She heard him coming then, pounding footsteps that rang clearly, even on
the rain-soaked earth. He seemed to be coming directly to where she
lay, and she shrank down against the wet earth and she pressed her face
into her arms to hide her face and muffle her breathing.
At the last moment his blundering footsteps passed her closely, and ran
on. She felt sick with relief, but it was premature for abruptly the
footsteps ceased and he was so close she could hear him panting.
He was listening for her, standing close beside where she lay in the
grass. They stayed like that during the long slow passage of minutes.
For Debra it seemed an eternity of waiting, broken at last by his voice.
All! There you are, he giggled, there you are. I can see you. Her
heart jumped with shock, He was closer than she had thought. Almost she
jumped up and began to run again, but some deeper sense restrained her.
I can see you hiding there, he repeated, giggling and snickering. I've
got a big knife here, I'm going to hold you down and cut She quailed in
the grass, listening to the awful obscenities that poured from his
mouth. Then suddenly she realized that she was safe here. She was
covered by the night and the thick grass, and he had lost her. He was
trying to panic her, make her run again and betray her position. She
concentrated all her attention on remaining absolutely still and silent.
Akker's threats and sadistic droolings ended in silence again. He
listened for her with the patience of the hunter, and the long minutes
dragged by.
The ache in her bladder was like a red-hot iron, and she wanted to sob
out loud. Something loathsome crawled out of the wet grass over her
arm. Her skin prickled with fresh horror at the feel of multiple insect
feet on her skin, but she steeled herself not to move.
The thing, scorpion or spider, crawled across her neck and she knew her
nerves would crack within seconds.
Suddenly Akkers spoke again. All right! he said, I'm going back to
fetch a flashlight. . We'll see how far you get then. I'll be back
soon, don't think you'll beat old Akkers. He's forgotten more tricks
than you'll ever learn.
He moved away heavily, noisily, and she wanted to strike the insect from
her cheek and run again, but some instinct warned her. She waited five
minutes, and then ten. The insect moved up into her hair.
Akkers spoke again out of the darkness near her. All right, you clever
bitch. We'll get you yet, and she heard him move away. This time she
knew he had gone.
She brushed the insect from her hair, shuddering with horror. Then she
stood up and moved quietly into the forest. Her fingers were stiff and
cold on the fastenings of her slacks, but she loosened them and squatted
to relieve the burning ache in her lower belly.
She stood up again and felt the child move within her body. The feel of
it evoked all her maternal instincts of protection. She must find a
safe place for her child. She thought of the hide by the pools.
How to reach them? For she was now completely lost.
Then she remembered David telling her about the wind, the rain wind out
of the west, now reduced to an occasional light air, and she waited for
