Free PINELIGHTforkindle by Jillian Peery Page A

from the highway. They would have to catch me on foot.
    I placed a hand on my side and began to stagger away. I looked over my shoulder to see them sliding down into the ditches.
    I started to run. If I could just make it to the swamp, I would have a chance. I weaved through the high grass and inches of mud until I reached the edge of the woods. I clung to the first tree trunk in the path and squeezed it tight while I caught my breath. They were getting closer, but I was almost there.
    A beam of moon cut through the branches of the trees and shone on the path before me. Faded green moss hung from the tree branches and swayed like dark tinsel on an eerie Christmas tree. The spongy land began to sink below my feet to form pools of algae-filled water. Each time I lifted my foot from the soft soil, suction from the mud would pull at my shoes. It didn’t take many steps before the mud had sucked them completely from my feet, but I kept moving.
    Branches snapped in the blackness of the forest, followed by the sound of splashing water—they were near. I looked at the algae-blanketed water before me and then plunged forward into the floating greenery. The warm water quickly rose from my ankles to my chest as I waded through the marshy land. Through the trees I caught a small shimmer of light; a small shimmer of hope awaited me. Just a little bit further. I gritted my teeth as my bare feet slid across slippery surfaces at the bottom of the swamp. No telling what creatures or trash my feet were coming in contact with.
    Whispers came from behind. I quietly veered off into a pile of floating shrubbery and sunk down into the water until my head poked just above the surface like a turtle. They were getting closer.
    “Is she still out here?” the redhead questioned.
    “Oh yes, she’s still here—I can smell her fear,” Erik said. “Check the borders of the swamp. She couldn’t have gone far.” His voice made my skin crawl.
    Something in the shrubs moved, and I reacted with a sudden jerk in the water.
    “Did you hear that?” The woman spoke again. “Give me your flashlight.”
    I quietly waded out from the shrubbery as a beam of light skimmed the water’s surface. As the light neared, I took a deep breath and lowered my face underwater. I kept my eyes tightly shut to keep out the muggy water, but through my lids I saw the light pass over the surface. I held my breath as long as I could before resurfacing. A mutter and a crackle came from the muddy shore—they had moved down the edge of the swamp. There was no way I could get ahead of them on land now, but if I stayed in the water—I just might make it.
    I waded out into the middle of the water, completely away from the shrub-lined edges. At this time of night, the snakes and alligators rested near the banks and the fallen cypress trees. As long as I kept my distance, they shouldn’t bother me. I just needed to push my way through the muck, to the shack. Fergus had already moved into the Swamp Tours shack—he would be there, and he would help me. I began to swim.
     
    I heaved my weight out of the water and rolled my aching body onto the wooden deck. I laid flat on the rough surface while I steadied my breathing. It was a relief to be out of the dark water. I looked back to the bank—I could see the faint light from the flashlight still skimming the earth. I had maybe ten minutes before they would be here; I had a feeling they would thoroughly investigate the shack.
    I crawled over to the old door of the shack and peeped in through the fogged window. Fergus was sitting by a small fire, reading, like always. I tapped on the glass.
    “Fergus!” I lowered my voice a bit more, “Let me in—hurry.”
    I saw a small twinkle in his eye as he hobbled from his quiet place by the fire to the door. As soon as the door cracked open, I slid in and grabbed his shoulders.
    “I am so sorry I’ve put you in danger. I-I need your help, Fergus. I don’t know what to do.”
    “You’re