Page 1 of Let Her Live

PROLOGUE

Janeshould never have agreed to this trip.

Mosquitos buzzed in her ears, and every other second, she swatted away at her overly sweaty arms to stop herself from getting eaten alive. It was midday, and the sun was shining down through the cypress trees, and yet it felt like it was when the insects were most active.

Jane couldn't help but shoot a glare at her husband, who trudged along the hiking trail in front of her, seemingly unbothered by the sweltering conditions and incessant insects.

A "vacation" to the Florida Everglades? It felt more like a punishment. And besides, there were gators around. They hadn't seen any yet, but Jane couldn't help but feel uneasy with every step she took deeper into the swampy forest. They were from New York City—a long way from home out in theFlorida Everglades, and Jane truly wished she'd insisted on going to the beach instead of agreeing to Chris's plan of a camping and hiking adventure. But he'd been so excited, and she always chose the vacation spots, so she wanted to be a good wife and to let him take the lead; they were both getting into their late thirties and had been married for well over ten years, and this was the first time Chris had been truly excited to go somewhere. So, of course, she had said yes when presented with the notion of a hike. But this was just too much. Still, Jane tried to keep on a brave face.

As they continued along the trail, the humidity began to increase. Jane's shirt clung to her skin, and she could feel sweat dripping down her back.

Suddenly, she heard rustling in the nearby bushes. Her heart began to race, and she slowed her pace, hoping to avoid whatever creature was lurking in the underbrush.

"Come on, babe," her husband called back to her. "It's probably just a harmless lizard or something."

"If by harmless lizard, you mean giantgator," Jane muttered.

Janetook a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. She didn't want to ruin the trip for Chris. But as they continued down the trail, her anxiety grew. Every snap of a twig or rustle of leaves made her jump, and soon she was lagging behind her husband.

As she rounded a bend in the trail, she saw a clearing up ahead. Chris had already made it there and was gazing out at the vast expanse of marshland beyond. Jane trudged up beside him as she swatted away yet-another giant mosquito.

"Damn it," she muttered under her breath, hating every second of it.

Chris turned back to her. A frown was forming on his face. "You don't seem like you're having a lot of fun."

Jane took a deep breath, trying to mask her fear. "I'm just not used to all these bugs and heat," she replied. "I'll be fine."

Chris reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. "I just wanted to show you this view."

Jane looked out at the marshland, trying to see what he saw. It was beautiful in its own way. The sun was setting, casting an orange glow over the water, and the wildlife was coming to life. She saw a family of ducks swimming in a nearby pond, their little ducklings paddling after them. She saw a great blue heron perched atop a cypress tree, watching the world below.

Then another mosquito flew right into her face, and Jane's hand instinctively flew up. "Damn it!" she yelled, her senses overwhelming her. "Chris, I just… I can't. I'm sorry."

She turned back in the direction they had come from. Part of her felt guilty as she heard Chris run after her, but this wasnota vacation.

"Babe, hold on!" he yelled.

Jane ignored Chris's calling and kept walking ahead. She was done with this swampy hell and wanted nothing more than to get out of there.She felt like she was drowning in the humidity and the insects.

"Jane, wait!" Chris was right behind her now, but Jane kept going. "Come on, it's not that bad—"

"Not that bad?" She twirled around, holding up her arms, which were covered in red marks. "I'm getting eaten alive, Chris! They don't even care about the repellant! This is my nightmare out here, and I wanted to try for you, really, I did, but I can't. I need to go."

Chris opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Jane turned around and kept walking back through the forest, hoping to find their campsite so they could back up and get out of the Everglades. Even the campsite was swarming with bugs and didn't have any hot showers or the usual amenities. She just wanted to get home and take a bath and not have to think about mosquitos ever again.

As she pushed through the swamp, she could feel Chris's presence lingering behind her, clearly disappointed. The buzzing around her ears and the gross water sloshing beneath her boots reminded her of why she had to leave. But the longer they walked, the more the sun sank across the sky, and the more Jane felt lost.

She turned back to Chris. "Are we going the right way?"

"I think so," he muttered.

Jane groaned. She couldn't believe she was stuck out here in the middle of the Everglades with no idea where they were going. She felt completely lost and alone.

Jane let out a heavy sigh and continued walking. Every step she took felt like she was walking through quicksand.

As she was turning back into a path that led through the forest, she looked down at the mud that coated her boots. Some had splashed up onto her legs.

"God, I just want a shower," she said to herself.

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