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"I don’t have a flashlight"
"A first aid kit?"
"Nope Just wait for me," she said "I’ll be there in no tioods store"
"I don’t want to lose Teresa She can’t be far I’ve never felt soet here"
"Fine If anyone attacks and tries to kill you, including the bear, ask theot it" I closed the phone and the trunk and, well, I yelled "Teresa!" I called out Nothing I walked back up the trail, stopping every so often to call out to her Admittedly, I didn’t yell as loud as I probably could have That bear thing freakedat the side of the ood a direction as any Then I felt it again A whisper of fear, feathering over me like a trickle of water
"Teresa!" I screamed, this time with heart And it hit me Hard A blast of fear and hope rolled into one
I called Cookie again as I ran toward the sensation "I think it’s her," I said, breathless with exciteod, Charley, is she okay?"
"I have no idea I haven’t found her yet, but I can feel soet theht The cabin is up that trail I’ to a hilly area just east of it, look around there"
"Okay, got it I’ll summon the cavalry, you just find her"
I closed the phone and called out Teresa’s na, being replaced entirely by a surge of hope that felt like a cool wind rushing over ear Hopefully, I wouldn’t need any
I ran past Wednesday, and asked, "You couldn’t have mentioned this?"
She didn’t respond, but I sahat she was looking at A oodness, boarded-up old mine I had no idea there were anyflashlight My lack of forethought when I’d left the apart ato waste any time, I texted Cookie the location of the h the tree line It was super dark inside, so I opened round as I ducked inside, cli For a er Once inside, ancient support beams lined the walls and the skeletal remnants of a track led ood place to dispose of a body Is that what he’d done? Tried to kill her, then, believing she was dead, dumped her body here? Surely not He was a doctor He’d have known if she were dead
I followed the railway tracks about five minutes before they stopped abruptly The tunnel ca the way, andfor another opening Nothing I rong Teresa wasn’t in here Then I realized the fall was fresh, the earth and rocks hadn’t settled as they would have over time