Saw grass has sharp, saw-teeth along the blades that cut like razors.
You have to protect your arms, face and legs or you will get cut.
The next morning when I open my eyes, Sadie’s back is toward me. I can’t see her face.
My heart pounds in my chest. I’m afraid to move. Afraid to look.
I sit still for several seconds, hoping to hear her breathe.
I remember the day I found Seth in the woods. He froze to death after being outside in the worst snowstorm in North Carolina history. Even though we eventually discovered he was murdered. I’ll never forget the exact second I realized he was dead. Feeling helpless and guilty all at the same time. Whether it was my fault or not.
I suck in a deep breath and lightly shake her shoulder. My voice tries to hide in my throat so I whisper, “Sadie?”
She rolls over to face me. Her voice comes out weak and scratchy. “Hey.”
“Hey yourself.” I smile and bend over to hug her. Tears shed from my eyes as relief pours over me. Sadie’s alive, and I’m thankful. She’s still in danger, but at least she survived the worst part—the first night. Even though she’s talking and coherent, it’s still critical that I get her to a hospital. Only now, the dangers are not as life threatening. She may have permanent tissue damage on her leg, but if I can get her medical attention, it might save her leg.
At least she is alive.
I take out my water and hold it to her pale lips.
She takes a few sips.
“How do you feel?”
“Like shit. How do you think I feel?”
I can’t help but smile. Sadie is feistier than any nasty snake I’ve ever encountered.
I remove the dressing on her leg and inspect the bite. Gross, it still looks nasty. Dark purple and swollen with goo.
“Gross.” Sadie winces when I touch the wound. “Shitake, it hurts like nobody’s business.”
“You’re lucky that sucker didn’t release more.” I rewrap her leg with a strip of gauze. “By the size of the snake, you could have died.”
She sits up and watches me pack up our stuff, getting rid of any trace we were here. “Leaving so soon?”
“We need to go. Now. You need anti-venom.”
“Not sure I’m ready to leave.” She winks. “It’s so fun here.”
I stare at her with no expression. “I’m serious.”
“So am I?” She grits her teeth in pain. “I don’t know about you but I’m going to complain to the travel agent. This place sucks.”
I can’t help but smile. “Great. At least you kept your sense of humor. But if we don’t leave, you could lose some of your leg. Just sayin’.”
“You don’t hold back do you?” She narrows her eyes and wears a smirk. “I like that.”
“Nope.” I rip open a tiny emergency pack of Ibuprofen with my teeth. “Take this.”
She sits up and swallows the two pills dry. “Pretty sure I need something a little stronger.”
“Sorry, pharmacy is closed.” I fish through my bag and pull out the leftover garbage bag I used on Dylan and some fishing wire. “Hold still. I need to protect this wound or you could die of a nasty infection.”
Sadie cracks up at this. “Jesus. That would totally suck. Get bit by a three-foot cottonmouth, go through a crap-load of pain, only to make it and then die of a dumb infection.”
After I wrap her whole calf, I clutch her hand and pull her to her feet. As soon as she puts pressure on her leg, she yelps in pain.
I hand her my walking stick. “This won’t be easy.”
“I like hard,” Sadie says.
“Come on. We don’t have much time.” I grab my backpack and throw it over my shoulder. I study my compass. “If we go north, we should get out of the swamps and back on dry land. I hope.”
As I turn to walk off, Sadie grabs my arm.
When I turn to face her, she presses her lips together, as if she’s trying not to cry. “Thank you.”
I grin. “You’re welcome. But don’t get too excited until you see my bill.”
Sadie jumps on me and squeezes me tight. “I mean it. You’re a good friend, Grace. I owe you.”
It takes me a few seconds to accept the hug. I’ve never had huggy friends before. I’ve seen them at school. The pack of girls who hug every time they see each other. Between classes, after classes, after school, before lunch. I’ve just never been included. Wyn’s the only solid friend I’ve had back home and his hugs have been filled with tension since we broke up. Now, there is always a strange barrier between us.
I hug Sadie back. “You’re welcome. Now let’s get out of here.”
“I second that.”
Sadie leans on me as we move through the mangroves and into a prairie field filled with communities of saw grass fighting off herds of cattails. In some places, the ground is covered with an inch of slushy algae. In others, the water is much deeper, leading into huge ponds. In the distance, I spot more pine trees flanked by more swamps.
The urge to run grows. I hate being out in the open. Even though the saw grass reaches the top of my head, the idea that I can’t hide or climb anywhere makes me anxious. I’m also aware those men could be hiding and we wouldn’t see them until it was too late.
“Let’s hurry.” I can hear the urgency cutting through my voice.
Sadie hobbles behind me, mumbling. “Easy for you to say.”
We walk and walk through the thick saw grass. I hold a walking stick out in front of me, pressing down on the bladed grass, but it still slices through my skin like a thousand paper cuts. A few times, one catches me in the cheek.
Sadie follows close behind and grunts every time one cuts her arm.
A thumping noise off to my right. I stop and listen as it grows louder and louder.
I stiffen to brace myself, knowing something’s going to happen.
Out of nowhere, something jumps out of the grass and slams into me. Sadie screams when I drop to the ground. It only takes me seconds to pop up to my feet with my knife already drawn.
A young boy is in the same stance as me. I recognize him immediately. Junior is what Bob called him. This kid’s the one that chickened out of shooting game. The kid that refused to shoot Annie.
I drop my guard a little, hoping I can reason with him. “What are you doing here?”
Before I can say anything to persuade him from hurting us, he lunges at me and grabs both my arms. “Pa, I got them!”
So much for negotiation.
I stomp down hard on his foot. He grunts and lets go. His mistake gives me enough time to spin around and jab him in the throat. He makes a gurgling sound and stumbles backward, clawing at his throat to catch a breath.
Sadie approaches the kid who’s flailing on the ground.
I yell at her. “Get out of here!”
She ignores me and stands over the boy, whose menacing look has morphed into pure fear. This kid is harmless. She points at a necklace around his neck. “Where the F did you get that?”
The boy doesn’t answer; he’s still trying to catch his breath.
When I focus in, I now notice the necklace is Dylan’s. Sadie is about to flip out; it’s all over her face. “Sadie? I got this.”
She screams. “Where did you get that?”
I touch her arm and she flinches. “Sadie, go. I’ll get it back. I promise.”
I can tell she’s confused, like it’s all processing in her head. But she surrenders and her body goes limp. “You better, Grace.”
“Hurry, you need the head start.”
Even though Sadie’s in major pain, she picks up her stick and goes half running, half hopping across the field, disappearing into the tall grass.
Then man calls out again, this time he sounds closer. “Junior! Answer me!”
The boy pushes to his feet and lunges at me, catching me off totally by surprise. I jump out of the way at the last minute.
He tries to pull a gun out of his belt but I see it coming and kick it from his hands. The weapon flies into the weeds.
I regain my fighting stance, holding out my knife, and eye the dangling alligator claw. “Where’d you get that?”
The boy sneers. “From your friend. Trust me, he wasn’t as strong as he looked.” Then the dumb kid attacks me again, refusing to give up.
Anger heats my adrenaline and it boils over. I lash out, landing a direct punch to his mouth. He doesn’t even stagger. Instead, he hits me back right in the jaw. I stumble back a few steps, stunned. Spots wiggle in my vision and I drop to my knees. Tommy’s knife shoots out of my hand. Vision foggy, I scramble across the ground before he sees it and grab it. Then I roll over on my back as the boy jumps.
He falls on top of me and his eyes go wide. His body stiffens.
Then he goes limp.
I roll out from under him and stand to face him. But he doesn’t get up as fast as I expect.
That’s when I notice the blood on my knife and hands. When I focus, the boy lies in the grass. A pool of blood circles him. Both his hands cover the stomach wound as he tries to stop the bleeding.
It takes a second for it all to hit me. Then panic settles in. I drop next to him and I fumble with my pack. I pull out an old shirt and press the cloth to his stomach. “Oh my God.”
The boy’s eyes are wide and fearful.
I start to cry. Tears fall on his face. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to...”
Someone yells again. “Junior!”
“It’s okay. My fault.” The boy looks at me. Blood trickles from the side of his mouth. His voice gurgles with liquid. “I’m dying.”
I lean down and whisper. “No. You’re going to be okay...I promise.” The same promise I can’t keep.
The boy shakes his head and tries to talk but nothing comes out. I recognize the look in his eyes. The same look Dad had before he died. And just like Dad, this boy knows he’s dying too.
I lean over him and press harder but the blood won’t stop. It’s too much. Tears blur my vision. I’ve killed some poor kid and I never wanted to hurt anyone.
The boy opens his mouth again.
I lean down to try and make out his words.
He chokes out one raspy, gurgled word, “Run.”
Something crashes through the weeds, moving closer.
When I look back down, the boy is dead. His eyes wide as they stare at the sky.
I kiss his forehead and close his eyes. Then I take Dylan’s necklace and stuff it in my pocket. I jump up and bolt the clearing. I sob as I race for the trees, running faster than ever.
Away from something I will always regret.
Away from the biggest mistake of my whole life.
Away from a vengeful father who is about to find his dead son.
The son I killed.