stream for miles, she could see that blood had saturated the cushioned fabric, turning it pink. Her wounds had opened. She didn’t dare take the time to stop and attempt to re-bandage them though. She needed stitches, but she didn’t think she was at risk of bleeding to death, and so they’d keep moving.
“What’s wrong?” Millie whispered.
“Nothing. Just a quick rest.” She swallowed, looking behind them, her eyes moving through the shadowy trees. It’d been hours since she heard the gunshots echo off the canyon beyond them, mixed with the brief bout of lightning and thunder, two hours that she’d been whispering prayers that Camden hadn’t been hit. She had a sinking feeling in her gut though. There had been so many shots, and soon after, they’d seen the lights moving in the other direction. That couldn’t be good.
No, don’t think that. You have to stay hopeful. For the girls. For them.
She’d heard the dogs barking a short time after they’d split up with Camden, and fear had nearly made her double over. They were being tracked.
Walk in the water. The dogs can’t track you there. Royce’s seemingly nonsensical words came back to her then. She didn’t know what it meant, didn’t know how his inebriated rantings could possibly be connected to what was actually happening to them, but nonetheless, she’d led the girls to the stream, and they’d walked in the water.
“Let’s go, Mommy,” Haddie said, taking her hand again. She drew strength from the solid feel of her daughter’s hand in hers, the warmth, and Scarlett stood straight, nodding at them both as they continued on through the trees.
She was so incredibly proud of Haddie and Millie. So proud. They’d traveled miles and miles—through water when they’d heard the dogs—over rough terrain, under deeply stressful conditions, and they hadn’t complained once, neither of them. And here she was, the one asking for a rest. They needed it though. They needed a few deep breaths to complete the last leg of their journey.
God, she hoped they were close. She hoped she’d followed Camden’s instructions properly. If she had, they should come out of this thick blanket of forest at the edge of a trail. And somewhere on that trail was an emergency phone that would bring help.
“Let’s go,” she said.
They began jogging again, Scarlett’s feet screaming with so much pain she wanted to cry out from the agony of each step, but she didn’t. She wouldn’t let them know. She wouldn’t put her burden on them as they were burdened enough as it was. They moved as fast as possible through the dense woods, but not so fast that they couldn’t see objects in front of them. It would do no one any good to trip and break an ankle.
“Mommy,” Haddie said, pointing ahead where the trees opened. Deep relief fell over Scarlett when they stepped out of the tree cover onto a hiking trail. She pulled both girls to her and let out a soft laugh of triumph. They squeezed her and rejoiced under the light of the moon.
After a few moments, they began walking, traveling on the edge of the trail so that if they needed to seek cover again, they could do so immediately.
“There,” Millie said, and when Scarlett looked where she was pointing, a small sob came up her throat. It was a tall pole next to an enormous pine, an emergency satellite phone box attached to it.
They ran for the phone, Scarlett’s hands shaking as she opened the box, lifting the receiver. A dial tone sounded in her ear and she let out another quiet sob. Scarlett dialed 9-1-1, tears streaking down her face as she told the operator where she was and what she needed. She forced herself to speak clearly, not to give in to the hysteria bubbling inside of her, and to explain that the operator must not alert anyone from the Farrow Sheriff’s Department. State police. Only state police, and on a private channel.
The operator asked her to hold on for a moment and when she came back, she said, “Ma’am, there’s an overturned logging truck on the highway leading to Farrow, and the spot where you are. I’m going to have our officer take the back road. He’ll be there as quickly as possible.”
“Hurry, please hurry.”
Scarlett hung up, taking a few steps and lowering herself carefully to the ground, holding her arms out for Haddie and Millie. They rushed forward, each curling up to her, their heads on her