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“Quiet,” he reminded her as they opened the
car doors and got out.
Ilene still almost slammed it shut behind
her, out of habit, but caught herself in time and pressed it closed
gently. Instead of going back to the road, they cut through the
trees toward the fence. The underbrush didn’t grow very tall here,
but it was thick and their feet tangled in it more than once. Heavy
and clunky as they were, Ilene blessed the hiking boots Michael had
insisted on for both of them. She didn’t even want to consider what
creatures might be lurking in the brush.
Michael led the way, pushing aside branches
and holding them for her, sometimes testing the footing in the
heavier shrubbery and leading the way around a thicket of
blackberry vines.
A hot day hadn’t cooled off much as darkn
