Every Precious Thing

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

Sara knew the others had to have reached the cabin by now, which meant they knew she was gone. The question was, would they guess where she was headed?

Don’t worry about that. Just keep going!

But that was becoming a problem. When Diana had shown her the path, it was almost noon on a bright sunny day. Now, with the low gray clouds and relentless rain, she just couldn’t be sure she was going the right way. For the first five minutes, it had all been recognizable, but after that she was having a hard time spotting the landmarks she’d been told to look for.

Wiping the water from her face, she paused and turned in a circle, scanning her surroundings.

There. That rock. Isn’t it the one Diana had called “bear rock”?

The angle was wrong, but the basic bear-like shape was there. Seeing no other options, she headed toward it.

Bear rock, then the forked tree, then the hill and the field and the rotting tree…

She repeated the order like a mantra that would magically make each marker appear.

It was bear rock. She wasn’t lost.

“Thank you, God!” she said.

Everything was going to be-

“…ara…”

A voice in the distance. Male? Female? It was impossible to tell. But one thing Sara knew for sure, it was coming from somewhere between the cabin and where she was now.

Without wasting another second, she picked up her pace.

The forked tree, then the hill, then the field and the rotting tree and the pile of rocks.

The forked tree, then the hill, then the field and the rotting tree and the pile of rocks.

The forked tree, then the hill, then the-

Not more than fifty yards behind her, Sara heard a branch snap.