She needed to get away without being seen. From the position she was crouched in, she couldn’t possibly be in their eye line, but the second she moved or made a noise, she’d attract their attention. She thought about backing up the way she’d come,slowly and surely, and decided it was her best bet. But as she was shuffling quietly backward, her balance failed her. Her dizziness overwhelmed her and she fell flat on her back with a loud ‘oof.’
Now she was really in trouble.
“Hey! Who’s there?” one of the men cried out as Aby desperately clambered to her feet. She began to run as hard as she could. Her body ached as her feet pounded the ground, but she knew she’d rather take the pain of her escape than let the men catch up to her.
She could hear them shouting after her, jeering at her, clearly ready for a chase, but Aby was faster than she anticipated. Even with the pain in her body, she was limber and quick, which was more than could be said for her pursuers.
But even as she left them far behind, she didn’t feel safe, and her body was starting to give in to the weariness she felt. She knew that if she wanted to feel safe, she needed to disappear.
Crashing through the trees, she had a thought. She remembered as a child that she’d spend hours climbing trees and hiding out there as her friends played hide and seek. If she could still rely on her skills, then maybe she’d be able to hide out in one. She stopped for a moment to look upward. The trees were thick with leaves, perfect for hiding her slender body. Before she could change her mind, she began to climb.
Her aching limbs protested as she climbed, but she knew she would make it up by sheer will alone. She was desperate to survive. She made it higher and higher, her hands shredded by the bark that she clung to, but she was nearly there. She was going to be okay.
When she reached the first branch that she felt was strong enough to support her body, she clambered onto it and stayed there, breathing hard. She knew she’d be safer higher up, but she didn’t think she could manage to climb any further. She still felt safer than she did on the ground. At least she wouldn’t have to run anymore, and unless they had the bright idea to look up,they’d assume she’s just kept running.
She hoped.
A few minutes later, she heard them coming. She had hoped they might give up the chase after she’d disappeared from sight, but apparently not. She guessed they had nothing better to do than try and scar an innocent woman. Gripping the tree, she closed her eyes and prayed they wouldn’t find her. If she had a gun, maybe she’d kill them, strike with the element of surprise and end them before they could register what was happening, but the fact was, she was unarmed and outnumbered. She tried her best to breathe quietly, but she was sure even then, they’d be able to hear her thudding heartbeat from a mile off.
“Where the hell did she go?” one of the men asked. Aby felt the slight thrill of knowing they hadn’t caught her yet, but the fear wasn’t gone.
“She was damn quick. She must’ve got ahead.”
“I’m not giving up until we find her and teach her a lesson. Spread out. Keep moving. Meet back at cmap if we haven’t found her in a few hours.”
Aby couldn’t believe they were so willing to keep going. What had she done, really? She hadn’t tried to hurt them, or steal from them. All she wanted was some allies. But as she glanced down to watch the men fanning out in opposite directions, she felt more alone than she ever had before.
And now she was stuck. Getting down from the tree would be a lengthy process, and not one to be rushed. If she fell she’d seriously hurt herself. She would just have to wait until the coast was clear.
She slept a little, and when she woke up, it was still dark outside. The air was quiet, but she was too anxious to attempt to come down from the tree. Her stomach growled painfully and her tongue was bone dry. She wondered when she had last eaten or drank water. She would have to at least drink soon or she’d die. But on the other hand, if she moved, she might suffer a death worse than dehydration at the hands of the men. Her legs refused to let her move from her spot and so she gave in to the commands of her body and stayed put.
She stayed for hours. The sky went light and she still stayed put. She kept trying to moisten her lips, but she was so thirsty that it didn’t seem possible. Running hard away from the men had helped her escape, but she’d sweated a lot and it only made her thirstier. She felt awful in every sense. She was grimy with dirty, desperate for a good hot meal and aching all over. But the thirst was the worst. She knew that it was becoming a matter of life and death.
She had to leave and find water.
Her terror was making her legs shake as she made her way back to the tree trunk to shimmy her way down. She knew the men had probably given up on her by then - it was late afternoon by this point - but she was still scared of who or what might find her next. She grunted with the effort of clinging to the tree and began to make her way down, but her dizziness was making it hard. It
