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After bypassing the factory, the trio found themselves deeply immersed in the woods. And while no one wanted to say it, things were starting to look rather grim. How the hell were they supposed to find this kid when they could barely see five feet in front of them?
Suddenly, Alex’s focus honed in on something in the distance.
“Alex?” Ryan asked, approaching her from the side. “What’s wrong?”
The light from the lantern played across her features in a way that made them look particularly striking. His heart stuttered for a moment when she turned towards him with a determined look in her eye.
“There.” She pointed to a spot higher up on the mountain. “That’s where he is.”
Confused, Ryan squinted, trying to make out whatever had caught her interest. “What? I don’t see anything.”
“Trust me.”
And just like that, she hurried towards the location with both Ryan and Gabe hot on her tail.
Approaching the ravine, she immediately shouted across it. “Ethan!”
“Alex?” A familiar voice called back.
Ryan stared in disbelief.
How…?
This woman hadn’t even been here one full day and she had somehow managed to surprise him at every turn.
Her idea to use Ethan’s comics as a guide was clever thinking and very much worthy of praise. But this?
This was more than just smarts and resourcefulness.
She had just seemed so self-assured and knowing. As if she was perceiving something that he wasn’t.
Throughout his life, many people knew Ryan for his unwavering interest in facts and studies pertaining to the natural world. But what they didn’t know was that deep down, a small part of him had always wondered whether the wilderness harbored some secrets of its own. Something unexplained and without any scientific basis. And he truly believed that if he ever were to witness the supernatural, it would come from deep within the heart of the forest. Hidden away and unknown to another human soul.
But then…
Then, some girl from the big city comes strolling into his life, challenging that belief entirely.
She wasn’t someone who would particularly stand out in a crowd. And yet, there was a power to her presence. This otherworldly and almost ethereal quality that Ryan couldn’t quite describe.
He could only hope he would get the opportunity to learn more about her in the future, including why exactly he had become so hopelessly drawn to a person he had just met.
But for now, they had a kid to save.