It was a bad idea entering the woods, but Ashley had no choice but to follow her friend.
Jude leapt up the other side of the ditch and dashed between the trees. Ashley hurried in behind him. The two of them dodged through some thick bushes and ducked past the remnants of an old fence.
Ricky leapt into the ditch behind them. “You two are dead,” he shouted. “I don’t like having to run.”
“I’m going to cut your fucking throats,” shouted Lily.
Ashley put a hand on Jude’s back as they dodged through the bushes. “Keep going!”
Jude dashed to his left. In the direction of the golf course, the woods would gradually thin out, but in the direction they were heading, things grew denser and more overgrown. Countless bushes, branches, and ancient trees intermingled to form a near-constant obstacle course.
“We can’t go this way,” said Ashley. “We’ll break our necks if we keep going.”
“What choice do we have? How else will we—” Jude tripped and stumbled forward, landing on his side amongst the thorny weeds. Ashley lifted him to his feet and tried to get him running again, but it was too late.
“Got you!” Ricky moved past them and planted his feet. His gang spread out around them.
Jude and Ashley back-pedalled to where the ground disappeared into a massive drop that the local kids all called Devil’s Ditch. Thick bushes covered the ground all around them, but the slope was a steep drop comprising thick mud and hard stone. There was nowhere to go.
Ricky, Lily, and the twins closed in tighter like a pack of hyenas. Ricky glared at Jude, but Lily was grinning. She smirked at Ashley like a hungry serial killer. As much as people around the estate feared Ricky, Lily was the one who truly scared Ashley. The girl’s entire family was notorious for being a bunch of thugs – lunatics, really – and Lily’s dad was in prison more often than he was out. Both of her older brothers were psychos, and sometimes it seemed like Lily was determined to be even worse. While Ricky still attended school from time to time, Lily had been expelled a long time ago.
Ricky shook his head and chuckled, almost like he was admiring their spirit. “You made me run. I really hate having to run.”
Jude put his hands up. “Come on, man. Don’t do this.”
“Do what? Bury you in these fucking woods? Sorry, mate, but my mind’s already made up about that.”
Lily stepped up to Ashley, getting right in her face. “And don’t think Judy is the only one getting fucked up.” She reached into her jacket and pulled out a small length of black plastic. At first, Ashley didn’t know what it was, but then Lily pressed a button and a sharp blade flicked out the end. With a malicious grin, she brought the blade up against Ashley’s face and pressed the flat side against her cheek. “Maybe I should give you a messed-up eye like your boss-eyed boyfriend here.”
“Y-You’re not going to use that. Why would you do something so crazy?”
A few steps back, the twins were laughing, but one of them – possibly Danny – said, “Come on, you two. Let’s leave these losers to it and go get some beers. We can grab some from our dad’s fridge. This shit ain’t worth the trouble.”
Ricky had moved closer to Jude, but he stepped back now. He looked at the twins. “For real? A’ight, let’s bounce and go get drunk. They’ll be plenty of time to beat on these losers later.”
A wave of relief washed through Ashley’s stomach. Perhaps Ricky and his mates weren’t complete psychopaths. They’d had their fun, but enough was enough.
Lily pressed the knife harder against Ashley’s cheek. “Nah, I ain’t leaving till I see some blood.”
Ashley grunted as something bit into her cheek, and she realised Lily had turned the blade and cut her face. She hopped backwards, almost tumbling down the steep slope behind her, and fingered the wound. Her fingers came back bloody. Ashley saw red, literally and metaphorically. “You total fucking maniac. I’m gunna kill you.”
Ashley bunched her hands into fists and took a step towards Lily, which she knew was a stupid idea, seeing as Lily still held the knife, but she couldn’t stop herself. Rage seized her muscles and mind. She wanted to destroy Lily Barnes. But before Ashley got close enough to engage, Jude tackled her and knocked her backwards.
Then she was tumbling downwards.
Chapter Two
Jude tasted earth. He spat and wiped at his lips, removing the soil that had wedged between his teeth. The impact when he had hit the bottom of the ditch had rattled his bones.
That hurt about as much as I would have expected.
Less than a knife though.
Shoving Ashley down the slope had been more a reaction than a conscious thought. He’d seen his best friend about to lash out at Lily Barnes, who had been holding a knife, and then, before he even knew what he was doing, he tackled Ashley and knocked her backwards.
I could have broken our necks.
Jude knew he was a coward – and that Ashley didn’t understand why he never fought back – but the thought of punching someone made him sick. He couldn’t bring himself to raise his fists. At least he had done something, though. He had removed Ashley from danger, even if it had required pushing her down a steep slope.
What are friends for?
Jude sat up and looked around. He’d landed on a weed-covered patch of ground, which had softened his fall. Two feet away was a thick, jagged rock that could have caved his skull in.
Shit! Is Ashley okay?
Ashley was lying ten feet away, face down in the mud. She was groaning, which was a relief. Jude realised he was groaning too. His forearms were covered in scratches, and the nerves in his
