Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9 Max dove into the dirt, pulling Zena down with him just as the forest seemed to erupt into flames. Kaboom! Kaboom! Kaboom! Branches flew through the air like fiery torches. Sparks rained down on them, burning through their clothes and sizzling against their skin. Max lay there, frozen with fear, holding Zena as tightly as he could. "Max!" she gasped. "You're crushing me! I can't breathe!"

He loosened his grip, but not by much. The smoke stung his eyes and burned his lungs. The worst was the noise, the roaring of the planes, the whistling of the falling bombs, and then the thundering, bone-rattling explosions. Max could just barely see the planes through the cover of the trees. But from the sound he could tell they were Junkers, the Nazis' most feared bombers. Max had seen them in the weeks after the invasion, streaking over Esties, low enough that he could see their pilots' piercing eyes. Papa told him they were the fastest bombers in the Nazi fleet, with six machine guns. Each plane could carry thousands of pounds of bombs. "We can't stay here!" Martin said. "We need to leave the forest!" "No!" Lev said. "That's what they want us to do. I'm sure the Nazis have the forest surrounded now. They're trying to flush us out so they can capture us as we try to escape."

"You're right," Aunt Hannah said. "First they will drop bombs. And then they will send in troops." So this was just the beginning. "We need to get to the swamp," Lev said. "We can hide in the grass. And then to the camp." "What if they bomb the island, too?" Martin asked. The question hung in the air, and Lev had no answer. But Aunt Hannah spoke up, her eyes flashing. "The Nazis have no idea that island even exists," she insisted. "The camp will be safe. And we will get there." As usual, there was not a hint of doubt in her words. "Of course," Lev said. "Let's go!" They started running toward the swamp, but Zena's cut-open boot made it hard for her to keep up. So Martin grabbed her arms and hoisted her up onto his back. She held on tight as he sprinted in

the lead. Max followed at his heels, keeping his head low. The bombs kept falling, shaking the ground, sending needles of wood flying through the sky. They sliced right through their clothes. One hit Max on the face, barely an inch from his eye. But then Max could see the swamp. It was enormous, an endless sea of brown, soupy water. It was choked with grass and twisting trees. Max tried not to think of the slimy, poisonous creatures that lived there. But anything was better than bombs. Martin put Zena down, and she grabbed Max's hand. Martin started to wade into the swamp. But seconds later, a plane swooped low over the trees. Kaboom! An invisible hand seemed to grab Max and hurl him into the air. Suddenly he was flying backward, his body twisting and turning. Until smack, he landed in a ditch.

He sat there, stunned and dazed. Was he alive? He moved his arms and legs, blinked his eyes, and cleared his mind. Amazingly, he was not hurt. But then he heard a cracking sound. He looked up just in time to see a flaming tree crashing down on top of him.