Chapter 79

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Saturday 7:01 pm

Megan made good time getting nowhere in the woods.  The rain dripped down in erratic cadence, just enough to remind her it was still there.  Two layers of her sweatshirts were almost soaked through.  They pressed hard on the rest of her clothes.  She shone the flashlight ahead of her.  It had a good strong beam that cut through the woods.  But she had no idea where she was.  Why did all the trees have to look so much alike?  Why did it have to be so cold? She alternated between tucking the flashlight under her sweatshirt, which kept her hands warmer, and holding it in front of her like a beacon, which gave her better visibility.  She kept glancing up at the sky to see if the moon would break through, or at least a star, but the clouds blocked all light. 

She shivered from the tips of her toes to the back of her neck.  The shivers didn't want to stop.  They attacked her like waves, moving up and down, raising all the hairs on her body.  She was so cold.  Megan spun the flashlight around. Where was she?  When she got back, the first thing she was going to do was take a hot bath loaded with raspberry bath salts.  No, the first thing she was going to do was call the police and watch them drag Erik to jail for a hundred years!

Contrary to what she'd hoped, the cold air didn't soothe the burning around her throat.  It made it tighter.  She coughed.  If only flashlights gave off heat as well as light.  Megan leaned up against a tree.  How long had she been out here?  Could she possibly be getting warmer just from walking? She shone the flashlight around her in a circle.  So far, so good, no bears, no bobcats, not even a deer.  Maybe the animals were scared of the light? An owl hooted in the distance, Megan jumped up, spinning around.  Ohh, I want to get out of here!  Which way was I going again?  She couldn't tell.  She absolutely couldn't tell.  Where's that creek?  I saw waders in Erik's closet, somewhere's there's a creek, right?  She heard a crunch behind her.  Oh please, No!  She plunged through a bush, hoping to hide, but all it did was completely soak the second sweatshirt.  The cotton was wet against her sweater.  It pulled out the warmth that was inside her body.  Another wave of shivering hit her.  She couldn't stop trembling.  Her hands shook so hard they dropped the flashlight.  So cold, never been so cold.  I want to go home, she begged the sky, want to go home.  Whatever had made the noise before fled.  Megan wrapped her arms around her chest.  Please let me go home!

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