Then suddenly,  all she knew was running; her legs and arms pumping furiously, her heart pounding away in deafening, frantic beats that matched those of the helicopter blades she could hear thrumming high above her.
Nieve thought: They are going to catch us.
Nieve thought: We are not fast enough.
Nieve thought: We will make it but they will too. Then we’ll have failed. We can’t fail.  
Nieve thought: Seventy seconds. Her legs ached and her lungs burned. Her breathing came ragged and painful and hot, and her every step sent jagged sparks of agony shooting through her muscles. Still, she kept her pace, sprinting neck and neck with Aidan and Leila. Fox darted just ahead of them, his red hair bouncing around his shoulders. Nieve couldn’t help but notice the way it looked like fire streaming out behind him, bright ginger curls set ablaze by the harsh white light bearing down on them from the helicopter. Breathe in, breathe out. Sixty seconds.
Through the darkness ahead of them, Nieve could almost make out the tree line, a thick tangle of brush and undergrowth and sturdy pines that stood taller than any she’d ever seen.  We just have to make it to the trees. Just to the trees, Nieve. They were hardly more than fifteen yards away, and the helicopter didn’t seem to be armed; they'd have shot them all down by now if they were. Nieve felt like laughing. We’re going to make it. Her newfound hope drove her to move faster, and she quickly pulled up next to Fox.
He looked over and grinned. “We’ve got it Nieve,” Fox threw his head back and let loose a wild bout of laughter. “We’ve got it!” They were all still sprinting at full speed, legs and arms thrusting their bodies forward with as much power as they could muster. Fox laughed as Nieve yelled and raced ahead of him, putting herself just a few yards from the thick brush. Forty seconds.
Nieve snuck a glance back at Leila and Aiden, only a few paces behind Fox. Aiden was grinning back at her with confidence written plainly on his face; his almost crazed smile that matched Fox’s made her spirits life even further. Looking at Aiden, Nieve felt like she could fly. We’re going to make it. Before turning her eyes back to the forest, she looked to Leila. What she saw made all of the hope she’d suddenly acquired dissolve faster than it had come to her. Leila’s midnight black ponytail bounced behind her and her matching black eyes were wide with fear. She flung an arm up towards the sky and pointed to the helicopter.
Nieve didn’t even have time to scream a warning to the others as she watched the grenades start pour out from the open door, followed by a volley of gunfire. They’re armed, they’re armed, she thought in a panic as bullets tore into the dirt behind her. Nieve’s breath caught in her throat as the first grenade hit the ground only a couple yards away, the force of the blast nearly making her lose her footing. She could hear others smashing into the earth all around her, but she did her best to dodge and keep running towards the trees. They were so close. Twenty seconds. 
Nieve was only steps away from the undergrowth when another grenade exploded near her, sending a wave of earth and debris at her that slammed her off her feet and into the dirt. Hard. For a moment, her entire body turned into jelly; she couldn’t feel her legs, her arms, her head. The only thing she could hear was buzzing, buzzing, buzzing, so loud that it drowned out the sound of the explosions happening all around her. Even though she could hardly think straight, Neive forced herself to crawl into the undergrowth. She pulled herself as far as she could until her arms gave out, dragging her exhausted body under some kind of bush and allowing herself to rest her head on the mess of dead leaves and moss that made up the forest floor. Through her numb, buzzing haze, she watched the grenades and bullets rain down like hail from hell, dropping fire and pain rather than nearly harmless hunks of ice. She watched in horror as Leila was knocked off her feet by a bullet to her hip, a flower of red blooming across her tattered shirt. Fox wheeled around to help her. He hoisted her up and put her arm around his neck, pulling her with him as she screamed in agony with every step. Ten seconds.
“Aiden!” Fox screamed to his brother, moving as fast as he could with Leila hobbling at his side. Time moved in slow motion as Nieve watched Fox’s body jerk once, twice, then three times as he was hit by the next bout of gunfire. The three of  them were so close to the treeline as Fox tripped and nearly lost his footing, his face blank and deathly pale. Nieve let loose a strangled scream when she saw more grenades falling from the helicopter. Fox glanced up, looked back at Aiden and Leila, and seemed to make a decision. Neive held her breath as he shoved the two of them forward and into the brush with all his might. Aiden and Leila tumbled into the forest and crashed to the ground not far from her, but Nieve’s eyes were glued to Fox.
The first grenade exploded to his left, and he dodged it sluggishly. Pieces of shrapnel knocked him off balance and sent him reeling. Fox tripped, fell, and struggled to stand as more grenades and bullets rained down around him. He stood, then fell again, and didn’t rise.
Nieve thought: Time’s up.
Nieve thought: We made it. It’s done.
Nieve thought: We can go home. 
Nieve thought: Fox.
Nieve felt a shaky breath rattle from her lungs. She closed her eyes and tried not to think anymore.