Page 61 of Under Fyre

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Charlotte

“He wasn’t inside, you know that,” I tell Arrow grimly, grabbing her collar and steering her in the other direction. She keeps turning back toward where we left the truck, keeps looking for Fyre.

We’ve been walking for what feels like hours, but I know it’s probably only been like thirty minutes.

I can’t feel my toes or my nose anymore. I have a thick coat, but that’s about the only real protection I have against the cold. My sneakers are drenched, as are my jeans from the knees down.

We retraced our steps up the hill and started following the road. Not back to the cabin—I doubt I’d be able to find the way back—but toward civilization.

I saw no sign of Fyre. No footsteps, no blood, nothing.

It’s like he vanished.

But it has been snowing for a while. That might have covered his tracks.

Arrow isn’t convinced he’s gone. I had to drag away from the gorge. Up the incline. Down the road. Hurt paw and all, she keeps trying to turn back and go back to the gorge. Even now, I’m sure she’ll try and turn around again if I didn’t have one hand around her collar.

We can’t stay here. We need to find shelter. Somewhere to warm up our feet and paws before we lose them to frostbite.

God, I really have to check if my boobs are still okay. One of them feels a little numb. It’s freaking me the fuck out.

“Hey, so how about this. You stop making my life difficult, and I promise I’ll find the biggest, juiciest steak you’veeverhad, and you can eat everything.”

Arrow looks up at the sound of my voice, but from her expression she doesn’t seem very impressed with my offer.

“Raw.”

Her tail swishes.

“Bloodyraw.”

She hops along beside me on three paws, her eyes returning to the path ahead. Fuck, maybe she took the deal, because she finally stops trying to turn back. And when I let go of her collar, she follows me.

It’s late afternoon. The temperature is plummeting.

There’s nothing to do but keep heading down the rutted road leading—I hope—toward civilization. But honestly, I don’t know how much further I can still go.

It seems today is not my day to die, though. Because when I squint into the distance I see a strip of dark gray that could be—hasto be—tarmac.

“We did it!”

Arrow’s ears prick up, and her tail gives an extra hard swish at the excitement in my voice.

Energy floods into me as I rush forward, beckoning Arrow with a flick of my hand. “Come on, doggy. We’re almost there.”

For some reason the mutt isn’t as happy as I am. The closer we get to the tarmac, the more she lags behind. At first I think it might be her paw, but when she does walk, she seems to be doing fine.

“Hey, what’s the holdup?” I walk up to her where she’s standing on three legs, her nose in the air and her tail pointing straight behind her. “That, what you’re smelling? It’ssafety.”

I can’t blame her. She’s a dog. For her, safety wasinsidethe trees, not out here where cars zoom past.

“Come on.”

Her brown eyes skitter right over me like I don’t exist. Whatever she’s smelling, she doesn’t like it. When I grab her collar and try to drag her after me, she ducks her head and digs in, but with an almost apologetic look in her eyes.

“Oh my God, comeon!” I throw up my hands. “I’m seconds away from withdrawing that juicy steak if you don’t come with me.”

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