Avi’s heart pounded so hard and so fast that he wondered for one wild moment if his heartbeat was loud enough for anyone nearby to hear. Then his brain un-froze, his senses returned, and the thunderous silence splintered apart with the twitter of the birds and the rustle of leaves.
From the distance, Avi could hear the men’s voices again. They were fainter this time, more subdued. Avi clenched his fists together, his mind spinning. Had someone just been — murdered?
“They don’t know we’re here,” he muttered to himself. “We can get away, keep moving, hide in the trees. They don’t know…”
Elchanan edged to a thicket of trees, peering behind them back in the direction they’d come from. Avi’s hand flew out, and without thinking, he grabbed his partner’s shoulder. Elchanan whirled around.
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