Several hours later, the youngest girl in the group, Iris, shouted. “Look! Some trees!”
Sure enough, Xander, too, caught sight of them a split second later. Without a doubt, the trees were dead, but were probably only a half-mile away. He decided then and there to make camp as soon as they arrived at the small woods. With a little luck, they could make a fire from tree branches, a welcome provider of light and warmth, and just in time. The sun had almost finished its descent, leaving only a glowing silver ribbon outlining the horizon. In spite of their weariness, the bedraggled group stepped up their pace. They were ready for a night’s rest.
Xander was the first to enter the copse of trees. The trees stood in solid groups, and they were dense as cordwood. Their trunks were thick, but bri
