Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why didn’t I listen to Martin? She forced air through her nose as quietly as she could, every noise around her sounding ominous. It would’ve taken her only five seconds to grab one of the women to go with her—but all she could do now was kick herself for her stupidity. Her muscles tensed when another branch cracked right behind the tree where she hid.
Trying to calm the frantic pounding of her heart was impossible. The eerie silence of the woods pressed in around her, her nerves quickly fraying. Pressed against the rough bark of the tree for what seemed like hours instead of only a few minutes, she tried to convince herself that whoever it had been was now gone…until a familiar tune whistled through the air. The singsong cadence pushed at a distant memory, but she
