She couldn’t believe it. Someone had just tried to blow her head off.
“Leila, come on,” Amina hissed. She had flattened herself against the stone, her eyes wide, darting around, searching for an escape.
Leila snapped back to reality. She crawled to Amina and slid herself up against the rock to stand next to her.
The camels paced, their guttural bellows echoed against the canyon’s walls.
“Something moved. Up on that ridge,” Amina said breathlessly, nodding her head to point.
Leila’s eyes flickered to the area. All she could see was the spikey, red stone.
“What do we do?” Amina’s voice shook.
The echo had faded. The ridge looked deserted. Now was their chance. She tore her gaze away to meet Amina’s.
“Run!”
Leila broke into a sprint and at the realization Amina was several paces behind her, skidded to a stop. Another gunshot cracked through the valley. A bullet pelted the ground six feet in front of them. Amina threw her arms over her face and screamed.
Grabbing Amina’s wrist, Leila dragged her forward.
“Go, now!”
Another shot rang out, then another and another. Leila’s legs kept moving, her grip tight around Amina. Once the cave entrance was within arm’s reach, she released Amina’s wrist, pushed her down, then threw herself to the ground and crawled until the darkness surrounded her.
Her back still exposed, Leila pushed Amina from behind to go faster. The rocks cut into her knees and palms, but the gunshots had stopped. Now the only sound was the crunch of approaching footsteps.
Abdullah stopped in front of them, holding his own gun with both hands, a murderous expression darkening his features.
Amina threw her arms around him and sobbed into his chest. “Someone is shooting at us.”
“I was on my way.” He rubbed her back, then peeled her off. “Grab your things and follow me.”
“Follow you where? We can’t go back out there,” Amina protested.
“We’re not going that way,” Abdullah snapped, already heading toward the back of the cave. He climbed over the large boulder Leila thought was a part of the wall and disappeared behind it.
Leila scrambled to pick up her bag and rushed to the boulder. She stopped to let Amina pass through first, then followed after her into a narrow, black tunnel. Although Leila had to keep her head bent a few inches, her shoulders passed through without touching the sides.
Her breath came in short puffs and echoed up and down the twisted passageway, the scrape of her feet against the dry stone floor a dead giveaway to anyone following. Abdullah stopped at random intervals and they listened for any signs of being followed. The tunnel was as silent as a tomb.
They stopped for a third time, their faces illuminated by the flashlights, showing a mixture of fear and determination.
Leila leaned against the wall, resting her head against the rough granite. How did that woman find them out here? Assuming the shooter was the same woman who had abducted her. If only Leila could have gotten a better glimpse. But it didn’t make any sense. Why would the woman have dumped her in the desert only to come chasing after her again? Not that any of it mattered right now. All that mattered was getting out of this hole.
Something brushed against her shoulder, a sensation of bony fingertips creeping across her skin. She stiffened and swallowed a scream.
“Don’t move,” Amina gasped.
Leila risked a peek.
At the sight of the scorpion, she wished she hadn’t. Yellow in color and about three inches long, the deathstalker paused in the space between her shoulder and her chest. Her heart leaped into her throat and she pressed herself against the wall, trying to stop herself from jumping into hysterics.
I’m young. I’m healthy. No need to freak out.
While its sting would kill a child, she stood a fair chance. It would only hurt like heck.
“I’ll get it,” Amina reassured her. She glanced at Abdullah, then held out her hands.
He raised an eyebrow. Unsmiling, he shrugged off his rifle and passed it to Amina.
Leila blinked. She couldn’t be serious. “Uh—”
Amina shushed her. Holding the gun with both hands, she reached out until the barrel poked Leila square in the chest.
“I’ll fling it.”
Leila nodded.
In one swift movement, Amina jerked the gun to the side. The scorpion flew through the air, landing with a soft thud in the shadows.
Leila pushed away from the wall and gagged. “Ugh, now I feel them all over.”
Brushing at her shoulder, she faced the wall, making sure there weren’t any other scorpions hanging out. She stopped and choked on another gasp. Ancient Egyptian symbols had been engraved from ceiling to floor in neat columns. Unable to stop herself, she slid her fingers over the carvings. Was she imagining this? What was this place?
Before she could decipher any of the hieroglyphs, a sound like scattering pebbles echoed in the passageway behind them.
“Go,” Abdullah hissed, pushing Amina forward. He grabbed Leila’s arm beneath the shoulder, harder than was necessary, and dragged her away from the wall.
They padded down the tunnel as quickly and silently as possible, though Leila’s thoughts were still on the wall, wishing she had explored this place earlier. Had Abdullah known about it? If he was familiar with the cave and the hidden tunnel, he must have. And it was unlikely he would ever bring her here again.
Gulping down her inquisitiveness, she clenched her jaw and trudged behind Amina. This was no time to get distracted. It was hard to tell what was shadow and what was real. The cave twisted and turned, and jagged rocks jutted out at all angles. Sometimes the passage narrowed so much they had to suck in their stomachs and stretch to squeeze through. It felt as though they would never find a way out.
Yet Abdullah kept leading them. None of the cave’s surprises seemed to faze him. There was no doubt he knew exactly where he was going.
They stopped once again to listen. Leila glanced around, studying the viciously-shaped shadows on the walls. Maybe there were more hieroglyphs. Something that might tell her she hadn’t been hallucinating.
The distinct sound of slow footsteps came behind them. Her chest tightened. Instead of searching for ancient wall carvings, she needed to concentrate on getting out of the cave alive.
Abdullah came to a halt and faced Amina and Leila. Without speaking, he motioned to the right. Easily overlooked among all the uneven surfaces, a narrow cavity beckoned them to enter. One by one, they squeezed through.
Leila was forced to walk sideways, the passage too narrow even for her shoulders. Her lungs fought for fresh air, and her head began to lighten. The walls tapered together with each shuffle of her feet, squeezing.
There was no way. Leila forced another step. They were going to get stuck. She choked back the threatening tears.
At last a crack of light appeared ahead of them. An inviting, warm flutter of air brushed against her cheek as it whistled through the hole. Then she stumbled into the glorious sunlight.
Taking in a deep, grateful breath, Leila allowed her eyes a moment to accustom to the brightness. They stood among the red and brown rocks, between the mountain-side and a hill that swept upward in front of them.
“Now what?” Amina whispered.
“We circle around and get the camels,” Abdullah answered, adjusting his rifle and bag to rest on his back. He began to climb.
Leila and Amina slowly followed. Rocks pelted Leila’s face as Amina slipped over a spot where there wasn’t any solid footing. Leila braced herself, ready to grab her if she slid back down. Amina held on and climbed. Leila kept an eye on her from below, while Abdullah would pause, reach out, and give her a hand up.
During one of these pauses, Leila threw a glance over her shoulder. The shooter was still somewhere behind them, maybe in the cave, or maybe not. All she could see were rocks. Rocks everywhere. Determined to get out of this place, Leila pulled herself to the top of the hill. From there, she peered down into the valley and let out a breath of relief. The camels stood below them, still lingering near the mouth of the cave, seemingly unharmed.
Something fluttered on the ground to her right. She turned and crouched, picking up a gray square of cloth, and ran her fingers over the material, the microfibers catching on her broken skin. A cleaning rag, streaked with brown dirt. With rocks big enough to conceal a person, this spot had made the perfect hideout for the shooter. Scowling, she tossed the cloth on the ground and stood.
“Stay down,” Abdullah hissed. He waved for Amina to follow, then started the descent to the other side of the valley, keeping out of sight of the mouth of the cave.
Leila trailed behind Amina in a crouch. The way down went quickly, and once they arrived at the bottom Abdullah held out a palm, commanding them to stop. He crept forward and shielded himself behind a boulder. Slowly, he stuck his head around his cover, stuck two fingers in his mouth, and made a low whistle.
Leila craned her neck to watch. The three camels lifted their heads and looked in their direction. Abdullah whistled again and the beasts ambled toward them, curious, but in no hurry.
Once the first camel passed the boulder, Abdullah grabbed the reins. He pulled it out of the way, allowing the other two to approach Leila and Amina.
Leila gave Fatma a pat on the neck, which the camel ignored. With a tug of the reins, Fatma walked after her. Abdullah had already started down the path, away from the cave and danger. Leila ended up behind him with Amina bringing up the end of their caravan.
Another deafening blast cut through the canyon, joined by Amina’s scream.
Leila’s heart skipped. She whirled around, just in time to see Amina’s camel collapse into a heap, its rider trapped beneath it. A strong hand shoved Leila to the side, and Abdullah rushed past. He skidded to the ground beside the fallen camel.
Another gunshot cracked. A bullet hit the rocks near Abdullah, sending a shower of splinters into the air.
Leila’s pulse raced as she looked around. She couldn’t stand around, doing nothing. Her gaze fell on Abdullah’s things piled on the ground at his camel’s feet.
Including his gun.
She ran to the camel, scooped up the weapon, and turned it over in her hands. An AK-47. Blood pounded in her ears as her thoughts whirled. This was crazy. She’d never seen one of these in real life before this ordeal, let alone fired one. Aside from the few times she’d shot .22 rifles with her grandpa, and a few paintball games with friends, she didn’t know the first thing about guns.
Just point and pull the trigger. Leila jumped behind the nearest boulder and flattened her stomach against it, then inched her head above the top. Abdullah still struggled to lift the dead weight of the camel off Amina, ducking every time he heard a gunshot.
Propping the gun on the rock, Leila looked through the scope until she had the shooter in the crosshairs. A man crouched behind a wall of rocks, his face and hair covered by a headscarf. His eyes would be the only thing showing, if it weren’t for the rifle he held to his face, aimed at Abdullah and Amina.
At least he didn’t seem to notice her. Not yet. Unsure if the weapon was still loaded, she reached up and slid back the charging handle part way, caught a glimpse of a bullet resting in the chamber, then released the bolt. It shut with a snap. She put her finger on the trigger and paused, unsure what she was waiting for. A warning shot or two should do the trick. Make him take cover, give Abdullah time to get Amina back to safety.
She pulled the trigger. The gun jerked back, pounding into her shoulder as an ear-splitting blast splintered through the valley. Ignoring the sharp pain and the ringing in her ears, she held the trigger down and sprayed another dozen rounds in the shooter’s general direction, until the weapon made a harmless click. Wondering if she had done any damage, aside to her shoulder, she looked through the sight again. All she could see were wisps of dust churning in the air.
The man had vanished.
Ears still buzzing and shoulder aching, Leila slid back down from the rocks as Abdullah and Amina returned. Red streaked Amina’s face and clothing, though she didn’t appear to be in any pain. After helping her mount his camel, Abdullah turned to Leila. His brow was furrowed and his mouth pressed into a thin line.
Was he irritated or was that the permanent look on his face? She held the gun out.
“Sorry, I just borrowed—”
Abdullah yanked the firearm from her hands like it was made of feathers and bared his teeth. “Get on your camel. Now.”
Leila turned on her heel and strode to Fatma. Once mounted, she nudged the beast into a bouncy trot a short way down the path to where Amina waited.
“Don’t worry, he’s impressed,” Amina whispered with a half-smile.
“I don’t need his approval.” Leila shrugged nonchalantly, suppressing the bubble of pride radiating in her chest. He’d only resent her more, and unfortunately, she needed his respect. Until she made it to Saint Catherine, he was her key to survival.
They waited, holding their breaths, for several minutes until Abdullah appeared around the boulder and stormed toward them. Without a word, he shook his head, then mounted in front of Amina. He dug his heels into the camel’s sides and it jolted into a trot.
Ice surged through Leila’s veins. The shooter was still out there. With a painful swallow, she gave the reins a flick, and Fatma followed.