Defect - By Ryann Kerekes Page 0,40

the forest disappears. Each time Kane returns, a different amount of time has passed, so I know he’s not dropping us all off at the same spot.

I hadn’t counted on being driven anywhere, hoping my run into the woods with Will would help me to know the area, but as I set off with Kane, it only takes a few minutes before everything looks unfamiliar. He takes roads, then two-lane trails, then single-lane paths – turning left, then right, and before long, I’m completely confused about where I am. Even the trees themselves are different. The area I was in with Will was enclosed by canopies of leafy trees and bushy ground cover. Here it’s tall, skinny pine trees and the ground is littered with blankets of brown pine needles.

We reach a point where Kane can’t go any farther; there’s no trail to speak of, and the trees have gotten too close together. He stops the Jeep and lets it idle.

“Good luck.” His smile is smug, like he knows something I don’t.

I hop down from the Jeep, and he tosses me my backpack before I have the chance to reach for it.

“You don’t want to forget this.”

I shrug into the pack and watch him maneuver the Jeep around so he can back out and drive away. The smoggy, unfamiliar smell of gasoline hangs in the air until I can no longer see the Jeep. I turn all the way around, trying to get acquainted with my surroundings. It’s eerily silent in the forest, but I don’t want to assume that I’m alone and let my guard down. It’s still early morning, but the sun breaks through the tree tops and bathes me in warm light.

Then I remember during my morning run with Will, the sun was in front of me on the run into the woods, and it was on my back when we were headed back to the compound. I turn around until the sun is on my back, and for the first time I am confident I can do this. As long as I keep the sun on my back this morning, and make sure I’m facing into it by this afternoon, I’ll be going the right way. I recall Will making a comment about the sun being warm that morning, in the way it was coming down on us. At the time, I thought he was just making small talk – something I was never good at – but it turns out he was giving me a clue.

I tighten the straps on my backpack and begin an easy jog through the forest. After a few miles, I give my legs a break and decide to walk instead. The drive out here with Kane took twenty minutes, according to the clock on his dash. But I knew we weren’t going in a straight line much of the time. Still, I knew I was several miles deep into the woods – probably ten miles or more. Again, I think of my day with Will – is that why he was so insistent we do ten miles, to make sure I was prepared?

After a few hours of walking, still nothing looks familiar, and though quiet dread threatens to creep into my mind, I push the thoughts away. This has to be the right direction. Every few paces I look up at the sun, my travel companion, and keep going. I know this challenge is just as much mental as it is physical, and I won’t let it unnerve me.

I decide to sit down and rest my legs for a few minutes, and even though I’m not hungry yet, I decide to eat some of the food from my backpack. If it gets taken from me, at least I won’t have left it fully stocked.

When I start walking again, the sun is high overhead, and I start to second-guess which way I’m supposed to be going. Everything looks the same around me, and somehow I’m not even sure of the direction I just came from. I’m stopped, looking up at the sun, when I hear voices far off. I run for cover and crouch beside a fallen log. The voices get closer, and I peek up to see two guys jogging through the woods. It’s Drew and Bryce who would no doubt beat me for fun, let alone under direct orders to get my supplies. I crouch down lower, praying they won’t spot me. Somehow they pass within fifteen feet of