on his ankle. Regardless of the size of the hole he’d created it had to be big enough. He dove through and grabbed a straggly bush to heave himself out. Thorns dug into his already raw palms but he ignored the pain and pulled.

Teeth clamped around his shoe and the bones in his foot rolled over each other as the bear closed its powerful jaws. Josh screamed and kicked out wildly with his other foot. He must have hit a sensitive spot, because the bear wined and the pressure on his foot disappeared.

Hands pulling, wriggling from side to side, he wormed his way out of the gap and scrambled away along the log before taking off up the hill again.

The bear bellowed into the silently watching forest

Josh gainedthe main path along the valley side. The wide, flat gravel road was a vestige from before The End turned Camp Pinewood, summer outdoor pursuits camp, from a place of fun to a place of survival.

Josh scrambled onto the path and ran like he’d never run before. Pain lanced up his leg each time his injured foot hit the ground and he wondered if something was broken. But he blocked it out along with the searing stitch in his side, the burning pain in his thighs and the swimming fog in his mind. None of that mattered to the bear behind him.

Up ahead a figure appeared on the path.

“Run!” Josh yelled, waving his arms.

His eyes streamed with tears and he couldn’t make out who it was or even