Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

We’re ready.

As soon as he said it, it sent chills down my back. I had no idea if we truly were ready. Did I pack enough food? Is the overseer still awake and alert? What if he’s outside right now? What if the dogs hear us? Did we forget the canteens? All of these thoughts and more won’t stop going through my head while we walk.

“Quiet, now,” Pop cuts through my thoughts. He seems to be the calmest out of all of us. Even Joel looks like an absolute stress ball when compared to Pop. Of course, Mama is the one I am truly worried about. Her eyes are frenzied and she won’t stop looking around. I touch her arm to let her know she was safe, but she just jumps at the contact.

We pick up a fast walk, which is noisier, but it gets us away faster. We can’t be out in the open for much longer. If someone were to open the windows right now, they’d most likely see us.

After a few moments, we reach the fence. Pop reaches his hands out, but quickly withdraws them with a small gasp of pain. Mama yelps quietly and grabs his hand.

“What happened?” She asks in hushed tones.

“There’s barbed wire around the top of the fence. Done worry none, it just pricked me. I ain’t bleeding.”

Mama sighs, “Alright, well, the fence ain’t that high. What can we do?”

Pop gets onto one knee and cups his hand over it, “Mara, step on, and I’ll push you over. Just hold onto the post for balance, it don’t have no wire on it.”

I gingerly place my hand on the wooden post and step one foot onto his hand. He pushes me up and I use the post to balance. I bring my other foot over the fence. But then Pop lifts a bit too much and I tumble to the other side. A piece of barbed wire scrapes my arm as I fall down.

“You okay, Mara?” Mama asks.

“I’m fine, I just scratched my arm a bit.”

“Alright, now Mara, you help your mother to balance while I lift her over, okay?”

“Alright.” I nod.

Mama places her right hand on the post, and grabs my shoulder with her left. I lift my hands to spot her. Her grip on my shoulder tightens and I give a small cry. She stumbles to the ground and her grip loosens.

“Joel, c’mon.” Pop says.

Joel is a lot easier. He hardly touches me at all as he jumps and lands gently. Then he sticks his tongue out at me. 

“Hush up, Joel!”

“I didn’t say nothing!”

“Quiet!” Pop hisses. “Now, see that log over there? Bring it here and hoist it over the fence. I’ll get up on it so I’ll be able to stand on the post. Then, y’all will grab my hands and pull me over, alright?”

We quietly nod our heads. I walk over to the log and start to roll it toward the fence. Then I try to lift it. Nope. Not happening.

“C’mon, you two, help me out a little!”

Mama and Joel go on either sides of the log and we all lift together. We struggle and my hand slips a bit. Mama gasps and I right my hand so it’s even again. We lift it as much as we can and shove it over the fence. It lands with a dull thud on the ground. Pop rolls it up to the post.

“Alright, y’all ready?”

He stands on the log and puts one foot onto the post. Then we grab his hands and pull him over- a little bit too hard as it turned out. We all tumble to the ground.

“Y’all alright?” Pop asks, standing up and brushing the dirt off.

I groan as an answer and roll over. Mama helps me up, and then Joel.

We suddenly freeze. We hear a clanging noise followed by Master’s gruff voice and barking.

Mama looks at us with pure, concentrated terror in her eyes.

“Run.”

We all bolt as fast as we can, keeping sight of one another as much as possible. I run faster than I ever have in my life. I see Joel start to slow.

I snatch his hand, “Run, Joel! Don’t you quit, now!”

He picks up speed and I run faster to keep up with Pop.

I feel the wind pick up and goose bumps pop up on my arm. I suppress a shiver and keep running, not letting anything distract me. We had to be faster than those dogs, we just had to.

After about two minutes of running, I hear rustling. I gasp and swivel around. Suddenly, the brown dog jumps through some brush, startling me and making me trip. I look down and see some ivy tangled around my boot. I pull at it until it snaps and stand up. The whole family is huddled together- backed up against a tree.

I assume this is what being frozen in fear feels like. I was also afraid to startle the dog. He wasn’t moving, but if we started to run again, maybe he’d snap to his senses and give the signal.

Then, without warning, the German Shepherd broke through the bushes. I start to press against Pop.

And then the unthinkable happens. As soon as the German Shepherd is about to start barking, the brown dog clamps his teeth on the him! They break out into an all-out fight. Mama tugs on my hand, and we rush out into the night.

I hardly have time to think about what happened before a strong hand yanks on my shoulder, pulling me into the dirt. I scream, thinking it was McNeil.

“Hush, Mara!” Joel hisses. “Or did you want to go for a swim?”

Confused, I look up. Straight ahead of me is a giant, rushing river. I gasp and backpedal a few feet.

“Listen y’all,” Pop says seriously, “we have no choice but to go through it. It will eliminate some of our scent, and there’s no way around. Don’t worry about it taking you downstream, just swim to the other side.”

Pop looks at each of us before continuing, “Ready? On three. One, two, three!”

We all jump in. I try to cling onto Pop, but the current rips my hands off of him. I swim forward, but am being pulled to the right at the same time. I remember what Pop said; Just swim to the other side.

I continue forward until the current smashes me into a rock. My whole side feels bruised, but it was nice to rest for a moment. Then, I see Joel being dragged towards me. I reach out my hand and he grasps it, just barely. I pull him to the rock and he grabs on desperately. After clinging to the rock for a moment, I push off towards the other side. I keep swimming until I finally grab hold of the shore. I look and see Pop walking to me from a few dozen feet away. Mama is right next to him. I look behind me and see Joel struggling to get closer to the shore. Once he’s in arms reach, I grab his arm and pull him to shore. We lay there panting for a minute, regaining our senses. 

“Alright, let’s keep moving if we ever want to get to Pennsylvania.” Pop stands up.

We continue on for another half hour or so before Mama calls for a rest stop.

The boys hung their shirts on a nearby tree branch, and Mama and I hung up our shawls next to them. Whatever clothes we could take off while still being modest, we did. Then we opened our bags and started to fill up for the journey ahead.

I was halfway through my bread roll when I heard a noise. I look up and see the brown dog.

“Pop!” I whisper.

He looks up from his bread roll and gapes for a moment. Finally, he says, “Well, look who it is! It’s the hero!”