One By One by Freida McFadden(21)

I don’t know whether to feel better or worse about it. Bears are scary. But at the same time, their behavior is predictable. We know what bears are capable of. We don’t know what some mystery animal with long, sharp claws is capable of.

“Anyway…” Jack takes a step back from the tree. “Most animals that mark trees do it to mark their territory. So if this is the territory of some large animal, we should move on.”

That sounds like a very good idea to me.





Chapter 11


CLAIRE



Three hours later, we are not at the inn. We are not anywhere near the inn. In spite of Warner’s map and Jack’s compass, we are utterly lost.

And it’s going to get dark soon.

Lindsay begs until we stop for a quick rest. Noah’s water is long gone, and we all take sips from Jack’s water bottle. I feel slightly ill at the knowledge that when this water bottle is empty, we won’t have anything to drink. Even though the sun has fallen in the sky, it’s still hot out. My shirt is soaked with sweat. I could easily polish off the entire bottle by myself. My mouth feels like the Sahara.

Jack takes this opportunity to reassure us. He looks tired and sweaty, but not nearly as frazzled as Lindsay and I look. His shaggy dark hair is slightly damp, and it’s sexy. I can’t wait to get this guy alone at the inn.

If we ever get there.

“It’s going to be fine,” Jack says to us. “We made a wrong turn so we have to backtrack. But we’re on target. We’ll be there before dark.”

“It really feels like we’re lost,” I say.

“We’re not lost.” Jack’s voice is warm and reassuring. He starts to reach for my hand, but then catches himself. “Look, we’re going to hit civilization at some point soon, like it or not. These days, it’s very hard to get lost in the woods. And it’s even harder to stay lost.”

I reach into my purse and pull out my cell phone. I’m hoping to see a bar of reception, or maybe a missed call from Penny. But there’s still no service.

“We should have stayed in the car.” Lindsay’s eyes are red-rimmed. Her hands are shaky as she wrings them together. “We have no idea where we are.”

“No,” Warner says. “You have no idea where you are, Lindsay. Jack and I know exactly where we are.”

He sounds like an arrogant jerk when he says it, but God, I hope he’s right.

I look up at Noah. He has been privy to all the navigating, and he doesn’t look nearly as confident as the other two guys. Our eyes meet for a moment, and he shakes his head almost imperceptibly. There was a time when I could have gone up to him and asked him to tell me what’s really going on, but that’s not going to happen right now. That head shake is the best I’m going to get. And anyway, it tells me everything I need to know:

We are screwed.

Lindsay jerks up her head. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Warner asks.

She hugs her chest. “It was like… a growl or a howl or…”

I shiver despite the heat. We haven’t come across any wild animals aside from a lot of bugs and a few rabbits. But there were those claw marks on the tree. Obviously, there are wild animals around here. Big ones.

“I didn’t hear it,” Jack says.

Lindsay’s hands ball into fists. “Well, I did!”

Jack seems sure of himself, but I’m not so sure. Don’t people lost in the woods get attacked by animals all the time? Is that so far-fetched?

“Look, there are probably bears around here,” Jack says. “Mostly black bears. But, you know, bears are usually scared of humans. Unless they feel cornered or their children are threatened, they’re not going to attack.”

“Great, that’s real comforting,” Lindsay mutters.

“Can we get going again?” Michelle speaks up. She shifts her purse, which is bulging with the weight of her laptop. She refused to leave it behind. “I have a ton of work to do tonight and I need to charge this thing.”

I look over at Lindsay, whose shoulders are sagging. I can tell she’s reluctant to venture deeper into the woods, but we don’t have much of a choice—it’s not like we can stay behind. I don’t know how they’re ever going to find us again if we don’t stay together. The woods seem endless.

“All right,” she finally says. “Let’s go.”

My feet are starting to ache from all the walking. I didn’t realize how out of shape I was until this hike. When is the last time I’ve been hiking? Actually, have I ever been hiking? It doesn’t seem like the sort of thing Noah and I would have ever done. We were more the Netflix and chill type of couple. It used to work for us. We were both a couple of couch potatoes.

Jack had been telling me we were going to hike together during the trip. At the time, it sounded romantic. I liked the idea of being lost in the woods with Jack. But right now, when we are actually lost in the woods, it doesn’t seem even remotely romantic. I think the hike is officially canceled. Once I get to that hotel, I’m not setting foot in the wilderness. I might not even leave the room.

Lindsay is walking even slower than I am. She does not look good—her complexion is distinctly pale. Her stylishly messy bun from earlier is now just messy, and there are loose hairs plastered to the back of her neck. Before today, I’m not sure I ever saw Lindsay sweat before, but now there’s a vee of sweat along the neck of her shirt. Then again, I’m not sure I look much better.