Greenwash by Colleen Cross

Author:Colleen Cross [Cross, Colleen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-9948462-0-4
Publisher: Slice Publishing

11

Kat walked as fast as she dared without running. A target burned on her back as she retreated, though she probably imagined it. She made a beeline for the trail and safe cover of the forest. She doubted the gun-wielding security guard would actually shoot, but she wasn’t about to test her luck. She’d done that once already today.

She breathed a sigh of relief once she reached the clearing edge. He probably wouldn’t have shot her, since gunfire attracted unwanted attention. On the other hand, guns were so ubiquitous here that no one even paid attention.

To complicate things, no one other than Ed knew she was at the mine. With no witnesses, the guard could have gotten away with murder. That was obviously a worst-case scenario, but she had trespassed on the property and given him a reason to pull his gun. Had he fired the unexplained gunshots moments earlier? More critically, had the bullets found their mark?

Ten feet into the trail, the brush closed in around her. She glanced back and was relieved to no longer see the parking lot. The guard couldn’t see her either. She broke into a half-run, traveling as fast as the slippery roots and branches beneath her feet allowed. She crashed through the brush, anxious to put as much distance as possible between herself and the security guard.

If that’s what he actually was.

He wore no uniform. While it was possible that security guards in remote parts dressed casually, guards anywhere normally had identifying insignia, even something as minor as a company logo baseball cap. Security guards most certainly didn’t wear shabby ill-fitting clothing. And they were usually younger than seventy.

None of that mattered now that she was safely away from the mine. In less than an hour, she would be back at the cabin. That was good, because dusk was approaching. The forest was eerily silent and it was difficult to see the trail in places. She had forgotten how quickly nightfall came in winter.

Several minutes later, she emerged onto another trail that led off at a ninety-degree angle from the one she was on. Based on the direction, it seemed a more direct route back to the lodge. She debated whether to choose the longer, certain route, or take her chances with the shortcut.

In the end she chose the shortcut. The snow fell harder now that the temperature had dropped. It was already darker than moments ago, with probably only fifteen minutes or so of daylight left. Whatever light remained didn’t penetrate the tree canopy and she had difficulty seeing more than a few feet in front of her. Running was no longer an option; even a brisk walk was difficult. It made sense to find the fastest route to the road since she was unfamiliar with the area. The second trail almost certainly went there, given the direction. She could always revert to the original trail once she crossed the road.

Despite the dense brush, a few inches of snow had already accumulated on the path.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.