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I lunge away fro with the pump filter I’ The bottle bobs and disappears under the foarabsrabs my hand, and I can tell by how hard he jerksaround We’re in trouble
My heart hareen scent of sorrel andup fro else, too: like Christed the treetops
That scent terrifies round, and our tents pop into view Before we can ain For the first ti, because that’s what it looks like As though an angry god is zapping Earth with a giant laser gun It sounds like a boround Shrubs, these enor to wet my pants in fear
My mind has flipped off I want to cry, but I’ but blind terror and aiant trees, and yet there’s nothing here to protect us No shelter No door to close and hide behind No car in which to outrun the storht before we round and crouches overin so that’s neither dirt nordown on us while burning wood fills my nostrils It feels as if it will never end Just kill us, I think Go on, get it over with
Lennon’s muscles are steel when the next strike comes But I feel him jump, too It’s as if we’re in the middle of a war zone Seconds later, another strike hits
But
This one isn’t as loud Or as close The thunder and lightning are separating again We wait--for seconds or minutes, I don’t even know But at so apart around us, and Lennon’s body loosens
Is it over? I still hear thunder in the distance
"We’re all right," Lennon’s voice is saying instorthunder Slowzone for now Coet up"
He pulls lasses," I say
Lennon looks around "You lost them somewhere"
"I lost the water bottles, too"
"One’s on the riverbank We’ll get it later And we have another filter Worse colasses for a couple of days I’ood You okay?"
"Yeah," I say, nodding
"That was intense"
"That was" I laugh I can’t help it I’hter or just a release, but I’ "We just nearly got blown out of our shoes We almost died"
"No, Zorie, we just lived" Lennon lifts up both ar "We’re alive! We won!"
He’s right We did live Survival is a beautiful thing I laugh again and hold upthem fill with rain until the h my veins, and I feel invincible
Lennon shoves dark hair out of his eyes His clothes stick to hi to his shape Every sharp plane Every muscle It’s practically X-rated Or maybe that’s exactly what it is, because I blink away rain and see his gaze roa polite about the way he’s looking atin both of our brains
I inhale sharply He azes lock