Free Fire in the Woods by Jennifer M. Eaton Page B

struggled, thrashing wildly, slamming my fists against his chest.
    “Jess, it’s me.”
    My heart bounced against my ribcage like a dribbling basketball until my vision cleared and big, sparkling turquoise eyes caught what little light illuminated the room.
    “David?”
    Relief swept over me. The pressure against my lips receded.
    I shoved him away. “David, you scared the crap out of me again. What are you doing here?”
    Heavy footsteps thumped on the wood floors.
    “My dad! Get under the bed.”
    David dropped to the floor and slid his long, lean form beneath my bedframe. I hoped there wasn’t anything embarrassing under there. My door banged open, and the sudden light burned my eyes.
    “Jess!” Dad called. “What’s wrong?”
    I squinted, my eyes struggling to focus in the bright light. “Huh?”
    He opened the closet and checked behind the door. “Why is the window open?” He walked over and closed the panes, clicking the locks. “I want the windows and doors closed and secured at all times, do you understand?”
    “Yeah, Dad. I’m sorry. I was, well…hot.” Did I leave the window open? “Why are you freaking out?”
    “You screamed. What happened?” Demanding, hyper-focused eyes scanned the room. This maniac was not my father.
    “I dunno. I guess it was a dream. I’m sorry.”
    Dad’s eyes relaxed and he eased himself down on the edge of my bed. “I guess I’m a little jumpy. I’m sorry, too.” He fiddled with his thumbs. “I just got off the phone with General Baker. I’ve been called to full active duty.”
    My heart stopped. “What? When?”
    “In the morning. I’ve talked to Mrs. Miller, and you can stay with her until Grandma picks you up.”
    “Wait. What? Dad, no!” I was seventeen, for goodness sake. I was not about to get baby-sat by my next-door neighbor. “I’ll stay inside. I promise.”
    His eyes told me I’d been caught too many times.
    “Or, I can go to Maggie’s.” Screw Bobby. I’d rather deal with the ex than a babysitter.
    “This isn’t a game, Jess.” He looked toward the window. “I didn’t think there was a chance in Hell the pilot survived that crash, but…”
    Say what? Was I just let in on a little intel? I closed my gaping jaw and waited, leaving the door open for him to keep spilling his guts.
    “We thought he headed south, deeper into the woods, but a camp was just found less than two miles from here.”
    David’s camp?
    Dad took a deep breath. “Tomorrow there will be a calculated news leak. We’re going to tell the public that he’s out there, and he has an infectious disease. We’re counting on the general public to turn him in.”
    Holy shi…Crap. A bead of sweat trailed down my inner-arm. “ Does he have an infectious disease?”
    My father stared at me. How could a man’s eyes be so completely devoid of emotion? What had the Army done to him?
    “Dad, this is crazy. That camp could have been nothing…just kids playing around.”
    “It wasn’t. They found…”
    Finish that sentence. Please, please, please finish that sentence.
    He sighed, and for the first time I could remember, his eyes seemed to soften. “Jess, I need you to do this for me. I’m not coming back any time soon. I can’t focus on my target if I’m worried about you.”
    How could I say no? And I really needed to get him out of there, since he was pretty much sitting on top of the guy he might be looking for. I nodded, lowering my eyes.
    “Thank you, sweetheart.” He kissed my forehead. “I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to you.”
    If anything happened to me? A shiver weaseled up my spine. He left, closing the door behind him.
    The darkness hovered around me, heightening the pressure in my chest. What was going on? My mind numbed, blotting out the thought of a plane ride beside grandma and her dumb crossword puzzles.
    I sat there, lost, until the bed jostled beneath me. “Oh! David. Come on out.” I jumped up, flipped on the light, and