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Then: “Ellie!”

Henry’s voice comes from deep in the woods, and I stop so quickly my knees buckle and I grab the nearest tree to stay upright.

“Ellie!”

I don’t run toward that voice. I start backing up, each foot set down deliberately, still swinging the beam from side to side.

Henry vanished. Now his voice is coming from the forest, calling to me, luring me in.

“Ellie!” Louder. Sharp with panic. Undergrowth crashes. “Where are you?”

I hesitate one heartbeat. Then I shout, “Over here.”

“Stay where you are! Do not move!”

Stay where I am? In other words, don’t retreat to the road. Don’t go someplace safe.

I keep backing up.

I should be at the road by now.

I trail off as I look left … and see trees.

No, that isn’t right. I barely moved past to the forest’s edge. I should be retreating across the dirt shoulder.

I look down to see long grass underfoot. Then, carefully, I turn and look back and—

Forest.

There’s forest behind me.

I spin, flashlight beam arcing through the dark. Forest surrounds me.

“Ellie!” Henry shouts. “Say something! I think I see the flashlight beam.”

“Over here!” I yell. “I—I’m in the forest.”

I play back what I saw when Henry disappeared. My light had been shining on him, with the sparse woods and that fallen branch. Then he vanished and …

And I’d seen something different. Only slightly different, though, not enough to startle me. Thicker forest. And the tree branch he’d been walking toward? I don’t remember seeing it.

Did Henry disappear?

Or did I?

I stand still, fighting every urge to run pell-mell, following the distant crashing of his search.

Stay where I am.

And be sure it’s him.

“Here!” I shout again.

“I see you! Don’t move!”

I lift the beam to see Henry running, crowbar in hand as he dodges trees and bushes. When he reaches me, he’s panting, and he bends forward, free hand on his thigh, struggling to catch his breath.

“What just happened?” I say, and my voice is so quiet, I don’t think he’ll hear me.