Pouring rain hit the ground so hard it bounced off the unbeaten path directly back on to their faces. The large oak trees provided no cover from the wind and their swirling branches only made travel more difficult. The six of them had been running for three miles now, and the dogs were getting closer. They could almost feel the teeth reaching for their ankles. Barks and snarls made their ears ring. The moon was their only source of light; yet during most times the rain clouds blocked it from sight. It was almost certain someone would come looking for the runaways, however; none anticipated so soon. A mistake must have been made, but how and when? They were supposed to reach the first station safe and sound.
Rachael and her husband, Thomas, hadn't been doing this for long, but they knew the tricks. Everything had been planned perfectly; the children would be asleep, safe and sound, by midnight. How often they had talked this over, Rachael couldn't remember, but now a thousand times seemed too little. Nothing had gone as planned, and Rachael felt like throwing up. She thought of her daughter safe at home; no doubt, scared by the storm herself. She should have thought this over one more time. What if something terrible happened? The knot in her stomach grew tighter as each foot repeatedly hit the wet, slippery ground.
Men began shouting; the voices were getting closer. Rachael didn't know how much longer her feet could carry her. She looked down at the child whose hand she was holding. She had literally dragged the young black girl for the past two miles; her little bare feet rarely hit the ground as Rachael tried lifting her over every obstacle. They were almost there. Rachael vaguely recognized the area in the midst of the pouring rain. The thunder and lightning made the situation even more distressing. This was all beginning to feel like a nightmare.
The six of them ran single file down the broken path. The father of the slave family stumbled over what seemed to be an uprooted tree. He fell. Rachael's husband stopped and turned back to help him up. Thomas tried lifting the man to his feet, but his one foot gave way immediately. He had broken his ankle.
"Keep runnin'!" The man told Thomas. "I be fine! Save ma chillums, please, save my chilluns'." The urgency in the man's eyes was enough for Thomas to obey his request. Rachael looked frantically at her husband's face. Agony and despair was written boldly across it. They didn't know what to do. The men were getting closer. They could hear the dogs coming down the path merely yards away.
"We have to get the children to the house. Let's go," Thomas said. He grabbed Rachael's arm, and the rest of them continued running. The house was in sight now, and they didn't stop to glance down the dirt road they needed to cross. After crossing the road, they ran around to the back of the house. It was dark inside, yet Rachael knew the owners were waiting for them. She opened the door and pushed the two children and their mother inside. The strong winds thrust the door shut behind them as if sensing their urgency.
Rachael and her husband had to try and save the father. However, time wasn't on their side. They ran back across the road. They fought to find the trail; they could barely see anything. Rachael tried shielding her eyes with her hand but by now the rain was coming down in sheets. A gun shot sounded. Rachael screamed and turned towards the sound. Men came running down the dirt road making unbelievable time. The dogs were ahead of them. Rachael's husband reached for her and held her tight. He tried yelling to the men not to shoot. They couldn't hear him. They didn't know they were white folk. Why did it have to matter?
Shots rang out. Rachael clung to her husband as he was hit. He fell lifeless to the ground taking her with him. More shots rang out. This time Rachael knew they were meant for her. She felt two bullets hit; one in the back, one in the shoulder. Husband and wife lay on the wet, muddy earth floor clinging to each other as they breathed their last. Rachael's final thought was of her daughter. God watch over her, she prayed, and then died. The men reached them, and instantly realized their mistake.