Trapped in the Forest
an excerpt

She buried the old man at dawn, no easy task with a hand spade. Fortunately, the floor of the old-growth forest floor had areas of deep duff. She didn’t know how well that would protect him from marauding animals. Well, she thought, it really doesn’t matter. He’s not going to feel any pain now, and I did the best I could for him. And if I don’t keep moving, I’ll end up the same way – only there’ll be nobody to bury me.

She wished she could see the sky, but the thick tree canopy hid everything except a soft shimmer from the moon. She couldn’t actually see the moon – just its light – and she wasn’t sure she was still headed in the right direction. Without Ramon to guide her, she could easily lose her way. But she had no choice but to move forward. To stop would be to die.

They would be on her trail soon, if they weren’t already. They couldn’t track her easily; the springy forest floor didn’t register footprints, and she took care not to create scuff marks or to break branches or twigs. They didn’t have dogs; at least she hadn’t heard any. They had more survival skills, more experience in the woods. But she had more determination – more need. And she hoped more brains. That’s the only thing that could save her now.