The Gathering (Darkness Rising 1)

He stopped and slowly turned, as if just noticing the ATV. Then he took off, barreling through the brush. The ATVs followed.

Daniel caught my arm before I could run after Rafe. "He gave us a chance to get away. It won't do us any good to blow it. He's heading toward the main road anyway. They'll back off once he gets there."

Those people had guns. Guns. But Daniel was right. With the fire closing in, we couldn't play cat and mouse. We had to get to town.

So we ran through the forest, me in the lead, cutting the path, struggling to see, my eyes burning so much I could barely keep them open. The pain had moved into my skull now, a pounding headache. I'd pulled my shirt over my mouth, but it didn't seem to help. When I coughed, I splattered my shirt with black.

Were we outrunning the fire? I was past noticing. The heat, the noise, the smoke, the falling ash--it was just there, all the time. Finally, I could hear the whoop of the town's emergency alarm.

"Almost there," I said, my voice hoarse. "Almost--"

I stopped and turned around.

"Keep going!" Daniel shouted, pushing me forward.

I ran toward the road, my feet moving, my brain refusing to wonder why.

"Go on!" I said when Daniel thundered after me.

"Like hell! What are you--?"

We reached the road. There, almost hidden in the long grass beside it, was a body.

"Rafe," I whispered. "Oh God. Rafe."

I ran over and dropped beside him. Daniel flipped Rafe onto his back and lowered his head to his chest.

"He's breathing," Daniel said. "But barely."

As he pulled Rafe up, I ran around him, searching for blood, a bullet hole, anything.

"It's smoke," Daniel said. "Grab his other arm."

I did and we carried Rafe, one arm over each of our shoulders. After a minute, I could see a house ahead. Then another. Headlights pierced the veil of smoke. They started to turn, then stopped, brakes squealing. The lights swung our way. I froze and looked around, ready to bolt. Then I saw the vehicle--a familiar SUV with familiar faces in the driver's and passenger's seat.

THIRTY-SEVEN

NICOLE SCRAMBLED OUT BEFORE the SUV even stopped moving. She raced over to us.

"Oh my God!" she said. "Everyone's been looking for you. They're evacuating us. The helicopter's here and--What happened to Rafe?"

"Smoke inhalation," Daniel said. "My truck broke down."

"Maya, Nicole, get inside," her father said. "Daniel, help me get Rafe into the back."

"His sister's missing," I said as Nicole tugged me away. "Has she come back to town?"

"Not yet," Mayor Tillson said. "But I'll let the search team know to keep looking."

They laid Rafe across the backseat. I sat beside him, holding his hand and watching him breathe as Mrs. Tillson checked him out. She was a nurse at the clinic.

As Mayor Tillson got back into the driver's seat, I said, "There are people in the woods. They set the fires."

The mayor's head whipped around so fast his elbow knocked the steering wheel. "What?"

"Drive, Phil," his wife said. "Please. Just drive. We need to get the kids on the helicopter before the smoke's too thick for it to take off. They'll explain as we go."

We did, as best it could be explained. There were people in the forest, pretending to be Fire Rescue officers. They said the blaze was set by someone named Aduros.