Jack and Louis: Hunting - No. 14
Louis cut the distance between them on one short step, and placed his fingers between the boards, pulling as hard as he possibly could. All he earned for his trouble were pink, sore fingertips and a nail clipped on the edge of a board when his fingers slipped loose.
"This is impossible," he said. He was attempting to keep his voice and his manner as even as possible. Now all he could do was worry about Sam - had someone laid a trap for them all? Was this some sort of terrible attack on an innocent Easter Egg hunt, or had he and Jack been singled out for this treatment.
Louis backed up a step and kicked the wall with his heel, throwing his weight behind it. The wall reverberated, but stayed put.
He looked up, and the darkening sky was still visible.
"Someone will come," he said. His voice had gone thin. If someone didn't, he was afraid of what might come next. "They must."
The few moments of contemplation were all that was required, however. A moment late, the boards toppled out, falling flat, and Louis could see across to the woods. Most of the other pairs were already out of sight.
He blinked. There was a man standing at the edge of the woods - or not quite a man. He was a silhouette, and he held a large linen sack loose in one hand. He seemed to be looking right at him, though the setting sun behind him made picking out features impossible.
"I think we ought to go," said Louis. He grabbed Jack by the shirt sleeve. "Right now."