Chapter 13

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Penelope wished she had thought to put the brand new SIM card in her phone before they had turned off the highway

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Penelope wished she had thought to put the brand new SIM card in her phone before they had turned off the highway. Now she was trying her hardest to keep her hand steady as Liam drove the SUV—borrowed from his mom—over the rough road. It seemed like the road was more pothole than not, and the vehicle kept lurching up and down.

She had followed Liam's advice and opened a new account with the most reliable cell provider for the area. It came with the added bonus of a new number, one that the trolls didn't know. If only she could get the SIM in...

Liam hit a particularly large pothole and the little key-shaped tool slipped out of her fingers and fell to the SUV's floor.

"Dammit!" Penelope said, diving under the dash to feel around for it. Thankfully, Beth kept the vehicle nice and tidy, so the floor wasn't too gross.

"Sorry," Liam apologized, keeping his eyes locked on the bumpy road. "This road doesn't really get maintained anymore."

"Not your fault," Penelope grumbled, still searching. Finally, she found it and straightened up. "Guess no one comes out this way anymore, huh? Not since it was a camp."

"Well, people still come out here," Liam said, "mostly to hunt."

"Hunt? Like, animals?" Penelope asked, looking over at Liam with wide eyes. "Should we be wearing visi-vests or something?" Suddenly she was reconsidering her decision to live stream out here. Her desire to clear her name was not greater than her desire to not get shot.

"Nah, don't worry. Nothing's in season right now," Liam said. Though he kept his eyes straight ahead, he smirked. Penelope could practically hear his thoughts calling her a city slicker.

Penelope didn't care. At least she didn't have to worry about dodging bullets on top of cryptids. She thought about continuing her attempts to change her SIM but decided to wait until they were on more solid ground. She tucked the key tool into her pocket.

"Was it a hunter who saw the Raven?" she asked, barely getting a chance to settle back into the seat as they lurched over yet another pothole. She was lucky she had a strong stomach because she was sure anyone else would've gotten carsick.

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