“You see? Even now you insist on berating me,” he said. “Don’t you want to understand how your beloved Shannon turned out to be so wicked? I’m going to show you how.”

“Shannon . . .” She stopped.

She called you Shannon.

“You’re showing me only one thing,” she continued. “You’re showing me that you need help. I’ll admit that I may have overreacted back there, but you’ve gone over the edge. You need help.”

“Maybe it’s you who need help. Have you considered that possibility? Or is your mind too full of nightmares to consider that?”

He saw her swallow. “Be careful what you say. My name’s Sherry. Or Tanya. You remember that name, don’t you?”

“And my name is what?”

“Shannon,” she said softly. “We’ve both had a difficult time with things. I’ll give you that. I’ve spent eight years reliving the nightmare of those three days, trapped in the box. But now there’s only one right way. You think our meeting out here in the jungle is purely chance? You think my dreams are stupid?” She paused. “I suppose you do. But that doesn’t change what we should do.”

“And what should we do?”

“I don’t know. But not this.”

“This? You don’t even know what this is,” he said. “This, Tanya, is the shedding of blood. This, Tanya, is the bull and I hold the sword. Without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sin. Isn’t that in your Bible? Half the world sits on padded pews singing pretty songs about the blood of Christ. Well, now you will see what it means to shed blood in the real world.”

As he spoke, threads of confusion wrestled in his mind. He should not talk to her like this. She was extending a hand of peace. Maybe more. And what was he offering her? Only anger. Hatred.

“You’ve given yourself to Satan, Shannon. Can’t you see that?” Her voice sounded deeply saddened. “I was wrong to be angry with you. Forgive me. I pity you.”

Pity? Any illusion he harbored about her offering him peace shattered with her words. Revulsion swept through his gut like a wave crashing to shore.

He knew he couldn’t allow her the satisfaction of seeing the impact of her words, but his hands were shaking already. Surely she could see that. The knife was at his waist—he could flip it out to her in the space of a single breath— pin her to the tree behind.

He blinked. What was he thinking? It was Tanya there!

Shannon lifted a trembling finger. “We’ll see who should pity whom. I don’t have time for this. Stay here by the river. I’ll be back tonight.”