“Run!”
Leila broke into a sprint and at the realization Amina was several paces behind her, skidded to a stop. Another gunshot cracked through the valley. A bullet pelted the ground six feet in front of them. Amina threw her arms over her face and screamed.
Grabbing Amina’s wrist, Leila dragged her forward.
“Go, now!”
Another shot rang out, then another and another. Leila’s legs kept moving, her grip tight around Amina. Once the cave entrance was within arm’s reach, she released Amina’s wrist, pushed her down, then threw herself to the ground and crawled until the darkness surrounded her.
Her back still exposed, Leila pushed Amina from behind to go faster. The rocks cut into her knees and palms, but the gunshots had stopped. Now the only sound was the crunch of approaching footsteps.
Abdullah stopped in front of them, holding his own gun with both hands, a murderous expression darkening his features.
Amina threw her arms around him and sobbed into his chest. “Someone is shooting at us.”
“I was on my way.” He rubbed her back, then peeled her off. “Grab your things and follow me.”
“Follow you where? We can’t go back out there,” Amina protested.
“We’re not going that way,” Abdullah snapped, already heading toward the back of the cave. He climbed over the large boulder Leila thought was a part of the wall and disappeared behind it.
Leila scrambled to pick up her bag and rushed to the boulder. She stopped to let Amina pass through first, then followed after her into a narrow, black tunnel. Although Leila had to keep her head bent a few inches, her shoulders passed through without touching the sides.
Her breath came in short puffs and echoed up and down the twisted passageway, the scrape of her feet against the dry stone floor a dead giveaway to anyone following. Abdullah stopped at random intervals and they listened for any signs of being followed. The tunnel was as silent as a tomb.
They stopped for a third time, their faces illuminated by the flashlights, showing a mixture of fear and determination.
Leila leaned against the wall, resting her head against the rough granite. How did that woman find them out here? Assuming the shooter was the same woman who had abducted her. If only Leila could have gotten a better glimpse. But it didn’t make any sense. Why would the woman have dumped her in the desert only to come chasing after her again? Not that any of it mattered right now. All that mattered was getting out of this hole.
Something brushed against her shoulder, a sensation of bony fingertips creeping across her skin. She stiffened and swallowed a scream.
“Don’t move,” Amina gasped.
Leila risked a peek.
At the sight of the scorpion, she wished she hadn’t. Yellow in color and about three inches long, the deathstalker paused in the space between her shoulder and her chest. Her heart leaped into her throat and she pressed herself against the wall, trying to stop herself from jumping into hysterics.
I’m young. I’m healthy. No need to freak out.
While its sting would kill a child, she stood a fair chance. It would only hurt like heck.
“I’ll get it,” Amina reassured her. She glanced at Abdullah, then held out her hands.
He raised an eyebrow. Unsmiling, he shrugged off his rifle and passed it to Amina.
Leila blinked. She couldn’t be serious. “Uh—”
Amina shushed her. Holding the gun with both hands, she reached out until the barrel poked Leila square in the chest.
“I’ll fling it.”
Leila nodded.
In one swift movement, Amina jerked the gun to the side. The scorpion flew through the air, landing with a soft thud in the shadows.
Leila pushed away from the wall and gagged. “Ugh, now I feel them all over.”
Brushing at her shoulder, she faced the wall, making sure there weren’t any other scorpions hanging out. She stopped and choked on another gasp. Ancient Egyptian symbols had been engraved from ceiling to floor in neat columns. Unable to stop herself, she slid her fingers over the carvings. Was she imagining this? What was this place?
Before she could decipher any of the hieroglyphs, a sound like scattering pebbles echoed in the passageway behind them.
“Go,” Abdullah hissed, pushing Amina forward. He grabbed Leila’s arm beneath the shoulder, harder than was necessary, and dragged her away from the wall.
They padded down the tunnel as quickly and silently as possible, though Leila’s thoughts were still on the wall, wishing she had explored this place earlier. Had Abdullah known about it? If he was familiar with the cave and the hidden tunnel, he must have. And it was unlikely he would ever bring her here again.
Gulping down her inquisitiveness, she clenched her jaw and trudged behind Amina. This was no time to get distracted. It was hard to tell what was shadow and what was real. The cave twisted and turned, and jagged rocks jutted out at all angles. Sometimes the passage narrowed so much they had to suck in their stomachs and stretch to squeeze through. It felt as though they would never find a way out.
Yet Abdullah kept leading them. None of the cave’s surprises seemed to faze him. There was no doubt he knew exactly where he was going.
They stopped once again to listen. Leila glanced around, studying the viciously-shaped shadows on the walls. Maybe there were more hieroglyphs. Something that might tell her she hadn’t been hallucinating.
The distinct sound of slow footsteps came behind them. Her chest tightened. Instead of searching for ancient wall carvings, she needed to concentrate on getting out of the cave alive.
Abdullah came to a halt and faced Amina and Leila. Without speaking, he motioned to the right. Easily overlooked among all the uneven surfaces, a narrow cavity beckoned them to enter. One by one, they squeezed through.
Leila was forced to walk sideways, the passage too narrow even for her shoulders. Her lungs fought for fresh air, and her head began to lighten. The walls tapered together with each shuffle of her feet, squeezing.
There was no way. Leila forced another step. They were going to get stuck. She choked back the threatening tears.
