With that unideal conclusion, Raven abandoned her search to resume her trek to the cabin. She retraced her steps toward the trail she’d departed from but soon paused.
“Wait…” she said out loud, looking to her left and right. When she didn’t immediately know which direction to go, a sliver of panic pricked the base of her spine.
“Focus, Raven. It was a straight line.”
She scanned the trees, looking for trail signs but found them bare.
“Fuck me,” she mumbled. She couldn’t have gone that off course.
She walked between the trees and over shrubbery in one direction, hoping to stumble across a cleared path. But everything looked like everything else, and she failed to orient herself.
“Shit. Shit. Shit,” Raven said, dread pushing her to move quickly between the trees as if speed alone was preventing her from finding her way. Adrenaline was sharpening the sounds around her to the pitch of an off-tune orchestra.
No, this couldn’t be happening. There was no way.
She stopped her frantic bumbling and pressed her back against a tree, taking strategic inhales and exhales from her nose until the fear receded to a manageable level.
Raven took a fresh look at the labyrinthine forest around her and concluded, “Okay. All right. I’m lost.”
Her thoughts were reaching for her next move, but panic was battling for dominance.
“Think, Raven. Think.”
She’d gotten lost tons of times. But those moments had been in big cities where she could dip into a small store and ask for directions or use her phone.
Phone.
She pulled out her cell. There was no service, but the time let her know she’d been lost for less than ten minutes. Not that bad, right? She couldn’t have walked too far.
Weeks ago, Doc had mentioned what to do in this type of situation. Find a river—no, she had to stay put. Yes, someone from Mountaintop would notice she was missing.
Raven took a step backward to scope out the best possible spot to sit and wait, but her feet slipped from under her. She landed hard on the ground, and before she could attempt to sit up, she began to roll down a hill.
Raven grabbed at the leaves and the roots as she tumbled, trying to stop her trajectory. However, it was futile as she continued gaining speed. All she could do was cover her head and wait for what would meet her at the bottom.
* * *
Silas had just locked the door to the cabin behind the last customer of the day when he turned to look at the empty reception desk. His scheduled talk with Raven had been simmering in his head all day, and he wanted to get it over with.
He had no idea what she wanted to discuss, but something told him it wouldn’t be a casual conversation. Ever since he found out Raven had been looking at homes, he’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop.
He straightened the chairs in the waiting area and double-checked the bathroom for straggling customers before heading to the break room. Upon entering, Silas scanned the room for Raven, but she wasn’t there. She’d arrive any moment, he reasoned.
“Whoever is responsible for that nasty yogurt growing a colony in the fridge, do something about it,” Halo said to the room.
“That’s Bodie’s,” Doc said.
“No, it’s not,” Bodie replied before the two men commenced a breakdown of who ate what flavor of yogurt.
As Silas packed up his belongings, he kept looking up, expecting to see Raven. While refilling his water bottle, he peeked out of the door to see if he could spot her in the main area of the cabin. No luck.
The debate of whose yogurt was stinking up the fridge continued as Silas dipped out of the kitchen to check the storage closet. He found it dark and empty. And because he was nearby, he also rechecked the restroom to dismal results.
“Anyone seen Raven?” Silas asked when he returned to the break room.
Halo looked around the kitchen as if she hadn’t noticed she was missing. “Probably in the washroom.”
“No, I was just there,” Silas said.
