Desperate Measures Read Online Free Page B

For Jane’s.
    And for Carter’s.

    Carter was the first to hear the messengers as theyapproached. He’d been following at the back of the line of
Raku Nau
losers, out of the gorge, down from Cloud Ridge, and into the jungle heading west. The sound of the drums from the eastern shore had begun to fade behind them.
    But now—a voice.
    â€œBetta! Eh Laki, betta!”
    He turned around to see two young Nukula, drip-ping wet and running toward them. Their faces were unfamiliar.
    â€œHey!” Carter called out to the front of the line. “Hold up!”
    A few people turned around. The elder who had brought them this far barked out an order, bringing the line to a stop. Then she doubled back to greet the incoming strangers.
    After a short conversation, the elder turned and called out to the group again.
    â€œChizo!”
she said.
“Ekka-ko!”
    Ko?
In the Nukula language,
ko
was used to address an enemy. That much Carter knew from his time on the island. Something very strange was going on, butwhat? Why would Chizo be an enemy to the tribe?
    Still, Chizo didn’t pause. He jogged right past Carter to where the messengers were waiting. A moment later, the group of three turned and headed uphill, back toward Cloud Ridge.
    Everyone else broke from the line then, following after Chizo and calling out. Only Carter stayed put.
    Before Chizo disappeared around a bend in the trail, he stopped and turned back, long enough to knock his knuckles together as the Nukula often did. The others all returned the gesture.
    And as they did, Chizo looked straight at Carter, across the fifty yards of ground between them.
    Carter’s nerves went electric. It was force of habit. Chizo had tried to destroy Carter’s chances in
Raku Nau
from the start. But there was no hatred in his eyes now. All Chizo did was raise his chin as if he were saying good-bye. Or maybe to indicate something behind Carter.
    When Carter turned to look, there was nothing to see but empty jungle. What was that about?
    And then he realized. Or at least, he had an idea.Chizo was showing him a way to escape, wasn’t he? Everyone else was still half a football field away. Even the elder had turned her back for the moment.
    Was it some kind of trick? Or was Chizo paying Carter back for the mercy he’d shown on the floor of the gorge? Carter could have easily won that fight, but instead, he’d stepped off.
    Now, his mind was spinning with new possibilities. The fastest way to reach Buzz, Jane, and Vanessa on the eastern shore was to head up and over Cloud Ridge. That was the way Chizo and the messengers would go.
    But it couldn’t be the only way, Carter thought. This was an island, after all. What would happen if he headed
around
Cloud Ridge to the north? Worst-case scenario, he’d hit the ocean and use the shoreline to guide him east, toward the sound of the drums.
    He had to try, anyway. Any second, the others would turn back and the chance would be gone. That meant he had to disappear. And he had to do it right now.
    Without another thought, Carter sprinted into the jungle.

CHAPTER 5
    C arter pushed deeper into the woods. The trees were close, but the ground was free of brush. It gave him an easy head start. By the time the first shouts came up behind him, he’d already covered a good hundred yards or more.
    But that lead couldn’t last forever. Even on a good day, he’d never outpace a group of Nukula through the woods. If there were such a thing as a home-field advantage, they definitely had it.
    Maybe he’d be caught. A million punishments might be coming his way. But none of that mattered more than getting to Jane, Vanessa, and Buzz. Hekept his chin down, his eyes on the ground, and his feet moving.
    Finally, when his lungs felt ready to burst, Carter stopped and took a knee in the tall grass. His own heart pounded in his ears, but he could still hear the drums from the east, too. That was