Chapter 2

Cold water was starting to seep in under his poncho. With her so close, though, he didn’t dare move. He thought about getting his hands on that lovely young body later, and grinned.

When she couldn’t stop shivering, Kimberley decided she was clean enough. She hopped back up onto the porch and picked up the towel. It was a good thing she’d had her hair cut short for this…hike, she thought. If it were the old length, thick as it was it would take forever to dry. Besides, she rather liked the pixie-ish look this style gave her. In the right light, she looked nineteen again. She rubbed herself down vigorously with the towel, going over her bare skin until it glowed pink. That done, she hung the towel on a protruding nail and broke out her last clean clothes from her backpack.

Watching her dress was nowhere near as interesting as watching her undress. He stayed still under cover and watched, though. Her new outfit looked much like her old one, except that the oversized flannel shirt was some shade of dark blue. Still barefoot, she sat down on the porch as she had before, and lit another one of those little cigars. Apparently she was going to wait out the rain. There was a cold puddle under him now, and he put it down to her account.

At long last the rain began to peter out. Sunshine began to poke through the last ragged dark clouds. Kimberley pulled on her socks and shoes. The towel was still damp. She folded it up and stowed it away anyway. She could spread it out for drying when she camped for the night. Shouldering her backpack, she set off along the trail again.

He gave her a ten-minute head start before following. By now his whole front was dripping wet, cold and very uncomfortable. Nothing he could do about that right now. He took out his radio to contact the others. He had an idea where she’d probably make camp for the night. Kurt and Lloyd could intercept her there, while he followed her in case she tried to double back, or stopped early.

The ground was still a bit soggy, but drying out fast. Kimberley loved the smell of the woods after a rain, rich and earthy. She could hear birds again: blue jays squabbling over something. The storm hadn’t lasted all that long, but she’d still have to make up for some lost time. There was a spot marked on her map that looked like an ideal campsite. There was a spring near it, and plenty of firewood available. She’d need the firewood. It would get chilly tonight, after the storm. It was already noticeably cooler. She loved the outdoors, the physical activity, pushing herself...she stopped abruptly. She had been pushing herself. Frowning, she took out the map she’d been given and looked at it. It was a pretty detailed relief map, showing the rugged country she’d been hiking. It also showed just the one trail, the one she’d been on since the start. On that trail, her ultimate destination, marked “Safety Zone”, was about seven days’ walk from her starting point. When she started out, they’d given her five days’ rations for the trek. Without thinking much about it, she’d been trying to squeeze a little bit more distance out of each day so that she could—just possibly—do it in six days.

She sat down on an old fallen tree trunk to think things over. Not all that long ago she was sure that it would have to happen soon. She’d also had the feeling she was being watched, though she didn’t have it at this particular moment. She looked at the spot she’d picked for her campsite tonight. It was obviously a good spot. And, if it was obvious to her, it would be just as obvious to anyone else with a similar map. She chewed on her lower lip for a moment. It was the perfect place for them—whoever they were—to intercept her. She shivered, not entirely unpleasantly. Well, that WAS kind of the point of her going out into the woods alone, wasn’t it? Still, why make it easy for them? She stood up and began to pace back and forth, every so often looking up the trail she’d been ready to follow. Now it smelled like a trap. She could still walk into it, but somehow it wouldn’t be as much fun. Was fun the right word here? She shook her head as if to clear it. She wanted an adventure, damnit.

So…what to do?The first thing that came to her mind was to follow one of those ravines down towards the lake. Going downhill would be easier, and near the lake the ground looked to be more even. Even so, it would take more time to get to the “Safe Zone”. Food would run a bit short. She patted the survival knife she carried at her belt. Inside the hollow handle was some fishing line and a few hooks. She didn’t really need them, though. She could catch fish without them. Yes, the lake would be ideal. So, she’d have to go uphill. She looked up at the mountain and grinned. She’d hiked in much rougher places.

He was still uncomfortably soggy when he came to the spot where she’d stopped for a bit, then seemed to have walked back and forth for a while before setting out on the trail again. Her footprints were easily visible in the still-damp earth. He was a bit puzzled. There didn’t seem to be any reason for her to do that. Maybe she was trying to work out a cramp?

He shrugged. It wasn’t that important anyway. He set off along the trail again, grinning in anticipation of the night to come. It took him some time to realize he’d been had. He took out his radio and called Lloyd and Kurt.

“Yeah?” Kurt sounded tired and testy.

“Any sign of her yet?” he asked.

“Not yet.” Kurt replied. “Why?”

“Doesn’t she seem to be running a bit late?”

“Well, yeah…” Kurt agreed. “You have her in sight?”

“Nope.” He answered. “She went off the trail someplace back. I have to go find out where. Lloyd with you?’

“About a half-mile away now.”

“Okay. The two of you wait there until you hear from me. She might double back yet.”

As he clicked off the radio, he grinned to himself. It looked like the elf-girl wanted to make them work for her. That was fine by him. He always liked it when they did that. Nothing in the world beat hunting down human prey. Mentally, though, he was kicking himself for simply assuming she’d stick to the trail and not bothering to look for her tracks. Well, she’d fooled him that once. He retraced his steps, looking for her tracks. He had to go all the way back to the last ravine he’d crossed and re-crossed it. Her tracks were there on that side, all right, but they didn’t come out on the other. She’d gone along the ravine, then, where it was too rocky for tracks. He looked uphill and down, trying to see some clue as to the direction she’d taken. No luck. Okay…which way would she go?