Lucy Gray kicked off the wet ground as the bullets sped towards her. As she dove underneath a shelf of rock, a bullet grazed her arm and a small cry escaped her lips. The pain was immediate and sharp like a burn, but she couldn't risk stopping to look at it. She crawled as far into the small cave-like structure as fast as she could without making noise. She could hear the footsteps coming towards her.
In a frenzy, she began to smear mud all over her clothes and skin, in an attempt to blend into the earth around her. She backed as far into the dark as she could and covered her mouth, not even daring to breathe. She heard him crashing towards her and he stopped less than 10 feet from her. After a few seconds, he called out, "Lucy Gray… Lucy Gray, it's not too late to work something out."
Lucy Gray could feel her heart pounding so loud she wondered if he could hear it. Her worries laid to rest as he began walking in the opposite direction of her hiding spot. He now sounded at least 20 feet away as he continued, "Lucy Gray, won't you talk to me?"
Staying close to the rock wall behind her, she began to crawl out of her shelter. She needed to get far away from him, and more importantly, the gun he aimed to kill her with. As she moved away from Coriolanus, she spotted mockingjays resting on the branches. The birds gave her an idea- one small way to get revenge on the boy who had betrayed her. She began to sing,
Are you, are you
Coming to the tree?
Wear a necklace of rope, side by side with me. Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.
She continued to sing as she changed her course and tried to blend in with the world around her. As she'd hoped, the mockingjays took up her song, spreading the melody far and wide across the woods. She ran from tree to tree, using them as cover from his eyes and his bullets. Frustrated by her absence, he opened fire. He was shouting now, adding another layer to the chaos.
She continued to use the trees as cover and stayed on high alert. After an hour of ambling through the woods, she came across a small pool. She decided to take a rest and wash off. The shock from the day had prevented her from feeling the bullet wound until she was ridding her arm of mud. While she contemplated what to wrap it with, the high risk of infection dawned on her. She knew mud and raw water both contained bacteria that could bring infection. As afraid as she was to return to the lake, she was more afraid to go on without any supplies. How far she had to travel was a mystery
While she was familiar with edible plants, she would still need clean water. Matches too. She had made sure to pack everything they would need to get by for at least 3 weeks. Coriolanus and Lucy Gray had set out at around 6:30 in the morning, and she now estimated it to be half past 10. She made her way out of the water and found a log to sit on in the sun. She didn't mind being in wet clothes, but the late morning sun was so comfortable. She thought she deserved a moment of light in this dark day. It had been one of the worst days of her life, and it wasn't even noon. She hummed a soft tune and allowed herself to pretend it was a normal day. That Maude Ivory and the Covey were all with her. Maybe even that she had never met Coriolanus Snow.