Thieves of the Black Sea. Joe O'Neill

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      CHAPTER

      — 4 —

      TWO LOST RABBITS

      Margaret and Inez stumbled through the forest. Margaret’s right ankle throbbed, while Inez felt a sharp pain on her temple and blood trickled down her face.

      Through the thicket of trees, in the darkness, it was impossible to see any kind of trail. The girls ran blindly—falling, picking themselves up, falling again, and continuing to move in any direction they could, so long as it was away from the crash site they had fled. Their knees, elbows, and palms were covered in dirt and scraped with blood. The only sound that could be heard, in the otherwise stillness of the forest, was the crackling of branches under their feet and their labored breath.

      They ran until their legs screamed with pain and their lungs shouted to stop. Finally, when they arrived at the edge of a small stream, Margaret allowed them to rest.

      Both girls doubled over, gulping air into their pleading lungs. Sweat poured down their necks and soaked their shirts. They were bloodied and bruised, a feeling of shock resonating throughout their bodies.

      After a moment, Margaret leaned down to the water’s edge and began scooping handfuls of water into her mouth. Her ankle throbbed, and she wanted nothing more than to take off her boot and let it soak in the cool water. Inez followed suit until both girls felt their breath return to normal and their bodies cool a bit. They rinsed the blood and sweat from their faces.

      “Let’s go,” Margaret urged and soon they were running through the forest again, staying as close to the stream as they could.

      Inez ran, and Margaret limped, for another twenty minutes, until Margaret finally stopped and leaned against a tree.

      “Inez, I have to stop. My ankle is killing me. Besides, I don’t hear them following us anymore.”

      Inez was bent over in exhaustion as well, and her face was drenched with sweat.

      “Yes, let’s stop for a minute.”

      After catching her breath, Inez looked at Margaret. Margaret was dirty and sweaty and grimacing with pain, but Inez had never been happier to see anyone in her life.

      “Margaret, how did you find me? What happened? I thought I was all alone—those men were so scary,” Inez said and went and hugged her friend tightly. Margaret, unaccustomed to any kind of display of affection from Inez, was taken aback for a moment. She held her friend close, and could feel Inez shake in her arms as she cried into Margaret’s chest.

      “You would have done the same for me,” she whispered in Inez’s ear.

      Finally, Inez released her grip on Margaret, her eyes watery from tears.

      “How did you find me?” Inez asked again with a sniffle.

      “When you went missing from school, I knew there was only one place you would have gone, and that was to spy on the Germans. I found your notebook and binoculars on the hillside by the farmhouse. I saw them put you in the truck, so I ran down and hopped in the second truck. It was luck, really,” Margaret said, remembering her British humility to never embellish.

      “You’re a hero! That is the bravest thing I’ve ever heard of!” Inez exclaimed.

      Margaret had to smile at the enthusiasm in her friend’s face. She never thought of herself as brave, or as any kind of hero, but seeing the joy in Inez’s eyes, she now realized how alone she’d been.

      “It was nothing. Now, we’ve got to figure out where we are,” Margaret replied, wanting to shift the attention from herself.

      Margaret tried to peer through the darkness, but it was hopeless. Without some kind of light, they would simply be walking blind.

      “I think we need to rest a bit until dawn and then begin walking. We mustn’t go to the main road because they might be patrolling it, so, we’ll stick to the forest.”

      “I have no idea where we are,” Inez said.

      “We traveled for a long while. I think we’re in Germany.”

      “Germany! Why would they want to bring me to Germany? If they were going to kill me, why not just kill me in France?”

      “That’s just it. I don’t think they wanted to kill you, but I also don’t know what they wanted with you.”

      Inez stood and thought for a moment.

      “It’s getting cold, Margaret,” Inez said.

      “Let’s make a quick shelter. Grab as many long branches as you can and I’ll collect leaves. The drier the branches, the better,” Margaret ordered.