Chapter 22: Lost in the Woods
~ Gwen ~
Twenty minutes later, I was struggling to keep up with him. I was carrying the metal trowel and our sample vials, while Yates carried the heavy soil core sampler as if it were a hollow plastic toy. He moved through the brush with a fluid, haunting grace, barely disturbing the leaves beneath his boots.
"Atkins said Site A is near the creek bed," I called out, squinting at the small GPS screen in my hand. "We need three samples at different elevations."
Yates stopped so abruptly that I nearly slammed into his back. He didn't turn around immediately, but I could see the muscles in his shoulders tighten. "The creek is five hundred yards that way," he said, gesturing toward a dark ravine. "The wind is picking up. We need to move fast."
"I’m moving as
