A short distance later, Sherry’s confidence was shattered when her car began making a very distinct sound of distress. As it rattled to a stop, a small puff of steam rising from beneath the hood, she cursed. Why, oh why, hadn’t she taken Brad’s car instead? At least his was kept in tip-top shape so he would have transportation to his auditions. In her haste to leave, she’d grabbed the first set of keys she could find and that had been hers, even though she knew her car was in need of a trip to the garage.

Sherry leaned forward until she bumped her head on the steering wheel and tried not to cry. Not now, she thought, biting her lip to control her frustration. She turned the key, hoping the car was just being its usual temperamental self, but not surprised when the loud click told her her worst fears had come true. The car was momentarily toast.

“Great, just great,” she said, trying to remain calm. The sky was full dark now, adding to her unease at being alone. The road was bordered on both sides by thick forest, and she hadn’t passed, or been passed by, a single vehicle since losing sight of the Havenwood Falls bus.

Reaching for her cell phone, she groaned when she saw there was no reception here. She couldn’t even call for a tow or a ride. She didn’t think they would have Uber out here in the sticks, but she’d never know since she couldn’t use her phone. In this age of technology crowding into every corner of the world, how could this place not have reception? Perhaps the mountains were disrupting the signal because not even a single bar was lit.

“That figures,” she said bitterly, tears threatening to fall. She sniffed. Closing her eyes, she leaned back in her seat. Now what? I suppose I can walk to the town. It’s only around six miles. I used to do that in the city all the time. But at least in the city I had sidewalks, interesting things to look at on the way, and it’s a concrete jungle, not a forest with wild animals or worse waiting to jump out at me.

She breathed in and out slowly a few times, gathering her thoughts and considering her options. Since the traffic was nonexistent, there was no rescue coming from that direction. Maybe if she walked a bit farther down the road, the forest would thin out, and she could find a place to make a call. That would have to do. She felt better already, having a plan in mind.

Then she remembered the flimsy shoes she had on, and she groaned again. She would never be able to walk half a mile in those shoes, let alone six if she had to walk the whole distance to town. She thought back to what she’d packed and shook her head at her foolishness. She hadn’t packed any extra shoes at all, not even a pair of flip flops. She’d been in such a hurry, she didn’t remember even packing extra underwear.

“Stupid, stupid,” she cursed out loud.

After a couple minutes of swearing at herself, she took a deep breath. Trying the key in the ignition one last time, she wasn’t surprised when it didn’t work, but she hit the steering wheel anyway, ignoring the sting of pain.

Darkness had now completely taken over, the last rays of sunlight disappearing behind the mountain peaks. She shivered in the chilly air. If she stayed where she was, waiting for a car that may or may not pass, she might freeze to death. Best to start moving and do it soon.

Opening her car door, she stepped out and shivered again as a blast of cold air struck her through the thin blouse. She walked to the back of the car and opened the trunk.

Reaching in, she pulled the suitcase to her and nearly jumped for joy when she found a sweatshirt, which she immediately threw on over her blouse. The only thing that would have made her happier would have been to find a better pair of shoes for walking, but unfortunately, she didn’t find a single pair.

She debated taking the suitcase with her, but decided it would be too hard to walk and drag the case behind her even though it had wheels. Surely the town would have a store where she could purchase clothes and shoes? And she’d be back with the tow truck soon, so stay it would.

Decision made, she zipped the case back up and closed the trunk. Slapping her hands together, she was surprised at how the sound comforted her. She hadn’t realized until just now how alone she was out here on this road. She listened to the sounds of the night around her. From the trees on either side, she heard creatures stirring in the underbrush. She shivered, wondering what creatures were going about their night hunts.

In the distance, an owl hooted softly, followed by the sound of wings as the bird took flight. At least, she hoped it was the owl. She shook her head and grinned wryly at her overactive imagination. Honestly, what did she expect to find in the woods—a ghost, or vampires, or werewolves? She cursed those late night horror flicks she’d watched as a child for giving her the idea that creatures lurked around every corner or behind every tree.

Overhead, the stars that dotted the night sky gave off a faint light. The moon, what she called a fingernail moon, was still low enough in the sky that its sliver of silver gave off little more than a glow, but clouds were gathering overhead, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she would have that limited light.

Sherry opened the door to the passenger side, grabbed her purse, and pulled it over her shoulder. She then opened the glove box and rifled through the papers and other items until she finally found the flashlight she knew was there. She found a pack of cigarettes and a lighter shoved in the back of the glove box and frowned. Brad must have hidden them in there, although he’d told her he quit. Just one more lie to tally against him. How stupid of him to hide them in her car. While this was a small transgression on his part compared to what had driven her to this deserted stretch of road, it was still a mark in the glad-I-am-not-with-him-anymore column.

She pulled the flashlight out, but threw the cigarettes back inside. Turning on the flashlight, she sighed in relief when its silver beam shot out. She’d been half afraid, the way her luck was running tonight, that the flashlight would be dead. On this darkened road, with who knew what kinds of creatures lurking about, she didn’t want to have to walk by starlight alone.

“Okay, girl,” she spoke to the night air in an effort to keep herself from being afraid, “no time like the present to get moving.”

Straightening her shoulders and shining the light in front of her, Sherry started walking, hoping the next six miles would pass quickly. Keeping her eyes on the road, she ignored the feeling of night creatures watching her. Her heels, totally inappropriate for walking, clicked loudly on the asphalt. She hunched her shoulders inside her sweatshirt and quickened her pace, trying to keep herself warm. The night air had dropped at least ten degrees since she’d left the warmth of the vehicle, and she knew it was only going to grow colder as the clouds gathered in the sky, intermittently blocking the moon and stars.

As she walked, she tried to think what she would do once she reached the cabin, if she made it to the cabin, she corrected herself. If her luck didn’t turn, who knew if she would make it to the refuge of the cabin before the next day? Hopefully the car was repairable, and she could be on her way quickly.

She focused on the walk, ignoring the rustling of the leaves and sigh of wind through the trees, and the sounds of soft padded footsteps.

Wait. Footsteps?

She whirled around, flashlight beam pointed behind and around her in a wild arc as she tried to identify the source of the sounds she’d heard. There. She pointed the flashlight in the direction of the sound and thought she caught the flash of something red in the beam.

But the closer she walked toward the shoulder of the road that rimmed the edge of the forest, the more she thought she was just being ridiculous.

“Come on, girl,” she chided herself as she walked slowly forward, toward the thick brush and tree line at the shoulder’s graveled edge, “don’t make trouble for yourself. There’s nothing there. Even if there were, it was probably just a raccoon or something like that. There couldn’t possibly be anything more dangerous out here. Oh Lord,” she whispered as she turned back toward the road, “if you get me out of this alive, I promise to stop making fun of those church shows on TV.”

The only answer to her prayer was a gust that chilled her to the bones. Was that agreement? Or just the cold night air reminding her she was alone on a dark and nearly deserted road? She narrowed her eyes as her flashlight caught the glint of something silver in the brush lining the road. She pointed the beam where she’d seen the flash of silver but saw nothing else. Shivering, she tugged the sweatshirt tighter around her body as she backed away from the edge of the road.

She straightened her shoulders, turned herself in the direction the sign had indicated for Havenwood Falls, and walked into the fog that now covered the road in front of her.