Alone (#1 Flamestone Trilogy) by Holly Hook

Author:Holly Hook
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Holly Hook
Published: 2017-05-16T16:00:00+00:00

* * * * *

I move as fast I can without getting out of breath.

Larconi and Roger did say they were going to come back for me. Now they know I'm still alive out here. Why did I have to eat my breakfast right in plain view? Why couldn't I have gone under the shade of a tree? That couldn't have been Shawn or Travis on that cliff. Shawn or Travis wouldn't have ducked out of sight if they caught me watching them. They would have waved.

And if that person saw me facing them from that distance, they must have had binoculars.

I'm way ahead of them, at least, but I have to keep it that way.

The sun grows higher in the sky and passes noon as I continue along the river. The huge pines start to thin once I get down another two hills. I'm heading into a different area now. My stomach growls again, but at least the pain is gone. I'm not throwing up yet.

I search the trees to see what's changing, to see if there's any other lumber that might be useful. There are still huge boulders down this way and the ground's rising again on either side as if I'm walking into a shallow canyon of dirt. The boulders start getting farther apart and I pass a few pine saplings. The trees get shorter. They must be new invaders in this area. I'm leaving the coniferous forest behind.

But now that I'm down to a lower elevation, I catch a glimpse of some bushes with wide, flat leaves growing from the dirt. There's some more of those burnberries, too, but there are also new shrubs with huge leaves and clusters of whitish berries hanging from their branches. I might try those if I get brave. They could be edible or they could be even worse than the burnberries.

I spot my first regular tree once I approach the bottom of my third hill, rising above the small pines like it's welcoming me to a new realm. It looks like a tall, majestic oak with huge branches overspreading the smaller trees like a protective mother. It forms a giant green canopy. I'm crossing into a new area, all right. Another tall oak tree—it must not really be oak—towers over another tiny cliff. I try to stand on my toes to look over the wall of dirt that's keeping me between the river and the rest of the world. The ground's becoming more earthy here rather than rocky. Maybe I'm heading into some kind of flatter area. That might be good or that might be bad. If I can't find any more of those giant boulders, I might not be able to find a good shelter for the night.

I turn and check the huge cliffs behind me. No sign of anyone. I can't stop. That person could be climbing down the cliffs and might even be to the river by now.

Something that looks like a squirrel scurries away from the water and past me, dropping a twig.

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