Page 95 of Trapped: Until The Darkest Of Night

With trembling fingers, I prepare the milk, feed Grey, and mentally review everything. I can find enough to eat in the wilderness. Berries and leaves for tea, maybe even set traps depending on how long I’m on the road. Wire. I’ll need wire for that.

After Grey has finished the milk, I put him on the fleece sweater on the bench and retrieve the wire from the compartment. My eyes fall on a sturdy rope that can bear the weight of up to three people in an emergency. Without thinking, I attach it to my belt because there is no more room in the backpack.

Then, I turn off the gas, put on my thickest down jacket, and slip into lined boots. I might have to walk through the night and I don’t want to give up because of hypothermia.

When I’m all packed, I grab one of Lou’s sweaters so Grey knows who to look for and tuck the wolf between my chest and jacket.

I let him sniff Lou’s scent where I last saw her. Of course, it’s possible that she ran back and is now heading toward the road. Then my undertaking would be in vain, but there is no other option.

The sun has already set. It’s after ten o’clock now and Lou is all alone in the middle of the wilderness. What if I can’t find her and she freezes to death? Or she dies of thirst after days of torment? The idea of her struggling with the last of her strength and finally collapsing is killing me. With numb fingers, I untie the flashlight from my belt and run past the lake to the deer crossing.

“Lou?” I call out into the darkness, ignoring the pangs in my head. “Lou? Are you here? I won’t hurt you, just come back!”

Wind rushes over me and an eerie groan moves through the forest like the moaning of ghosts. “We’ll just carry on as before. I promise. I won’t chain you anymore, Lou. Just come back! Please!”

Grey is whimpering against my chest but I don’t have the patience to sooth him now. I continue calling Lou’s name.

Eventually, I come to the spot where the half-decayed badger carcass lies.

“Lou? Are you here somewhere? Answer me! Please!” I don’t care how desperate I sound. I wouldn’t even care if Lou saw me crying, if I could. I just want to find her and tell her that from now on, I’ll do everything better.

“Lou?” Something large and heavy crashes to the ground beside me. I spin around and my flashlight lands on a huge branch that must have snapped off a tree. “Lou?” I run on as the pounding in my head moves into my ears. “Lou? Answer me!”

I let Grey sniff Lou’s sweater, but he knows who we’re looking for anyway. On his clumsy paws, he moves along the edge of the cliff in the dark. Lou probably didn’t believe me that there is no descent here.

Shivering, I wrap my arms around myself. My fingers are frozen stiff and my ears are numb from the cold. I could pull my hood up, but then I might not hear Lou. I still call her name periodically, but only the dark howl of the wind answers. It sounds menacing as if it knows of some calamity that has happened to Lou. I look around anxiously. The gusts rip like hands at the treetops. In the middle of the forest, Lou could be killed by falling branches, so I keep hoping she kept walking along the cliff the whole time.

I barely managed three miles when the first raindrops hit.

I clench my teeth, hoping Grey doesn’t lose the scent with everything getting soaked.

“Come on, Grey, don’t give up!” I call to the little wolf, who has stopped to sniff around. “Do you have her scent?”

The rain beats down on us harder and harder. Grey is thoroughly soaked and shaking so bad, I’m afraid he won’t last much longer. He peers up at me, then keeps walking, but I can tell he is exhausted. After a few minutes, I call him back, pick him up, and tuck him under my jacket to keep him warm.

He lets out a pathetic whine as if to apologize for not being able to help me.

“It’s okay,” I whisper. “It’s fine. I’ll carry you a bit. Let’s hope Lou walked a straight line from here.”

Time blurs with the rain. A sharp pain runs up my legs to my hips. Maybe it’s the cold, maybe it’s an aftereffect of the drops. Again and again, I pull Grey out of my jacket to see if he can find Lou’s trail. When I place him on the ground this time, he smells the wet mud, turns in a circle, and looks at me helplessly.

“Okay. She wasn’t here,” I think aloud and pull out Lou’s sweater, which is also tucked into the front of my down jacket. I let Grey sniff it in the rain and then inhale Lou’s scent myself.

Immediately, an oppressive tightness rises in my throat and I quickly tuck the sweater back into my jacket. Now is certainly not the time for another flash.

I hurry back and Grey rushes past me like he’s regained enough energy from the rest. He stops short at a boulder overgrown with bushes and starts howling loudly. Immediately, I’m at his side and kneel next to him. “What do we have here?” My heart races as I shine my flashlight down the embankment. The rough cliff falls sharply, so deep the lamp’s beam can’t reach the bottom.

Did Lou climb down here? No, she couldn’t possibly have risked that. Suddenly, I have a stale taste in my mouth. Something silver glitters on a bush about six feet below me next to a tree stump. I shine my flashlight directly on it and my suspicion is confirmed. It’s Lou’s necklace with the colorful pendants.

Everything spins before my eyes. She must have fallen. She would never have dared climb down here. Especially not in this weather. Or would she?

I shine the flashlight into the abyss. I have to rappel. The rock is too steep and too slippery from the rain to free climb. I glance around frantically. There’s nothing here to tie the rope to. I shine my light down again and the glow of the lamp catches the tree stump on the outcrop. That could work. With Grey between my bare skin and sweater, I slide down on my back, my numb fingers clutching the edge of the cliff. Wind whistles over me and I’m relieved when my feet land on the horizontal ledge. Once I have a secure footing, I fish Lou’s chain out of the bush. The chain broke. I better not imagine why. I quickly stuff it into my pocket.

Then I loop the rope around the trunk so that I am holding two lines in my hands and shine the flashlight down again. The rock face is unpredictable due to the fissures. Hopefully, the rope will reach the bottom.

I push the thought away, place the flashlight in my mouth, and carefully lower myself down.

The first few feet are the most difficult. My arms are shaking, as soon as I can brace my feet against the steep rock, I feel better. Grey howls against my chest and inches downward. Good thing I tucked my sweater into my pants so he won’t slide out.

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