White Cave Escape Read Online Free Page A

that,” she said. “I can’t believe it.”
    Shawn shook his head. He couldn’t believe it either. Even the normally chatty Tony said nothing, but stared bleakly down at the trail.
    Suddenly Craig snapped a branch angrily across his knee with a crack that made them all jump.
    â€œI hate them,” he said, his voice low and fierce. “I hate those guys! I hope they crash their stupid quads and bust them up into little, tiny pieces of scrap metal!”
    â€œWe all feel that way, bro,” said Shawn quietly. “But we can’t change what happened.”
    â€œWe can report them to the RCMP,” said Petra fiercely.
    Shawn nodded. “ That we can do.” He glanced at his watch. “I bet those guys are gone by now. It’s probably safe to head back.”
    Shawn led the way back down the trail. His friends followed in glum silence. They had almost reached the quarry when Tony lifted his head and sniffed the air.
    â€œMan, I’m so hungry I can already smell the barbecue back at the club restaurant.” He closed his eyes, inhaled, and sighed dreamily: “Mmmmm… cheeseburgers.”
    Craig wrinkled his nose. “Hmm. Smells more like smoke to me.”
    â€œI hope they’re not burning the cheeseburgers!” said Tony, opening his eyes in sudden alarm.
    â€œHow can you think about food at a time like this?” Petra asked him.
    â€œIt’s called ‘comfort food,’” Tony told her. “Cheeseburgers cheer people up. It’s a well-known fact.” Petra opened her mouth to reply, but the whine of approaching engines cut their conversation short.
    â€œOh no!” groaned Petra. “Not these guys again!”
    â€œLet ’em come!” growled Craig, cracking his knuckles.
    Just ahead, the trail dropped out of sight into a steep dip. From somewhere down in the hollow came the sound of rubber tires crunching across gravel. The engine noise swelled like a swarm of angry hornets.
    â€œGet off the path!” Shawn barked. He pulled Craig and Tony into the underbrush at the side of the trail. Petra grabbed Hobart’s collar and hauled him into the bushes too.
    Just in time.
    Three ATVs flew over the crest of the hill and slammed down onto the trail, tearing up the ground where Shawn and his friends had been standing just seconds before. The riders weren’t laughing now. They were hunched low over their handlebars, gunning their engines, urging their machines forward at breakneck speed. Their mouths were grim, their eyes wide. The first two quads flashed past in a spatter of mud and disappeared around a bend. The third quad was almost out of sight when its driver suddenly slammed on his brakes and skidded to a stop. Twisting around in his seat, the dark-haired teen spat a single word at them:
    â€œ Run !”

chapter
6

Smoking is Hazardous to Your Health
    â€œRun?” gulped Tony. “Did he say run ?”
    â€œRun? Why?” wondered Shawn, looking down the empty trail.
    â€œAnd from what?” asked Petra skeptically, crossing her arms across her chest. “Those bozos probably just heard a porcupine in the bushes and thought it was a bear.”
    â€œPlease don’t use the B-word,” groaned Tony, glancing nervously at the dense underbrush.
    â€œWhat B-word? You mean—b-b-b- bear ?” Petra teased. She knew how Tony felt about bears. Bears were one of Tony’s worst fears (second only to ice floes). Last winter Tony had mistaken Hobart for a bear when the huge, black dog had jumped aboard Petra’s boat during that icy river rescue. Hobart and Tony had since become fast friends, but Tony still had nightmares about being sat on by a big, shaggy bear. Petra smirked. “Honestly, Tony, I don’t know how you bear this bear phobia of yours.”
    â€œFunny,” growled Tony. “Ha ha.”
    â€œUh, guys? I hate to interrupt, but maybe the ATV kid thought we