankment around the remains of the trunk.

“We can hide under here. Come on.” Dal dropped to his knees and crawled beneath the trunk.

It was a tight fit for Amanda. She dropped onto her elbows and army-crawled her way in, not even caring when the river rocks crunched against her stomach and hips.

A hollow had formed beneath the log from the current. There was just enough room for the three of them. Damp mud of the riverbed poked through between the rocks, the fallen tree sheltering the earth from the worst of the summer heat.

It wasn’t a great hiding place, but it was better than anything else they’d found.

On one side, the hiding place was completely blocked by the tree trunk. But the opening to their hidey hole would be obvious to anyone diverting around the trunk.

Amanda’s mind raced. She didn’t want to bet her life on the off-chance a Soviet wouldn’t explore the streambed.

There were several large boulders up against the shoulder of the creek. Amanda licked her lips, wondering how much they weighed.

She had helped lift that tree trunk off Lena. Could she move one of those boulders?

Soviet voices reached her ears.

Amanda shifted her body, wedging her sneakers against the side of a boulder. Bracing herself against the rocky ground, she pushed.

And pushed. Sweat beaded her temples from the exertion.

She didn’t let up. Her muscles strained.

The boulder slid, pushed free of the mud that had congealed around it. Amanda paused, gasping for breath. Dal and Lena watched in shocked silence.

She readjusted, pressing her back up against the embankment so she could get better leverage. Scrunching up her knees, she once again wedged her feet against the boulder.

She counted down in her head, taking in several gulps of air as she readied her muscles. Three, two,