He woke up sometime later to the sound of a click, like a latch slipping into place. He reached for his gun, then rolled over to find Laila, to protect her, only to discover her side of the bed empty.
She was fucking gone.
Laila’s teeth chattered as she wrapped her arms around herself and darted along the edge of the campground, looking for lights that might indicate friendly people willing to help. She’d underestimated how cold it was outside and regretted not swiping one of Trees’s flannel shirts from his bag when she had taken twenty dollars from his thick wad of cash. But her guilt had been too great to take anything more. Once she reached Louisiana and her family, she would return every penny.
For now, she shelved her remorse and scoured the area, knowing she wouldn’t get far on foot, especially in flip-flops. But other than the campground’s streetlamps, she saw no lights. Had everyone already gone to bed? She had no idea what time it was, except late.
Now what?
Every bone in her body screamed at her to go back to the RV and rest, back to Trees and the seeming safety she suspected he actually could give her.
But he wouldn’t give her freedom or take her to her sister—two things she desperately wanted.
There must be someone awake in the campground. It wasn’t full since it was a Wednesday night, but there were public facilities of some sort at the end of the lane. It was fully lit. Did that mean someone was using it? She didn’t see anyone.
Then a door slammed behind her.
“Laila!”
Her heart stopped. Trees was already awake and after her? How? She’d left the RV three minutes ago.
Ducking behind a dumpster, she squeezed her eyes shut. Her mind raced. If she returned to him, she would be no closer to her family. If she ran from him, how far would she make it alone?
No, she couldn’t be defeatist. She was resourceful. She was resilient. She had once survived for ten days on a canteen of water and a bag of flour. She could reach Louisiana.
“Laila!” His voice sounded farther, as if he’d headed toward the entrance to the campground.
Following him wasn’t an option. Nor was remaining here. There were too many lights; he would find her. That left trying to hide in the public facilities, where he would undoubtedly track her, or heading into the thick line of trees a few trailers away.
The forest it was.
She would hide there, wait until he gave up, see about keeping herself warm in a tree or with some leaves. Come morning, she would find civilization elsewhere. And help. She would be wrapped in her sister’s embrace by tomorrow.
Peeking around the dumpster, she caught a glimpse of Trees’s retreating back as he headed for the campground’s office, now dark. She looked longingly at the RV. He had warmer clothes inside… But no, she had taken from him all she intended to. She had survived the last eighteen months in her brother-in-law’s compound on her own. She would do the same here.
Sucking in a fortifying breath, she took off, darting toward the thick copse of trees less than fifty meters away. There was nothing between here and there to hide her, and the waxing moon was bright. But she made it, disappearing between a pair of tall trees and running headlong into the woods.
Branches overhead, mostly devoid of leaves, looked like jagged daggers against the moon. Laila shivered and circled around, trying to get her bearings, but the dense branches and the thick, rolling clouds soon swallowed up the moon.
Suddenly, the sky turned dark. Panic pressed in. She shivered, arms clasped around herself, in the pitch black.
A thousand terrible memories pelted her, threatening to unravel her.
Then she heard the howl of a coyote—too close for comfort. As if that one sang to the rest of its pack, others answered, even closer. More clouds drifted across the sky. The darkness turned blacker, thicker. Then she heard the crunch of leaves. A growl sounded nearby. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. She swallowed a scream.
Laila tried to penetrate the darkness to find a tree she could climb for temporary safety, but she could no longer even see her hand in front of her. Panic flowed like ice in her veins as she spun in a circle to find the direction the growl had come from. She heard it again, this time so near she let out an involuntary shriek.
Run. She could run. Out of the forest. Back to the campground. Hopefully, the people there would scare away the predatory pack.
But in the dark, surrounded by trees seemingly closing in, she no longer knew which direction she’d come from.
Another howl resounded, now right behind her. There was another growl on her left. Then she heard the stampede of animal feet in her direction.