Page 8 of No One But You
My thighs trembled and my arms were on fire, but inch by inch I followed the disturbed earth until I reached my backpack.
My arms gave out, and I flopped hard onto my side, pulling the backpack with me.I concentrated on pinching the zip of the front pocket between two fingers and working it open.
Reaching inside, I felt around until my fingers closed over the beacon.Blindly, I searched for the emergency rescue button and, with the last of my energy, I pushed it.
Then I lay back and let the darkness return.
FIVE
MAX
My phone vibrated beside me, and I glanced over, irritated.I was halfway through reading a dramatic battle scene, and the last thing I needed was an interruption.Unfortunately, when I saw that the caller was Connor, I knew I had to pick up.He didn’t call just to chat.
If he got in touch, it meant that something was wrong.
Reluctantly, I turned off my e-reader and answered the phone.“Hello.”
“I’m letting you know that we need you on standby,” he said gruffly.“Bailey activated the distress function on her personal locator beacon a few minutes ago, and she hasn’t responded to any attempts to contact her.”
My pulse picked up, and I stood and walked around the sofa.I kept my emergency kit in a backpack near the door, and I double-checked it was there before heading to the kitchen to fill a water bottle.
“Bailey knows the forest well.Do you think she might have been injured?”I asked.
That was the only reason I could think of why she might not respond.I didn’t want to jump to worst-case scenarios, but if anything minor had happened, she probably would have ignored her discomfort and gotten herself down the hill before contacting anyone.
“I’d say it’s likely,” Connor confirmed.“We can’t know for sure until we find her, though.We have her location, and Asher, Liam, and I are going there now.Can you wait for us at the clinic?”
“No, I’ll come with you.”I slid my water bottle into the side of the backpack and opened it to check that all of my basic field supplies were still inside.“You might need immediate medical intervention.”
“Asher is a paramedic,” he pointed out.“And I have first aid training.We’ll be fine.”
“I’m coming.I’ll meet you at the start of the trail.”I hung up before he could protest.
I hurried into my bedroom, changed out of the sweatpants I’d put on after getting home from the family brunch, and slipped into a pair of hiking pants instead.I swapped my ankle socks for thick walking socks and stuffed my feet into the boots I rarely wore.I enjoyed going for long walks around Destiny Falls, but I didn’t tend to stray far off the main paths, so running shoes were usually sufficient.
I tossed a couple of granola bars into the side pocket of my backpack, locked the house, and drove my minivan to the parking lot behind Destiny Fibers.
Asher’s vehicle was already parked there, and he and Liam were waiting nearby.Asher wore a backpack similar to mine, and Liam was carrying a lightweight stretcher.I had a feeling we’d need it because if Bailey was capable of walking out, I was sure she’d have done it.
“You don’t need to come,” Asher called as I slung my backpack over my shoulder and closed the van’s door.“I’ve got medical supplies with me.”
“Hopefully I’m surplus to needs, but I’d rather be there just in case.”I’d be grateful if Bailey was in good health when we found her, but a gnawing worry in the pit of my gut reminded me that was unlikely.
Liam glanced over as Connor’s all-terrain vehicle pulled into the lot.“It’ll be good to have you along.Just keep pace.”
“I will.”
The last thing I intended was to slow them down if Bailey needed help.
Connor joined us and led the group up the trail.I fell into step at the rear, and as the others charged forward, I was grateful for the walking and road cycling I did in my free time.If not for that, I doubted I’d have been able to keep up.
After all, Connor spent most days in the forest, Liam stuck to a strict training regime as part of his job as a firefighter, and Asher was an avid mountain cyclist.They were all more fit and active than me.
As I stepped over a root, Connor paused up ahead.He was carrying some kind of device that I assumed was receiving a signal from Bailey’s locator beacon.
“I think she’s near the old hut,” he said.“We’ll check there before going off the trail.”
I gritted my teeth.If he had a GPS location, surely he could lead us straight to her.Perhaps it was too risky to push through the forest when we didn’t know what we might come across.
