I sink lower as the muck fills my shoe while the dampness of the ground soaks my jeans. My entire head is now engulfed by mud and bits of leaves tangle in my hair. Vibrations of the ground around me make me clench my eyes even tighter as if the world were about to give way and I'd be swallowed whole. Rustling of leaves, twigs snapping, echoing of distant voices of those feverishly scampering around me and yet, I am not there. I remember the brightness of the moon and how clear the night was. My eyes must have adjusted to the dark because I could see all three of them, but to them, I was all but a shadow in the woods. They were certain they spotted four of us. What they didn't know was who exactly they were looking for. I could barely make the chatter amongst them. The burly but short in stature one spoke out. “They had to have gone this way,” He mumbled questioning himself. The halogen beam from their mag-lite flashlights bounce from tree to tree. At this moment in time I don’t ever remember taking a breath. I thought if I were to breathe that some how they had super sonic hearing and would make me out. Which logically is outrageous but logic went out the window long before I landed in the mud. The second guy, who clearly had some sort of chest cold because I could here him panting and wheezing miles away, was the smallest of the three. He was nearest to me though. I could smell his old spice and I pictured him getting dressed for a routine day of work spraying himself with this cologne while checking himself in the mirror. I wanted to vomit. The mixture of old man cologne and my nerves tore my stomach up. If anything were to give me away it would be the sound of me dry heaving behind a decaying moss covered log. Finally, I could hear them as they walked towards the once blue water tower that in the moonlight showed it's age with its peeling paint and rusty cracked overlays of color. My chest fell. A sigh of relief came over me. As soon as I thought it was over I caught wind of a twig cracking directly to my left. I hastily shifted my gaze only to be met by a frightened squirrel holding an acorn. He looked as scared as I was. We shared a moment that seemed like forever but in real time was probably closer to a mere minute or two. Our eye contact had a conversation all it's own. I was fighting with this squirrel in my head. Threatening him. Your life for my mine. I snarled through my teeth, “I swear to God Mister Squi