“Okay.” It sounded like they were intent on leaving anyway, and since Kate had volunteered to go to the wreckage and had stepped up immediately to search for Naomi, he guessed she’d be a good addition to the escape party. “I’m thinking early morning, the day after tomorrow.”

“Great, what’s the plan?”

“Don’t get too excited. There’s a river nearby so we’ll head for that. There are two life rafts in the plane, so as soon as we can we’ll get them onto the water and head downstream.”

“That sounds like a plan to me. It’s better than sitting here waiting for a rescue that isn’t coming.”

“Maybe.” He was about to tell her to keep it quiet, even though half of the survivors were now part of this secret group. But just as he was about to speak, his light picked up something on the ground in front of him. The words dried instantly in his mouth. He stopped walking.

Kate crashed into his back, knocking him forward. “God, sorry.”

“My fault,” said Tom.

“What is it?”

He moved to one side and pointed with his flashlight so that they could see.

A single white sneaker lying on the ground.

CHAPTER 16

Kate rushed forward, crouching down, picking up the sneaker.

She looked up at them, startled and horrified, her face caught in their flashlight beams like an animal on a nighttime road. “It’s hers.” She didn’t wait for a response but called out, “Naomi?”

The wall of noise around them seemed to shudder and quiver briefly, as if all those creatures were trying to take in this new sound and adjust to it. But the soundscape returned to normal and no one called back.

Tom spotted a small bunch of twigs and branches scattered on the path just beyond where Kate was still crouching holding the shoe. So this was where the attack had happened, and he could imagine, looking at the pitiful pile of kindling, that she’d been determined to find more, heading farther into the jungle without realizing the danger.

He thought back to that brief moment of acknowledging they were both outsiders in one way or another, and it was true, but it had cost Naomi her life. He remembered telling her that he wouldn’t leave her behind, and he felt like a liar now for making that promise.

George pointed his light off to the right where some of the undergrowth looked as if it had been recently flattened. “I guess it dragged her through there.”

Kate moved toward it and studied the leaves, finally raising her fingers to one broad leaf and rubbing it under the light.

“It’s dried a bit, but it’s blood.”