We ran through the weeds until the ground was just dirt and rocks. The higher we went, the rockier the cliffs got. I didn’t look down. All four of us were out of breath and running on fumes. The sun was setting and it would be dark soon, and I didn’t want to continue risking our way uphill at night.

Finally we stopped. Cal was gasping for air. She bent over and put her hands on her knees. Will asked if she was alright and she have him a look before nodding. I nudged Grant.

"I need to talk to you," I whispered. "Alone."

"Will," Grant called out. "Keep an eye out. Give us a minute."

Will nodded and didn’t say anything. I followed Grant up toward the edge of the cliff until we were far enough away where they couldn’t hear us.

"Ry, we really can’t stop. Will and I were being chased by some guys. Not sure how many, but we heard them. They can’t be far."

I glanced down at Will and Cal nervously.

"I told Cal about Will’s theory that Aaron could be a mole, and she said she doubted it since Aaron got caught and everything. But, then she said that maybe Will is the mole. It kind of made sense," I whispered.

"Will? The mole?" He blinked in disbelief. "I don’t think so. I was just with him and I didn’t get that feeling about him at all."

I sighed. "Good, because thinking about you out there somewhere with Will alone, I..."

My cheeks flushed and I looked away.

"Hey, Ry," Grant said softly. "Things are getting crazy; well crazier. And we’re probably all a little paranoid or delirious. But, I promise you, I won’t let anything happen to you and I’ll be fine, okay? We just need to stay focused and get the heck off this island."

I stared down at my feet and nodded.

"You’re right. Cal basically said the same thing. She said there probably isn’t a mole at all," I said.

"She’s probably right. She’s in bad shape though, huh? When she got to Will and me, she looked pretty bad. I think she’s sick and just doesn’t want to say so. But she was desperate for us to come and help you."

I glanced over at her. "Yeah, she looks so weak. Both Cal and Beth need a doctor."

Will was standing guard, looking off into the distance, as Cal was sitting on the ground with her head propped up against her wounded knees.

"Let’s get back-" Grant stopped and his eyes grew wide.

I spun around just as Will hollered out. Two guys were rushing toward Will and Cal. Grant bolted down the hill with me right behind him, but he stopped as a third guy came at us. Grant reached back and shoved me behind him.

"Ryleigh, run!" he yelled.

I turned and ran uphill. I could hear Grant right behind me, urging me to keep going and not stop. I quickly looked back and saw Will hoist Cal up over his shoulder and run into the trees. He didn’t leave her!

My heart burst when I realized Will had now saved two of my friends. Maybe he had a thing for Beth, I wasn’t sure. And Beth seemed to have a crush on Will, too. But that definitely wasn’t the case with Cal. She suspected Will to be a mole, and he never seemed overly fond of her either. Still, when it came down to life and death, he stuck by her.

I faced forward and kept running. The elevation peaked. Under any other circumstance, I would’ve stopped to admire the view. The full moon illuminated the sky as the stars slowly came out. In the distance, the water rippled softly. It was exactly the kind of view I had hoped I’d see while away at camp. Be careful what you wish for.

There was nowhere to go but up. My legs burned as I pushed myself to continue. Grant’s heavy breathing was in my ear. The dirt under my feet was rocky and filled with holes. My feet buckled and twisted.

"Just keep running, no matter what. Got it? Don’t you stop!" Grant shouted in my ear.

Before I could yell back at him that he didn’t have to tell me that, I heard him grunt loudly. My head snapped around and I saw Grant entangled in a fight with the guy who had been chasing us. He had taken off his backpack and thrown it to the ground. I grabbed it and threw it onto my shoulders.

I screamed out and the guy glanced up quickly, which gave Grant just enough time to break away from him.

"Don’t do this, man. It’s not gonna end well," Grant warned.

"Yeah, it won’t end well for you," the guy stood with his arms out, dodging back and forth.

"I’m telling you, man. Just walk away. Seriously. We don’t want any trouble," Grant warned.

I stood there trembling, debating what to do.

"Ryleigh, don’t stop! Run!" Grant shouted up to me, his eyes fixed on the guy in front of him as they danced around each other.

My body started to tremble harder. I couldn’t leave Grant there. I reached into my back pocket and gripped my knife in my sweaty palm. The guy lunged at Grant and they locked arms. He pulled the back of Grant’s shirt up, and they stayed entangled, bending over.

My hand was shaking. I was scared to try to stab that guy. What if I missed? Or worse, what if that guy got the knife out of my hand? I was weak, exhausted, and terrified. I froze, waiting for something to happen to snap me out of this daze.

The guy punched Grant in the face, hitting him above his eye. Grant reached up and grabbed the guy’s shirt collar, ripping it and then pushed him to the ground. They were so close to the edge. Grant kicked him in the ribs and the guy yelped out in pain. He kicked him again and backed away.

"Grant!" I yelled.

He stepped backwards, keeping his eyes on the guy on the ground, before turning and rushing to me. I grabbed his arm and pulled him.

"You’re bleeding!" I cried as his face became clearer into view.

He shook his head and just kept going. I shoved the knife into my back pocket, turned and ran. At the top of the hill, it was thick with trees. The moonlight shone between the branches, but it was much darker. We slowed down and darted into the woods. When my muscles in my legs started to twitch, I stopped. Leaning against a tree, I caught my breath and took my backpack off. Grant was breathing fast and seemed glad to take a break. He reached down and unzipped the backpack, taking out our water bottles. We both chugged them until they were almost empty.

Grant stuffed the bottles into the backpacked and brought out a flashlight. He flicked it on and then off again.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly. "Your eye..."

He reached up and winced when he touched his face. "I’ll be fine."

I wasn’t sure what we should do. Will and Cal had gone downhill from what I had seen. If they outran whoever was chasing them, I hoped they were able to get to Beth. Even if they did, then what? Will would be stuck with Beth and Cal, the weakest and most injured of our group. I had to believe he would be able to keep them safe somehow.

"We’ll find them," Grant said, as though he was reading my thoughts.

I nodded. "I know. I have to believe we’ll all be together again."

"We will," he said. "I promise."

I could hear in his voice that he meant it. He knew I wouldn’t leave that island without Cal or Beth, and now, Will. Grant and I wouldn’t be leaving that island just the two of us, no matter what.

"It’s dark. We need to find somewhere to stay safe until sunrise. Then maybe we can see far enough to locate them," Grant suggested, and then waiting for me to argue.

But I was too exhausted to disagree. His plan was the only sensible option from what I could tell. It would be no use making our way in the dark all night, not knowing what we would find. Even with a flashlight, we could barely see what was in front of us. It did nothing to help us see the island below. I yawned and nodded.

"Come on, sleepyhead. Let’s find a spot to rest," he said softly.

He turned the flashlight on and I trudged behind him slowly, my body aching. Shining the light on a pile of rocks near a fallen tree, he cleared a spot on the ground.

"This should be okay. It’s not the Four Seasons, I know. It’s more like one or two seasons that blew in and made a leafy mess," he joked.

I smiled at his attempt to make me laugh. He squatted down and laid out the backpack, and then patted the dirt in between himself and the giant tree trunk that was laid out on the ground. I dragged myself over and plopped down, using his arm as a pillow. He inched in closer, securing me tightly and within seconds, I was asleep.

Next Chapter: Thirty Six