Chapter 25
Twenty-Five
Stanton Forest
Tuesday
Zoe Carpenter trembled. The man stood in the doorway wrapping his leather belt around his fist. She could see the bright glistening coals of eyes peering through the slits in his balaclava. As he stepped closer she tried to scream but her dry throat closed around the sound.
Her eyes shot open and she stared into the gloom around her.
Panting, she sucked in deep breaths. It’s just a dream.
I’m in the forest. I’m safe. How long had she been asleep?
Sunlight no longer streaked between the tall pines surrounding her.
Twilight was upon her and as she curled beneath the overhang of the fallen log, with her knees tight to her chest, night settled over the forest. The bright colors had muted, slowly turning the vivid greens into grays and blacks.
Beyond the circle of trees an inky darkness seemed to crawl toward her.
She sat up slowly, her throbbing head reminding her she had been beaten soundly and the pain in her ribs making her catch her breath.
The shirt she’d pulled over as a blanket had become damp from the river’s mist squirming through the trees like a mythical entity.
A sharp mountain breeze brushed against her cheeks, biting into the bruises and lifting her tangled hair.
Dread seeped into her as she scanned the forest. She might not be a local, but she understood how the forest came alive at night. The forest never slept.
A twig snapped somewhere beyond the tree line, and the sound shot through her like a jolt of electricity.
Immediately she went into a crouch and gathered the shirt around her shoulders, ready to run.
Convinced someone waited just out of sight, she moved her gaze back and forth, scanning the darkness between the pines.
Heart pounding so loud she feared it might give her away, she strained her ears.
The river rushed by in a constant sound but was it masking footsteps?
With every breath of wind her mind played tricks on her, making shadows move as if the man was stepping through the trees and coming for her.
She flinched and her attention darted upward as branches creaked and swayed, the pointed tops dark sentinels against a star-scattered sky.
He could be out there, watching for her to emerge.
She needed to move and pulled the shirt tighter around her shoulders, inhaling the scent of fabric softener, and took a few careful steps toward the river.
The forest would be teeming with wildlife, all looking for a meal.
As if on cue, an owl hooted. The sound echoed through the mountains.
It was just one of the predators that hunted at night.
It didn’t frighten her but everything else did.
A woman alone wasn’t meant to be in the forest at night.
Something rustled in the undergrowth and panic gripped her so tight she couldn’t breathe.
Had he found her? Zoe froze as two red eyes flashed in the darkness.
Moments later, a young buck bounded past, kicking up the undergrowth in his wake.
She pressed her forehead to the rough bark of a tall pine, trying to steady her breathing.
The wood was hard and unforgiving and small burrs dug into her flesh.
The reality centered her and she counted her breaths, forcing them to slow.
You need to get a grip, Zoe, or you’re never going to get out of here alive.
Through the trees she could make out the glint of water.
Underfoot, the lush green undergrowth tangled around her legs as she tried to walk.
Dragging herself from tree to tree, she kept going until the darkness dissolved into shafts of moonlight along the riverbank.
Out in the open she’d make herself a target, but what choice did she have?
The unknown path through the dense forest would be fraught with danger, and she could walk right into him.
At least along the riverbank she could see if anyone was coming toward her for quite a distance.
Bone-weary, she took painful steps across the rock-strewn sand and made her way along the edge of the water, hoping the constant flow would wash away any footprints.
The freezing water lapped around her legs, numbing the pain in her feet and keeping her awake.
Although she’d slept for a few hours, exhaustion dragged at her.
Hunger gnawed at her belly and the cold water she drank from the river only made it worse.
She kept moving and the hours crept by, each one getting colder than the last. She rubbed her arms, trying to coax warmth back into her fingers, but the chill had sunk into her bones.
Trying to push away the pain, she increased her pace, lifting her knees and gasping in the cold night air.
She couldn’t stay in the water a moment longer and must get out and warm herself.
She stared into the forest, searching for any movement and terrified she’d see the outline of a man stepping from between the trees.
Every shadow was him, his boots sinking into the soft pine needles littering the forest floor.
She could almost hear his voice taunting her, trying to make her scream louder.
The way he laughed at her pain. Her heart hammered against painful ribs and she fought to suck in each breath.
How long before he found her and dragged her back?
She staggered on, keeping the river to her right.
Branches tore at her clothes, and her feet became entangled in roots.
So exhausted, she collapsed beside a huge boulder.
The bushes all around hid an indent where an animal had dug out a place to sleep.
Cobwebs brushed against her face and caught in her hair, but she didn’t care.
She crawled inside, curled up in a ball, and shivered.
Desperately wanting to sleep, she couldn’t close her eyes.
Each time she tried, she could see him, smell him, and hear his boots moving across the ground.
His voice had become melodic at times, telling her to repent, as if he were the pastor on Sundays, as if just being a woman was a sin.
She clamped her hands over her ears trying to push the memories to one side, but he wouldn’t go.
His laughter still rung in her ears and helplessness engulfed her.
She stared at the leaves, so close they brushed against her cheeks, and tried to sleep but each sound jerked her awake.
Unable to sleep, she dozed, half-awake until the first watery streaks of sunlight pierced the dark forest. Her throat dry, she crawled out of the safety of the boulder and stood slowly.
A gust of wind carried the smell of smoke.
Could another cabin be close by or was it a campfire?
He could be out there, calmly making his breakfast and waiting until she emerged so he could take her back and finish the job.
She gasped as the unmistakable sound of someone crashing toward her broke the silence. He’d seen her.