The dogs’ yips and merciless hollers were closing in on me, I figured they were only a couple feet behind, hopefully getting tangled in the swamp needles.

        Mary followed the boys over the branch that connected the two marshy shores of the creek, which also seemed like our lifeline at that moment. My shins bled and my arms were scratched all the way up to the elbows, with stinging pain searing over the pores of my skin.

        I pushed Kendra ahead of me, and yelled at Barry to hurry himself along. I realized Barry was the largest of us all, and should have either crossed lastly or swam the way. I realized this too late.

        With the boys shouting at him, Barry gave two little jumps and the old log groaned once and then again. It gave in no sooner. Barry fell a little and climbed up on the shores, the evidence of black leech suckers crawling and finding a nesting place in his flesh. I winced, and then turned my attention to Kendra and Mary. They boys all laughed, a cruel and lifeless sound.

        “Todi…”, Kendra began to whine loudly over the baying.

        Nigel, an ignorant and stupid boy, hurried to the bank and tossed a twig across, calling, “Here ya go, this’ll settle yer stomachs. Won’t be enough to cross or defend ‘em hounds, but maybe you’ll be able to pry suckers off nice and easy now.”

        They all cackled and turned to run.   

        I knew we were going to be caught. The other boys, including Barry, had stopped laughing and had lit out of there like a firecracker on the celebration of the grand ol’ country.  

        Only one boy remained.

        Tyler stood alone on the bank, glancing at me and back the way the group must have run. I prayed he wouldn’t leave, he couldn’t. We still had something, I knew it, I knew it…

        Tyler’s face was very solemn, his mouth barely moving.

        “Sorry Todi”, I believe he rambled. Something stabbed deep inside my heart, and then it fell, bringing everything else down with it. My heart sank and sank, and then my head became too dizzy. I felt Mary take my arm.

        The last glimpse of Tyler I got was him a ‘running into the underbrush, his halo dangling by the soles of his feet. And that was it.

        Betrayal stung worse than the dogs’ bites.