The sandstone ridge was steep and surprisingly craggy, bluff snowgrass covering it like a cramped garden. Up here, on the edge of the ridge-fin, Eliza was especially exposed to the biting cold wind that drowned out all noise: Darren’s footsteps behind her, even her own breath. Nothing but the mountain wind.

Eliza stopped, closing her eyes, as the noise blew past her like a train, wrapping her in isolation. Fresh and clear and free. For a moment.

She opened her eyes and wiped away the tears. Up ahead was the giant white gum. Beyond it stretched a heart-stopping view of misty tiers of hills and sombre mountains, thick wilderness.

She walked to the gum and touched it with her hand; it was cold. She looked over it, she studied the ground, pushed back blades of bluff snowgrass to check the soil. She was looking for footprints, scuff marks, scraps of clothing, anything.

There was nothing. No clue to indicate who might have stood here, who had hit her on the head, whose footsteps she’d heard. Just like Darren had said: nothing to see at all.

But she had found it. Darren could direct other searchers to cover this area. She wasn’t entirely useless.

‘Miss Ellis,’ said Darren.

She shook him off. ‘Cierra!’ she shouted into the wind. ‘Bree! Jasmine!’ The wind blew her words back in her face. ‘Cierra! Bree! Jasmine! Cierra, where are you?’

‘Miss Ellis, look at the clouds. We need to be getting back —’

‘Cierra! CIERRA!’ she shrieked.

The wind didn’t care. The mountain didn’t care.

Her knees weakened, but still she held onto the tree and screamed. ‘BREE! JASMINE! CIERRA!!’

Where are the girls? Where are the girls? Denni, why couldn’t I save you?

Now she fell fully to her knees. The sun grew dim behind a shroud of thick cloud and she saw the rainclouds rolling in. The first thick droplet hit her cheek.

She couldn’t scream anymore, couldn’t say their names. She wrapped her arms around her knees and, for a moment, completely whited out.

Darren took his raincoat out of his pack and she felt him wrap it around her, his arms warm. Shame and guilt and pain rushed through her, making her feel small and friendless, adrift in a sea of wilderness.

When the rain grew heavier she allowed Darren to pull her to her feet and lead her back to the trail through the mountain plants, numb and wooden.

The return trip seemed to take no time at all, the icy rain leaching all feeling out of her face and hands. Darren kept looking at her with concern, but her ability to care had been snatched by the wind along with her screams.

Madison is going to tell the police.

The motorbike was where they’d left it. Eliza struggled to feel anything when she saw it.