“He’s got to be here somewhere,” said Cory.
They had lost the trail. But in a small clearing they found the cow and her calf grazing on the fresh, green grass. The calf startled at the sight of the quad bike, and the two animals trotted back the way they had come. Tommy was nowhere in sight.
Jake hopped off the quad.
“Tommy!” he called for what seemed like the thousandth time. “Tommy!”
He couldn’t tell which way Tommy had run. The grass had been trampled by the cows and then flattened even more by the quad.
Overhead, the sky had filled with roiling clouds. Jake heard the rumble of thunder in the distance. A storm was coming.
“Tommy’s probably hiding,” said Jake. “He hates thunderstorms.”
“What a baby,” said Cory.
“He’s not a baby,” said Jake. “He’s the same age as you.”
“I’m almost nine,” said Cory. “And I’m not a scaredy-cat like him.”
“He’s not a scaredy-cat,” said Jake.
“He’s scared of cows and thunderstorms,” said Cory. “He’s even scared of my gram. Is there anything he’s not scared of?”
“Yeah, plenty,” said Jake, getting angry. “He outran a cougar last Christmas.”
“Little baby Tommy?” said Cory. “I doubt it.”
“He did too!” said Jake. “Ask anyone.”
“I will,” said Cory.
The two boys glared at each other. Jake wanted to say more, but he felt a bit guilty. He had called Tommy a baby once too. And a wuss. The truth was, Tommy was a bit of a scaredy-cat. But Jake wasn’t going to let Cory McNash call him that.
Lightning flashed overhead, and a clap of thunder boomed all around them. The boys jumped.
“Take cover,” said Jake. He darted for a clump of low bushes. Cory revved the quad bike and accelerated into the trees. Rain started falling in big heavy drops.
“Get off the quad!” yelled Jake. “Lightning is attracted to metal.”
“Aahhh!” Cory jumped off the quad as if it had already been struck by lightning. He dashed over to a big tree and crouched below it.
“Stay away from tall trees too!” said Jake.
Cory leapt up again and ran to a different tree. He looked up to see how tall it was, changed his mind and darted toward a third tree. At the last minute, he changed direction and raced to Jake’s side. “I—I’ll just stick with you, okay?”
Jake smiled. He took off his helmet and tossed it over by the quad. He didn’t know what it was made of, but he wasn’t going to take a chance. Cory did the same.
They crouched under the bushes as the storm raged around them. Rain poured down and the wind tore at the tops of the trees. Lightning streaked across the sky. Thunder rumbled so loud, the ground seemed to shake.
Jake wished he knew where Tommy was. He knew Tommy would be scared. He was a bit scared himself. The storm was so loud and fierce. Had Tommy found a safe place to shelter? Or was he out in the open somewhere, exposed to the lightning?
At last the rain slowed and the rumble of thunder grew faint. Jake waited a few more minutes before he and Cory crawled out from the bushes. Cory’s hair was plastered to his head, and his face was pale.
“That was some storm,” he said with an uneasy laugh. He stamped his feet, his teeth chattering.
Jake thought of saying something about scaredy–cats, but he was too worried about Tommy. He shrugged. “We get them all the time around here,” he said. “Mostly in summer though.” That’s why his grandpa had taught them what to do in a thunderstorm. He hoped Tommy remembered what he had learned. “Tommy!” he called. “Tommy! Where are you?”
“Jake!” Tommy’s voice was so faint, Jake wasn’t sure he had heard him. “Jake!”
It was definitely Tommy. Jake took off toward the voice.