Chapter 40 Countless times throughout the night my weary eyes would define the outline of a tall man standing perfectly still among scores of lanky trunks and branches that swayed with the wind. But with each compliant step forward, his contour would blend back in with the wilderness and convince me that my mind was simply exhausted.
I don’t know why they stopped pursuing me. Maybe I got lucky and sunk one of those stray shots inside one of them. Maybe they thought I headed off in a different direction—into the heart of the forest instead of sticking to the shoulder of the river.
My knee is swollen tightly and each painful, unbalanced step feels like it could be my last, but I continue on. My leg buckles when I slip on a large, smooth stone just as I crest a long hill. I grunt and leap f
