Lauren shone the light in a wide arc around her. The car was parked in the middle of nowhere. There weren’t any houses around, and the path continued into the foreboding woods.
She moved the light over the ground at her feet. A set of large footprints led from the driver’s side down the path ahead. Looking at the sky, she listened to the wind. The ache in her forehead said the temperature was dropping rapidly. How much time did she have before the storm?
Tucking one hand under her arm and pointing the light ahead, she followed the steps. Twenty paces. That was how far she’d go before turning back.
Ten steps in, the prints she’d been following veered off the path to the left, disappearing into the thick woods. Stopping here was the rational thing to do. She had to get home before the storm, but leaving now felt like losing her only lead.
Her teeth chattered as she stepped to the edge of the path. The icy wind froze her lips. She hadn’tthought to put on proper layers before rushing out of the house.
The land dropped off to a steep slope, and the trees tilted with the uneven ground. She reached for a tree trunk and braced her hand against it, leaning forward to shine the light down the embankment.
Her weight pitched forward, and her hand slipped off the bark of the tree. Grabbing for limbs and trees, there was a breathless moment where she hung in the air before hitting the ground hard and rolling through scratching branches. The pain in her arm radiated throughout her body as the stitches ripped open.
A sharp strike to her back stopped her and pushed the air from her lungs. The searing pain left her paralyzed and gasping in the pitch-black woods.
When the shock began to subside, she slowly rolled onto her stomach. The pain in her arm and back left her with shallow, ineffective breaths. Pushing up onto her good hand, she gently lifted one knee and winced. Her right ankle pounded with a dull ache. She’d never be able to put pressure on it to climb back up to the path. How far had she fallen? It was impossible to know which way was up in the darkness.
She tried again to raise up, but her injured arm was dead weight. Icy cold seeped through her thin coat and sweater as she dug her fingernails into the ground and fought to pull herself toward the path.
Her lungs ached as her heart pounded. She’d be covered in snow if she didn’t get out of here soon.
Giving up on dragging herself out, she lay downand wiggled until she could get her good hand to her pocket. The cold wetness seeped into her hair as she found her phone and pulled it out. Her entire body convulsed as she scrolled for the number she needed and prayed he could make it in time.
32
Zach
Zach tightened the screw on the outlet cover in the bedroom. He was running out of things to do, and the storm hadn’t even arrived yet. Being stuck inside, without Lauren, was going to be incredibly boring.
His phone rang, and he pulled it from his pocket. “Hello.”
“Zach. I need help.” Each of Lauren’s words were sharp and cut off as she panted.
The screwdriver fell from his hands as he stood. “What’s wrong?”
“I…I don’t know. I fell, and I can’t get back to my car.”
He stormed through the house and slammed the door behind him. “You fell? What do you mean? I thought you were at home.”
“I was. Just…give me a minute.” She groaned as his phone dinged with a text.
Lauren: Lauren has shared her location.
Zach slid behind the steering wheel of the truck and opened the link on his phone. A blue dot sat in the midst of a green background. He pulled the screen closer to make out the map.
A wave of nausea crept up his throat. “You’re off Sumpter Road? What are you doing?”
“We can talk about it when you get here.” She was winded, and loud rustling scratched through the line.
Zach threw the truck into gear and tore out onto the road. “Stay with me, angel. I’m on my way.”
Loud gasps turned into sobs. “Zach, I’m sorry.”
“Tell me right now what you’re doing out there,” he demanded. This wasn’t a game. It was a matter of life and death. She was too close to the warehouse, and if anyone saw her on the security footage…
He couldn’t think about that. He had to get to her before someone else did. “Talk to me, angel.”
“I…I can’t talk right now. My leg hurts, and the cut on my arm is open. I hit my back, and?—”
