Jed gave Danny a pained look. “You look out for her.”

“Of course,” Danny answered.

Mandy didn’t bother to insist she could take care of herself. She switched on her powerful flashlight and shone it on the ground in front of her. Danny followed close behind her as they started up the trail. As Mandy’s thighs burned, she realized she wasn’t in the best shape of her life.

“How long does it take to reach the end?” Danny asked.

“This trail leads to Lake Walker. We’ll hit the river in about a mile. Then it’s another four before it ends at the lake. The girls probably hiked it in a morning, but with the dark, it’ll take us longer.”

On the other side of the river, lightning snaked across the deep-purple sky.

“We’d better move,” Danny said. “It’s getting closer.”

Four check-ins later, Danny trudged uphill. He kept close behind Mandy. The woods bordered the path to the right. To the left, the ground dropped off sharply. Twenty feet below, the river undulated.

“Careful here,” she said over her shoulder.

Danny tripped over a tree root. Rocks and loose dirt shifted underfoot and cascaded down the packed earth behind him. A dislodged stone tumbled over the lip of the trail. A second passed before it plunked into the river below. Danny glanced over the edge. With no moonlight, the water was black as an oil flow. “How much farther is the lake?”

Mandy stopped at a level patch of ground and looked around. She checked her watch. “We’re not even halfway.”

Mandy’s voice was strained. Her breaths sounded labored. Danny lifted the beam of his flashlight to her face. Her cheeks were flushed, but not in a healthy way. He’d been pushing her hard the last half hour. Running had kept him in decent shape. He suspected Mandy didn’t have much time for exercise. Though she hadn’t complained once, the steep grade and heavy pack were taking their toll. Plus, the temperature had dropped as the storm barreled toward them.

The first raindrops pinged off the hood of his borrowed jacket. He reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the latex gloves he’d lifted from Dr. Chandler’s office. He tugged it over his left hand to keep the bandage dry.

Camping, hiking, the woods. It all sucked in the rain.

Static blasted. “Mandy.”

She removed the bright-yellow handset from her pocket. “Here.”

“That storm is about fifteen minutes away from you. Find some cover.” Jed’s voice squawked from the receiver. “Now.”

“Will do.” She put the walkie-talkie back in her pocket. Another bolt of lightning sprinted overhead. “That was closer.”

Much closer.

Danny squinted ahead in the darkness. Wind whipped off the river and dampened his face. “We should move away from the water. Does this trail open up anytime soon?”