The ground was uneven, it rose in gentle swells as tall as the trees, and dipped in slopes downward. As he ran, Kaden headed down, because it was the path of least resistance and he needed all the help he could get. His sneakers slipped on the soft ground, layers of dead leaves rotting underfoot, the recent rain turning everything to mulch beneath his feet, but he kept running.
Kaden, born and raised in the Hole, knew how to run through mud.
In the back of his mind - as he put his hand out to protect the baby from a thin tree branch he had to smash through - he thought about how he was going to find his way back to the motel after he'd lost Ares. The thought went - if I keep going down, all I'll have to do afterwards is make the long slow climb back up.
He could hear the dogs all around him. Their baying made him run all the faster, though, with the rises and falls of the land, the dogs' voices echoed and Kaden could not tell where the snarls were coming from, or even how many dogs were on his trail. One moment they were behind him, the next to his left and Kaden darted right, but then a vicious growl in front of him made him change course again.