CALEB
The sun had barely dipped below the horizon when I caught the first scent of dread. It was faint at first, barely more than a whiff of something out of place, but it tugged at me, gnawing at the edges of my thoughts. By the time I made it to the clearing, the dread had turned into a full-blown storm inside me. The knowledge hit me like a ton of bricks: Valerie was gone.
Hunter and I looked everywhere, every possible f*****g place but it was clear after an hour or so that Valerie was missing.
When I entered her room, the remnants of her scent still lingered, but it was stale and cold. She had been here hours ago. I inhaled deeply, trying to piece together the fragments she left behind, but the trail was scattered, and confusing. My heart hammered against my ribs as fear took hold,
