"My arm!" "I'm trapped!" The voices wove together into one roaring tide of pain and fear, until Matthias could no longer make out the individual words.

Some of the children were silent. Somehow that was worse.

Matthias tried not to think about what that meant. He focused on moving forward, lifting Alia over the branches, protecting her from the twigs that threatened to snag her nightgown and scratch her skin. He ignored his aching muscles, his straining back, anything that might distract him from his escape.

Finally he reached the back edge of the truck bed.

"You go first. I'll hand Alia down to you," he whispered over his shoulder to Percy.

Percy slipped past Matthias, shimmying down to the ground. Stiffly, Matthias knelt down and lowered Alia into Percy's arms. Alia was all skin and bones, a wisp of a child, but Percy still staggered under her weight. Matthias jumped down, and Percy handed Alia back to him.

"Into the woods?" Percy asked.

Matthias didn't have enough energy to answer, but it didn't matter. He and Percy were already stumbling into the underbrush. Matthias was so exhausted that his legs seemed to be moving of their own will. Branches lashed against his face, but he barely noticed. As long as they didn't hurt Alia, he didn't care.

"Matthias?" Percy said after some time had passed.

"Matthias? I don't think anyone followed us. We're safe now. We can stop and rest."

Matthias sank to his knees, still cradling Alia's body against his chest. The woods around him were light now; the sun had risen fully while Matthias wasn't looking, wasn't thinking, wasn't conscious of anything except the need to hold on to Alia and move forward. Only now did he finally dare to look down at Alia's face.