White Cave Escape Read Online Free

Revving their engines, the riders zoomed into the quarry, bouncing and careening over the uneven terrain.
    â€œThat looks like so much fun,” Craig sighed wistfully. “Why can’t we just go down and hang out with them for a while?”
    â€œTrust me,” Shawn told him. “You don’t want to do that.”
    â€œSure I do!” Craig started to argue, but then Petra hissed at them to be quiet.
    â€œLook!” she said.
    The noise of the four-wheelers had flushed a deer out of the underbrush. The teen riders gave chase at once, swinging their vehicles around in pursuit. But Shawn noticed something else.
    â€œShe’s got a fawn,” he said.
    â€œOh no,” breathed Petra.
    The friends watched helplessly as the ATVs sped after the panic-stricken animals.
    Fanning out, they herded the deer before them like sheep, keeping them inside the rocky confines of the quarry, preventing their escape. A large boulder loomed in front of the racing animals, blocking their path. The doe gathered herself for a mighty leap. Sailing over the top of the obstacle, and beyond the reach of the ATVs, she vanished into the safety of the forest. The fawn, too small to make the jump, swerved around the rock instead. Losing sight of its mother, the confused baby veered back towards the centre of the quarry.
    Like wolves, two of the ATVs swarmed towards the running fawn. Shawn saw the third rider hesitate… or perhaps his machine had stalled. The fawn was no match for the four-wheelers. The leader pulled up alongside the galloping animal. Gunning the engine, he reached out one hand as if to grab the terrified creature. The fawn swerved violently sideways to evade the rider’s grasp…and rocketed at full speed over the edge of a rock-strewn gully.
    From their hidden vantage point, Shawn and his friends cried out in horror and dismay.
    The fragile fawn tumbled down into the ravine, coming to a violent stop against a rock. It lay motionless, its neck twisted at an unnatural angle.
    The chase was over.
    Petra covered her face in her hands. “Oh no!” she wept. “Oh no, no, no!” Tony stared at the scene below, his face frozen in shock. Craig jumped up, fists clenched, and started to head down the path toward the ATVs, but Shawn caught up to him and pulled him back roughly. “Stay here!” he choked. “There’s nothing we can do now.”
    Down below, the ATV riders cut their engines and dismounted. They gathered at the top of the little gully, looking down at the lifeless body. A moment of utter silence fell over the quarry. Then the leader raised both his arms over his head…and cheered. After a hesitant second, his buddy copied him, and soon they were exchanging high-fives and slapping each other on the back. The third rider continued to stand over the gully, looking down at the fawn. Finally, the leader pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and passed them around.
    â€œWe’ve seen enough. Let’s go,” said Shawn.
    Beside him, Craig was shaking his head in disbelief.
    â€œThat wasn’t cool,” he kept saying. “That wasn’t cool at all .”
    Petra was still weeping silently, tears of fury and sorrow streaking her cheeks. Shawn touched her shoulder gently and motioned towards the forest.
    â€œWe’ll go this way for now, and give those guys time to take off. We can double back when they’re gone.” He got up and headed along the trail into the woods. Petra, Tony, and Craig stumbled after him, with Hobart padding along behind.
    The friends walked in silence along the forest trail until they were well out of sight and earshot of the quarry. When they reached a small pocket of sunshine pooling on the track in front of them, they all stopped together, as if by some unspoken signal. Petra simply stood still, staring down at the carpet of leaves and pine needles beneath her feet.
    â€œI can’t believe they did