Free Burnt by Bella Love-Wins

Kevin’s arms and both of them looking behind them. He was lucky the large tree ahead hid him from their sight. He did not want to be discovered.

Chapter 7
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    “W hat was that?” Tara whispered, falling into Kevin’s arms and glancing behind her. She heard something loud, and then the rustling of leaves. She swore it was a person’s voice, but there was no one around.
    “I’m sure it was just an owl...or the wind,” Kevin tried to reassure her.
    “I don’t know. It sounded so close,” she said, still feeling the pounding in her chest from her quickened heartbeat.
    “You watch too many horror movies,” he said, laughing. “It’s just in your imagination.”
    Tara nodded, glancing at him. She’d forgotten she was still in his arms. It was a safe haven. She felt protected. Her eyes went to his lips, but just briefly.
    “I...I’m sure you’re right,” she said, stammering.
    He let go of her slowly. “Come on, let’s continue on the trail,” he said, smiling. He turned around and nearly ran into two men.
    “Ahhhh...” she cried, backing away from them and hitting against Kevin’s body.
    The two men looked at one another and Tara had a brief vision of her and Kevin being murdered in the forest. She definitely had been watching too many movies. The first man turned to them.
    “Hi there. We didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, chuckling.
    She breathed a sigh of relief. She was glad they spoke English– by their tanned skin, she wasn’t sure if they might have been tourists. She looked at Kevin, careful to proceed.
    “Hello. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scream,” she replied softly.
    The other man nodded. “No worries.”
    The first man looked at them and spoke up again.
    “What my brother means is...we come in peace.” He shook his head, chuckling. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it.”
    Tara snickered, looking at Kevin. She was slightly relieved. There wasn’t any reason to believe these men were anything but innocent campers, just like they were.
    “My name is Bruce and my brother here is Brian. We’re scouts, and often give tours and help people navigate the trails in the state park.” He paused, looking at the two. “We heard you from around the trail, so we weren’t sure if you needed help. Everything alright?”
    “We thought we heard something coming from over there,” Kevin answered, pointing to a more heavily wooded area. “I thought it must have been the wind.”
    “Or an owl,” Tara added with a laugh.
    “Hey...it could have been,” Kevin said defensively.
    The two brothers smiled.
    “Are you staying in camp?” Brian asked.
    They both nodded.
    “Just heading back,” Kevin replied.
    The twins looked at each other and nodded, seeming to read each other’s minds.
    “Well, we’ve set up camp around this next bend. If you’d like, stop by and have something to drink, or grab a bite if you’re hungry. We live near Columbia River, on the Chinook reservation about 25 miles away. We’ll be here camping here all weekend.”
    Tara looked through the trees behind them and her eyes fell on the expansive tent. “Are you that tent over there?” she asked.
    “Yep, we sure are,” Bruce replied.
    “What do you think, Kevin?” she asked.
    “Sure. I drank all my water before we did the rappelling. We can have a drink before we head back to camp,” he answered, then looked at the brothers. “Thanks for offering.”
    The four of them headed toward the tent. Tara relaxed. She found the scout brothers familiar and friendly. They reminded her of some friends they had made while at college in Alaska. Bruce lifted the tent opening and they all followed him inside. It was a large tent, probably large enough to hold ten people comfortably.
    “Have a seat,” Brian offered, pointing them to two folding canvas chairs.
    They sat down as Bruce pulled two bottles of water from a cooler.
    “I feel like we’ve known them forever. Is that strange?” Kevin whispered