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Car It would be difficult to hear anything over the beating of her heart Her one completely dry and she felt sick to her sto didn't happen to real people It only happened in the movies…and on the news

Alex squeezed her hand and leaned dohispering in her ear "I heard so - maybe the children"

She held on to his hand as he quietly moved forward She was afraid to hope She hadn't heard anything Why wouldn't the children co to them? Were they injured?

A whi sound Alex released her hand and stepped forward

"Jonathan?" he called

A sudden burst offor Daddy Within seconds they were surrounded by four children

Carathered as ed them Tears of relief escaped her eyes and rolled down her cheeks She struggled to speak around the lump in her throat, and when she did, it didn't sound like her voice "What happened?"

All of the at once Alex hushed them "One at a tian to fill theot close to noon and you hadn't returned, we started to worry I was going to call soed it in and took the others for a short nature walk That hen some men came in a van I told the others to stay there and started back to the camper to see what they wanted They walked up to the ca That hen I told the kids to hide over there in that arroyo" He pointed a finger at a point not visible behind hi before they came out and ran to the van A few minutes after they left, there was an explosion and the caht on fire" He shook his head "We didn't knohere you were or e could trust, so we decided to wait in the arroyo until help arrived We would have walked to that houseon the way here, but we didn't knoho those hed "Then they don't know any of you were here?"

Jonathan shook his head "I don't think so What happened to you?"

Alex explained withoutcaptured and their escape He lifted Destiny and Natalie into his arms