Page 53 of Too Late

She wanted to cry at the hopelessness and pain that radiated throughout her whole body.

Pkow.

The shotgun fired.

Her world froze. The pain vanished as her mind conjured an image of Josh lying on the forest floor bleeding, dying.

She screamed at the top of her lungs. “JOSH!”

She tried to run up the hill. Back to the bottom. She’d slid right back down. “No.”

What was she supposed to do?

The ground opposite of where she’d fallen rose again. Perhaps she should follow the ravine.

Her heart thundered in her ears—no, it wasn’t her heart, it was too constant, or was that what a broken heart sounded like?

Forcing herself to her feet, she walked along the bottom of the ravine.

The sound grew louder. A waterfall.

But another sound joined it. A vile cackle.

“Where are you, Chloe? Josh wants you to join him.”

“Run, Chloe!”

Josh! He was alive.

“Meet us at the waterfall. Walk west, and you’ll find it.” The voice wasn’t Elliot’s. Not that Chloe had heard Elliot talk, but that was Kristinn’s voice.

Her voice had faded in and out as if she was turning her head. She didn’t know where Chloe was.

Chloe hoped to keep it that way.

She ran along the ravine with the softest steps she could manage. The soft ground gave way to rocks. Beyond the rocks, a small lake sat at the foot of a rock formation that jutted out, almost blocking the view of a stunning waterfall. She recognized the beauty but couldn’t process it. The fear was too intense.

Red and more red. The dark red of Kristinn’s flannel and the bright red of Josh’s coat appeared at the top of the waterfall.

Chloe darted into the shadows against the rocks.

She forced herself to keep her breathing regular.Heavenly Father, be my rock and steady me. Give me wisdom. What do I do?

She needed to save Josh, but how? She was down here, and he was up at the top of a cliff.

Was she going to have to watch Josh die? Would Kristinn shoot him? Or push him off the rocks?

Chloe wiped her face. She had to save him. But the cliff that stood in front of her seemed to laugh. If only she could climb.

That was it. She had to climb. If she could get up there without Kristinn seeing her, maybe she could catch Kristinn off guard, and Josh would be safe.

She inched over the rocks to the base of the cliff, right below where Josh and Kristinn stood.

“Oh, Chloe.” Kristinn’s voice echoed through the open space above the water. “Do you really want Josh to die all alone?”

Chloe got into position. Not only did she need to climb, but she needed to do so as quietly as possible. No slipping stones, no heavy breathing.

The thundering of the waterfall soothed her nerves and masked her sounds.

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