After getting dressed in the hospital room, Alex had Nina drive her to the parking garage at the office building to get her car. Alex stopped at her apartment to pick up a few things then headed for the cabin.

Alex had been to the cabin a couple times as a child. Back then, the family wasn’t as big, and it was easy to schedule time with aunts and uncles and cousins. At that time, she thought of it as boring. Nothing to do but walk around in the trees and look at the waterfall. Funny how that sounded like heaven to her now.

A couple miles south of the homesite, she stopped at the Piggly Wiggly to get food for the next two days. She’d missed lunch and was starving right now. It was currently two o’clock; breakfast had been at six.

Wanting comfort food, she threw in several boxes of mac and cheese, bread for PB&J, a can of buttermilk biscuits, and containers of soup. She thought about fried chicken but decided it would be too messy. Cleaning wasn’t planned for this week. Then she got to the small bakery section, and end of story. She wiped them out of everything they had left. Now she’d have a reason to get up. Chocolate iced donuts. Who wouldn’t get up for those?

Trunk filled with groceries, she continued up the narrow state road to the campgrounds and cabins. Nina’s grandparents purchased the land before the area was declared a national forest under the protection of the government.

Alex had to admit the piece of property was in the best location. The state park bordered the back, and a creek ran through the front yard that led to a waterfall about a mile down.

The fall had a steep drop that was stunning to see from the top and bottom. She couldn’t wait to see it again. Maybe she’d check it out before it got dark tonight.

Pressing down on the accelerator, she urged her car up the steep incline. She didn’t remember the hills being so big or the curves so sharp. Of course, she wasn’t driving back then either. She sat in the back of the car playing, oblivious to the harsh world around her.

When the cabin came into sight, a huge grin spread across her face. The place was a bit older and a bit rundown, but it was still beautiful.

No place in New York City came close to this peace and serenity. No one for miles and miles.

Walking inside brought back so many memories. Dad was still alive and Mom was healthy. She imagined the smell of lemony Pledge that Nina’s relatives used in excess when they visited. Every piece of wood always shined in the place.

Instead of unpacking all she had, she tossed her overnight bag on the sofa and stuck the cold groceries into one bag and shoved it into the fridge. She’d have all night to settle in.

Right now, she wanted the solace that only nature could bring.

She stepped out the back door, several yards from the woods, and took a deep breath. A twinge of pain tweaked her ribs. She slapped a hand over it and rubbed gently. Maybe she’d take a shorter walk than intended. The waterfall could wait till later.

The scent of pine sap and needles struck her at once. More memories of playing tag and Marco Polo came to mind. If she ever had children, she would make sure they experienced more than just city life. The asphalt jungle was too overpowering, breaking every connection to nature.

The leafy canopy high above kept most of the sunlight from reaching the ground, but here and there, rays broke through, streaming down like beams from heaven. She heard the stream in the distance, rushing toward its destiny. Which made her think of her future and that led to Andrew.

Her heart was crushed all over again. When something was so good, it wasn’t bound to last. Maybe if they hadn’t had sex before they knew each other’s name. No, that wouldn’t have made any difference. At the time, it felt right, the right thing to do. Still felt that way. She’d never regret the time she’d spent with him.

He would forever be her only love.

As she bent over to pick up an empty water bottle, she hated when others littered, something slammed into the tree above her hand, just were her head was.

She straightened to investigate, and the sound of a rifle echoed around her. Her eyes whipped to the bark, seeing a deep indention in the trunk.

Oh shit. Was someone shooting at her? What the hell? No one knew where she was but Nina. Maybe it was one of her friend’s relatives or neighbors protecting the property. She ducked behind a tree.

“Hello!” she called out. “Nina gave me permission and the key to be up here. So everything is okay. I’m not trespassing or anything.” She dashed to another tree, a bullet in her wake. Instead of stopping to negotiate, she took off through the forest. That was probably the best chance of surviving.

If she could put enough distance between her and the shooter, then she could maybe find somewhere to hide. But how far was that distance? Would whoever was shooting give up after so long?

They couldn’t be aiming for her. Perhaps they thought she was a deer or something. Was deer season even close to this time of year?

Breathing heavily, she pulled up at the banks of the stream. Here, the waterway was much deeper and wider than the flow closer to the cabin. She hadn’t thought she’d run this far already. The falls weren’t much farther down.

A stick snapped behind her in the trees. She turned and searched the dancing shadows caused by the branches swaying overhead. Not wanting to dawdle too long, she stepped to the side. A rifle sounded and a bullet hit the tree in front of her.

She screamed and turned the other direction to run. Another bullet hit a tree next to her. She came to screeching halt. She was trapped, had nowhere to go but...

Oh god. Was that even an option? She backed toward the bank. The water was deep enough to cover her body if she went under. But not enough to keep a bullet from injuring her.

When she put her foot on the edge, the ground crumbled away, rolling down the side. She fell forward, catching herself with her hands. The rifle rang out but didn’t hit the trees next to her.

Did that mean it went over her head, where she’d been standing before she fell? With her options narrowed to one, she took it. She pushed off and fell feet first into the water.