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Mark finally looked at the soldier again "Okay I’m okay Sorry"

"Good That’s better" Alec took a step back and studied the ground "It’s getting light enough now We need to find any sign of what path they took--broken branches, footprints, cleared undergrohatever Start searching"

Mark did, desperate to get hisevery horrible scenario possible The sounds of the fire and the occasional screah the air, but they seemed distant At least for theevery spot before he dared take another step, his head swiveling up and down, side to side, like soer unit All they needed was one major clue and then they could probably pick up the trail more easily Mark felt an almost competitive vibe take over hi first He had to, to make himself feel better, to feel like they’d been set on a path to relieve his panicked thoughts

He couldn’t lose Trina Not now

Alec orking about twenty feet farther outside the ca along like a dog He looked ridiculous, but there was sorizzly bear rarely showed the slightest hint of e on soenuinely cared Mark had no doubt theone of their threefriends Could Mark say the sans of passage--broken twigs, shoe impressions in the dirt, shifted branches on trees or bushes--but each time they concluded that they’d been the ones who’d caused it After a half hour or so, thisthe area between the caht He stopped and stood up straight

"Hey, Alec," he said

Thehis face into thethat kind of sounded like a "Yeah?"

"Why are we spending so much time on this side of where we left them?"

Alec pulled hiical I’d think they either followed us out of here to find us, or they were taken by the saate the fire"

Mark thought that was all barking up the wrong tree "Or they ran away from the fire Not every person on earth is as wacky-brained as you, good sir Most people see a huge roaring inferno co"

"No, I don’t think so" Alec had shifted all his weight to his knees, stretching his back "Lana’s not a coward She wouldn’t save herself and leave us to die"

Mark was shaking his head before the soldier even finished "You’ve gotta think this through Lana has the same worship complex of you that you have of her She’ll think you are safe and taking care of yourself just fine and dandy She’d also consider the circumstances top to bottoht or alared at him "So you think after all that, Lana would leave us to die at the hands of some crazies and run for her life?"

"She didn’t knoere in the hands of people like that We told her ere just going to take a look, remember? Then she probably heardI bet she wentheadquarters and that we’d decided the saeneral direction we needed to go"

Alec was nodding and gru, impossible to read

"Not to mention that she has a civilian"--he made quotation irl who’s probably terrified I highly doubt Lana would leave theer"

Alec got to his feet and brushed the dirt off his knees "Okay, boy, you can quit going on about it You sold htest smile on his face, barely there And Mark knehy The bear was enjoying this--watching his pupil figure things out on his own

Mark pointed to the other side of the camp, toward the spot Alec had identified the day before as the direction they needed to go The headquarters of that Berg awaited The place where they’d find the people who had ruined their lives once again

"Like I said," Alec spoke with an exaggerated sigh, "you soldover there" He winked at Mark as he walked past but then gave hie little man"

Alec stopped and faced him "That’s what ive , and she’d say, ‘My sweet Alec You are one strange little ht here" He patted his heart, then rolled his eyes draet to work"

"See?" Mark said as he followed "Do I need any ot one word right I’led choking sound that h

They stepped more carefully when they made it to the area Mark had indicated, and soon they were back at it, searching every square inch for a telltale sign of a trail Mark paused to take in the sounds that had becoround noise, barely there until you focused on it The roaring, crackling, spitting forest fire, still safely distant but getting closer, and the occasional hoot or holler or laugh of their new unfriendly friends Again, safely distant--though it was hard to tell where the sounds were coun to look hazy from the s," Alec announced "Be careful!" he yelled when Mark tramped over to see for himself

"Oh Sorry" He slowed down and crept over to stand next to the soldier

Alec was on his knees, leaning back on his feet He had a stick in his hand and used it as a pointer "There’s about three bushes in a row that’ve been walked through, and by more than one person for sure See the smashed part there, the broken branch there, the footsteps here and there" He gestured at one nearby

Mark leaned forward and saw it Sht size for Deedee

"There’s only one proble heavy in his voice