Sprint for the trees

Jen broke into a dead sprint, heading for the trees. She was able to glimpse the approaching ladies through the trees and adjusted her course slightly further away from them.

This is going to be way too close! She thought. Should have gone for the clearing…

Jen pumped her arms harder, her legs picking up a tiny increment of speed. The grass under her feet muted the noise of her thudding steps. She tried to control her breathing to avoid loudly gasping for air. If she had any chance of pulling this off she had to avoid drawing any attention at all.

She glanced towards the trees again and saw the ladies were only a few steps away from reaching the clearing. Jen was still yards away from the trees. She **** her legs to move faster, practically yanking her arms forward and back to **** the body mechanics to propel her forward. Another look to her left. One of the women was looking her way, confused, hopefully uncertain as to what she was seeing.

Jen covered the last few yards at the fastest speed she’d ever moved in her life and dived between two trees. As she entered her shoulder brushed a branch, creating a slight rustling sound. Jen winced at the noise, knowing that if she hadn’t given herself away by running, this probably did the trick. Her leg swiped against another branch. More noise. Jen tried to keep moving, the furious burning in her lungs betraying her efforts. She would have to stop soon to catch her breath.

“Are you alright?” she heard a voice behind her.

Jen spun on her heels and ducked behind a tree. She crumpled against it and let her **** lungs draw in air.

“I’m… I’m fine,” she said, struggling for breath.

“What’s going on?”

She glanced around the tree, only one eye and side of her face peeking around. The young women had gathered where Jen had entered the trees, standing on the grass. The one closest to Jen, likely the one who had spoken, slowly stepped to her side in an effort to see who she was talking to. Jen poked her head out fully, trying to keep the rest of herself concealed, letting the woman make eye contact. She tried to put a reassuring smile on her face as she furiously thought of a lie.

“I got a… phone call,” she huffed between gasps, “my son was… in an accident. Minor one but… he’s crying for me… have to get home… in a hurry.”

Jen’s son was 16 and well old enough to not cry for his mom. He was out of the house enough, absorbed with school and friends. He might not even tell her about an injury unless he needed a doctor. Still, the ladies here didn’t know that.

“Oh crap, is he okay?” the lady asked.

“He’ll be… fine. Just a few… stitches I think…

“Why run through the trees?”

“That was… the straightest direction… to the parking lot… I was… working on… my tan a… ways behind you.”

Jen checked the angle directly behind them and felt this was plausible. It was nothing but grass for yards until you reached another treeline directly behind them.

“Are you barefoot?” Another of the women asked.

Jen had been distracted enough by the woman she was speaking that she hadn’t noticed this lady had stepped in the other direction. She slipped her leg further behind the tree.

“I left my… sandals behind… too much of a… rush to get out… of here.”

The women looked behind them, scanning the grass. There was nothing out there, Jen knew, but hoped they would assume they couldn’t see them.

“Let me get them for you,” the first lady she’d spoken with started walking away.

“No!” Jen said, too loudly, “I mean no need… Just cheap flip flops… Better ones in… my car… Don’t bother, really… I need to get out… of here…”

She woman turned back and shrugged. “Okay, I guess. Hope your boy’s going to be fine.”

Jen watched them turn around and start walking away. She stepped back from the tree, wanting to make a little noise so they didn’t think she was waiting for them to leave when her hypothetical son was in danger. She moved backwards, stepping behind trees as she passed them in case they looked her way again.

After a few yards Jen felt it was safe to not worry about them anymore. She spun around and started moving through the trees towards the main path. She had to move slower again, swerving around the trees and watching her step but this allowed her to finish catching her breath. Soon she saw the cement start again ahead of her and she took cover to survey the area again.

Assuring herself the path was clear she stepped back onto the concrete and returned to her speedy walk. Nearly being caught had brought a great deal of tension to her back. She breathed deeply and tried to relax but knew she wouldn’t truly be able to work the stiffness out until she was dressed again.

Rounding a bend in the path Jen saw the parking lot up ahead, the trees coming to an abrupt end at the asphalt. She picked up her pace further, anxious to get to her car. No one was in sight but there was no telling when someone else might come by.

Once she neared the parking lot she slipped into the trees on her left and took cover so she could survey the lot. Immediately she was thankful for taking the precaution as a car was just starting to roll out of a spot and turn towards the exit. She watched the car and glimpsed the driver through the window. It was the lady she’d seen reading in the dog park, later silently following behind her.

The car left and turned north, speeding away. The other cars, one sedan and one SUV, were empty. Jen’s car sat between the two of them but one row closer. She slipped out of the trees, put her hands back in front of her body and ran for her car.

Jen paused to snag her key off of the tire she’d balanced it upon before going to meet Eve. She clicked the remote and heard the locks pop on the car. A second later she was in the driver’s seat, key jamming into the ignition and the engine firing up.

She looked up and saw no one exiting the trail she’d just left behind. Trees ran west for several yards before a meadow opened began. A little ways beyond the end of the trees a green metal trash can stood off of the lot, where Jen’s clothes were supposed to be waiting for her.

She drove forward before cranking the wheel, easing up right next to the trash can. Another quick look around and she opened the car door, set her bare foot on the hot asphalt and leaned out of the car. She rummaged for a second before feeling a full plastic bag under her fingers. Pulling it up she verified it held her clothes. The bag was tossed onto the passenger seat and Jen shut the door after settling into the seat.

She untied the bag and reached in. The first thing she grabbed was her panties. She tried to lean forward and sideways so she could loop them onto her feet, but the taut muscles in her back screamed louder. She knew she could manage but her jeans would be difficult. Sitting back up she looked around and came up with a plan. Before putting it into motion she got her bra on and fastened behind her. Then she put the car back into drive and started moving.

Jen drove to the northeastern corner of the parking lot, went slightly off the edge of the lot and turned hard. She put the car back into park once it rested at a diagonal position, a triangle of asphalt directly outside her car door. This would block her from view of anyone who stepped out of the trail and into the parking lot, and from any cars approaching from the southern direction of the road the parking lot led to. No trees or obstacles blocked her view of the road running northwards for a good distance, she could see an approaching car from far enough away that she could get back into her car before they noticed her, much less tell she was naked. Northeast of her was a large barren field, previously farmland but now dirt that only grew sporadic clusters of grass and weeds. Beyond that was a highway, but far enough away Jen doubted anyone would be able to see any detail about people they saw.

She opened the car door and stepped out, panties in hand. She turned to face the park entrance and, still alone, bent down to get her underwear over her legs and on her hips. Then came her shirt, easily going into place over her bra, breasts and torso. She reached in for her jeans, and as she began pulling them on she knew that putting them on behind a steering wheel would have been very difficult. The soreness in her back would have made it much trickier. Once her jeans were in place she put her sandals back on, her feet thanking her from no longer having to rest on the uncomfortably hot blacktop.

Jen dropped back into her car seat, closed the door and cranked the air conditioner on high. She took a deep breath, then another, pulling her shoulders forward and crossing her arms in front of her so she could stretch the muscles in her back. They loosened slightly. She figured stretching under a hot shower would do a lot of the work, and she could focus on easing the tension in her neck and shoulders as well.

The car began cooling down nicely, and Jen started rolling towards the street.