(*Chapter 14*)

Chapter 14

We had been reading for about two hours. Soon enough I started to fall asleep. I was scared of falling asleep because Claudia was in a deep sleep and if something were to come and attack us, we wouldn't be able to do anything about it. I decided to try and keep my eyes in a bright light and my nose in the book. It was able to keep me up for an extra twenty minutes, but I wasn't able to hold my yawns anymore. I found myself drifting into a dream.

I was back in the woods. It was weird becuase it was the part where I had met Claudia. I looked down at myself. I was wearing a blood red dress, and it had little fancy designs of different flowers on it, but it didn't sparkle or shine anywhere. I noticed I was wearing no shoes, but couldn't feel the twigs and leaves crack under my feet.

I kept walking. I had no idea where I was suppose to be going, but it was like something was guiding me. I walked back to another clearing. It was one I hadn't seen before. What was different is that all the trees around it were either bent or broken into stumps. I noticed an odd smell. It drew me to a tree that had been bent in a kinda rainbow shape. It had still been broken, but there was something hanging off. It was a piece of a red, plaid shirt. I went to pick it up and a vision came into my head, while I was in a dream.

I saw Jack. His hands were tied behind his back. I could see him struggling to get out of the knots. The other big guys were the ones who had taken him. I was almost scared to look at them, so I turned my vision to another spot. There was another man. In a fancy black suit. I wasn't able to his face, it was almost completly blurred out. He held a very large cane, only, he didn't use it to walk. He used it to wack Jack in the face.

He went flaying onto the ground. I cringed at the thought of them killing him. The other guys were standing there laughing. "Stop!"

They immediatly stopped laughing and they turned back to there statue forms. I looked back to Jack and saw that his hands were untied. He lunged for the guy in the fancy suit. He was able to knock him down and punch him in the face. The guy he was on top of pushed him into a tree. I saw him fall to the ground and the piece of shirt rip onto the tree. He didn't get back up. I started to get worried. Why wasn't he getting back up?

I begged in my sleep. "Jack get up." I saw the man walk over and signal the guys to get him off the ground. Once they did, they held him arms as he punched him in the gut. Over and over, he groaned in pain as the man got tired. "Maggie, don't wake up." I heard in my mind. What was he trying to tell me. The man finally stopped punching and told his men to take him to "the place." That was why. I needed to find that place, but in my dream I woke, and in real life I woke to a screaming Claudia.

"Maggie! Maggie wake up! They've found us! We have to leave!"

"Wha... What?" I was so sleepy. I don't know why I was so tired. She looked back and forth from the living room and to me. "Oh, dang it." She lifted me off the couch and over her shoulder. And faster than a bullet she dashed out of the room. She ran out the back door and ran for the road.

I was awake now. I tapped her on the back, and while still running she said, "What!" She was already getting out of breath, or was that the wind slicing in our faces? "What happened?!" I screamed trying to get some air out of my mouth.

"They found us!" She screamed. I started to kick and hit her. She finally stopped, full brakes. Making me fling out of her arms. I got myself up and dusted dirt off my arm. "What do you mean, "They found us?" She was bending over. Trying to get her breath back.

"I mean, that someone pulled up in the driveway, a black car to be exact, and the guys getting out were the same that took Chance and possibly Jack." I started to freak out now. "Well then what are we doing here! We have to keep going! I mean...." I stopped thinking of something to say.

"Look, Maggie. I know we need to keep moving, but I'm tired out to much." She started sitting on the ground. I had to think of something. I turned and ran into the woods.

"Maggie! What are you doing?" I ran over to a good tree. I leaned against it and started thinking of the moment I was attacked. I saw Jack getting thrown into the car. I heard him screaming and yelling. "Maggie run!" was the last thing I heard. The next thing I knew, I was standing on four paws. I ran back to where Claudia was. I was happy to see she was still there. I walked over to her and bent my head down.

"No. No way am I riding on your back. I'll have that "dog" smell on me for weeks. No way." I looked at her with big eyes. Maybe I can pull that puppy look off. I looked up when I saw a car coming out of the street, a black car to be exact. She looked back and started to climb onto my back. She was in such a hurry she kept pulling on my hair and yanking it. It took will power not to yelp. She was finally on my back and I started to run.

I ran into the woods. I ran and ran, until I came to a clearing with broken and bent trees. And one with a piece of red, plaid material hanging off of it.