Now, with the only illumination invading the inky blackness of the heavily wooded area coming from Tony’s bright headlights, it was still all too easy for Addis’s imagination to twist the shadows cast into the night into monsters equally as real and frightening as the one who’d kidnapped her and Emerson. Because she was freaking herself out, she sat facing forward, no longer staring out the side window. Bending her elbow and tucking her forearm under Em’s chin, she patted the side of her friend’s face that wasn’t currently burrowed into the crook of her neck.

Despite the countless ways driving this fast could end badly, the truck continued bumping along at a speed indicative of someone attempting to win the Indy 500, a sport her dad had obsessed over watching. Each rut in the road elicited a moaning whimper from both girls, reminding Addis that their road to recovery would be long. Without fail, Tony cursed and muttered an apology after each one. Addis wanted to tell him he didn’t need to keep saying he was sorry, but she was too afraid she’d distract him. She was so close to being reunited with her Aunt Grace that she didn’t want to risk the chance that Tony would take his eyes off the terrain and thus be unable to avoid slamming into a wild animal – the bear they’d spotted earlier came to mind – or a tree, or going off any of the sheer cliffs they’d come across. Dropping her gaze to her lap where she cradled Tony’s phone, she once again pressed a button, illuminating the screen, fighting back disappointment even though she’d expected it. ‘Still no signal.’

‘Son of a—’ At first, Addis thought he was reacting to her comment, but then Tony’s right arm snaked out and shoved them both forward so forcefully, they almost slammed their heads into their knees, and that was only after narrowly missing the dashboard. ‘Stay down,’ he ordered.

The tension in his voice was second only to the knot of terror gnawing its way out of her as Tony decreased his acceleration by a fraction.

Through the thundering in her ears and over the sound of the engine, his words finally penetrated. ‘There are headlights up ahead. It could be nothing, but I need you to listen to me carefully. Are you listening?’ He waited for their shuddering yeses. ‘I’ll do my best to go around whoever’s out there, but if I can’t, if I have to stop the truck… if things look like they’re going to head south, I’ll jump out, and then you’ll need to climb behind the wheel and floor it. Do you understand? Don’t wait for me. Punch the gas and run over anything – or anyone – in your way.’